Hello all! Welcome back to Amour et Haine, the story I temporarily ended so long ago... But now have resurrected! I am so extremely sorry for the huge delay, I should have been more diligent in getting this rusty piece of dog poop back and running, but I wasn't. For that, I ask your most humble apologies. This chapter will have a lot of characters in the game that have not yet been seen... Anyways, I hope you enjoy this addition to the story! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT UPDATE: I DO NOT OWN SQUARE ENIX, FINAL FANTASY, FINAL FANTASY X, OR FINAL FANTASY X-2! I know everyone didn't know that, but I must say it anyways.
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"Lord Rin!" asked the Agency Attendant frantically, pressing all the buttons on the message-phone in complete pandemonium. It was no use; the sphere waves couldn't reach him! The attendant turned around, eyes filled with fright, tears streaming down her panicked face. The thunder and lightning was increasing rapidly, and the lightning towers were actually melting in the heat! Nearly twenty panicked travelers had crowded in the Agency, eager for the storms to stop. However, several had told her disturbing news of a massive creature wandering around the entrance to the Macalania Woods. It was absorbing lighting and creating more of it to pour down.
"What are we going to do? It is so hot out there, and so hot in here!" yelled a traveler in a thick white robe. "All I wanted was to go to the Calm Lands and play a few games!"
"I just wanted to visit my future husband in the Calm Lands!" shouted a sobbing woman. "But I never would've left home if I had known this storm was going to come!"
"We're all going to die!" shouted a hysterical young boy. "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"
"We won't die... WE WON'T DIE!" shouted another traveler. Then hell broke loose. People began to scream, mingled sobs and yells between them. The heat inside the crowded agency was almost unbearable. People were going mad...
"SHUT UP!" shouted the attendant. Everyone looked at her, eyes wide. "Look people, I don't know what is going on, but we aren't going anywhere panicking about it. We need to be quiet and wait for Lord Rin to contact us. I sent him an urgent SOS, he'll call us any moment."
The crowd was silent, all staring at the attendant. No one spoke, and no one whispered. No one did anything but stare, wide-eyed, at the attendant. She stood there, embarrassed and shaky.
"Any moment," she told herself. "Any moment."
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Yuna sat in the Cabin at a barstool, worrying herself crazy. "This can't be happening!" she sighed, brow furrowed in despair. Paine had been silent, but she was her friend... Rikku had been a little kooky, but she was her friend... She would've killed to save them, and them the same to her. But, even being a High Summoner and two-time savior of the world, was powerless. She couldn't do anything but wait... for now.
Tidus sat down beside her. "Yuna, it'll be okay..." he said, but it came out weak. Yuna didn't budge. "Yuna..."
Suddenly she gasped and turned around, sobbing, and embraced Tidus tightly. "They're my best friends! If anything happened to them..."
"Nothing will," Tidus reassured her. "If I know Rikku, she'd annoy Angra... Whatever-it's-called to death before she went down. And from what I've seen of Paine, she'd definitely, well..."
"Kick its ass?" Yuna said with a slight smirk. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But... What if..."
"There isn't a what if," Tidus said. "Yuna... I love you."
Yuna smiled and hugged him tightly, and the two kissed. Barkeep took his cue, smiled a bit, stopped polishing the all ready sparkling shot glass, and left the bar, leaving the two lovers in their own little world. He smiled a bit as he left.
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"Today in Luca, we are witnessing a truly amazing meteorological event!" Shelinda said with a smile, though her heart was beating wildly. Why in Yevon's name were thunderclouds swirling around the skies of Luca? Weren't thunderclouds supposed to stay at the Thunder Plains?
"So, what do you have to add onto our report of the thunderstorms approaching Luca?" Shelinda asked a passerby.
"Well, I think it is really cool! I've never seen a real thunderstorm this up close before. You can actually feel the storm in the air! It is breathtakingly thrilling, in my opinion," the passerby said casually, twisting a lock of her auburn hair. "It'll be cool to watch the rainfall and play Sphere Break!"
"Oh, sounds like fun!" Shelinda piped in with a laugh. The passerby smiled a bit, then walked away. Shelinda turned back to the sphere-cam.
