I don't own anything except the Takahari family, their Dragoon Spirits, and Kenji Okamura

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I kept up my guard as we entered Guadosalam; Maester Seymour Guado hadn't yet tried anything overtly malevolent, but every time I had been in close proximity to him, my trained senses had detected something that I'd felt before, from such adversaries as Emperor Doel (prior to his coming to his senses at the end of his life), Warden Fruegel, and Melbu Frahma.

But what it most resembled was the feel I'd gotten from Zackwell, the demon who had taken over Lavitz's soul in the Death City Mayfil, shortly before I brought him back to the land of the living, and that was bad. Zackwell didn't just want to hurt people; he'd manipulated souls, and if Seymour was anything like that, I had every intention of killing him at the first opportunity.

With my coat somewhere at the bottom of the Moonflow river, thanks to my final duel with Cassius, I'd belted on a black kimono, and my katana was thrust through the sash, rather than its usual place on my back. While shoulder-slung was better for stealth missions (it kept it out of the way), having it at my waist made it easier to reach, with a faster draw. I anticipated that this might be important before long.

Inside the city, we were met by an elderly man, obviously a full Guado (as opposed to Seymour, who was only half). "Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you," he said bowing to our resident summoner. "This way, please."

Surprisingly, it was Wakka who spoke up in protest. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's goin' on here, yah?"

"Oh, my apologies. I am Trommel, Lord Seymour's aide. Lord Seymour wishes to see you, Lady Yuna, and your Guardians." He gestured toward a mansion on one side of the cave town. "If you would follow me, please?"

I stayed put, and gestured for my companions to do the same. "We will remain here, Mr. Trommel. We are not Guardians; merely companions traveling on the same road. To be sure, we aid in the protection of Lady Yuna, but we have other responsibilities, other oaths, that preclude our becoming true Guardians."

The old Guado nodded in apparent understanding. "Very well, then. Feel free to explore our town, while you wait."

I nodded. "Indeed we shall. Good day."

After they had left, Ryan turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "What was that about, niisan? I mean, I know you're not as disrespectful as me-" and he grinned "-but you don't normally act quite so deferentially to someone like that. So what's up?"

"It's simple, Ryan, and if you weren't so impulsive, you'd have figured it out yourself." The barb, of course, bounced clean off my brother's armor of irreverence. With a sigh, I continued. "Look, I don't think Seymour's on the level. You know that. So don't you think it follows that we don't want to be attracting attention to ourselves quite yet? I need to get a good look around before these Guado realize I'm 'up to no good'."

His face cleared of any trace of puzzlement. "Oh, I get it. You're going to lull them into a false sense of security, then kill them all. I see."

Wincing, I raised a hand to my eye. "Noo, Ryan, you don't quite get it, unless you're being facetious, which is better than the alternative. Look, the only Guado I have any intention of killing is Seymour, and that's only if he does something overtly evil. I know he's evil, you know he's evil, but I can't do a thing about it unless other people realize it, too."

Rose nodded in agreement. "He's right, Ryan. You haven't been involved much with missions with political ramifications before, but Ian and I have. It's all about perceptions. Unless you have to squash the target to protect people, you have to wait until he's done something you can prove before you go after him. I'd have thought you would have learned that from your own legal system, on Earth."

To my surprise, Karen appeared to agree as well, despite her hyperactive nature. "Yeah, Ryan, you need to learn a bit more about people, before it's too late."

Ryan, typically, looked unrepentant. "What do I need to know about people? I mean, my job is just to kill them, right?"

I raised my eye to the sky, invisible beyond the rocky ceiling, in despair. "Hopeless. Ryan, you are just hopeless."

Turning away, I left my not-so-people-friendly brother and went to explore the subterranean town called Guadosalam.

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It was some time after that when Yuna and her Guardians finally emerged from Seymour's mansion, looking somewhat... odd. Tidus and Yuna in particular looked off-balance.

Concerned, I joined them. "What's up? You look like something weird happened in there."

"Yeah," Tidus said, in a subdued voice. "For one thing, Seymour showed us a sphere reconstruction of Zanarkand. It looked just like what I remembered..."

