DISCLAIMER: I do not own FFX, FFX-2, FFVIII or any of the characters and locations affiliated with it. I do, however, own the story "Silver Wings", "Silver Wings 2: 1000 Confessions" and all references to dialogue not originated by Square-Enix.
DO NOT COPY MY STORIES!!
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PLEASE NOTE: "PaineOfBevelleSairysSkyeWind" is a fic stealer!! Watch out for her. She is also known as "Paine" and "Paine of Spira". She has also taken to stealing my name "akksgurl" so for future reference, I am the one and only "akksgurl" and I have never posted on any other site besides this one, so if you see my stories floating around out there and they are not directly linked back here then they have been stolen and I'd appreciate if you'd report them to the webmaster for removal. Thanks a lot in advance! I am also sure I am not the only one she is stealing from so be sure to keep an eye out for my fics as well as others on other sites.
Author's Notes: MAJOR computer issues. I'm going to have to do a major overhaul on this thing, so if I'm a little late with the next chapter you'll know why. Hopefully that won't happen, but we'll just have to see. Anyway…it seems that most of you are pretty happy that Seymour is back. I had been wanting to bring him back since Silver Wings 2 and I finally figured out the perfect place for him. I have also noticed that some of you are pretty concerned with the Yuna/Shuyin angle I seem to be going for in a story that, up until now, always seemed to be a Yuna/Tidus pairing. Well, I never actually said that it would be a Yuna/Tidus and I also never said it would be a Yuna/Shuyin. Heck, maybe I'll go for a Yuna/Seymour and really throw everybody off!! Haha! J/J, I won't do that to anybody! I don't want to give away where I'm going, but I will say this. I think that everybody will be happy with the way this story will end. Now…on with the show!!!
SILVER WINGS 3: Back Into My Arms
by akksgurl
Chapter Twenty-Nine: While Visions Of Evil Maesters Danced In His Head
"So…when are you going to explain about Baralai?" asked Rikku, as she peered over Gippal's shoulder to the landing strip he was aiming toward setting the Celsius on.
Gippal turned his head to look into her eyes, "Later."
"When later?"
"Much later."
Rikku pouted at him and made a little whimpering noise, but didn't push for any further information. She knew better than to push Gippal. He'd tell her when he was ready, but she certainly hoped he would be ready soon. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to wait to find out how long he's known he was Baralai's brother and if Baralai knew and how it all came to be.
There were so many things Rikku wanted to say to Gippal. She wanted most of all to apologize for doubting him so many times, but she decided it was best to let the past stay in the past. There was no reason to dredge it up again when they were getting along so well now. Sneaking up behind him, Rikku wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a tight squeeze and when she felt Gippal's fingers meshing with her own, she knew he didn't want her to let go so she didn't.
"Do you think Tidus woke up?" he asked suddenly, a frown forming on his features, "Is that why Yuna's taking so long to get down here?"
Rikku shrugged and put her forehead against his back, "I don't know." She admitted with a sigh, "but she knows we want her up here so she'll be here as soon as she can."
"Yeah…" he replied quietly.
Rikku wanted to keep talking to him. She wanted to find out what was on his mind since it was obvious that he was troubled by something and she didn't think it had to do with Paine, but she decided to let it wait. They needed to deal with one thing at a time. Rising onto her toes, Rikku planted a soft kiss on the nape of his neck, "You know I'm there for you if you need me, right?"
He turned his head a little and gave her a small smile, "I know." He replied, "Thanks."
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"What is wrong with me?!" Yuna asked herself in a harsh and hushed whisper as she let the door to the crew's quarters slam behind her. Her footsteps echoed down the empty hallway leading to the elevator but she barely noticed. Her mind was focused on how she had acted just a few moments ago.
Why was she doing this again?!
Hadn't she gotten herself into enough of a situation with Gippal?!
"I'm just stupid. That's all there is to it." She decided as she entered the elevator, "There's no other explanation."
