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: There is still a lot to this story, so don't go thinking that it'll be over soon. I've got a whole other twist planned out that will lead into the final installment of the trilogy.
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SILVER WINGS 2: 1000 CONFESSIONS
by akksgurl
Chapter Fourteen: The Whistle Blown
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Gippal knew that Rikku was thrilled to be leaving the Farplane as she practically pushed Gippal the remaining few steps that it took to be clear of the place. Although he was aware that she was happy to know that Baralai was content and happy, simply being around all that death was obviously making her skin crawl. However, both of them were now more determined then ever to make sure Baralai's killer was brought down.
Whoever it might be…
"Rikku," Gippal said from behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder gently, "I need to tell you something."
The perky blonde turned to him and smiled, "What is it?"
Gippal had decided on the silent trek to the entrance that this would be his one and only chance to tell her that he wasn't lying about loving her. However, with her bright eyes staring up at him, Gippal found himself unable to form words. His mouth opened and closed like a fish and he felt ridiculous. He was always so confident, especially around Rikku. Why was he acting like a moron now?
"There you are! I can't believe you did this, Rikku!" came a shout from a few yards ahead. Gippal looked up and was happy as well as slightly annoyed to see Paine, Nooj, and LeBlanc coming toward them. Although he was happy that his friends were there, he felt slightly annoyed at the realization that he wasn't going to get the chance to tell Rikku anything right at that moment. However, considering that those words had remained unspoken – with the exception of the one time she didn't believe him – for almost 19 years, he figured waiting a little longer wouldn't hurt anybody.
"Did what?" Rikku asked, stupidly, before giggling at her realization, "Oh, you mean busting Gippal out. Well, I had good reason for that. See, he's not guilty. Baralai just told us."
Nooj stepped forward with a powerful glide, "You spoke with Baralai? In the Farplane?"
"No, Nooj, at the café up the street." Gippal replied sarcastically, "Of course in the Farplane!"
"Well I see that jail hasn't softened that wit of yours," hissed Paine glumly.
Gippal laughed, "Did you think it would?"
"Not bloody likely," returned Paine.
Nooj sighed, "Can you two stop it? We've got more important things to do." It was just like being back at the Crimson Squad trials with the exception of the two blonde female and the absence of one blonde male, and Gippal easily fell back into place amongst the ranks. He listened with extreme interest while Nooj explained Baralai's whereabouts just before his murder and realized with a sudden chill that he had been right all along.
Tidus had murdered Baralai…
LeBlanc chimed in after Nooj had finished, "I think that whatever Tidus was really looking for in the cave is what Baralai found. That's what got Baralai killed."
"Yeah," Nooj said with a nod, "but we don't have any idea what that object might be."
It was like lightening struck Gippal's brain. Baralai's cryptic message that had made no sense to him until now, suddenly became crystal clear. He gasped and grabbed Rikku's wrist, "That's what Baralai was talking about!" he turned to Nooj with a wide grin on his face, "Baralai told us that if we found the locket we'd find the killer. That had to have been what Baralai got from the cave!"
"A locket?" Paine questioned, "Well, if that's the case then Tidus must have it on him. Wouldn't Yuna have noticed?"
Rikku scrunched her nose and frowned, "Speaking of Yunie, where is she?"
"That's the problem," Paine replied, her voice grimmer then usual, "She's still out with Tidus."
"Well that's just…well…" Rikku searched the eyes of those around her, grasping for the right word before she blurted, "stupid!"
"We need to tell her what we know." Nooj announced, taking a few steps and motioning with his hands, "Come, let's tell her."
Gippal held his hands in the air and shook his head, stray strands of blonde falling in his eyes, "Now wait just a sec, Nooj. We don't have any proof yet. We have speculation. Besides, I'm thinking she'll be more then a little pissed that I'm not in jail."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Nooj asked.
"Baralai said we should talk to the fayth – the little purple one from Bevelle, I think. I think we should do that."
Paine sighed, "That's all well and good, Gippal, but how do you expect us to sneak you into Bevelle? You're public enemy number one to all Yevonites."
"Well who says we need to go to Bevelle?" Gippal asked, a stroke of genius suddenly coming to him, "Fayth are the souls of the dead. Let's just call him at the Farplane."
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It was strange to Yuna to be back onboard the Celsius. The Al Bhed had told her that it was okayed by Cid to allow the crew back onboard, but the former summoner wished that he'd just burned the place to the ground. There was nothing but death that seemed to follow her every step. Not to mention the fact that every time Tidus touched her, she had to stifle a tremble.
The entire trip back to the Celsius was frought with worry. How could he not know the Jecht shot? That was his father's shot? He had done it several times during her pilgrimage. How could he not know it?
There was only one way he couldn't have known it, and that reason began with an S and ended with an N. There was a 'huyi" in the middle. However, no matter what Yuna did, she couldn't force herself to say the entire word, even if she was alone. The thought terrified her.
She felt herself inexplicably drawn to the crews quarters. The scene of the crime that had taken Baralai's life. She sensed Tidus stop at the doorway as if unsure of whether to enter, but Yuna continued. She needed to force herself to enter this room and look around. It was as if she needed to make sure there were no dead bodies lying under the other beds.
