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: I'm really glad that everybody seems to like the twist that happened in chapter 8. I was pretty nervous about it not being well received, but it looks like it has been and I'm glad. Anyway, this chapter is going to focus mainly on Shuyin and Yuna with, quite possibly, another twist no one is expecting. We'll get more into Gippal in the chapters that follow but for now just assume that dear Gippal is locked away in an Al Bhed holding cell. *sniff*.
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SILVER WINGS 2: 1000 CONFESSIONS
by akksgurl
Chapter Nine: Would You Do It Again?
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The following day was dark and dreary – the perfect day to hold Baralai's sending. Shuyin had never witnessed a sending before, but he knew Tidus had so he needed to act as unimpressed as possible. Since the Celsius was off limits during the investigation, the group had taken to staying in the main building at Home which was divided into several bedrooms. Yuna hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, having spent the entire night with Paine trying to comfort Rikku. Shuyin hadn't slept either and the reason wasn't completely different from Rikku's.
Shuyin had accidentally framed an innocent man and he didn't know what to do about it.
He had sat up all night thinking about different ways to save Gippal from a terrible fate – thinking about if he even wanted to save him. Baralai had been smart enough to figure out Shuyin's secret. What if Gippal followed in his footsteps? Having him locked up in an Al Bhed prison was the perfect place to keep him from figuring things out, but could Shuyin go about acting like nothing was wrong? He had blood on his hands and nothing he could do was wiping them clean.
Yuna was wearing a long blue skirt and a white blouse with a yellow bow on the back to the service. She mentioned something about not having worn it since her pilgrimage, and Shuyin assumed that this outfit was something summoners these days wore. Her eyes were bloodshot as she smiled half-heartedly at him before going back out to the bridge leaving him alone with his thoughts. He stood in only boxers staring at the dark blue slacks and dress shirt that Yuna had laid out for him. Nooj and LeBlanc had flown in and would join the crew of the Celsius for the sending. Shuyin knew he should be getting dressed, but he couldn't stop his hands from shaking. He could still hear the crack of Baralai's neck when it snapped beneath the strength of his hands. He slowly pulled the leather gloves off of his hands and put them onto the table next to him. Part of him was grateful for having not taken the gloves off that day and part of him was furious with himself. With those gloves on, the only person forensics would discover had touched the belt were Baralai – while begging for his life -, and Gippal…
Shuyin felt a tear trickle down his cheek. Would the guilt ever go away?
He had placed the locket safely into a lockbox in the closet and the diamond ring in the pocket of his shorts. He didn't want to think about Lenne for the moment. He didn't want to think about how angry she would be at him.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Shuyin pulled the clothes onto his shaking body and ran a brush through his hair several times before gazing at himself in a nearby mirror. It was the first time he had ever taken the time to look at himself in Tidus' skin and he was surprised at the few differences he could see. Tidus' hair was shorter and didn't hang as often in his eyes. His skin was a bit more tan and he was probably about a half inch shorter, but Tidus had the same bright blue eyes that Shuyin was accustomed to seeing in his reflection and those eyes right now looked at him accusingly.
Murderer…
Shuyin jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Yuna. He hadn't even seen her return through the mirrored reflection. Her eyes weren't the deep brown of Lenne's but they held the same kindness. She gave him a half smile, "We're ready to start. Are you coming?"
For the first time since becoming Tidus, Shuyin really looked at Yuna. She wasn't as different from Lenne has he had originally thought. If anything, she was more. Lenne was strong, but Yuna was stronger. Lenne was smart, but Yuna was smarter. Lenne was funny, but Yuna was funnier. Lenne was beautiful, but Yuna was…
"Yeah, I'm coming." He said quickly, trying to head off the direction his thoughts were heading. Allowing Yuna to gently take his hand in hers, the duo joined the rest of the mourners by the Oasis in Bikanel which was where everyone had decided to have the sending performed. Yuna was relatively sure that Baralai wouldn't have needed a sending to go to the Farplane, but she didn't want to risk him becoming a fiend just in case she was wrong.
Shuyin tried to hide the wonder he was sure was reflecting in his eyes as Yuna began the sending. He had never witnessed anyone walking on water the way Yuna did, while swinging her scepter in the air. He tried to ignore the tears of those around him and focus on the fluidity of Yuna's motions
"People die, and Yuna dances…"
Shuyin tensed. He knew that voice. Taking a casual step back from the group, he hissed under his breath, "Shut-up, Tidus."
"When will she stop dancing...?"
"Shut-up!" repeated Shuyin, his hiss becoming slightly higher pitched.
"When will it stop...?"
Shuyin took a deep breath and strained, focusing all of his energies into forcing Tidus back into his world of darkness. The merger wasn't happening as fast as Shuyin would have thought. Tidus still had a mind and will of his own. He frowned when he heard Tidus laugh and Shuyin whispered, "You're supposed to be asleep."
"Well, when someone murders someone else using your body, it tends to wake you up." Tidus replied sarcastically, laughing again as Shuyin attempted to send him back to sleep.
