**Told ya I'd update more! Guess what? Half of this chapter was typed at my neeeeeew house! We're moved in, and things are still kinda odd (the shower sucks right now, rotfl), but its awesome to be here. ^_^ Here's the new chapter, though its mainly "set up"--no big action-y stuff happens...but you'd better read! Its the most evil of all writing techniques--FORESHADOWING!!!!!! BUWAHAH--ha--ha...eheh. Also, sorry for the delay (oi). I've had horrid writer's block lately. But, after talking to Saito, I got some more inspiration. Enjoy!**
The new group of six (as Yueh supposed it was now one large group of adventurers rather than two small ones at this point) was seated at a particularly large round table. They were being waited on rather well by Al Bhed, most of whom didn't speak the common language. As it turned out, Niet knew Al Bhed after having read a chapter in her book from a few nights before. Being the only one who knew it had its advantages.
"I think she's telling them she's the leader of the group," Yueh whined in a low voice to Arashi, who simply shrugged. Niet was getting about twice the food the other five were getting, and more attention was paid to her glasses of milk, water, and some odd bubbly brown liquid that Yueh assumed was soda. She also chatted constantly with the "waiters" and "waitresses," laughing at jokes the others couldn't understand.
"It's annoying," Mattian said about this. He glared at the uber-genki girl with some sort of disdain. Gage shook his head and shrugged, much like Arashi normally would about some of Niet's food related antics.
"To each their own," he simply said before interrupting a waiter in the middle of what must have been some amusing anecdote to get his glass of milk refilled. The waiter said "cunno" to Niet and continued the story as he filled up Gage's glass. For this, Gage received an awful glare from the waiter.
"Okay…"
"So!" Arashi said loudly, making everyone near and at the table jump, "I'd like to talk about our next move." The waiter gave Arashi one of the glares that Gage had just received, but he stayed quiet anyway.
"Uh…yeah, right," Gage said, setting his fork down.
There was a moment's silence before Mattian shouted, "Well, what is it?!" It was Niet's turn to give him an annoyed look. Yueh rolled her eyes. Like Auron and Rikku, I swear…
"I think we should go back to the beginning," Arashi said. Five pairs of eyes looked at her, each blinking quite slowly.
"Meaning?" Gage finally asked.
"Going to the first temple we visited," Arashi explained. Niet and Yueh kind of nodded, but Gage, Hunter, and Mattian looked even more complexed.
"You mean Valefore's temple, ya?" Hunter said.
Arashi shook her head and took a large bit of salad. She spoke through her food, "No, I mean d'one we…" She swallowed. "The one we got Tsuki from."
"Tsuki--" Arashi and Gage's gazes locked for a moment, and Arashi nodded before turning her attention to her salad again.
"I think the Fayth there will be of much help, personally," Arashi stated. She smiled to herself, a knowing grin. "Being able to talk to her friends might help."
"Who, us?" Yueh presumed.
"No," she said, laughing. She began moving her head from side to side happily while eating more salad.
The other five waited until Arashi finished her bite of salad, hoping for more information. When she finally did…
"Pass the dressing, please," she asked quietly.
Everyone nearly fell over.
*-*-*-*-*
After lunch, all six went up to the cockpit of the ship, where Cid, still as brash as ever from the look of it, was eagerly awaiting them. He tried to keep his brave exterior, but Yueh could see that underneath, he was really worried about his daughter.
"So, we finally meet," he said slowly, staring at Arashi, Yueh, and Niet in turn. He looked back at Arashi. "You're the leader of this little group, eh?"
Arashi nodded. "Yes. I'm Arashi, that's Yueh, and the last is Niet." Niet and Yueh gave a cheerful wave, but Cid didn't seem to notice. His attention was on Arashi.
"So, you know where my daughter Rikku is?" he asked gruffly.
Arashi began to play with her belt, almost nervously. "In a manner of speaking, yes, we do." Yueh blanched. We do?!? Since when?!
