DISCLAIMER:  I do not own FFX, FFX-2 or any of the characters and locations affiliated with it.  I do, however, own the story "Silver Wings" and all references to dialogue not originated by Square-Enix.

DO NOT COPY MY STORIES!!

If anyone wants to post this story or "Silver Wings" anywhere else, please just ASK and then give me credit for writing it.  Email akksgurl@yahoo.com with any requests.

Author's Notes:  This chapter reintroduces Shinra, the Al Bhed whiz kid, (hence the title of "I Know Everything").  This chapter will also introduce the main conflict in the story involving the person controlling Tidus (and I'm sure most of you realize who that is.)  The Gippal/Rikku/Baralai love triangle will have a twist occur late chapter 8 and conclude in chapter 9 which will change this entire sub-plot.  I'm informing you readers of this now because the next two chapters will have some important pieces of information and dialog that will come into play when this twist occurs.  Also, there are conversations between Tidus and the "man inside his head".  The man's dialog is in italics. 

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SILVER WINGS 2: 1000 CONFESSIONS

by akksgurl

Chapter Six:  I Know Everything

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She had sworn it was from when he had passed out in Zanarkand, but somehow Tidus knew that wasn't true.  There was something Yuna wasn't telling him, but he couldn't figure out what it was.  He had followed behind his friends as they boarded the Celsius after bidding farewell to Nooj and LeBlanc who had decided to stay behind. 

Their next destination was the Al Bhed sanctuary, Home, which had been destroyed during Yuna's pilgrimage.  Gippal had told him they were going there for supplies and men to help rebuild Zanarkand, but Tidus didn't believe that either.  Home needed their men to rebuild it.  There was another reason they were going there and it had to do with the strange bag that Paine refused to let go of. 

Ever since that morning, none of his friends – including Yuna – had been able to look him straight in the eyes for more than a moment or two.  It was almost as if they were…afraid of him.  Even if they weren't, it was obvious that something had changed within the last 24 hours.  There was huddled whispering during their ride to Home that he wasn't included in.  If he came too near, they split apart like condemned prisoners that were guiltily plotting an escape.  That was the main reason Tidus had decided to take in the air on the top of the ship which was where he was standing when the remnants of Home first came into view.

Home had been situated in the middle of Bikanel Desert but was destroyed a little over two years before by the Guado after Tidus and his friends had killed Lord Seymour Guado who subsequently became an unsent.  Just thinking about his confusing past with Yuna gave Tidus a headache as the ship lowered.  His head hammered and Tidus felt suddenly dizzy as Brother practically crashed the ship into the sand. 

"Find the dressphere…" a menacing – but not a totally unfamiliar – voice whispered.

Tidus spun around as the headache suddenly disappeared a quickly as it had come on.  It wasn't like the previous times he had heard that voice ringing in his ears.  This time it was like the voice was speaking to him and not around him. 

Find the dressphere?  What the hell was a dressphere?

"Tidus…ask the one called Buddy…I must know more about her dressphere…"

Now he was definitely losing his mind.  Tidus smacked himself hard across the face as if that would help remove the crazy voice from his head.  Whoever this voice belonged to, the person knew his name. 

Ask Buddy, huh?  Tidus thought for a moment and then decided to do it.  What was the harm?  Besides, maybe it would get the deranged voice to leave him alone.

---------------------.

Yuna was grateful that Tidus hadn't joined them.  She saw him standing on the Celsius' roof as she, Rikku, Paine, Gippal, and Baralai made their way toward the building Cid had set up to house the Al Bhed during the reconstruction.  Gippal figured that Shinra would probably be in there and so Yuna followed him, keeping a wary eye on the bag Paine clutched which contained the skulls.  Her fear of learning who those skulls belonged to was overshadowed only by her fervent desire to help Tidus.  Something was wrong with him, and Yuna was determined to figure out what it was, no matter the cost.    

The short, stout Al Bhed child was wearing his usual tan uniform with face guard.  Shinra was sitting cross legged on the floor as soon as they entered the tiny building.  Where most children his age would be playing with dolls, Shinra was instead fixing a broken comsphere. 

"Hi Shinra." Yuna said to the child.

Shinra spun around and Yuna could see his excitement although his mask covered his features.  The child jumped to his feet and ran to her, wrapping his tiny arms around her waist in a tight hug that Yuna returned.  This little boy had earned a special place in her heart during her journey to get Tidus back.  He had helped her so many times then and she hoped so much that he could help her now. 

"How are you, Shinra?" she asked.

The child replied, "I'm great, Yuna.  So why are all of you here?"

Paine lifted the bag slightly and then motioned with her head to a side room, "Can we go in there to talk.  It's a private matter."

