Chapter Ten: Abduction
After a moment of waiting, Kain and Yuna emerge from the inn before Vorador, Wakka and Lulu. They seem a bit tense at first, but then Vorador stands over to Kain, gently ushering Yuna to the side for a private word with Kain.
Vorador
"The Sarafan Lord will be watchin you during the game."
"Because of Yuna's little scene, he'll probably not try anything unless provoked or attacked."
"Lulu and I will keep guard if he plans to have some fun..."
"You just play the game."
Kain
"So you didn't know as well, I take it?"
Vorador
"It seems as if it wouldn't matter if I did or not."
"You've never trusted me from the start, Kain."
"And being a guardian, you're obviously supposed to take a beating."
Kain
[sighs with irratation]
"Fine... but one false move on his part..."
"Well, one of us shall be needing a coroner..."
After the talk, Kain turns to face the others. All is silence for a moment... he eyes Lulu, who obviously seemed somewhat worried, possibly even frightened of leaving Yuna in the same inn as him. She seemed to be tenser than usual when Yuna was around Kain. Wakka remained silent, yet his excitement towards the game continued to build up within him. Within a moment, he finally spoke.
Wakka
"Really psyches you up, ya?"
"All right! Last meeting before the match! Hustle!"
Kain stepped into the locker room. The Aurochs had gathered, yet Wakka was nowhere in sight. They took one glance at Kain and looked away, obviously hearing his attack. After losing eye-contact with the vampire, the team seemingly mellows into disappointment.
Kain
"Where's Wakka?"
Datto
"At the match-up draws."
Letty
"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year."
Jassu
"The year before that, and the one before that, too!"
Keepa
"Well, we would've lost to anyone anyway."
The door opens as Wakka steps into the locker room. He has a huge smile on his face.
Datto
"Cap'n Wakka!"
Wakka
"We're playin' the Al Bhed Psyches first. If we win, we're in the finals!"
"That's right, we got seeded! Two wins and we're the champions!"
[Everyone cheers... except Kain]
"First things first. Let's go over the basics again, boys."
Before the tutorial can begin, Yuna and Lulu walk into the locker room. Everyone turns to look at them. With a smile, Yuna ran towards Kain.
Yuna
"There you are!"
"Someone said they saw Sir Auron in a café!"
Kain
[shocked]
"Au-Auron?"
Yuna
"Yes, Sir Auron! Let's go find him!"
Yuna takes Kain by his claw and walks back towards the door, beckoning him to follow. He sighs and takes a few steps forward when Wakka springs up.
Wakka
"Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! The game starts like real soon!"
"C-Come back quick, ya?"
Kain
[faces him]
"I have a debt to repay, and it shall be done."
Wakka
"Yeah, okay."
Yuna opens the door as she and Kain exit the locker room. They move into the open, seeing that Vorador has been awaiting them as well, possibly for supervision that Kain doesn't attempt an attack. Yuna glances about the area, then turns to Kain.
Yuna
"Maybe now we can find Sir Dante."
Kain
"....Why?"
Yuna
"Sir Auron was also my father's guardian."
"So, he might know where Sir Dante is."
"Let's go now!"
"It hadn't occured to me to imagine that the Auron Yuna was talking about..."
"and the one that I knew from Nosgoth could be two different people."
"I hadn't known... yet I knew it was the same man. I knew it was the same Auron."
Yuna smiles and runs ahead. Vorador eyes Kain for a moment, as if mentally telling him to do nothing dangerous. Then he follows after the summoner. Kain glares a moment, then runs ahead as well, approaching two of the Al Bhed Psyches, talking to each other.
Al Bhed
"Y myto summoner!"
"Fa sicd nabund."
Kain
"Al Bhed Psyches, am I right?"
[they eye him, jumping back a bit]
"Some Al Bhed saved me the other day, and..."
"There was a girl with them... Rikku."
[The two Al Bhed eye each other in confusion]
"Judging by your silence, I assume you're unable to understand me."
"So I shall give out my point..."