In fact, it did seem like the logical conclusion. She was acting out and rushing into the arms of other men all so that she could avoid the question that seemed to perpetuate these actions. Did she really love Tidus at all? That question had plagued her on and off again during their separations. She couldn't help but wonder briefly if the thrill of their adventure together had made her think she loved him. Her sudden lust for Gippal was another thing that made her question it, but it was her undeniable connection with Shuyin that was really straining her mind. Shuyin was the one that the fayth had destined her for but a twist of fate had sent Tidus to her instead. Now Shuyin was back and she couldn't help but wonder if being with him is what the fayth would want her to do.
She groaned…
Nonetheless, no matter what the fayth wanted it was her heart she had to follow. She just wasn't sure where it was leading her. Tidus was her poster-child for tender, sweet love until recently when he'd beaten her until she bled. Shuyin was her poster-child for mentally disturbed psycho-killer until recently when he'd shown her a side of himself she hadn't seen in 1000 years.
In fact, she hadn't acted like such a hopeless tramp around him in 1000 years. Not since their first date when she'd tried to jump him in her living room and he'd politely turned her down.
The elevator dinged when it reached the bridge and Yuna made her way down the hall with her mind still reeling from her sluttish actions just a few moments before. She was determined, however, to put on a brave face when she saw her friends. They would flip if they knew what she had just tried to do.
"Where are you going to land?" she asked as she made her way down the six steps that led to the main floor of the bridge.
Rikku pointed toward a section of the Moonflow that was unused by anything but the Shoopufs, "He's gonna park her there so we can walk to Guadosalam."
"Sounds good."
Her cousin released her grip on Gippal's elbow and meandered toward Yuna with a question on her lips, "Is sleeping beauty awake?"
Yuna nodded, "Yeah, and I finished healing his hand so he's good to go."
"I don't know why you healed it when he beat you up."
"It's Shuyin," Yuna clarified, "not Tidus."
"Him again?!" Rikku squealed with an exasperation heavily lacing her voice. She yanked sharply on her hair with both hands and moaned, "What is up with that? Did you ask him about the other guy? Does he know what Tidus did? Details!!"
"I don't know what's up with that." Yuna answered, "I didn't tell him about the third person. He knows what Tidus did but only by guessing."
"Big giant bruises on her cheeks kinda gave it away." Came the blitzer's voice from the landing. If Yuna hadn't known better, she could have let herself be convinced that Tidus was standing there talking to them. When she had last seen Shuyin he had been wearing the clothes Tidus had put on after waking up in Besaid – faded jeans and a white t-shirt that said, "Yuna defeated Sin and all I got was this stupid T-Shirt.". She had laughed when Wakka had bought it during the Calm and had laughed even harder when he insisted on getting the size that was obviously too small for him. Lulu had told him he'd gotten fat but Wakka didn't believe it until the shirt clung to every roll on his pudgy belly and had ended up with a permanent home in the closet. Now, though, Shuyin was wearing the standard Tidus clothes and had even found the old sword Wakka had given him at the start of her pilgrimage. She thought she had lost that after…
Yuna glanced down at her wrists and then guiltily looked away again. No need to dwell on the past. What's past is past and that's all that mattered anyway. She smiled at Shuyin and opened her mouth to speak when Rikku beat her to it, "Where'd you find that sword?" she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, "You're not planning on killing us all are you?"
Shuyin rolled his eyes at her, "Even if I was, do you honestly think I'd be honest about it?" and when Rikku didn't respond, he nodded, "No, I'm not going to kill you. I just found it in the closet where I found these clothes and they seemed to go together so I went ahead and put it all on."
"You're wearing Tidus clothes, ya know." Snipped Rikku, waving a hand in the air as she spoke, "Who are you trying to kid anyway?"
"Nobody." He replied, "I just found them and put them on. I didn't really think about it."