Nodding his agreement, the Al Bhed child led the group into the side room which was apparently one where Cid held his meetings with his crew.  There was a large wooden table in the middle lined with 10 identical chairs and a screen which spheres could be played upon.  Rikku entered the room last and closed the door behind herself before taking a seat between Baralai and Gippal with Yuna on Gippal's left and Paine on Baralai's right.  Shinra sat across from all five and crossed his hands on the table in front of him, "So what is in the bag, Paine?"

The stoic warrior lifted the bag onto the table and carefully dumped the contents in front of Shinra, "We found them in the Cave of Woe."

The child gripped one in his hands and gazed at it slowly, taking in every feature upon it.  His eyes then caressed the others, paying close attention to the bullet hole in the skull to his right.  He looked at Yuna, "What do you need to know about them?"

"Anything." Yuna replied, "Who they were, what happened to them.  Whatever you can tell us."

Shinra scratched his tiny chin thoughtfully.  He pointed to skull in the middle, "That is a female.  I can tell you that much right now." He said.  His finger then went to the bullet hole in the skull to the left, "That was made by a machina weapon.  Most likely Bevelle brand since it has been only within the last several years that machina weapons – known more commonly as guns – were manufactured by any other place."

"What about that skull?" Gippal asked, pointing to the one that had been most plaguing to the group since they had discovered it.  It was the one Tidus was crawling extremely close to. 

Shinra tilted his head sideways to get a better look at the human cranium, "I'm not sure about that one.  That'll take some research if you want to know what happened to him."

"But it is a man?" Yuna asked.

"Most probably," replied Shinra, "I can't be 100% positive without running a DNA scan, but I'm pretty certain it belonged to a man."

Rikku scratched her head through her long blonde braids as she said, "Could you run the scan for all of them and let us know everything you can about these people.  Maybe then we can figure out how they got in the cave in the first place."

"I can do that," Shinra said.  Looking at Baralai he replied, "I'm going to need your help to get into Bevelle's classified files.  They have they so well protected that it's impossible without the right override codes."

Baralai nodded, "I'll give you a hand," he agreed, "but why Bevelle's files?  Why not look in others as well?"

"The Cave of Woe was under Bevelle jurisdiction until about 10 years ago.  These skulls are much older then 10 years so I'd bet my comspheres that these people were either from Bevelle or had a connection somehow." He lifted the skulls one by one off of the table and placed them back into the bag that Paine had handed him, "Besides, Bevelle's records would also have some records from Zanarkand since they were allied.  I could kill two fiends that way."

Yuna's breath caught in her throat.  Zanarkand meant…Shuyin.  Running a trembling hand through her brown hair, Yuna asked, "Do you think that one of these skulls might belong to a former Zanarkand resident?"

Shinra shrugged, "I won't know until I do some research, but I wouldn't be surprised.  I figure these skulls are probably from back during the war."

"Then…" Rikku's eyes connected with the female skull as Shinra placed it in the bag, "Then that girl skull could be Lenne's?"

Shinra laughed a little and shook his head, "No.  There's no way its Lenne's."

"How do you know that?" asked Gippal skeptically.

"According to my research on Lenne, her body was sent back to her comrades on the front.  She was buried at the base of Gagazet on the Nagi side.  Relatively near the gorge where Yojimbo was housed."

Yuna shivered.  They had probably walked right over Lenne's body during her pilgrimage and hadn't even realized it.  She frowned more, "What about Shuyin's body?"

The silence that ensued told Yuna her answer, but even still when Shinra voiced it she wasn't prepared, "His body was never found."

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It was quiet on the bridge by the time Tidus had left the roof of the Celsius and made his way down there.  Although he had wanted to join Yuna, something – maybe the voice in his head – made him think that speaking to Buddy about the dressphere was more important. 

It was only himself and Buddy in the room when Tidus walked through the door.  Brother was in the engine room recalibrating something or another.  Tidus hadn't paid much attention when Brother had told him in his broken English.  He had been too distracted by the voice in his head.

The tanned Al Bhed was standing to the far right of the Celsius in what Yuna had called 'Shinra's Spot'.  The gadgets and gizmos that the Al Bhed child had left behind were obviously causing Buddy some problems as he cursed in his native language at a large, round object he held in his hands.

"That's it.  Ask him!"

"Hey there, Buddy." Tidus said, trying to act as normal as possible. 

"Hi Tidus." Buddy replied, "They're all at Home if you're looking for Yuna."

Tidus shook his head, "Actually, I was looking for you." He said.  Somehow that line felt like a lie to Tidus.  He hadn't really wanted to look for Buddy but had somehow felt compelled to do so. 

Buddy seemed surprised at Tidus' admission and placed the object on the chair next to him, "What about?"

"I wanted to ask you about…dresspheres."