"If you meet Rikku, send her my gratitude."
After his little "conversation", Kain moves away from the Al Bhed and make in into the crowd. In his sight, he sees Yuna and Vorador surrounded by a group of people. He couldn't understand how she liked that... being endlessly surrounded by humans, people giving her thanks and gestures and small talk. Hell, he wondered how Vorador was handling this: being out in the sunlight, protecting a teenaged human, and being constantly surrounded by all these people that he couldn't bare his fangs into. Apparentally, much had changed over the years... much indeed.
Yuna
"I'm sorry, please let me through."
[She eyes Kain and approaches him]
"Hey, let's go."
[she looks around]
"I hope we don't get seperated..."
Kain
"Yuna!"
Spinning around, Yuna sees Kain placing his thumb and index finger in his mouth, and whistling loud and highly pitched. For a moment, Yuna winces from the noise, but then blinks in curosity.
Yuna
"What was that?"
Kain
"I've noticed humans in Nosgoth using this noise to catch the attention of others."
[He whistles again]
"It took much practice, and endless frustration, but I have finally managed to make the sound."
"Try it, Yuna. Put your fingers in your mouth."
Yuna
[she places her fingers in her mouth wrong]
"Like...this?"
Kain
"No, not like that, like this."
Kain reached forward and takes her hand. Vorador's eyes widen a bit at this act, as does Yuna's. Kain forms gently positions the tips of her index finger and thumb in her mouth. After a moment, he pulls back.
"Then, you just blow."
Yuna nods, and then blows twice. The exhaling carbon dioxide is fairly weak and rarely makes any nose. She blinks, then removes her hand from her mouth.
Yuna
[faces Kain]
"It's not working."
Kain
"Practice."
"Once you achieve the technique, use it if we get seperated."
"Then I'll come for you."
[he crosses his arms]
"Well, I suppose we should stay in a group until you learn how to do it."
Yuna
[smiles]
"Yes, sir!"
With Vorador close behind, Yuna and Kain walk down the street. Kain had every urge to shudder with disguist at the sight of so many humans. However, he had to marvel at the city. The buildings were nowhere near as high as the ones in Zanarkand, but Luca was a metropolis compared to the Besaid Isle. He eyed the towers, yet not ceasing to walk.
Kain
"This city is enormous..."
Yuna
"I would imagine it would be."
"Luca is the second largest city in Spira, after all."
Kain
"I would have suspected that every town was small as Besaid and Kilika."
Yuna
"Towns don't usually get bigger than that."
"Because when a lot of people start to gather..."
Kain
[nods]
"Sin..."
"So is it safe here?"
Yuna
[shakes her head]
"It's not any different, but the stadium is here."
[she gestures to the stadium as Kain looks up]
"The Crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength."
Kain
"To protect the stadium?"
Yuna
"Blitzball's really the only entertainment that we have."
"Spira's a little short on fun these days."
Kain says nothing. The awkward silence disturbs the summoner, so she quickly responds.
Yuna
"Let's go find Sir Auron!"
Kain had to chuckle again. Yuna wanted the subject to change, obviously. But he wasn't exactly worried about Sin. His top concern was about the Crusaders. Knowing that they would fight for the simpliest thing, such as a stadium, the Sarafan Lord could use that as an advantage, conscidering that Kain was now in Spira with him. That could mean two things- an all you can eat buffet, or an endless road of troubles for the vampire. Brushing his thoughts to the side, (and Yuna tugging his arm for navigation), the three made their way into a cafe. Kain pushes the door open, scans the area, then growls in annoyance.
Kain
"Auron's not here."
Yuna
"Hmm..."
Kain turns his attention to Yuna, only to see that she is moving away from him and towards a group of humans. Vorador shortly enters the cafe, then stops in his tracks. Kain notices a look of annoyance in the green vampire's face, then turns in the direction of his vision. Two large, cat-like creatures walk towards him. Like humans, they stood on two legs rather than four. Their fur is a toned shades of dark and light gray, and in the center of their forehead is a large, white horn. They approach Vorador and give a devious grin.
