To PrimaDonna49: I'm so glad you like it!!
To Emrelle Elendal: Thanx for reading it a lot... hides from the toxic fish
===========
Chapter Four
"Yuna!!" Brother cried when the trio got back on the Celsius. "Where have you three been?"
"The Farplane..." Rikku shuddered.
"For an entire night?" Buddy wondered.
"We got trapped by Yunaleska," Paine said, sitting down in a chair. "It was hell."
"A spirit in the Farplane had the ability to trap you?" Shinra asked, extremely interested.
"I guess," Yuna shrugged, "Lenne and Shuyin helped us escape."
"Shuyin?!" Brother exclaimed. "Helped you?"
"He's not so bad. He was just lost three years ago," Yuna spoke in Shuyin's defense.
"He wanted to vaporize Spira!" Brother shouted.
"Will you stop yelling?!" Paine yelled.
"You're the one who's yelling!" Rikku shrieked.
"What's going on?" a soft voice said from the stairs.
Everyone's head turned to see the speaker. They quickly were silenced. Standing upon the top stair was a lovely brunette with bright green eyes. She sported a bright pink bow that matched her pink dress and red jacket. "Is everything okay?" she asked.
Paine was the first to speak, "You're Aeris, right?"
"Oh good. You did get our spheres. We were worried you wouldn't."
Yuna chewed on her lower lip. So if Aeris is here...
"Sorry if we woke you guys up," Buddy said. "I think everyone's a bit tired."
"It's okay. I've been awake for quite a while actually. I couldn't fall asleep. Especially through Tidus. He sleeps like a log," Aeris laughed slightly.
Yuna looked at Aeris, her sapphire-emerald eyes full of curiousity. "He's here?"
Aeris nodded. "You must be Yuna," she smiled brightly, "Come on, we'll go wake him up."
Yuna walked up the stairs, clutching her hands behind her back to keep them from trembling. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Don't worry about it," Aeris said, pushing a button on the elevator, taking the two girls up to the cabin.
The ex-summoner looked around the cabin, hearing odd noises. It sounded like a mix between a snore and a whistle. "What's that?"
"What do you think? He probably hasn't slept well lately. Five years of worrying about you could do that," Aeris stated. She climbed up the stairs.
Yuna followed the brunette. Her heart stopped when she reached the top. There, lying on a bed, was her beloved sleeping like a baby. A smile played across her face.
Aeris grinned. "And they say long-distance relationships don't work out," she joked.
"IT'S HIM!" Rikku screamed.
Tidus jumped up out of his sleeping position, wide eyes alert. "What's going on?!" he yelled. He paused looking around. He was extremely suprised. In the doorway stood an Al Bhed girl with long blonde hair, dressed in khaki shorts and a red strapless top. Tidus guessed by her face that it had to be Rikku. His eyes wandered to the person next to her; a taller girl with red-violet eyes dressed all in black. He didn't knowo who this was. And then...
His vision suddenly became only the soft haired brunette, dressed in a white top and purple skort. Yuna. Tidus ran to her, arms wide.
Yuna opened her arms and accepted his embrace, hugging him tight. It's you... she thought. He hadn't really changed at all. But it didn't matter. He was here. "You really came..." she cried softly.
"Five years..." he whispered.
"You came back..." she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aeris smiled brightly. She was glad that they were together. They deserved each other.
Yuna pulled away slightly, her hands still on his shoulders. She turned to Aeris, "Thank you so much..."
"You've met?" Tidus asked.
Yuna nodded. "You were asleep."
Tidus felt his face turn pink. He hadn't meant to fall asleep but he had been so tired. Now he felt like he had all the energy in the world.
Gippal walked into the cabin. "Look at the lovefest, eh?" he teased, pulling Rikku in his arms. But his expression showed he wasn't here to joke around. Something was wrong. He handed her a piece of paper.
Rikku's jaw dropped, and her hand rose to cover it. Tears burned in her eyes.
"Rikku...?" Yuna cocked her head to one side.
"What is it?" Paine asked.
