"Yuna?" A small voice queried. Upon receiving no response it tried again. "Yunie? Are you there?" She was finally rewarded with a weak sob. Glancing around the room she saw nothing, but could still hear the very faint, choking snivelling. In the darkness caused by the closed thick curtains it took her a minute to notice the bed was not flat, as it usually was when made by Yuna's meticulously careful hands. It juddered just a tiny bit with the crying. Very gently, she sat on the edge of the bed and peeled the covers back. The young ex-summoner, ex-sphere hunter lay underneath, flat, face down, soaking the pillow with her tears. Through the difficult gasping Yuna spoke haltingly,
"Rikku, go. They, your help, don't see me, this, like this."
"It's ok Yunie, they'll be fine for a little while without me there. It's nothing delicate, so even that klutz Gippal can't mess it up. And you and I are both best friends and cousins. There aren't many people better for cheering the other up." She rested a hand on Yuna's bare arm and squeezed it gently. The tears subsided just a tiny bit.
"I'm sorry, I just, it's so unfair!" She exclaimed, before breaking down again. She curled herself around Rikku this time, clinging to her pathetically and sending the shaking through both women. Rikku hugged her firmly and spoke with the soothing voice nobody had ever thought she would develop.
"Yuna, sweetie, I know it's not fair. Nobody thinks it's fair. If anybody deserves something better than they have, you do. Kimahri's the only one of us who's had the loss you have, and well… you know how he is with emotions. His big blue Ronso skull just keeps it all inside. You've lost both the men you love, you know you don't have to keep at this. Nobody would fault you if you took some time off, or even retired. But nobody can magically make it better, either." Yuna continued to sob. Rikku's tactic was to simply tell the truth - there was no safe way to get over something other than be honest and hope the person can come to terms with it. It often made things worse in the absolute immediate future though, which Rikku desperately hated. All she could do was hold her and whisper soothing words. Yuna's own cries mixed with protestations and complaints, making Rikku inaudible.
"But why Rikku? Tidus, he" she inhaled sharply and blubbered something unintelligible "to Sin, and, never thought I'd get over it." She took a moment to steel herself and spoke through gritted teeth holding back the tears, "But then, I was happy with Baralai. Why did he get taken as well Rikku, why?" She exclaimed. Rikku had no answer, there was no answer. Yuna's tears turned into frustration, and she pounded the bed with both hands, trying not to scream and alert everyone else. After some moments of this she tired, and collapsed into Rikku's lap.
"Come on Yunie, I know it's too much to bear right now. We should take a vacation, really. All of us! Heaven knows Paine is having trouble with them all. We should look for Baralai." Yuna looked up suddenly.
"What?" There was no other expression she could manage. Rikku would never do or say anything to give her false hope, but Baralai was dead. It was only two days ago - she had seen his body with her on eyes, felt his cold, lifeless hands that no longer touched her with tenderness and love. Saw his hollow, empty throat that no longer spoke with his calm and caring voice. He was dead.
"Yunie, that's why I came to find you now. Gippal said, and I know this is hard to believe, that it's not Baralai. That's not his body lying there." Yuna looked up in amazement. Was it a dream? Was Rikku insane? Was it the sickest joke Spira had ever seen? "I don't want to give you false hope, we don't know where he is or what happened, but that's not him. He might still be out there."
"Yes" Her tears faded within seconds "Let's go! We'll find him! He's ok, I'm sure of it! He's alive somewhere! But how could you know?"
"We've been finding a lot of old technology in the ruins of Zanarkand. One of them is something called a DeON scanner. Every person has a unique DeON code, and the Al-Bhed have all got theirs on record. It took awhile to sort everything out and run the tests, but it's not him. Yuna, something terrible might still have happened to him."
"I know. But we have to try! We have to get everyone together, everyone we can, they can help as well!" Rikku smiled and her green eyes flashed mischievously.
"Already happening. Gippal's having the airship repairs cut short, we'll be ready to take off in the morning! He and I will come, and we'll go around to everyone else to see who wants to come. We've already talked to Nooj, and he and Paine will both come, so we'll just have to pick them up in the morning. The Besaid commspheres are broken though, so we'll have to wait to see how Lulu and Wakka are."
"It's ok, they have little Vidina to take care of. But, I'd like to see them! Maybe on the way, we'll find clues about Baralai."
"I hope so. Look, I need to get back, the classes will start soon."
"Alright, I'll just wash my face and be there." Rikku kissed Yuna very gently on the forehead, smiled warmly and left the room. Yuna stood up, wiped her eyes and took a very deep breath. Exhaling slowly she made her way over to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face. She pulled open the curtains, flooding the room with the afternoon light and giving her a panoramic view of Second Home, and she went downstairs and across the plaza to the school.
It had been Cid's idea to start a school for Al-Bhed children, and it quickly caught on. Gippal was tinkering with all his new toys, and hadn't travelled much lately, when he and Rikku settled down together she took on a job as teacher. Yuna had drifted for a long time after the Gullwings disbanded two years after the Vegnagun incident, and finally came to New Home with her new beau, Baralai. It was strange to have an ex-summoner and the former head of New Yevon living among the Al-Bhed, but that was the case. Baralai had joined the militia - despite everything that had happened Spira was still a dangerous place - and Yuna became a schoolteacher as well. Everything had seemed well. And then, one day, Baralai had been found dead. It was done by weapons, not a fiend. There was no trace of who or why it was done, or indeed why Baralai had been out in the desert alone when it was in the middle of his vacation. The eternally shifting sands of Bikanel meant any evidence had long since been buried, and tracks covered up.