Yuna stood on the port exterior platform of the new airship, the 'Augusta'. It cruised over the ocean and the wind made her hair whip around her face. She brushed it aside and pinned it behind her ear, irritated. She'd barely been able to concentrate the previous evening and still felt impatient now they were underway. Her mind wandered to the purpose of the voyage and from there to Baralai himself.
When she had first met him, she was afraid she was to be married to him against her will. Yevon was fond of that idea. Fortunately, he was not involved with the praetor who had arranged this and she escaped it - instead choosing to love him. Sometime after Vegnagun was destroyed, Gippal, Nooj and Baralai had retired from their prominent positions. It didn't last for Gippal, his expertise, leadership and charm propelled him inexorably to a position of power in the Al Bhed. Nooj had settled with Leblanc in Luca, they were soon going to have their first child. People, especially the disaffected people of the Youth League, still came to Nooj for advice, but he had managed to distance himself from a lot of the more important decisions. Baralai had repeatedly been offered his former position in New Yevon and repeatedly turned it down. A new group had also emerged, the Juniper Division - and they too had offered a position to Baralai. He had rejected them as well.
Because he refused to join another group and had nowhere else to settle down, Baralai had accompanied the Gullwings for some time on their airship. During that time, Yuna had discovered she felt a lot of affection and attraction towards him. In his interminably collected fashion, he had offered to take her to dinner. She took the offer without even thinking about it, and they quickly became very much in love. The relationship had faltered very slightly when they settled in New Home, as Yuna felt they were ready to go further but Baralai refused. He never cited his reasons for wanting to wait, but Yuna often complained to Rikku that Gippal and Nooj were never fighting their women off. Baralai had been growing closer and more physical in recent weeks though, and she was encouraged by it.
Thinking about all the others Yuna's mind drifted on to Paine. She had simply upped and left the Gullwings one day; it was the act that eventually ended the sphere hunting group. She joined the Juniper Division, and reached a position of some authority in it, before again leaving for no given reason. She hadn't been seen in some months now, the last anyone knew was that she had headed into a cave in the depths of Mt. Gagazet. Kimahri, still leading the Ronso young in an effort to regain their former glory, had sent numerous search parties to find her, including some he went on himself, but there was no sign of her or the cave she had entered.
Buddy and Brother were right there on the Augusta, flying and arguing as ever. Brother's fascination with Yuna had faded somewhat but he still resented Baralai's ability to win her over. And Shinra was off in Bevelle, trying to make a living selling his inventions. He wasn't doing too badly, and a lot of people had him earmarked for greatness.
Right now, though, the airship was screaming low over the ocean towards Besaid Island. Lulu and Wakka still lived their lives there. Besaid was rapidly booming though, without Sin to destroy it every few months they ha been able to build far more buildings and make them more impressive. It had very rapidly become a tourist spot, both as Yuna's home, and as the home of the now-legendary Besaid Aurochs. Even with Tidus gone the team had seemingly been galvanised into a state of quality. Wakka had never made good on his promises to stay retired, mainly because Lulu insisted he continue his Blitz career if he so desired. They had brought the cup home four times in the last five years; now that Yevon's sabotaging and fixing of the tournaments was over the Luca Goers had quickly been exposed as the mediocre blitzers they were. This left only the Al Bhed Psyches as the real challenge to Auroch domination but with the new wave of inspiration and skill from the small island quickly decimated them.
Little Vidina was starting to grow up, too. Only five he was already showing an interest in his father's love of blitz, but Lulu had insisted he learn other things as well, and had taken it on herself to educated him in both culture and magic. He wasn't a genius, but he wasn't that far from it either. He would have been the poster child of Juniper Division's motto; 'Hope for a new Spira' with his happy life and myriad skills, but Wakka had little love for the group and would have none of it. For all his qualities the young boy was still quite the hellion, often rousing the other children of Besaid into a near-rabid state of hyperactivity and never once coming in for dinner when called, or going to bed on time, or bathing when it was demanded of him. Wakka usually laughed these things off, saying boys will be boys, but he often tested his mother's patience to it's limits. As a result, Lulu had little desire to have another child for another couple of years, hoping to get the more rambunctious period of one child out of the way before another came along.
The island of Besaid was rising to meet the Augusta from the horizon. Yuna shook herself out of her daydreams and went back into the main cabin. Rikku and Gippal were mocking each other, as ever, and Brother was practising some more advanced words of the language. 'Predominance' he said, then 'Stupefaction' and 'Occlusion'. He had taken his speaking to an excessive degree, far beyond what most Spirans who grew up speaking it would understand. He carried on muttering as he examined a book. Buddy was idly sitting at the controls and checking various panels every now and then. He spoke suddenly,
"Ok people, we're coming in for landing." and took the control joystick into his hands, foregoing the autopilot. He had never trusted automated flight, but takeoffs and landings he was completely unable to accept.