There weren't, and Yuna let herself relax. She strolled over to the nearby table, noticing that Tidus was hanging out almost guiltily at Barkeep's bar, not daring to venture toward the stairs. She frowned, wondering why. Leaning her weight against the table, it rocked slightly, causing the plant on the table to tilt and slide from the table along with something golden that caught her eye. Bending to reach for it, to her surprise it was a necklace with the Zanarkand Abes symbol on it.
She almost called to Tidus to tell him she'd found his necklace when something forced her to stop. She had never seen this necklace before. This wasn't the one that she had seen Tidus wear during her pilgrimage whose chain had subsequently broken a few hours after he had come back. No, Wakka still had that one. He had been entrusted with fixing the chain and returning it to Tidus on their next trip to Besaid. This one was different. It seemed heavier then Tidus' necklace.
Then her mind flashed to a memory she had suppressed due to its seeming lack of importance. Mere seconds after Tidus and Gippal had run into the room after Baralai's death, she had seen Tidus lifting this golden chain from around his neck, placing it gently on the table behind the plant that sat there as if trying to make it appear as though it had always been there. She had thought it seemed out of place to concern yourself with a necklace after someone had just been killed and she had quickly pushed the act from her mind, but it suddenly came back in full force.
Glancing quickly down to make sure Tidus was still by the bar which he was, Yuna focused back on the necklace. There was something about it that seemed out of the ordinary and when her eyes fixed on a tiny opening, she realized why.
This was a locket.
Prying gently with her fingernail, she forced the necklace to open and show its contents to her. The picture inside was whithered with age, but Yuna realized immediately who it was and thought that her heart had stopped for the second time that day.
Lenne…and Shuyin.
She looked down at Tidus as she closed the locket, a grim face forming upon her features. Why did Tidus have a necklace with Shuyin and Lenne's pictures inside? Was it even Tidus that was standing down below her?
There was only one way to find out, and she was determined to do so.
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To everyone's surprise, Gippal's hairbrained scheme to call the fayth in the Farplane actually worked. The fayth child hadn't changed much since Rikku had seen him last. His features were still impossible to see and he was still the size of a child but with the wisdom of an adult. He fascinated Rikku.
"Hello everyone." The fayth said, nodding at each person as he spoke, "I wondered when I would be called to speak with you."
"So you were expecting us?" Paine asked.
The fayth nodded, "Any friend of Lenne's is bound to be a smart person."
Rikku tilted her head in confusion. Lenne? Just what was the fayth talking about? Rikku dropped to a cross legged seat in front of the fayth, "We've never met Lenne."
"Yes you have." The fayth replied, a hint of a grin in his voice, "I know it is confusing, but let me explain. Lenne is Yuna and Yuna is Lenne. After her death, Lenne was given the opportunity to be reborn. The future needed her to defeat Sin, and she wanted another chance for a future with Shuyin. I was able to grant her that wish."
Gippal sat down next to Rikku, immediately intrigued by the fayth's story, "So Yuna is Lenne…reincarnated?"
"Precisely," responded the fayth.
"But, she didn't get Shuyin. She got Tidus. How did that happen?" asked Paine.
The fayth's voice got sad, "That was my fault. I didn't realize how unstable Shuyin would become in the aftermath of Lenne's death and his own impending demise."
"Impending demise?" questioned Nooj, "Didn't he die with Lenne?"
"No, he survived and was let to die in the Cave of Woe. That is the reason his spirit haunted that location and preyed on the souls of the Crimson Squad." The fayth explained, "I didn't realize he wouldn't be able to deal with the results of his decisions. I had already promised to Lenne the return of the man she loved, but he was so far gone that there was no way I could return Shuyin to Lenne in the condition he was in. Therefore when dream Zanarkand was created, I included Tidus, created exactly the way I remembered Shuyin being. There were other characters and other stories. Tidus hated his father, but Shuyin adored his. Shuyin had his past with Allyn, but Tidus didn't have a past with any woman. Shuyin was mostly alone after the death of his parents, but Tidus had a support system of caring neighbors. However, no matter the differences, Tidus' personality was just like the way Shuyin's was before his instability kicked in.
"The way you remember Shuyin being??" LeBlanc tilted onto one hip and blinked slowly, "Why, love, whatever do you mean by that?"
The fayth said, "I wasn't always like this. I used to be a blitzball player for the Zanarkand Abes. My name was Bruttam Sabal. One day during the war with Bevelle a bomb was dropped on the stadium while I was practicing with my teammates. Shuyin was late as usual, although I found out later – after becoming a fayth – that he was outside with Lenne on their way in. I was the only survivor of the incident, but was in a coma and wasn't expected to live. When Yu Yevon turned the residents into fayth, I was one of those people."
Rikku smiled, "Bruttam…I like that name."
"Thank you." The fayth – Bruttam – responded with a smile, "I'm not sure why I ended up with the body of a child, but I suppose there is no use complaining about it."
"Well…Bruttam," Gippal began, "What is going on with Tidus?"