"Dresspheres?" Buddy repeated, confused, "What about them?"

"Ask him how they work."

Tidus grimaced slightly.  Who was this guy?  Why did he want to know about the dresspheres?  What the hell was wrong with him?!

"Tidus?  What about the dresspheres?"

"Oh." Tidus said as he snapped back to reality, "I was just wondering how they work."

Buddy lifted the object from the chair, "Well, this is Yuna's songstress sphere.  I'll use it to explain."

"That's it…"

Buddy didn't seem to notice Tidus' discomfort as he continued, "It holds the essence of the person the sphere is based on.  It usually contains their abilities which the person using the sphere can gain when they use it.  That's how Yuna became such a fantastic singer when she used this."

Tidus couldn't understand what the man in his head wanted to know this information for.  It was downright boring.

"Yuna's use of this particular sphere is actually what gave us a glimpse into the lives of Lenne and Shuyin and how we ended up ultimately getting you back."

"How did that happen?" Tidus asked, not at the voice's urging but at his own.  He was a bit interested in understanding how that ball helped him get his life back.

Buddy shrugged, "We're not completely sure why, but Lenne's memories took Yuna over.  She sorta became Lenne for a while."

"Ask him how it works…"

Tidus wished that he could shut the voice up or tell him where to go, but for some reason he felt compelled to listen to the instructions, "How does it work?"

"Well," Buddy began, pointing to a tiny, glowing object inside of the sphere, "That little diamond is actually the sphere itself.  That is what powers this object.  Shinra is the one that took to putting the protective plastic shell over it.  If someone just used that diamond piece, we're not sure what the result could ultimately be.  We do know, however, that it would be a heck of a lot more powerful then it is with the cover."

"Interesting…" the voice whispered, "This will be very helpful.  Say goodbye to him, Tidus, and go back to the roof."

Doing just as the voice instructed, Tidus excused himself and went back to the roof still not understanding just why.

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Although Shinra hadn't been able to answer many questions, he had agreed to keep the skulls and do research on them.  With more questions then when they had arrived, the group wandered out of the side house and into the heat of the midday sun on Bikanel Island.

"We should probably get the supplies or else Tidus will wonder what the hell we were up to." Gippal said as he hooked his fingers into his belt buckle and gave Rikku a lopsided grin.

The blonde laughed, "You still have that thing?!" she asked incredulously as her eyes focused on the black leather belt that was wrapped around Gippal's lean waist.  She had given that belt to him for his 16th birthday, almost 6 months before he had gone to join the Crimson Squad.  She was certain he would have gotten rid of it, but he hadn't and she wasn't quite sure what to think.

"I like the belt.  Besides, it keeps my pants from falling down." Gippal said with a smirk.  Winking at Rikku, he turned to Yuna, "I'm going to round up some help to get the supplies and men we'll need."

"I'll come with you." Yuna said, "I need to keep busy."

"Sounds good.  Paine, you wanna come?" Gippal asked.  The stoic female nodded curtly and fell in line beside Gippal.  The handsome Al Bhed saw Baralai standing a bit too close to Rikku for his liking but stifled his frown of distain.  Baralai didn't stand a chance with Rikku.  She would never want to be with someone so…boring.  He gave them a tense smile, "I guess we'll see you guys back at the ship."

"I guess so." Baralai replied.

Part of Rikku wanted to run after Gippal as he and her two friends vanished into the sun-drenched sand of Bikanel, but she forced herself to stay in place until he was no longer visible.  She felt the power of Baralai's gaze on her but she momentarily ignored it as she started the mile long trek back to the Celsius.  Brother had been unable to land any closer due to the huge sand dunes that the Al Bhed had constructed to act as a barrier to invaders. 

The sand crunched under her sandled feet and for several feet neither blonde said a word to the other until Baralai's deep voice broke the silence, "Are you okay?" he asked her.

Rikku nodded, "Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"You've just been unusually quiet.  I thought you were angry at me."

She stopped and turned to look at him.  He had slowed and was a few feet behind her.  With her eyes squinting toward him, she asked, "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know."

"Trust me," she said, "I'm not mad at you.  I'm more mad at myself then anything."

"Why are you mad at yourself?"

Rikku wished she could have taken the words back.  She didn't want to get into how Gippal's kiss had made her feel.  She didn't want to explain to Baralai what she felt for the handsome Al Bhed, but then she thought differently.  Baralai was her friend.  He was Gippal's friend.  He'd understand.  Sighing, Rikku said, "I just hate that I can't get over this stupid Gippal thing."

"Gippal thing?" Baralai asked tentatively, afraid of the answer.

"I loved him so much when we were younger.  It broke my heart when he left and didn't even try to contact me." She said, "We weren't even really together, but it felt like we were in my heart.  Every time he looked at me, my heartbeat got faster.  You know what that's like?"