"Maybe you should have." Came Gippal's biting retort from the control panel. He hadn't even bothered turning around to look at Shuyin.
Yuna put her hands up to placate the growing tension, "Look, maybe this is a good thing." She stated, looking from each person slowly before continuing, "The Guado don't know about Shuyin. This way we don't have to answer questions and we can just focus on finding out what happened with the Farplane."
"You can't honestly be suggesting that he pretend to be Tidus?!" shrieked Rikku, her eyes wide with surprise, "Yunie…!"
"He's done it before." Replied Yuna, "and we all know he's good at it. Besides, it won't be forever. Just while we're in Guadosalam. It'll just make things easier."
Gippal grunted, "I suppose you're right." He said but quickly added, "Just don't expect me to pretend that ass is my friend."
Shuyin smirked devilishly and whispered to Yuna, "Don't you love it how they talk like I'm not here…"
"I wish you weren't." snipped Rikku as she sauntered back to Gippal and kept her small nose in the air while Gippal landed the plane on the Moonflow.
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LeBlanc didn't know if she should be grateful to still be alive or eternally regretful that she wasn't given a quick death. However, tied by the wrists to the railing in the entryway wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing. Yet, she wasn't prepared to face the wrath of the once alive, then dead, now alive again former Maester of Yevon. He was sitting with this back from her on a chair not far from her simply staring at the portrait of his father. She couldn't see his face, but considering that Yuna told her he had killed him, she assumed the expression was one of contempt.
She briefly wondered what he wanted her for and then quickly squashed the idea. He had killed Logos, Ormi, and her best Fem-Goon. He was going to kill her. She just wondered why he hadn't done it already.
"I'll bring her to you." Seymour suddenly said and LeBlanc realized he hadn't been staring at Jyscal at all. He was talking to someone, "So the exchange is still on? Her for my bride. Excellent. I'll bring her to you now." He turned and fixed his eyes on LeBlanc and a slow and leisurely grin spread on his features, "The plans have been made, my dear. You're no longer my concern now."
As he reached for her, LeBlanc tried to hide her face behind her arms, "P…p…please don't h….h…hurt me."
"Hurt you?" asked Seymour as he pulled back and looked at her as if trying to see if she was joking, "If I hurt you then the deal I've made is off. I'm going to deliver you to someone who will take great delight in hurting you."
"Please don't…" LeBlanc begged as he untied her, but kept a firm grip on her hands with his long fingers, "I…If you want Yuna. I know where she is…"
Seymour stopped and stared at her, "How do you know that I want Yuna?"
"Y…you said your…your bride. You married Yuna…"
He nodded, "I'm impressed." He said, but then he shrugged and pulled her along again, "She's with her lover, I'm sure, and the only way to get her away from him is to make the trade for you."
Seymour reached for the front door and cracked it open, wanting to see if he could sneak out as he had snuck in, by pulling the hood over his head and moving quickly out the front of Guadosalam. The coast seemed clear initially as he lifted the hood but then he cursed his bad luck. He saw Nooj descending from the Farplane platform after waving to someone and Seymour's eyes followed his line of vision and saw his bride, her lover, the sissy little blonde girl, and…
"Gippal Liton…" he muttered to himself.
"You know Gippal?"
Seymour shot her a look to silence her and then shut the door, replying with a whisper, "I gave him one simple task and he didn't do it. Maybe I could get revenge on him while I'm at it…"
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"I'm glad you guys are here." Nooj said as he met the quartet at the base of the Farplane platform, "I haven't been able to figure anything out on my own. The Guado are busy trying to re-establish stability and haven't been much help. I'm just glad to have some more eyes looking this over."
"Where's LeBlanc?" asked Yuna, "Why isn't she helping?"
"I told her to stay in the mansion. I'd rather know she's safe and sound with the Syndicate. It's one less thing I have to worry about."
"Makes sense." Gippal admitted, nudging Rikku, "I kinda like the idea of that myself."