"I did what I had to do." Shuyin replied.
Tidus whispered, "Yuna will figure it out. You know she will."
"Well, you'd just better hope that doesn't happen," threatened Shuyin, "because there will be no one to perform the sending."
Tidus' laugh caused Shuyin's blood to run cold. It was a confident laugh and Shuyin realized that part of the merger had begun. Tidus was fully aware of Shuyin's plans. With the end of his laughter, came Tidus' response, "We both know you won't hurt her."
"Go back to sleep!" he hissed, louder then he had wanted to. He closed his eyes and strained until Tidus' laughter was no longer echoing in his ears.
"Are you okay?" Yuna asked as Shuyin opened his eyes. All of the mourners were staring at him and Shuyin felt a blush form on his features.
"I'm fine." He replied.
Paine gave him an inquisitive look, "Are you sure?" she asked, "It looks like you're constipated."
"I'm fine." Shuyin replied again. Tidus' words were still echoing in his head. He looked at Yuna and swallowed hard. What would he do if she figured it out?
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Rikku was sitting outside. She had refused to come in. Baralai was dead and it was probably Gippal's fault. Yet, she couldn't fight the gut feeling that he wasn't to blame.
"Hey, Rikku."
Rikku spun around and smiled half-heartedly at her father. Cid joined her on the small pile of sand she had created as a chair and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"No, Pop." She replied, "I'm not okay. I won't be okay until you tell me that all the tests you ran on Baralai and the belt prove that Gippal is 100% innocent."
Cid's frown told Rikku that her father wasn't going to be able to do that. The female turned to look out on the Oasis. She and Gippal had come there many times as children to play. He had taught her how to swim in that very water.
"What do you know, Pop?" she asked.
Cid sighed, "Forensics got the info back." He paused and tilted Rikku's head to look at him, "The only prints on the belt were Baralai's and Gippal's."
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Yuna hadn't said much since the sending ended and after saying goodnight to everyone, Shuyin had followed her into their room. He let his clothes drop as he walked until he was clad in only a t-shirt and boxers. Yuna was standing with her back to him, gazing blankly into the mirror as he crawled beneath the sheets and lay on his side to look at her. She sighed heavily, "I have to tell you something."
Shuyin didn't like the sound of that and sat up in the bed, "What is it?"
She turned to him and for the first time Shuyin noticed just how much she resembled Lenne physically as well as emotionally. He hadn't noticed it before, but it was there. It was subtle, but there. She smiled weakly at him, "We followed you." She whispered, "When we were at the Youth League headquarters. We all followed you to the cave."
He wasn't prepared for this. Did she know about the necklace? Did she know that he killed Baralai? He gripped the end of the pillow until his knuckles turned white. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't know what other alternative he would have.
She reached into a large box that was sitting next to a large potted plant. Shuyin hadn't noticed it before. Lifting it, she placed it on the corner of the bed, "I think we found what you were looking for."
Now Shuyin was completely confused. He released his grip on the pillow and stared at the box. What could they have found if it wasn't the locket? He watched as Yuna gingerly removed the top and placed it next to the box. Reaching inside, Shuyin paled when she gently placed a skull on the bed in front of him.
His skull…
"There were two others." She said, "One belonging to Reiber Ackmard, the president of Bevelle, and the other belonging to his daughter, Allyn. Shinra ran the DNA tests on them. He still has those two."
Shuyin barely heard what she had said. He couldn't take his eyes off of the skull in front of him. Where was the rest of his body? Was it gone? Didn't they look for it? He had hundreds of questions, but he couldn't risk asking them. He had to play this cool. He didn't think Yuna knew too much. He couldn't give her any more reason to be suspicious.
"Tidus," she whispered, "You called LeBlanc by the name Allyn. You've been acting very strangely. You called me Lenne." She wiped a tear from her eye, "Shinra discovered that Shuyin dated Allyn. What do you know about that? What do you know about Shuyin and why were you looking for his skull in the cave?"
Shuyin's mouth opened and closed like a fish several times. Yuna knew more then he had thought initially. He'd have to think quickly. Drawing upon what little he knew about the circumstances involving Tidus' return, he quickly formulated a reply.
"When I was in the Farplane, I briefly met Shuyin." This lie seemed to shock Yuna and he went on the momentum of her surprise, "It wasn't for very long. Just long enough for him and me to set eyes on each other."
"So Rikku was right…?" Yuna whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"Rikku thought that you and Shuyin might have met and that's what was causing the confusion."
Shuyin smiled. He had hit gold with this excuse. Now all that was left was to put on the finishing touches, "That's exactly what it was. I met the real version of myself and it caused me to be a little confused about what my reality was and what was his. The whole thing with the cave is an example of that. I just kept thinking that I needed to go to the cave. I don't even know why."
The smile on Yuna's face appeared and then vanished just as quickly. Focusing her duel colored eyes into his, she asked, "Why were you cursing like that outside of the cave? I've never heard you curse before."