The Al Bhed shook her head, then buried her face in Gippal's shoulder. Her sobs filled the room.
Tidus, Yuna, Aeris, and Paine watched as Gippal tried to comfort his beloved. "What happened?" Yuna whispered.
"Cid," Gippal said, running his fingers through Rikku's hair.
Rikku let out a loud wail. "Damn him!" she cried.
"He's dead."
Yuna's jaw fell, much like her cousin's. "How?"
"Suicide," a woman spoke, walking into the room. It was the strong-minded blonde Al Bhed, Nhadala.
"Why would he do such a thing?" Paine pondered.
"He told me he couldn't live any longer. All he did was make mistakes. He said after letting down himself, and Rikku, he decided life wasn't worth living."
Tidus' eyes were wide. He looked at Aeris who shrugged. Then he turned to Yuna, who seemed in shock. "I can't believe Cid would do something like that..."
"Me either," the High Summoner shook her head. "But..." she glanced at her bawling cousin, "I think Rikku's actions really hurt him."
"What happened...?"
"Rikku and Gippal got married without letting him know."
"Rikku actually settled down?" Tidus said in wonder.
Yuna nodded. "Yeah." I can't believe Cid did that. Especially to Rikku.
Nhadala pulled Rikku away from Gippal. "Listen," she said. "You have to understand that Cid was foolish for doing it and he will always regret it, as will we."
Rikku looked at the ground, tears trickling down her face. "It's all my fault," she sobbed.
"It's not," Nhadala said firmly. "Rikku, you are a brave young woman and you have the right to make mistakes. But you didn't. You love Gippal, and right now, that's all that's important."
Rikku sniffled. "Okay."
"Now, cheer up," the rather bossy Al Bhed ordered. "The day is early yet. Don't spend the rest of it drowning in your tears."
Rikku wiped her tears on the back of her hand and calmed down. "Right. Thanks Nhadala."
The young woman scowled. "I have to go tell Brother and Buddy. I wonder how they'll react..." she sighed, walking out.
"Now what?" Paine asked.
To Emrelle Elendal: Thanx for reading it a lot... hides from the toxic fish
===========
Chapter Four
"Yuna!!" Brother cried when the trio got back on the Celsius. "Where have you three been?"
"The Farplane..." Rikku shuddered.
"For an entire night?" Buddy wondered.
"We got trapped by Yunaleska," Paine said, sitting down in a chair. "It was hell."
"A spirit in the Farplane had the ability to trap you?" Shinra asked, extremely interested.
"I guess," Yuna shrugged, "Lenne and Shuyin helped us escape."
"Shuyin?!" Brother exclaimed. "Helped you?"
"He's not so bad. He was just lost three years ago," Yuna spoke in Shuyin's defense.
"He wanted to vaporize Spira!" Brother shouted.
"Will you stop yelling?!" Paine yelled.
"You're the one who's yelling!" Rikku shrieked.
"What's going on?" a soft voice said from the stairs.
Everyone's head turned to see the speaker. They quickly were silenced. Standing upon the top stair was a lovely brunette with bright green eyes. She sported a bright pink bow that matched her pink dress and red jacket. "Is everything okay?" she asked.
Paine was the first to speak, "You're Aeris, right?"
"Oh good. You did get our spheres. We were worried you wouldn't."
Yuna chewed on her lower lip. So if Aeris is here...
"Sorry if we woke you guys up," Buddy said. "I think everyone's a bit tired."
"It's okay. I've been awake for quite a while actually. I couldn't fall asleep. Especially through Tidus. He sleeps like a log," Aeris laughed slightly.
Yuna looked at Aeris, her sapphire-emerald eyes full of curiousity. "He's here?"
Aeris nodded. "You must be Yuna," she smiled brightly, "Come on, we'll go wake him up."
Yuna walked up the stairs, clutching her hands behind her back to keep them from trembling. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Don't worry about it," Aeris said, pushing a button on the elevator, taking the two girls up to the cabin.