She frowned, "You are not going to make me stay away from this. I can take care of myself, mister!"
Nooj smiled a little and then connected eyes with Shuyin, "Which one are you today?"
"Shuyin…" he replied quietly, "but I'm undercover as Tidus."
"Why?"
Yuna replied, "I thought it'd be easier than trying to explain to all of Guadosalam what was going on."
"Make sense…"
"Oh, Sir Tidus. It is you!" came a voice from across the Farplane. Shuyin turned his head and saw a rather tall Guado coming toward him at a quick pace. His skin was a pale shade of green and he looked generally like an alien – much like the rest of the Guado Shuyin had seen in his lifetime.
He felt Yuna nudge him slightly as the man closed the distance between their bodies. She leaned her head to him and whispered, "That's…"
"Tromell…?" the name came to Shuyin out of nowhere, but he knew he was right even before the man smiled happily at being remembered.
He knew this guy.
"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna. Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my lady. This way."
"Whoa, whoa,
whoa!"
"Oh, I beg your pardon. I am called
Tromell Guado. I am in the direct
service of our leader, the great Seymour
Guado. Lord Seymour has very important
business with Lady Yuna."
"Business with me? Whatever could it
be, I wonder?"
"Please, come inside the manor. All
will be explained. Of course, your
friends are also welcome."
"It's so good to know you remember me, Sir Tidus." Tromell was saying when Shuyin's mind stopped wandering and returned to the conversation. The Guado was grinning broadly, "Lady Yuna was very sad with you missing, but I had heard you had once again returned to Spira and we are happy to see the lady is smiling again."
Shuyin smiled back at the Guado, "It's good to see you too, Tromell. It's been too long."
"Well, I must return to my post and help with the Farplane situation." Tromell said, squeezing Shuyin's hand tightly, "It was very good to see you again, my lord. Lady Yuna, a pleasure as always."
He felt Yuna's questioning gaze on him and turned to her as she whispered, "How did you know his name?"
Shuyin shrugged, "I'm not sure…I just did." He paused and bit his lip, "Who's…Seymour? Why does Tromell and that name seem to fit together in my head somehow?"
"Seymour is a bad guy." Replied Rikku, "Much like you are."
"Rikku…" Yuna reprimanded her cousin before turning back to Shuyin, "It's a long story about Seymour. I'll explain later. But…suffice it to say, he was one of the bad guys."
"Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet.""The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira."
"Was this Maester Jyscal really such a great guy?"
"He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado. He was truly a great man."
"Truly, a loss for us all. But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour...He will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."
"That is enough, Tromell."
Shuyin squinted against the sudden memory in his head, "Are you sure he's a bad guy? He was supposed to be the tie that binds…" he stopped and shook his head, "Never mind. I think I'm losing it."
"We can discuss everything in more depth at the chateau." Nooj suggested, "I promised LeBlanc I'd be back twenty minutes ago. She's probably going to kill me so I'll need protection."
Shuyin's mind was running a mile a minute as he walked with the group down to the chateau door, but even still he instantly noticed the front door shut quickly and a sense of dread went up his spine. He fingered the sword at his side and watched closely for more signs of movement but there were none and none of the others seemed to notice.
Maybe he was losing it…
"Hopefully she won't be too mad." Said Nooj as he twisted the knob and pulled, but the door didn't open. He jiggled the handled and tried again. Still nothing. Frowning, he pounded a fist against the door three times, "LeBlanc…I know I'm late but that's no reason to lock me out. Everybody is here. Let us in!"
When there was no answer, Shuyin grasped the handle of the sword tighter in his hands. Gippal went with Nooj and called in to LeBlanc but there was still no answer. Before Shuyin knew it, everybody was pounding and shouting but there was no answer from the inside except for silence.
Until…
A muffled scream came from just behind the window. Shuyin was at first convinced that only he had heard it, but then he noticed Nooj's head perked up and he put an ear to the door. The cry came again this time, louder and more defiant.