"That's not all," Rikku broke in. "He... he asked Yunie to marry him!"

I blinked. What the devil is up with this? Seymour and Yuna? Doesn't seem like the sort of match one would expect... Of course, Rose and I aren't exactly the most usual pair, either, but still... I'd have thought it would be Tidus, if anyone.

Ryan and I exchanged looks, and I shrugged. It wasn't our business. "So where to next?"

"I'm going to the Farplane," Yuna replied, "to consult with my father."

I cocked my head, puzzled, but let it pass without question. Whatever it was, I'd likely find out soon enough. "I see." I glanced at my companions. "Well, we're ready if you guys are."

As we headed toward the surreal place known as the Farplane, Tidus walked over to me. "Something else that guy said that bothers me," he said quietly. "He asked Auron what he was doing here, then said something about Guado being 'keen to the scent of the Farplane', or something like that."

I paused. "Tidus, what exactly is the Farplane? Something about this is really started to make me nervous."

"They say it's where the souls of the dead go, after they're sent."

My remaining eye narrowed, as another piece of the puzzle fell into place. So that's the odd feeling I've been getting from Auron. He's already dead... So what is holding him in this world? Some task he has yet to complete? A loud, I said "I see. Well, that's certainly food for thought, isn't it? I wouldn't worry, though."

"I guess you're right."

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After reaching the bluish portal leading into the Farplane, Auron and Rikku paused before it, then sat on the steps. They apparently had no intention of going in.

"What's up?" Tidus asked the older Guardian.

"I do not belong there," Auron murmured. "It is not yet my time."

"Ah, you're just scared," he teased. "What about you, Rikku?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, but that place reacts to your thoughts, and mine are... private."

"Whatever." He looked at them a moment longer, then shrugged. "See you, then." Tidus turned, and slowly walked into the Farplane, with my siblings not far behind.

"What about you, Ian?" Rose asked.

I waved a hand. "You go on without me; I need to talk to Rikku." After she nodded, turned, and left, I glanced at the young Al Bhed. "Rikku, we need to talk."

"Yeah," she agreed. Glancing briefly at Auron, she stood. "C'mon; this isn't the place."

I followed her to the rock bridge that overlooked the rest of Guadosalam. "Okay, Rikku," I said after a moment, "it's time I got a little more information. It's obvious, since you were piloting that machina, that you were trying to kidnap Yuna. I didn't call you on it earlier, despite the fact that I regard kidnappers as some of the lowest forms of life imaginable, because I felt that something else was going on, something that I didn't know about. So tell me: Exactly why are your people kidnapping summoners?"

She took a deep breath, as if preparing to speak of a very painful subject. "You know about the summoners' pilgrimage, right? How summoners visit each of the temples, receiving their aeons, until they reach Zanarkand, where they receive the Final Aeon?"

"Yeah, so? I'd heard that they used that to defeat Sin, if only for ten years. But what does that have to do with kidnapping?"

"Yunie will die, if she completes the pilgrimage!" After I drew back in surprise, Rikku visibly calmed herself. "The Final Aeon will kill her, too. We don't want the summoners to die!"

I raised a hand. "Wait a minute. If the summoners know this, and Yuna's behavior certainly indicates this, then they're making informed decisions. You have no right to interfere."

"But Sin won't be stopped for good! Don't you understand? The followers of Yevon have been trying for a thousand years, and Sin still comes back. They cling to the belief that one day, a summoner will bring about an Eternal Calm, but they can't!" She was pleading now. "And if you look at how the maesters act, you can tell they know that it's a never-ending cycle. But they don't tell their followers that! What we're trying to is save the summoners from pointlessly dying!"

Gathering my thoughts, I pulled out my pipe and lit it, thinking. This put the situation in an entirely different light, for if the summoners truly were ignorant of how pointless their journeys were, it was not truly kidnapping, but rather a form of protective custody.

Not that I expected Wakka to believe a word of it, especially if he found out Rikku was Al Bhed.

"I see..." I said finally. "That changes things... But if that's the case, then why do you want to help Yuna complete her pilgrimage? Why do you want to help a friend die?"

