Quick A/N - I'd like to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews! That means so much that you like my work and it put a huge smile on my face and - uh, just awesome! Thank you all so much! I just got back from my 4th of July weekend at my in-laws and can finally sit down to write again. (What I wouldn't do for a laptop...) I thank you all again and hope to keep interests up through my fic.
"So where exactly is this sphere?" Paine looked over Buddy's shoulder to the glowing blue display panel in front of him.
"Ehh, Zanarkand?" He cautiously moved his eyes to her, but not his head. She did let out a groan once she walked away. "Hey! Don't be like that. We are upgrading the system as soon as those lazy asses from the Machine Faction..."
"What about my lazy ass team?" Gippal's voice broke through the ship as Buddy let out a loud and embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
Rikku came up behind him and ran to her seat on the left of the ship. "He wanted to tag along." She explained to Brother who opened his mouth at her. He let out a grumble and turned around in his own seat.
"We all ready? Let's get that sphere!" Putting the Celsius into full-speed, they headed into the ruins. Tidus and Yuna talked to Shinra who looked at Tidus as through he was a living breathing science experiment to take apart. Gippal and Buddy did discuss the parts the ship needed and promised him that Gippal's team in the desert would get right on it.
Rikku wasn't just looking out into the sky that zoomed past them, but at Gippal. She thought about all the things he told her on the beach and felt a pang of guilt. Was she putting off something that could be wonderful because she pined over a dead man? Frowning, she turned her head down and looked at her folded hands. Something in her just wouldn't give up. Maybe it was seeing what Yuna's determination did for her and Tidus. With a small and quiet sigh, she looked back into the racing clouds and shook it off.
"Zaaaaaaanarkaaaaaaand!" Bother all but screeched from the front as the ship began downwards to land.
"Do you naturally have to be loud and annoying?" Rikku hoped out of her chair and ran off to the four others who began to head down to the exit, and before Brother could come back with a reply. She laughed once she caught up with everyone and looked at Yuna, "Any idea where the sphere is?"
Her cousin shook her head once. "Not at all. Hopefully all the monkeys there didn't touch and mess with it."
"They tend to leave spheres alone, really." Gippal pointed out once the ship stopped and the doors opened. "We have so many running around Djose Temple, but they don't... What the hell?"
He turned and before anyone could ask, they all knew the answer. There, in the middle of the Zanarkand Ruins, sat a sphere. It made Yuna, Rikku, and Tidus gasp when they realized it was where they had set up camp before going to call the Final Aeon.
"Are they...usually out in the open like this?" Tidus raised a brow down to Yuna who, once again, shook her head slowly. "Weird."
"Could it...could it be a trap?" Rikku squeaked and moved backwards until her back hit Gippal's chest.
Laughing gently, Gippal ruffled her hair and moved forward. "Doubtful. Even so, there are five of us and if we could defeat Vegnagun, no one would be stupid enough to mess with us."
"Exactly." Paine pushed past those stunned and walked to the sphere, as did Gippal and Tidus.
"Heeey!" Rikku shook out the cold feeling that seemed to freeze over her veins and pulled Yuna with her. "Wait for us!" She knew something wasn't right and something in her wanted to just bury that sphere and definitely not look at it.
"Let's just look at it." Paine picked up the glowing red orb and turned to the others. Rikku had to grab Yuna's hand tighter to keep her from smacking it out of Paine's hands.
"I... I don't know." Her voice grew small and didn't think anyone actually heard her. Inwardly she felt like crying, but knew she wasn't going to get out of looking at the sphere, so she might as well suck it up.
They all gathered in a circle around Paine and the sphere once she turned it on.
The scene started with someone moving the recording sphere through a dark and damp hallway, sounds of water hitting stone echoed through the enclosed area. The sphere then showed a short rounded man, a black hooded robe covering his face and body. He seemed to walk to a pile of crimson colored rocks as the recorder drew closer.
"Ge'up!" A swift motion of the small mans foot caused him to kick the lump of red on the floor. "I sa'd ge'up!" Another kick. The sickening sound of his foot hitting the rocks make it clear it wasn't a pile of rocks after all, but a human body.
"The master wants to see him." The recorders voice was laced with an oily drawl.
"I kn'w dat!" The short round man turned to the recorder and shook his head through the black fabric. "Som' guardian." He looked back down at the body, which weakly began to move. "Pathetic!"
The head to the body on the floor came into view, matted dark hair rested down on a face dirty with dried blood and dirt. The one working eye looked at the recording sphere with such hatred. "What are you doing?"
"Saving your memories." The recorder seemed to hiss out in a vile tongue.
The man in red on the floor made a swing for the recorder, but missed and fell to the ground, causing the two standing to laugh. The recorder got a shot of the shorter man who pulled a long whip from behind his back and walked closer to the fallen and weak male.
The sphere shut off and five people stood in stunned silence. Paine was the first to speak, her voice thick with concern for her comrades. "Was that..."
"Sir Auron..." Yuna whispered, her eyes clouded with tears. "What... What was that?"
"That - it - that was before he died... Recent." Tidus swallowed hard and wrapped his arms around Yuna.
"Rikku!" Gippal's eyes looked up to the other Al Bhed and ran to her.
Rikku began to shake violently, eyes locked on the now unplaying sphere, streaming tears. "No." If her voice was weak before, it had died when it uttered out that word. She felt Gippal's arms around her, but the earth below her feet gave out, blackness absorbing her as she fell unconscious.