"So, what will you do with your rainstorm, Luca? Enjoy a truly soaking game of Blitzball? Or watch the rainfall as you clobber your friends in Sphere Break? Well, that's it for this broadcasting! See you next time! I'm Shelinda, signing off!" Shelinda shouted, all though she doubted anyone heard her. The rain was now pouring down.
"Shelinda, I'm going to go back to the recording studio and touch up on the sphere. Great work," said her sphere-recorder, Shin.
"Bye Shin!" Shelinda called out as she ran up the stairs to the balcony overlooking the sea, just near the entrance to the soothing Mi'hen Highroad, which was also under thunderstorm watch. The view should be breathtaking! She had told herself that when she first heard of the thunderstorm. It had puzzled her, but delighted her.
As she walked up the steps, the rain notably got stronger and stronger. She brushed beads of rain out of her face and trudged onwards. Sighing, she trudged up the steps, nearly tripping a few times. Rain rushed like a river down the steps. It was... almost scary, in a way.
"Shelinda! Urgent report!" called out the recorded voice on her SphereWatch, which alerted her of the assignments she had listed and oncoming assignments. Pulling out the SphereWatch, she brushed water off the screen and looked at the meeting point.
"Oh... crap," she murmured, running back down the stairs, nearly slipping five times before ending up in the center of the square, drenched, cold, and shivering. The rain wasn't stopping, and the clouds were getting darker and darker. Everyone had cleared out of the square. She bolted into the café before the rain got more intense.
Shin sat at one of the tables, staring out at the rain, eyes wide. People clustered inside the café, chattering nervously amongst themselves. In the sphere screen was a detailed report on the storm by Petra, Luca's other sphere reporter. Everyone loved Petra. Petra this, Petra that...
"Shelinda, they say that the waves at the beach are enormous!" Shin said, standing up excitedly. "Petra might've gotten full-frontal storm coverage, but she didn't get full-frontal beach coverage, now did she?"
"No, I guess not," Shelinda said, squeezing the water out of her robes. "But I'm kind of tired. And wet. And cold."
"Come on, Shelinda! This kind of stuff doesn't come by too often! People will be dying to hear all about the stories Shelinda has to tell if we can show them the colossal waves on the beach!"
"Oh, whatever," Shelinda said, looking down glumly. The sooner this was over, the better.
"Good choice, Shelinda! Come on, the beach is this way!" Shin shouted, getting up and leading Shelinda out of the café, hand firmly gripping hers. He grabbed his sphere-cam and she grabbed her microphone. It was show time.
"So how big are the waves, really?" Shelinda asked, shouting to get above the roaring rain. "They can't be bigger than twenty feet!"
"I heard they've reached up to forty feet, Shelinda!" Shin shouted. "They are huge! No one is allowed to surf, though. The security hired by Rin isn't letting them."
"Wow! Forty feet?" Shelinda asked out loud, shocked. "That's the biggest wave I've ever heard of!"
"Yeah, and that's the smallest wave they saw!" Shin shouted back. "Fifty, sixty... Shelinda, people are going to be amazed! This could really help your reputation around here!"
The beach was into view, and they were at the perfect view, the cliff overlooking it. Shelinda ran out to the very edge, hating the sucking sound of her feet coming out of the squishy mud. Her mouth fell open at the sight of the sea. "Oh sweet Aeons..."
Sixty-foot waves were an understatement. Some of the farthest waves were reaching enormous heights. The beach itself was nearly gone, as the tides were enormous. Very few people were around, and the ones that were around were running frantically, like ants fleeing a giant magnifying glass. Shelinda was awed.
"On in 3... 2... 1... Go!" Shin shouted to Shelinda. Shelinda turned around, eyes sparkling with a smile on her well-rounded face.
"Hello Luca! This is Shelinda, reporting in on the cliff overlooking the beach! Why are we here, we ask? Well, just look at all of this!" Shelinda reported, turning around and pointing to the enormous waves. Shin smiled from behind the sphere-cam.
"As you can see, the waves from this storm are massive! The beaches are flooded with seawater of the colossal tides that keep rushing in! Take a look!" she said, as Shin bent over and shot a glimpse of the massive tides.