"She's not just my friend," Rikku said. "Yunie's my cousin. Her mother was my dad's sister. And I don't want to help her die; I just want to protect her until I find a way to convince her to stop."

"That's a tough one," I acknowledged. "I don't think she'd believe in the duplicity of the maesters without some kind of proof, and without that, there's no way she'll quit her journey." I met Rikku's gaze. "How's this: you and I spend the rest of this miserable trip looking for another way to defeat Sin. I'm sure Yuna has no real desire to die; if we can find some way that will let her live, I think she'll jump at it."

"Great!" she agreed, with renewed optimism. "Hey, what about that magic you used on my machina? That was pretty powerful stuff!"

"Oh, this?" I lifted my Dragoon Spirit. "This is the Dragoon Spirit of the Diamond Dragon. I won't go into the full history of Dragoons right now -it'd take all day and most of the night- but suffice it to say that this is more powerful than any magic I've seen in Spira. Even if it were just myself alone, I could take out an aeon with this. I'm not sure how much good it would do against Sin, though. That thing's bloody huge. Unless..." I paused. "Tidus, though he doesn't know it yet, holds the Dragoon Spirit of the Divine Dragon, the King of Dragons. If it does indeed choose him as its bearer, Sin may have an opponent against which it cannot stand."

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Rikku and I returned to the entrance of the Farplane just as our companions were leaving it. "So what did you see?" I asked my siblings and Rose.

I didn't get an answer; the Guado were uttering startled cries, and I turned. Staggering out of the Farplane was another Guado, bearing a resemblance to Seymour, but there was something unnerving about him. He... flickered, and faded, before our eyes, as if he wasn't really there. "Lord Jyscal!" one of the Guado exclaimed in fright.

Yuna stepped backward, eyes wide, as the shade approached her. "What...?"

Auron stepped forward. "He does not belong here! Yuna, send him!"

After another moment of hesitation, she raised her staff, and with a moan, the shade of this "Jyscal", whoever he was, faded away.

At the time, I didn't notice the sphere he left behind. It would not be until later that I learned the significance of this bizarre, unnatural occurrence.

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As we finally began walking back toward Guadosalam proper, the Spirans seemed quite shaken, and I turned to my companions once more. "As I was saying before that kisoutengai ibento, what did you guys see in there?"

"I see dead people," Ryan said with a straight face, then abruptly turned serious, an occurrence that disturbed me more than Jyscal's appearance. "Seriously, niisan, what I saw was Yuna talking to her dead father, Yuna and Tidus seeing Tidus' dead mother and discussing it, and Wakka speaking with his dead brother. It was really, really strange."

"But nobody you recognized?" I pressed.

"No," Karen replied. "But when you think about it, that's not really a surprise. Nobody we know who's dead was ever 'sent', so why should they be here? Although I did half-expect to see Hideo Suzuki, or maybe Cassius."

"Not likely," I snorted. "Suzuki got thoroughly toasted when Ryan shot him, and I vaporized Cassius. I think their spirits were gone long before they possibly could be sent. And good riddance; neither of them deserves a peaceful afterlife. I bloody well hope I sent that kakushigo straight to jigoku."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ryan muttered. "I didn't live under the specter of Cassius as long as you did, Ian, but that guy scared me so bad I'm surprised my hair didn't turn white."

Surprisingly, it was Rikku who turned to respond to his comment. "Ryan, I've known you less than a day, but I can already tell that you just don't have the sense to be afraid. You'd be joking while something was eating you."

"So?"

I turned. "Okay, enough of that. What I want to know is, who was that 'Jyscal' fellow?"

"Maester Seymour's father," Yuna replied. "He died not long ago." She sounded troubled. After a moment, however, she continued speaking, changing the subject. "Before we leave, I must go see the maester, and give him my answer."

"Very well," Auron said. "We will await you near the Thunder Plains."

"That's another question," Karen said as Yuna left. "Just why are the Thunder Plains called that? And do I want to know?"

"There's a never-ending lightning storm there," Wakka said. "Gotta be quick on your feet, or you'll be hit, yah?"

I winced. "Lovely. Well, I've seen worse. At least it isn't a volcano or some equally inhospitable location."