Baralai nodded.  He knew exactly what that was like.

"I'm mad at myself because I still love him." She said and Baralai was certain that she had plunged her weapons into his skin.  He knew that she had feelings for Gippal, but he hadn't realized just how deeply they ran.  For the first time, Baralai realized the hopeless situation he was in.  Once again – as it had been with Paine and Nooj – Baralai was the odd man out.  The girl he wanted didn't even notice him and instead spent her entire time with him lamenting about her affections for the other man. 

His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as Baralai struggled to remain composed.  He didn't want Rikku to see how upset and angry he was.  If he hoped to stand even the tiniest of chances, he had to remain calm. With a forced smile, Baralai said, "I'm surprised to hear you say that.  You two fight all the time."

"We've always been like that." Rikku said with a grin, "That's the source of our passion, I guess.  We're both incredibly stubborn and incredibly strong-willed.  We're willing to do anything to get what we want.  That's why we butt heads all the time."

"Well that's not a very good thing to base a relationship on.  It wouldn't be very stable." Baralai stated.

Rikku smiled at him and playfully punched his shoulder, "Well duh!" she said with a laugh.  She tugged softly on Baralai's soft, blonde hair and said, "You're such a good friend, Baralai.  Thanks."

Friend…

Once again, Baralai was the friend. 

As he watched the female ahead of him saunter up the bridge into the airship, he dug his fingers into the palm of his hands until they drew tiny droplets of blood. 

----------------------.

Tidus watched as Rikku and Baralai climbed back onto the Celsius and he made a move to go down and greet them, but found himself unable to control his limbs.  He was frozen in place on the roof of the Celsius.

"Thanks for finding out about the dressphere, Tidus." The voice whispered again.

"Who are you?!" Tidus shrieked.  His voice being the only aspect of his body that he could control. His mind willed his arms and legs to move but it didn't work.  Something was wrong and Tidus was terrified.

"Uh…uh…uh." the voice hissed, "I'm in charge now and I don't want you to go anywhere."

"Who are you?  What do you want with me?"

The voice replied, "You know who I am, Tidus.  You've glimpsed enough of my life to realize who I am."

Tidus could barely think straight.  His mind was moving a mile a minute as he tried to figure out who this voice belonged to and – more importantly – where it was coming from.  He knew who this person was?  How was that even possible?  He had seen his person's life?  The light dawned brightly on Tidus as he uttered, "Shuyin…?"

"Good." Shuyin replied, "I was beginning to think the fayth had made you into a moron."

"Where are you?  What do you want with me?"

Shuyin laughed haughtily, "Maybe they did make you a moron after all.  Honestly, Tidus.  You're asking me where I am?  My voice is ringing in your ears and you still think that I'm standing somewhere nearby."

"So you're inside of my body?" Tidus suddenly realized, "You're possessing me like you did Baralai!"

"If I was possessing you, then you would have realized it by now." Shuyin replied, "No, Tidus, I'm not possessing you."

Tidus didn't know what was going.  If Shuyin wasn't possessing him, then just what the hell was going on.  Why was he so helpless here in his own body?  Tidus tried again with all his strength to move but couldn't, "What do you want with me?" he begged, trying not to let the fear show in his voice.

"My life was stolen from me, Tidus.  I'm here to steal it back."

"But…but…you're supposed to be in the Farplane with your girlfriend.  Yuna saw you!!"

Shuyin scoffed, "Never buy into 'supposed to', Tidus.  I was also 'supposed to' live happily ever after with Lenne 1000 years ago but that didn't happen."

"But Yuna saw you and Lenne go off together!"

"I thought I was with Lenne too." Shuyin replied, "I wouldn't have left if I had known that she was still on Spira and the one I was with was just a mirage."  Shuyin laughed louder and the sound rung in Tidus' ears, "But Yuna's wish to have you back gave me the perfect opportunity to come back and have another chance with her."

"What?!" Tidus' ears perked at the mere thought that Yuna might be in some sort of danger.  Summoning his strength, Tidus managed to take a step toward the door that led back to the ship.  He'd die again before he let Shuyin hurt Yuna.

"My, my, my.  Impressive." Shuyin remarked, "You're stronger then I thought, but I'm always going to be stronger then you Tidus.  That's what happens when a dream fights against the real form." With a laugh ringing out loud and clear, Shuyin hissed, "It's all over Tidus.  It's only a matter of time until you don't even exist anymore, but until then I'll be taking full control.  Sleep tight, dream of the fayth."

Even with his eyes open, darkness began to cover over Tidus and, try as he might, he couldn't find the light.  He thought he vaguely heard Shuyin's evil laugh as darkness closed around him.