"That's just one momentous thing happening here in Luca, folks! This is the first time for nearly a thousand years that rains have gotten this far from the Thunder Plains. Everyone should come out and see the rain! It is truly fabulous!" she shouted. Shin gave her a thumbs-up. Shelinda smiled.
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"It is time..." growled Mainyu Altana, eyes gleaming. He blasted Tihpi backwards and glided away from the Savior of the Cactuars as Tawrich Altana and Zarich Altana slowly returned to his gaping limbs, their tentacles infusing with his raw, opened flesh. He laughed evilly, his hideous cackling echoing through the hot air, sickening Rikku.
Tihpi looked on, eyes wide at the sight of Mainyu Altana reforming, before flipping back to Rikku, Gippal, and Logos, all tired from attacking Mainyu Altana's undead limbs. He squeaked frantically, attempting to convey a message that no one could understand.
"What is it, Tihpi?" said Rikku urgently, trying to catch her breath. "They're getting away!"
"No they aren't," Gippal commented. "He's preparing something. That look in that thing's eyes... If that isn't evil, I don't know what the hell is."
Logos looked on, reloading his pistols. "This is not good, not good at all!" he murmured. "We need to catch that thing!"
"We can't catch up to it, even if we tried, Slim Jim," Gippal said, panting. "He's preparing something. All we can do is watch."
Rikku was in a huff. Glaring out at Mainyu Altana, she nearly spat. That was before she realized she was in front of Gippal. He could do the spitting for her. Suddenly she looked up, eyes wide and mouth agape.
The water above the sand was now bubbling rapidly, and Rikku couldn't keep from yelling out in pain. Gippal clenched his teeth, and Logos looked down. Tihpi shook violently, then walked up to Rikku and blew on her feet. Suddenly the heat was gone. Rikku sighed in relief as Tihpi blew on Logos and Gippal's feet as well.
"Heh, cactuars. You think you know everything about them, but then they do the strangest thing you'd never expect," Gippal said with a chuckle. But he quickly turned around to face Mainyu Altana once again.
The sand that wasn't dry began to whip up from the ground and spin around Mainyu Altana as the entire creature was enveloped in a burning red light. Its mouth opened up as if to say something, however, fire leapt and curled from his lips as every pore of his body oozed fire. Flame enveloped Mainyu Altana as if the entire thing was a living torch.
"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,
There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal.
One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,
One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled.
One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,
One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might.
The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,
Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."
Mainyu Altana spoke the poem, his voice echoed by three others, one voice cold and icy, one voice smooth and watery, and yet another voice sharp and raspy. Rikku was terrified, as was Logos. Gippal just stood with his mouth open, shocked. Tihpi was bouncing up and down frantically.
The pillar of sand and fire enveloping Mainyu Altana shot into the sky like a cyclone, as a myriad of pyreflies followed it. The creature's foul laughter then rang out again as the light faded and the fire died. The hubbub was gone.
"I am flesh once again!" cried Angra Mainyu as he charged at the unsuspecting four, ready to kill.
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"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,
There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal.
One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,
One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled.
One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,
One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might.
The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,
Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."
Angra Tuiyi belted out the poem as lightning poured into him, feeding him and his newly awoken limbs. Spikes of silver metal crusted his flesh, sizzling with electricity. His two now living limbs, Khaos and Kain, outstretched their hands, glittering with the energy of the storm. They were just like his master wanted, machina. He was mechanical, a mechanical masterpiece higher above any machina to be ever created for a thousand years. He was metal infused with evil, a truly wicked combination of steel and malice. His mechanical limbs weren't just any old set of limbs.
Khaos was invulnerable to magic, a glistening skeleton rimmed with metal. One of his arms was a massive claw with thorny, twisting fingers, excellent for tearing apart anything—whether it be metal or flesh—that got in its way. The second arm was a small cannon capable of manipulating electrical energy and transferring it into mechanical energy to be used in blasting foes into oblivion. Kain was invulnerable to physical attacks, with two unique arms as well. His first arm was a dainty claw, excellent for selecting his spells from a specialized database. His second arm was a massive whip with a claw on the end with specialized toxins to sap an enemy's will to use magic. He was the perfect one. He was the One of Thunder.