The purple cloaked fayth replied, "The person you see is wearing Tidus' skin, but is not Tidus. The person you are seeing is Shuyin." After the shocked faces faded on his audience, he continued, "I didn't think through the creation of Tidus too carefully. I didn't think what would happen should the two souls meet. I just wanted to fulfill my promise to Lenne. Now that they have met, the merger has begun."
"The merger?" Nooj asked.
"There cannot be two of the same soul wandering the world – even if one of the souls is a dream of the fayth. When Shuyin and Tidus connected in the Farplane briefly, that contact interrupted Tidus' ability to function normally. He was constantly barraged with memories of a life he never lived. This made his mind weak enough to receive Shuyin's soul." The fayth paused, "Shuyin is not possessing Tidus. He cannot possess that which he already is. Tidus and Shuyin are the same person. The only difference is that I created Tidus from my memories of Shuyin."
"So what exactly is happening?" Nooj pushed.
"When a merger begins, the real soul receives all of the memories as it absorbs the fake soul. At the end of the merger, the fake soul no
longer exists as a separate entity. In
theory, Shuyin should receive the memories and erase Tidus' existence because
Shuyin should be the real soul, however that is not what is happening."
Rikku sat up straight, "What do you mean?"
"I created Tidus as an exact duplicate to Shuyin's original personality. I knew that a half-hearted attempt wouldn't pass muster. I had promised Lenne that I'd give her Shuyin and I needed to do the best I could. Apparantly when I created this Shuyin duplicate and sent him to the real world, I canceled out the real Shuyin's existence. The real Shuyin changed so drastically from what he had been, that he became the fake soul and Tidus became the real soul."
"So what are you saying, love?"
The fayth tilted his head to the side and a hint of a smile could be seen, "I'm saying that the merger is working in Tidus' favor. Shuyin was stronger initially. He was able to take over Tidus' body and keep Tidus at bay. He had complete control. However, I'm sure that recently Shuyin has been having more and more trouble keeping Tidus under control. Tidus is getting stronger and gaining more and more memories from Shuyin. The more memories he gains and the stronger Tidus becomes, the weaker Shuyin is getting. Shuyin thinks that the merger will work for him, but in reality it will make him disappear."
Rikku giggled, "What sweet justice! He starts the merger and it ends up destroying him!"
Paine hit her on the head, "It's not funny, Rikku. Yuna's still with him!" her crimson eyes locked with the fayth, "Will Shuyin hurt Yuna?"
The fayth shrugged, "I'm not sure. He has developed feelings for her, which was something else I didn't account for. I didn't realize his feelings for Lenne would trickle over and effect his feelings for Yuna. If I had to guess, I'd say that he'd do anything not to hurt her. He knows that she is Lenne and he'd never hurt Lenne, no matter how disturbed he becomes. However, there's no telling what he'll do if he's trapped. Baralai trapped him and…"
"…he died for it." Paine whispered.
"Precisely."
"Where are they?"
The fayth was silent for a moment and sighed before speaking, "At the scene of the crime. She has just found his locket. Pray she doesn't show it to Shuyin the way that Baralai did. It could prove deadly if she does."
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Shuyin didn't like being in this room. He could still hear Baralai begging for his life through gasping breaths and tears. He could still feel the belt in his hands as it slowly squeezed the life from his victim. He could hear the snap of Baralai's neck as his body went limp with death.
"Tidus! Come on up here!"
Shuyin frowned a little. He didn't want to get close to where he'd left the body, but he couldn't refuse Yuna's request. He just wished that she had called him by his real name. Somewhere along the line he had started to care what Yuna thought of him, and what Yuna thought in general. He wasn't sure what it was he felt for her. She was like a Lenne replacement and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. All he knew was that she had indefinitely put his plans on hold so that he could explore these new and confusing feelings he had for her.
As he climbed the stairs, he felt a breeze on his face and realized that Yuna had opened the window – the one that was always to remain closed – and was standing in front of it with her arms spread as if she was going to fly away.
"What are you doing?" he asked her with a smile.
"I just wanted to feel the breeze on my skin," she replied, with a sigh. He followed her line of sight and realized she was staring off at the Oasis which could be seen in the distance, "Seeing that water makes me think of the times when you were gone. I used to stand at the beach in Besaid and whistle for you constantly, hoping you'd hear me."
"I did."
Shit. Tidus was awake again. This was becoming a regular occurance and Shuyin didn't understand why. It was just starting to piss him off.
Yuna didn't hear the sudden intruders reply and she turned to Shuyin, "Let's whistle together." She said as she placed her fingers in her mouth and blew, a high pitched whistle forming and being carried into the distance by the wind.
She looked at Shuyin with an expectant look, "Oh come on! You can do it!" she said with a laugh as she whistled again.
Shuyin ran a hand tenderly through her hair before turning to stare out the window again, "Actually," he replied, "I've never been able to do that."
A rustling caught his attention and he turned to face Yuna only to find himself staring down the barrels of two guns that had been in Yuna's holster just moments before. Her hands were trembling as she took two quick steps away from him, "Who the hell are you and where is Tidus?"
