Chapter 3 – The Shoopuf Crossing

I'm back! Thanks for reviewing!

The crystalline surface of the Moonflow was unbroken, save the occasional ripple of a pyrefly too slow to pull itself out of a dive. The soft sunlight reflected off the water to illuminate the overhanging trees. Pyreflies flickered and danced ceaselessly, forming tiny spiraling whirlwinds. All was at peace along the Shoopuf Crossing. Well, above the surface anyway.

In the murky depths of the water lurked the Extractor, only meters away from the ancient machina city. Inside two young Al Bhed, brother and sister, both clad in the same bulky rubber wetsuits, sat in the cockpit back to back. Sulking.

The elder of the two, maybe 19, was sweating like crazy in the heat of an engine. Blonde hair fell messily into his line of sight, and Brother scowled. Shoving it back, he narrowed his eyes into a deathglare. Oh, this was a good one, the mother of all deathglares. Trying not to smirk lest he ruin the effect, Brother turned to the girl. To his great annoyance, the deathglare – his greatest yet – was wasted, as Rikku's back was still turned. Great. She was ignoring him.

So far beneath the water, every outside sound was muffled, even the hushed drone of the engine. The silence was building. Trying vainly to disperse the quiet that engulfed them, after maybe 5 minutes of trying-to-turn-Rikku-to-stone-time, Brother began to hum.

It was, of course, to no avail, and the silence increased to a point where it caused almost unbearable pressure on the eardrums. Deciding that such a degree of hush couldn't be good for his hearing, Brother spoke.

"Rikku." The echoes reverberated off the walls, accenting the pervading silence. He began. No response. Great. She intended to ignore him. Once more, the dreaded quiet began once more to creep up on him. "RIKKU!" He exploded, the sound of his voice causing it to retreat hastily. "Talk to me, dammit." Stubbornly, his sister shook her head.

"Why not, then?" Turning exasperatedly, Rikku gave him a Look. Brother couldn't help but give her the satisfaction of making him blanch. "Because YOU are bossing me around on MY mission! I am the pilot here! You are second in command." She retorted. Hastily apologizing, Brother assured her that she could be in charge now, if only to dissuade her from giving him the silent treatment.

Rikku smiled triumphantly - Damn I'm good! - and promptly began to bark out orders. "Co-pilot, patch through co-ordinates, check for signs of the summoner's entourage, and go jump in a lake!" Giggling, Rikku spun in her swivel-chair, disregarding the look Brother gave her.

Rikku was 15 years of age, had feathery blonde hair that fell past her shoulders, the swirled jade eyes of a true desert-bred Al Bhed, and a shriek that could curdle milk.

Today was to be her first rescue mission, and for someone so young, this said a lot about her abilities. Before this, she'd only been allowed to accompany the rest of the team on boring machina salvage missions. Brother was only here to evaluate her performance.

Cid, her father and the leader of the Al Bhed, had entrusted her with the privilege of rescuing the summoner Yuna, her cousin.

Brother left to check the missile supply, and Rikku was left to await the summoner's shoopuf. Checking her watch, Rikku glanced up at the still waters. Still no sign of Yunie's shoopuf, but then again, she wasn't expecting it for another 10 minutes. Swirling her waterglass around like her father did with spiced wine, Rikku took a sip and set the glass down. Absentmindedly, she began to hum snatches of a tune caught in her mind. Sitting back in her chair, Rikku waited.

Sorry it took so long – I got sick when school started up. I seriously think I'm allergic. So, please review, and I should hopefully update soon!