Vorador
"Ronsos..."
Ronso 1
"Why not talk, Vorador?"
"Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something!"
Vorador crosses his arms and glares.
Yenke
"Vorador forget Yenke? Forget Biran?"
Kain watches as the other Ronso joins in.
Biran
"Leave Vorador, Yenke. Vorador is small vampire. Not Ronso"
"Vorador so small, can't see Yenke and Biran's faces."
Kain also takes note that Vorador is holding back the urge to leap on both Ronso beings and rip their throats out.
Yenke
"Vorador forget Ronso friends? We taught you much at time of horn-molt!"
"Biran taught Vorador to be strong like Ronso."
Kain
"Such lies..."
Biran eyes Kain and gives a glare.
Biran
"Ronso never lie."
Biran goes to push Vorador. The vampire, in reaction, snatches the Ronso by his wrist and gives it a power twist, dislocating the arm, breaking his wrist, and sending the Ronso flying into a wall. The people in the cafe give a gasp, and stiffen in slight fear as Kain moves towards Vorador. Suddenly, a voice raises above the crowd.
Man
"Take it outside! The tournament's starting, you hear?"
Kain
"The game!"
Kain turns his attention to a strange crystal. Many people are huddling around it. Slowly, Kain approaches the crystal, and sees Mika. The elderly man is before a large stadium, and then begins to speak.
Mika
"Today, on this glorious day, players from all over Spira have assembled here..."
"To participate on this great contest of bravery, skill, and strength."
"All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserve to win the cup today."
"Such is the nature of this contest. Let us, the spectators, play our role accordingly:"
"Let us sing to the glory of the winners, and applaud equally the valor of the defeated."
"Contestants, may Yevon be with you."
[He does the prayer gesture]
Kain watches as Mika's form abandons the crystal. In his place is a spherical bowl in the center of the stadium. Slowly, the bowl begins to fill with water. The crowds in the stand continue to cheer, and a large sphere of water hovers in the stadium. Within the bowl, bordering the sphere of water, the Aurochs take to their positions and wait for the game to begin. On the other side of the bowl, the Al Bhed Psyches get into position. The ball is ejected into the air: Wakka and the Al Bhed Psyche player both reach for it. Kain's eyes eject from the crystal, then eye the room. For the first time in the strangest waves of emotion, his heart nearly exploded.
Kain
"Vorador! Yuna's gone!"
The same feeling erupts within Vorador. Yenke takes this chance to throw a strange punch to Vorador's face, catching him in the cheek. Vorador merely throws the Ronso across the room, rejoining him with Biran, and then sprints out of the cafe as Kain follows. The two sprint forward, then hault in an instant as Lulu approaches them with impressive speed despite her wardrobe.
Lulu
"Where in Spira have you been!?"
"Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches."
"In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose."
Kain
"What!?"
Vorador
"If they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic."
"But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go."
Kain stands before them and shakes his head.
Kain
"I want you two to leave."
Lulu
"What?"
Vorador
"Kain, what are you planning?"
Kain
"Due to my current correspondence with the Sarafan Lord, I'll be needing all eyes on him in case he is behind all this."
"The two of you return to the stadium and keep your eyes on him."
"I'll find Yuna and bring her back..."
Lulu glares to protest, but Vorador touches her shoulder and nods deeply, but relunctantly.
Vorador
"Then we shall do so."
"I know you don't trust him, and I know he cannot be trusted."
"We'll make sure he doesn't do anything horrific."
"Besides, the Psyches are telling the Aurochs to throw the game, as if they needed to."
"Just how great a team can they be?"
Lulu sighs, then nods as well.
Lulu
"Wakka said the same thing."
"He'll take care of the game, and we'll watch the Sarafan Lord."
[she points in the dock's direction]
"The Al Bhed boat is in dock 4."
Kain nods, then turns in the direction of the docks. Lulu and Vorador exchange glances, then head towards the stadium.