Metal and lightning crackled together as his body was enveloped in a golden light. Electricity crackled off his metal limbs violently, lighting him up like some advertisement gone crazy. The mixture of electricity and metal flew upwards in a truly lethal maelstrom, ripping a whole in the clouds to the dark heart behind them. Slowly the furious storm surrounding the creature's body died, however this only fueled the storm all the more.
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"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,
There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal.
One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,
One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled.
One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,
One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might.
The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,
Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."
Angra Laose screamed the words as that of Angra Mainyu, Angra Tuiyi, and Angra Shaoku backed her voice. Storms crackled upon the horizon as Kaori and Kairi laughed and cackled in a beautifully evil way. A cyclone of water swept around her as a whirlpool formed beneath her. Her whole body shone like a solid cerulean gem, standing in the water. The water spiraled into the abyss of the storming sky as lightning and thunder shot down. The clouds opened to let in the mixture of seawater, seaweed, and fish flesh into a pulsating heart of black energy behind the storm. Angra Laose laughed, her cackling echoing in the hearts and minds of everyone watching the horrific spectacle in Besaid.
"We have got to stop that thing!" shouted Wakka to Lulu, running out of the village as rain poured down. Lulu chased after him.
"Wakka! No!" she shouted, falling to her knees. "Wakka!"
Wakka turned back to his wife. "Lu! We have to kill it before it reaches the village and kills us all!"
"Warn Besaid!" Leblanc shouted, running out of the hut. "That's what that hideous... thing said to me!"
Nooj limped out of the hut. "Wakka! There is a time for everything, even destroying a threat to a hundred lives! Come back! You can't defeat it alone!"
Wakka turned back, nodding. "I... I guess you're right," he said slowly. "I'm sorry Lu. I shouldn't have..."
Lulu didn't say anything. She just stormed back into the hut, nearly pushing Leblanc into a mud puddle. Leblanc, unable to say anything, didn't do anything at all. Nooj helped her to her feet as Wakka ran into the hut after Lulu. Leblanc was about to go back in when Nooj prevented her from doing so.
"We shouldn't get involved," he told her. Leblanc nodded.
"I guess we shouldn't."
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"There were five that were created from the depths of the darkest soul,
There were five that were created to achieve the darkest goal.
One was borne amongst the tides in the city of the dead,
One was borne amidst the burning sands where all the exiled fled.
One was borne in the darkest fathoms of the city of the light,
One was borne amongst the barren glen of electrical might.
The final, fifth, and foremost, was borne within the darkest tomb,
Waiting, watching, cursing, taunting, counting Spira's doom."
Angra Shaoku screamed the words as the ice and frozen metal whirled around her and she was enveloped in icy white light. The wind swept around her, carrying the stupid girl with her. What a foolish girl. She had tried to be brave, but had ended up being foolish. She was probably dead by now, killed by the cold and the force of the wind. Well, she had now lost sight of the foolish girl. She must've been dead.
Paine screamed out, horrified with the pain. She screamed so loudly pyreflies flooded out of her mouth, as if she were vomiting, except she wasn't sick. Her soul was being siphoned from her, as if some giant was sucking it out through a straw. Her memories slowly ebbed out of her mind, her body became numb, and her sight became dark... She felt icy cold metal and chunks of ice tearing at her face, then darkness.
A vortex to the heart of darkness ripped open above Angra Shaoku as her energy poured in into it. If she was the final one to break the seal, then there was nothing holding back the One of Darkness from coming into the flesh. Her purpose was fulfilled. Now was the real fun part. She had long since waited for the day she could wreak terror into the hearts of the citizens of Bevelle.
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"I'm Shelinda, signing off!" Shelinda shouted as the rain poured down. She doubted anyone was still watching. The lightning was blazing down as consistently as the rain. She sighed.
"That was great Shelinda!" Shin shouted. Shelinda could barely hear him. "I'm sure that everyone was watching."
"I'm sure no one was watching!" Shelinda screamed back. "The storm is terrifying! Let's get out of here!"
"Sure," Shin said, just as the roar of the storm died down for just a moment. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. Shelinda's brow furrowed.