Observing the reactions of the Spirans, I was puzzled to note Rikku's obvious fear; she didn't seem to be the type to be afraid of a simple storm, but one never knew. I made a mental note to talk to her about it later.

We dispersed then, waiting for Yuna to return from the malevolent maester's dwelling, and Rose and I wandered over to Tidus. Given his poorly-hidden attraction to the young summoner, I was interested in his reaction to Yuna's "decision" as regards Seymour's proposal.

"So what do you think, kid?" I asked. "Yuna seemed a little off-balance there."

He shrugged. "Ah, she's probably just a little shocked. I mean, a junior summoner being asked by a maester to marry him? But now that she's decided against it, I think she'll relax."

I looked at him curiously, and Rose cocked her head. "How do you know she intends to reject the proposal?" she asked. "Did she say?"

The young Blitzball player looked puzzled. "Not really, but it's obvious, isn't it? I mean, Seymour's just not her type at all."

"And who is? You?" I muttered. "Without being able to see inside Yuna's head, I don't think you can really say for certain, you know," I said in a higher voice. "But it ain't my business. That's for them to decide on their own."

Tidus once again got that look that said he didn't think I had any idea what I was talking about. "Whatever. Anyway, I'm gonna go check the Thunder Plains. See if anybody's coming, or going, or whatever..." His voice trailed off as he left.

"Something's up with him," I murmured to Rose. "I think our young compadre may just be serious about the summoner, whether he'll admit it to himself or not. Which means his behavior can be explained very simply."

"Jealousy?"

"Exactly. And I get the distinct impression he's starting to suspect the maester himself, if only subconsciously. He seems to... I don't know, bristle around Seymour. Though I suppose that could be for the same reason."

"We could try asking Ryan," Rose suggested. "For all his political naivety, he is a good judge of people."

"That's true," I acknowledged. "As long as we're prepared to whether the inevitable gallows humor he'll spout."

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Ryan, as it turned out, was near where Rikku and I had spoken earlier. He appeared to have produced a second revolver, identical to the first, from somewhere, and was looking very much the stereotypical gunslinger, twirling the weapons on his fingers, practicing his quick-draw technique. "What's up, partner?" he asked as we approached. With one final twirl, he blew imaginary smoke from the gun barrels and dropped them into their holsters.

"This isn't the Wild West," I informed with a pained look, "and you're a ninja, not a cowboy, so drop the act! Anyway," I continued, irritation vented, "I want your opinion on the Spiran group."

"Well," he said after a moment of serious thought (a rare thing indeed, for him), "Wakka seems to be his usual self; I don't think anything he's seen here has affected him much, except maybe seeing his brother on the Farplane. Lulu and Kimahri likewise, though I note the big Ronso actually speaks once in awhile now. Auron... Auron's got something to do with the Farplane. I'm sure of that, from Tidus' report of Seymour's words, and his refusal to enter the place. I just can't figure out what."

"Then your mental abilities still need refinement," I said, "because if they were up to snuff you'd have realized by now that Auron is already dead."

The only reaction my madcap brother allowed himself was a brief widening of his eyes, before he returned to his analysis. "Tidus, as I think you've already noticed, is suspicious and jealous of the maester. He also has the classic teenager feeling that anyone over twenty has the brains of a turkey."

"And Yuna?"

"Yuna's the most confusing of the bunch," Ryan admitted. "It's easy to read her emotions, and her basic intentions, but beyond that..." and he shrugged. "But I can tell you that Jyscal's appearance unnerved her pretty bad, and there's more to it than we know. She's also intimidated by Seymour, and I'm not at all sure she's fully made up her mind about him. But I can't be sure." He shrugged again. "That what you wanted to know, Boss?"

"Pretty much." I allowed myself a brief grin. "At least we caught you at a time when you're at least semi-sane!"

"Hey!"

I turned at the shout: Tidus was running toward us. "Something up?"

"Yeah," he said, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I just ran into Shelinda, just inside the tunnel to the Thunder Plains. She said that Seymour's already left!"

"Must have been while we were in the Farplane," Ryan murmured. "How come you didn't notice, niisan? You stayed in the real world."

