Return of Light
"I don't get it," Zeoron sighed, leaning back from resting her arms and chin on her knees as she sat on the ground inside the Farplane. Rikku, sitting behind her, their backs against each other, shook her head.
"I don't either, Zeo. It's hard to figure out. Tida's passed on; her soul is here—supposed to be, anyway, so why aren't the pyreflies reacting and forming her when we call?" Rikku sighed.
"Shit."
Chappu crossed his arms over his chest and kicked a rock across the ground. He shot a glare at the Farplane wall, growling, "What could this possibly mean?!"
"It means, Sir Chappu, that you are about to die."
Chappu whirled, fists clenched. Instinctively, he reach for the Spirit Keeper and grasped nothing but air and he let out a sound of frustration—he'd left it at the inn when he and Zeo had volunteered to go back and check in.
Maester Kelio stood, arms at his sides, watching Chappu with slowly changing red eyes. He transformed then, from a Guado to what looked like a human, but with dark markings on his face and arms. They looked to be tattoos, but Chappu knew better.
"Shadowlord," he hissed and Tidus stepped in front of Yuna, balling one hand into a fist. Caladbolg, too, was back at the inn with the Spirit Keeper.
"Yes, Sir Chappu, you are indeed correct. I am a Shadowlord. But I am afraid I have to kill you. Since you managed to return fully to the Light, the Shadow feels you are no longer needed in this world. You choose Light over Shadow, and so you must die." Kelio smirked malevolently, raising one hand to hex.
"FLARE!"
Zeoron leapt forward, casting before Kelio could utter the curse. Rikku ran up beside her, clutching the Godhand tightly. "COPYCAT!"
Flare burst up around Kelio again and he shouted oaths as he stumbled back to avoid the licking flames. Her swore loudly and glowered as the blaze resided.
Lulu stepped up with Wakka while Chappu and Tidus guarded Yuna, who lifted her staff into both hands, her eyes burning with loathing, but not near as much as Chappu's stormy blue eyes.
"What's this, Sir Chappu? No weapon for you or Sir Tidus?" Kelio made a tsking sound and he shook his head, clucking his tongue as well. "That is not so good for, Sir Chappu."
"Shut the fuck up, Kelio!" Chappu snapped. "Get him!"
Zeoron nodded and she and Lulu clasped hands together, Zeo's right with Lulu's left.
"DOUBLECAST… FLARE!"
Kelio simply stepped back and raised both his hands, bringing them down in from of him in a swift execution. Something dark swept forward, invisible to the eye but evilly powerful. Zeo, Lulu, Rikku, and Wakka were all thrown backwards as the imperceptible force hit each of them in turn. Zeo and Lulu landed together, sprawled out and moaning, while Rikku and Wakka alighted one on top of the other, yelling.
Chappu growled and clenched his fists, his eyes fierce and smoldering. "The Light burn you, Kelio! The Light burn you!" he shouted at the Shadowlord.
Kelio roared with laughter. "Goodbye, Sir Chappu," he said, letting out a last chuckle as he raised one hand imperiously, preparing to bring it down.
Yuna shouted out in desperation, "HOLY!"
Kelio yelled and Yuna spun Chappu around. "Go! Go!" Her voice was pleading but Chappu shook his head wildly, refusing to budge.
"I won't leave you here to die for me! I won't!" he nearly shouted back at her, his eyes flashing like lightning. He turned back as Kelio broke out of Holy's purity.
"You'll pay for that, wench!" Kelio snarled, waving his hand in a backward motion. Yuna cried out as her staff went sailing from her hands, clattering to the ground nearly twenty feet away. Tidus stepped protectively in front of his wife though his eyes never left Kelio.
"Think you can protect her?" Kelio smirked, chuckling darkly. "You should know by now that following the Light and fighting the Shadow is nothing but death!"
Chappu yelled as something slammed into him full force from the side, like a punch in the jaw. He swayed but stayed on his feet, touching his lips to find his hand coming away, the fingers smeared with red blood.
"You'll suffer, Sir Chappu, but first you'll watch me finish your friends!" Kelio boomed, his voice growing louder and louder with "watch."
Something flittered in the back of Chappu's mind; something vague but it was something it knew he could use. Chappu closed his eyes for a brief second before they fluttered up again.
Tida… I need you…
Kelio released power from his hands, blacker than night sky with no stars, blacker than death itself. It drove toward the remaining standing party members, two of who braced themselves for their arriving deaths, but the other…
Something white, something unbelievably heavenly filled Chappu and he reached for it, basking in its warmth. A white ray of holy Light shot out of Chappu's body; Kelio shouted in rage; Chappu was forced to shield his eyes; Kelio roared again—
Chappu opened one eye and then both, glancing around as he lowered his shielding hand. Kelio was nowhere to be seen and Zeoron and the others were staggering onto their feet.
Chappu sighed in relief and fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily and laughing—hiccoughs soon replaced both, however, as everyone stared at him bewilderment and worry.
"Chappu, are, uh... Are you okay?" Zeoron asked hesitantly, tilting her head to study him better as he stood up, using the back of his hand to wipe blood off the corner of his mouth.
He grinned at her. "Yeah, Zeo, I'm alright. I feel just perfect," he said, putting his hands on hips and laughing some more, shaking his head. He'd felt her, oh Light, how he'd felt her!
* * *
"That'll take a lot outta ya," Tida muttered, flopping back onto the grass, one arm slinging over her eyes. She sighed wearily, groaning as her shoulders and back throbbing along with the headache pounding in her head.
Yunalesca shook her head, massaging her temples. "I told you not to do it."
"I had to, Yunalesca. If I hadn't, Mama and everyone would be dead. Besides," Tida grinned and moved her arm so her eyes met Yunalesca's, "you helped."
Yunalesca sighed in defeat and threw her hands in the air. "Like I had a bloody choice!"
"Technically, you did," Tida pointed out, grimacing as she sat up. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to loosen them up. "But then there would have been a lot of problems, such as the fact that the Aeon of Light might have been destroyed because I wouldn't have been able to come back or—well, ya know."
Yunalesca shook her head and reached down to pull Tida to her feet, the blond girl yelping as a jolt of pain rushed through her like a streak of lightning. She winced.
"Damn; I gotta learn to control that kinda power," she mumbled. She began walking forward slowly, an "Ow!" escaping her lips with each agonizing step.
Yunalesca sighed. "I'm not going to make it through this. This kid is gonna kill me before I can get in for a bonus—and if they deny me, the Light help them because after this, I deserve and major bonus."
* * *
"Royal flush."
"What the hell? That's seven games in a row!" Jecht cried, staring at the cards spread out on the table in front of him. Tida grinned and gathered her winnings, drawing the plastic coins to her and adding them to her already large pile.
Braska sighed and threw his cards down on the table: full house. Jecht grumbled and threw his own cards down: two pair.
"I love quality time, Grandpa Braska and Grandpa Jecht," Tida said, grinning at both men and she licked her fingers and began shuffling the cards before dealing again.
"You don't really expect payment for those chips… do you?" Braska asked, looking warily at his granddaughter. Tida paused her in picking up her cards to smile at him.
"We'll discuss that later. Ah! Let's start in with… a ten?"
Jecht shot a glance at his chips. "I don't have that much."
"Okay. How about five?"
"Lower."
"Three?"
"Uh-huh."
"Two?"
"Nope."
"One?"
"How about 25… cents?"
"Grandpa! Geez! Who do I get my card playing ability from?!"
"Straight flush." Braska sighed as he laid he cards down. "From me."
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