"What's wrong?" she asked, then turned around to face the ocean. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open, and her heart filled with a terror she had never felt before. Before she could make a run for it, the enormous tsunami raising up from behind her swept her, Shin, and everything in Luca into a watery hellhole.
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"Yuna!" shouted Calli, running into the Cabin from the Bridge. "They've located Cid!"
"Where is he?" Yuna shouted, getting up and jumping into her boots. Tidus bolted upright, standing beside her. The storm was raging all around the Celsius. Spira was no longer the peaceful place he remembered so fondly. It was becoming a real nightmare.
"He's in Macalania! Apparently, he's trying to help O'aka with his business," Calli said, rolling her eyes. "The business has, and always will be, poor. Why can't he just accept that?"
Yuna didn't reply. She hopped off the second floor of the Cabin and ran into the elevator, followed by Calli and Tidus. "We have to find him, before it is too late..."
"I agree," Tidus said as the elevator reached the Bridge. Shinra was running around frantically.
"This is not good, not good at all!" he shouted. "This isn't an uncommon meteorological nightmare, it is an IMPOSSIBLE meteorological nightmare! Half the places where it is pouring down raining are not likely at all to be rained at! In particular, BIKANEL IS IN A THUNDERSTORM!"
"Shinra, calm down!" Brother yelled, waving his arms around like a bird. "We must stay calm. We are sphere hunters!"
"Shut up!" Buddy shouted at him. Isaaru was shaking his head. Kimahri just looked around with his stoical grimace plastered on his face.
"Cid is in the Engine Room," Brother said. "Hurray, let's all go visit him." His voice was layered with sarcasm.
Yuna shot like an arrow down the hallway, into the elevator, and down into the Engine Room. Tidus, Shinra, Calli, Isaaru, Kimahri, and Buddy followed quickly after. Yuna leapt off the balcony and jumped down, running right into her good ole' Uncle Cid. She smiled.
"So, what in tarnation do ye' need me for?" he asked, surprised by her close contact. "I heard it is some huge gathering of people who want to save Spira. So how do I fit the job description?"
"You're as tough as nails? You take nothing from nobody? You don't let anything stand in your way? Sounds like you'd fit very well," Yuna said with a laugh. Cid grinned a bit.
"How in hell are you here?" he shouted at Tidus. Tidus just smiled. Cid smirked again.
Shinra walked up to Cid, holding a sphere. "Everything you'll need to know is in there. Don't expect it to be anything of quality, though, I whipped it up in just a couple minutes."
Cid took the sphere and began watching it as the party moved back up the stairs into the elevator and back up to the Bridge. Brother sat in his seat, piloting the Celsius through the thunderstorm. Cid, surprisingly, didn't say anything.
"Where are we going to get all the leagues and syndicates in Spira to amass?" Yuna asked. "Wherever it is, it has to be closed, because there is so much rain. What place is big, and closed, and easy to access?"
"The Blitzball Stadium!" Shinra shouted. "They have a retractable roof, too!"
"Bevelle would work, too," Yuna pointed out, but everyone was all ready agreeing on Luca. Yuna felt something deep in her gut that was telling her NOT to go to Luca.
"Whatever."
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"RIN! RIN!" the attendant shouted into the message-phone. "RIN!"
The power had long since gone out in the Agency, and several of the panicked refugees had fainted from both the shock and the heat. No one spoke. Everyone sat, wide-eyed, hearts filled with terror.
There was some static, but nothing more. "RIN!"
Suddenly a voice broke the silence. The attendant sighed in relief. "Yes, what is it?"
"RIN! There is a monstrous fiend, it is attacking... RIN?!" the attendant shouted.
"I can hear what you say, but it says the message-phone is offline!" Rin shouted back. "I won't be able to locate you!"
"We're in the Thunder..." the attendant shouted, just as half of the roof was ripped off the Agency. The message phone went dead as the winds and rains and lightning roared through like a flood being unleashed. The attendant screamed as a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and landed directly in her heart, instantly killing her. It blinded and shocked everyone in the room as another bolt fell, killing four of the shocked travelers. Sooner than expected everyone in the Agency was dead.