All Shuyin could think about was the fact that Tidus apparently never swore. Somehow he had difficulty believing that, but if that was what Yuna thought then he had to play it that way. He tilted his head a little and whispered, "I don't curse around you, but when I'm really angry I do have a mouth on me."
Yuna seemed appeased by his response and gently placed the skull back into the box and the box back next to the plant. Shuyin was greatly relieved that it was out of sight. He didn't want to ever see it again. She returned to him and knelt down on the bed, "I love you, Tidus." She whispered.
Shuyin smiled, "I love you too." He replied, in his best Tidus impersonation so far. Even Yuna seemed convinced as she climbed on all fours toward him on the large bed. Her soft lips pressed against his and at first he didn't dare move. It was a tender kiss and he simply waited until she pulled away, but at the urging of her lips and tongue he realized her plan wasn't to back off. As her lips traveled a path across his cheek and to his ear and neck, Shuyin let out a small moan. He wasn't used to Tidus' hotspots, but Yuna apparently was and she set each one afire with her kisses. Forcing himself to swim to the surface of his arousal, Shuyin gently pushed her away, "We shouldn't do this." He said, trying to steady his breathing. It had been 1000 years since he'd been turned on and it was taking some getting used to, "You're upset and this isn't the right time to be doing this."
Yuna frowned and sat back on her heels, "I know exactly what I'm doing, Tidus." She replied, "I love you and you love me. I want to make love with you. What's wrong with that?"
"Well, Baralai just died. Isn't it sort of…" he paused, searching for the right word when it hit him, "disrespectful?"
Yuna shrugged, reaching behind her to undo the yellow bow that helped hold her blouse on, "I don't think so." She replied as she threw the shirt onto the floor and went about removing the skirt and boots, "Think about it as comfort sex."
At the reveal of her lacy black bra and panties, Shuyin felt his determination to turn her down waver. He hadn't had to deal with her throwing herself at him before so he hadn't considered how to handle it. If he turned her down, she'd suspect something was wrong. If he accepted her offer, would she notice any difference between them?
Thinking as he acted, Shuyin suggested he give Yuna a massage to which the former summoner was surprised, but interested. As she lay on her stomach, Shuyin gently worked his hands on her back, rubbing her tense muscles with his strong hands. Her skin was softer then he had expected and as he straddled her back to get more leverage, he realized he was enjoying the situation much more then he should. He needed something to distract him.
"What are you thinking?" she asked him suddenly and Shuyin realized he'd been unnaturally quiet since the massage began.
He cleared his throat, "Just about your…pilgrimage." He lied. He couldn't think of anything else to mention and he was curious about it. He'd only heard bits and pieces of the journey on which she'd fallen in love with Tidus. That time was supposed to have been his time and he was interested in learning about it.
"What about it?" she asked, sighing happily as he pressed deeply.
"Tell me about it…" he whispered, before realizing that the particular wording he used could send off warning flags. Quickly retracing, he said, "I want to hear about it from your perspective."
She laughed, "What do you want to know about it?"
"What made you want to be a summoner?" he asked suddenly. He had wondered the same thing about Lenne and back then summoners weren't sent to die. Yuna choosing to become one during times of summoner sacrifices was something he simply couldn't understand. Did Lenne's soul have some sort of death wish?
Yuna turned her head slightly on the pillow, "Well," she began, "I don't know for sure. I always knew that my destiny was to face Sin. I don't really know why." She smiled, "Maybe I was destined to become a summoner so that I would meet you…"
Shuyin couldn't formulate a response to that. He knew that Lenne had asked for him back, but the fayth had sent Tidus instead. Was Lenne destined to be with Tidus or was he truly destined to be with her again?
"Would you do it again?" Shuyin asked without thinking. Lenne's determination to return to the frontlines of war still echoed in his ears and he wondered if Yuna was the same way. They were almost the same person.
Yuna rolled out from under him and knelt before him on the bed. She tenderly ran a finger along the lines of his face as if memorizing every curve and whispered, "The first time almost cost me you forever." She said, "I will never risk that again."
She gripped both of his hands in hers and pulled them around her back, placing them firmly on the hook of her bra. She looked at him expectantly as his hands grew a mind of their own, hypnotized in her eyes, and carefully separated the two hooks, letting garment fall from her body.
Shocked back to reality, he didn't want to look at her so he hugged her close to him, trying to ignore the feeling of her half naked body pressed against his. Her fingers traveled across the broad expanse of his back before quickly switching gears and hooking into the elastic of his boxers. Shuyin jumped away from her with a start and the two stared at each other. His look was more one of wonder then confusion.
There, on Yuna's left hip almost concealed by her panties was a birthmark shaped like a diamond. Lenne had possessed the same mark on the same hip and Shuyin had spent many nights running his fingers gently over it while she slept.
"Tidus…?" Yuna whispered, but her question was quickly cut off by the gentle touch of Shuyin's lips to hers. He didn't know why she had that birthmark, but the fact was that she had it. Gently laying her down upon the bed, Shuyin decided to give her what she had asked him for and hoped with all his heart that she wouldn't notice a difference.