The ex-summoner looked around the cabin, hearing odd noises. It sounded like a mix between a snore and a whistle. "What's that?"
"What do you think? He probably hasn't slept well lately. Five years of worrying about you could do that," Aeris stated. She climbed up the stairs.
Yuna followed the brunette. Her heart stopped when she reached the top. There, lying on a bed, was her beloved sleeping like a baby. A smile played across her face.
Aeris grinned. "And they say long-distance relationships don't work out," she joked.
"IT'S HIM!" Rikku screamed.
Tidus jumped up out of his sleeping position, wide eyes alert. "What's going on?!" he yelled. He paused looking around. He was extremely suprised. In the doorway stood an Al Bhed girl with long blonde hair, dressed in khaki shorts and a red strapless top. Tidus guessed by her face that it had to be Rikku. His eyes wandered to the person next to her; a taller girl with red-violet eyes dressed all in black. He didn't knowo who this was. And then...
His vision suddenly became only the soft haired brunette, dressed in a white top and purple skort. Yuna. Tidus ran to her, arms wide.
Yuna opened her arms and accepted his embrace, hugging him tight. It's you... she thought. He hadn't really changed at all. But it didn't matter. He was here. "You really came..." she cried softly.
"Five years..." he whispered.
"You came back..." she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aeris smiled brightly. She was glad that they were together. They deserved each other.
Yuna pulled away slightly, her hands still on his shoulders. She turned to Aeris, "Thank you so much..."
"You've met?" Tidus asked.
Yuna nodded. "You were asleep."
Tidus felt his face turn pink. He hadn't meant to fall asleep but he had been so tired. Now he felt like he had all the energy in the world.
Gippal walked into the cabin. "Look at the lovefest, eh?" he teased, pulling Rikku in his arms. But his expression showed he wasn't here to joke around. Something was wrong. He handed her a piece of paper.
Rikku's jaw dropped, and her hand rose to cover it. Tears burned in her eyes.
"Rikku...?" Yuna cocked her head to one side.
"What is it?" Paine asked.
The Al Bhed shook her head, then buried her face in Gippal's shoulder. Her sobs filled the room.
Tidus, Yuna, Aeris, and Paine watched as Gippal tried to comfort his beloved. "What happened?" Yuna whispered.
"Cid," Gippal said, running his fingers through Rikku's hair.
Rikku let out a loud wail. "Damn him!" she cried.
"He's dead."
Yuna's jaw fell, much like her cousin's. "How?"
"Suicide," a woman spoke, walking into the room. It was the strong-minded blonde Al Bhed, Nhadala.
"Why would he do such a thing?" Paine pondered.
"He told me he couldn't live any longer. All he did was make mistakes. He said after letting down himself, and Rikku, he decided life wasn't worth living."
Tidus' eyes were wide. He looked at Aeris who shrugged. Then he turned to Yuna, who seemed in shock. "I can't believe Cid would do something like that..."
"Me either," the High Summoner shook her head. "But..." she glanced at her bawling cousin, "I think Rikku's actions really hurt him."
"What happened...?"
"Rikku and Gippal got married without letting him know."
"Rikku actually settled down?" Tidus said in wonder.
Yuna nodded. "Yeah." I can't believe Cid did that. Especially to Rikku.
Nhadala pulled Rikku away from Gippal. "Listen," she said. "You have to understand that Cid was foolish for doing it and he will always regret it, as will we."
Rikku looked at the ground, tears trickling down her face. "It's all my fault," she sobbed.
"It's not," Nhadala said firmly. "Rikku, you are a brave young woman and you have the right to make mistakes. But you didn't. You love Gippal, and right now, that's all that's important."
Rikku sniffled. "Okay."
"Now, cheer up," the rather bossy Al Bhed ordered. "The day is early yet. Don't spend the rest of it drowning in your tears."
Rikku wiped her tears on the back of her hand and calmed down. "Right. Thanks Nhadala."
The young woman scowled. "I have to go tell Brother and Buddy. I wonder how they'll react..." she sighed, walking out.
"Now what?" Paine asked.