Cid regarded Arashi with a slightly irritated look. "In a manner of speaking?"
Arashi's fidgeting increased. "Yes. If you can take us to a certain temple on Yueh's map, we can find out for sure.
Cid gave another look before crossing his arms. "Where's the map?"
"Uh…" Arashi paused and looked at Yueh. "Where'd you put it?"
After nearly getting turned into Sin, I could really care less… Yueh sighed, running a hand through her long black bangs. "I think it's in my back pack--wherever that thing went to…"
"Well, you'd better find it soon," Cid warned, "or else I'll toss all six of you out of my ship."
"Waitaminute, ya?!" Hunter shouted out. "You can't just toss us outta the plane?!"
"Yeah! Its not our fault if they lost the map!" Mattian said. "Throw them out instead!" Yueh--and the other four in the group--gave him a look. He gestured wildly. "What?!?"
"Throw him out," Niet muttered. The two shot daggers at each other before Arashi smiled apologetically at Cid.
"We'll find the map, rest assured, Cid," she said, patting the man on the shoulder. He simply stared at her in disbelief.
"You'd better," was all he said, and then he turned back to his co-pilots, grumbling in Al Bhed. Niet gasped a little bit, and Yueh gave a small snort of a laugh. Apparently, Cid is as gruff in Al Bhed speech as he was in English…or Spiran…or whatever you call it here…
"C'mon, Yueh," Arashi said, pulling Yueh towards the doorway. The other four followed her closely. As soon as they were out of the room, Arashi turned to the boys in the group. "Where'd you guys put our stuff when you got us?"
Hunter and Mattian looked at Gage, who looked thoughtful for a moment.
"We just threw them on the ship. Some of the Al Bhed took them aboard when we ran to save you guys," Gage said slowly.
Niet sighed. "So now we have to find our stuff? And all we know is its in the ship?" she asked, annoyed. Gage nodded.
"So, as I've always wanted to say, let's split up, gang!" Gage said, holding a hand up in the air. The group groaned, except for Arashi, who giggled.
"Scooby-dooby doo!" she said, laughing. The rest (except Gage, of course) groaned again before splitting up into three groups: Arashi and Gage, Yueh and Hunter, and, as they were the only two left, Mattian and Niet.
"Okay, we'll get the first floor, Hunter, Yueh, you guys get the second floor with the room, and Mattian and Niet--"
The last two persons were standing back to back, neither one speaking to the other. Gage smacked his forehead.
"And you two can be stubborn and obstinate and just stand there, accomplishing nothing," he finally finished, shaking his head and walking off with Arashi to search the first floor.
Hunter and Yueh left Mattian and Niet standing next to each other to find the stairs to the second floor. Neither one talked until they had been walking around looking for about ten minutes without anything being accomplished.
Yueh put her hands on her hips. "Well…any idea where the stairs are?"
Hunter laughed. "I thought you knew!"
"Uh…no," she said, sighing. "If we don't find it soon…Cid really will toss us out of the airship."
"I tink dat's just somethin' to get us findin' it faster, ya?" Hunter said, shrugging. He scratched the back of his head. "I don't tink he's really dat mean."
"I told you we shouldn't have gotten on the airship! There's no good clientele here! They already all have machina!"
Yueh winced nervously. "I think I recognize that voice."
Hunter nodded. "I met her yesterday. And by the sound of it…"
"I didn' ge' on th' ship to sell, Nikko! I got on th' ship to escape th' Yevonites!"
"…O'aka is along with her," Yueh finished. "This is not good." She tugged on Hunter's armband. "Let's leave before they—"
"Fine, fine, let's just ask Hunter, then!" Nikko shouted out.
Yueh smacked herself on the forehead and looked at the ground. "Before they come over here…"
"Ah, Yueh! Nice t'see ye again! Y'see, me sister an' I are havin' an argument," O'aka stated.
"Ya, we heard," Hunter said sarcastically. Neither O'aka or Nikko picked up on his tone.