"I was busy," I said shortly, unwilling to discuss the matter in front of Tidus. "Well, if Seymour's gone, we'd better fetch Yuna and the others and get going. Come on."

Disdaining more mundane methods of getting to the lower part of town (such as walking), I jumped over the railing, landing in the midst of the group of Guardians, who were waiting just outside the mansion.

"You have news?" Auron asked in his quiet, grave voice.

"Indeed. Maester Seymour left via the Thunder Plains while Yuna and the rest of you were still in the Farplane. There's not much point in staying here any longer."

"Indeed," Auron agreed. "Yuna!" he called, walking to the door. "Seymour is not here. It is time to move on."

"I'll be right there!" Her voice was faint, from within those walls, but clear.

"She's plotting something," I murmured to Rose. "I don't know what, but we must be on our guard. Yuna may be in greater danger than we thought."

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After Yuna had rejoined us, we went to the entrance too the Thunder Plains, and I gazed on that unnatural landscape with my own eyes for the first time. "Not exactly the sort of place one would wish to linger," I said softly. "On the other hand, if you people used machina more, you could harness that electrical power and use it to your advantage."

"That's against the teachings," Wakka said with a sneer, stalking toward me, "and unnatural, too. Just like that city over the river, yah?"

"You, my friend, really need to get a better idea of what's 'unnatural', and perhaps grow a brain while you're at it." I turned my back; I was getting fed up with Wakka's true-believer attitude, and didn't really care anymore how he thought of me. As long as he kept his opinions to himself, at least.

Apparently, he'd forgotten my earlier death threat, and he continued to move towards me, doing his best (which wasn't very good) to look menacing. "I'm tired of you bad-mouthing Yevon," he snarled. "You keep using machina and defying the teachings, and you're just gonna make things worse for everybody! Just like the Al Bhed!"

"Wakka, shut up," I snarled, patience exhausted. "If you don't stop being a bigoted idiot, I'll-"

I never finished my sentence, for to my astonishment, the big guy charged me from behind, though what he intended to accomplish I didn't know.

Whatever it was, I short-stopped it: I turned, grabbed his wrist, spun him around, and pinned him to the ground with his hand behind his back. "This will be the last time, Wakka," I said in a soft, dangerous voice. "If I were seriously trying to hurt you, you wouldn't stand a chance against me. I am far beyond you normal humans." After another moment, I let him up, then turned away again. "Don't try it again if you want to live."

After a moment of stunned silence, Rikku spoke up, gazing nervously at the stormy landscape. "Uh, I think I forgot something in town. I'd better go get it."

"Farewell, then," Auron said, seeing through the excuse.

"All right, all right, I'll go," she said finally. "Let's hurry then, okay?"

"I just don't understand why you're afraid of a little lightning," Ryan said, grinning. He stepped out into the storm, still talking. "I mean, I've been in lot's of thunderstorms, and it's not something to be-"

A crack and a sizzle interrupted him, and Ryan stood transfixed, glowing for a moment as a lightning bolt hit the top of his head and kept on going till it expended itself in the ground beneath him.

He stood a moment longer, twitching, then collapsed on the ground. His hair was smoldering, and when he finally mustered the energy to crawl back toward us, his body was still twitching.

I couldn't help but laugh as he finally dragged himself to shelter. "On second thought," Ryan said in a high-pitched, stuttering voice, "maybe we should hurry."

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Author's note: I'm sure this must have given you all heart failure, seeing an update this soon. Especially given how long it took me to get the last couple of chapters up. But I shall endeavor to speed things up a little, and the next chapter will begin with the Thunder Plains, possibly reaching Macalania Temple.

Reiko5, all I can say is, wait and see. I believe the battle with Seymour will be rather… interesting. I'm not entirely sure how he's going to die as yet, but I have some ideas.

Songwind, as for Wakka, I believe he suffers from the same problem most bigots do: he doesn't bother to learn anything about the people he hates. It simply doesn't occur to people like that.

Translations for this chapter: "Kisoutengai ibento" is "bizarre event"; and "jigoku" is "hell".

I think that covers everything; read it and let me know what you think. -Solid Shark