"It wasn't an argument, it was a statement of fact! I thought you were going on the ship to sell your stuff to people on board!" Nikko yelled at her brother. Her face was red all over. "But they're all refugees, they can't afford anything!"
"I never, ever said tha' we were gon'a sell an'thing!" O'aka yelled back. His face was the same hue as Nikko's.
"Well, we've gotta find a map, or Cid is going to throw us off the ship…" Yueh trailed off as Nikko and O'aka's screaming increased.
"Yes, you did! You said we'd find some good customers here, and all that's here is a bunch of gil-less people!" Nikko retorted. What a concern she has for her fellow Al Bhed, Yueh noted with a small, sardonic grin.
"I ne'er said we'd fin' good cust'mers!" O'aka shouted. "I said we'd—"
"Nice seeing you again!" Yueh said, waving and pulling Hunter away with her other arm. "Hope you guys get this all worked out!"
The screaming duo didn't even notice them leave.
"Ow," Hunter said, rubbing an ear. "'Dose two can really hurt your ears, ya?"
"You didn't hear her scream when O'aka dismantled her machina. That was pure torture," Yueh said, letting go of his arm. She leaned against the wall only to find that there wasn't one there. She fell to the ground, landing on an angled surface.
"Whaddya know? Ya found the stairs, ya?" Hunter said, laughing.
"Yeah…" Yueh winced. "If you can really call that finding." Hunter, who was still chuckling, helped her up, but a bit too quickly. Yueh stumbled forward and landed with her face in Hunter's chest. Her face turned a bright red, and Hunter's did as well, but neither made a move to get away from the other. There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Ah, we'd better find dat map, ya?" Hunter finally suggested.
Yueh, flustered, leaned back suddenly and was three feet away from Hunter in a matter of milliseconds. "Right! Right, ah…find the…map." Neither of the two's eyes met as they went up the stairs silently.
That was… Yueh couldn't quite find the words to describe it—nor did she have more time to. For as soon as they reached the top of the stairs, she saw a familiar place.
"Our room!" she exclaimed. She dashed in the large suite and began tearing through backpacks and knapsacks, looking for her own.
As she did so, Hunter walked over beside her and picked up a rather small backpack by the arm strap. He held it up in front of the frantic Yueh.
"Is 'dis it?"
"Attention! You have five minutes left to find the map, Arashi. Five minutes, and I send people after you to toss you outta here!" the loudspeaker (no doubt Cid) blared. Hunter and Yueh looked at each other tersely.
"Yeah, thank goodness." Yueh tore the bag from Hunter's grasp and checked the side pocket where the map was usually stored. With a triumphant "Ah-hah!" she pulled the map out and jumped up.
"I take it dat's it, ya?" Hunter asked, amused. Yueh nodded happily, her black bangs bobbing up and down.
"Now let's go find Cid before he throws us all over board." Yueh grabbed Hunter's arm once more and ran back down the stairs. She managed to find her way back to the cockpit much more easily than she had "found" the flight of stairs.
Mattian and Niet were still not speaking to one another, back to back, as they had been left. Yueh shook her head.
"That's sad..." She giggled despite herself, then remembered the reason she even came back. "We found the map!" Yueh announced.
Niet moved from her statue-style stance and ran up to Yueh, jumping happily as Yueh had done. "You found it?! You found it!"
Mattian just shook his head as if to say, "Women…" He took the map from Yueh's grasp and walked back into the main cockpit.
"Hey! You can't just steal our map! You didn't even help look!" Niet ran after the "thief" angrily.
"You didn't help look either," Yueh muttered, following. Hunter didn't say a word.
Mattian was presenting the map to Cid as Niet hit Mattian to little effect. Cid took a glance at the map before asking a question that stumped everyone present.
"Where are we going?"
Silence, until the door opened once more to reveal Gage and Arashi.
"To Tsukikage temple. The home of the fayth most dear to us all," Arashi said.