"LeBlanc!" shouted Nooj, slamming his good side into the door with all his strength, "Are you all right?! LeBlanc!!"
Without really thinking about what he was doing, Shuyin strode forward and ushered the others away from the door. He pulled the sword from its position holstered at his hip and jammed the blade between the doorstop and the door itself and twisted. It gave just enough for him to pry the door open the rest of the way with his fingers.
The group poured into the entranceway. LeBlanc was tied hands and feet on the floor with a sock stuffed in her mouth. Nooj made a move toward her, but Shuyin stopped him with a hand when he saw something moving from the landing above their heads.
Not something…
Someone…
"Hello, Lady Yuna." Came the voice from above them in the shadowed area. Yuna visibly trembled at the sound and Rikku let out a muted gasp. The figure stepped into the light slowly, inch by inch, until he was totally revealed. Tall, muscular, blue hair and tattoos over his body. Shuyin had never seen him before and yet he instinctively knew who he was.
Seymour Guado…
"My dear lady Yuna." Seymour said, coming slowly down the stairs toward them. Yuna took a step back and hid herself behind the safety of Shuyin's arm, gripping his elbow tightly, "I had thought I'd have to wait for quite a while to see my darling wife."
Shuyin turned his head at Yuna, "You're married…?"
"Lady Yuna, we've
been expecting you. We were surprised you
decided to come so soon. Pleasantly
surprised, of course. Lord Seymour sends
his apologies for having left without notice."
"It's quite all right. I have one
question, if I may, sir."
"My lady?"
"I want to keep journeying, even if I marry. Do you think that Maester Seymour would let me?"
"But of course, my lady. Lord
Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure."
He stopped and frowned, "I knew that…"
Turning his attentions back to Seymour, Shuyin found himself staring into the eyes of a man with a smirk of arrogance plastered on his face, "Just a little confused there, Tidus?" he asked, leaning in close to him and staring in to his eyes. As he did so, the smile faded and was replaced with one of quiet musing, "…not Tidus…interesting…so the rumors were true…"
"Rumors?" came Yuna's question, speaking for the first time since seeing Seymour.
"Yes, my lady. Rumors floated amongst the evil-doers in the Farplane. Rumors that a victim of Bevelle was determined to destroy Spira." He smiled back at Shuyin, "It did my heart good to know that there was still evil ruling the planet."
"I'm not evil.
"I know that." Replied Seymour smugly, "If you were you wouldn't be with this motley crew of do-gooders. You just have some…" he pointed to his head, "…issues."
"Never mind that." Snapped Shuyin, "What do you want?"
"Me?!" Seymour replied, feigning innocence, "I just want what any man wants. I want my wife back. I want my life back."
"What does taking LeBlanc hostage have to do with anything?" demanded Nooj.
Rikku nodded fiercely, "Yeah! How'd you get here anyway?!"
"One question at a time please!" Seymour requested, pacing in front of them slowly and then making his way to LeBlanc, lifting her roughly from the floor to stand next to him, "I was brought back. I walked through the front door and I killed the guards protecting her. I need her to seal the deal I made with the person who brought me back. Once I deliver her safely, then I'll be a permanent resident of Spiran society again."
"Nobody would help you." Spat Yuna, "You're a murderer…"
Shuyin frowned, wondering where Yuna was getting that from. Seymour
was definitely evil; he could feel that in his bones, but a murderer? That seemed a little harsh. He remembered all the wonderful things
Tromell had said about Seymour in
comparison with his father, Jyscal.
Jyscal…
"We saw Jyscal's sphere."
"You killed him."
"What of it? Lady Yuna, certainly you knew of these
things, did you not? Well then, why have
you come here?"
"I came...I came to stop you!"
"I see. You came to punish me, then.
What a pity. Ah, of course. Protect the summoner even at the cost of
one's life." The Code of the Guardian." How admirable. Well, if you're offering your lives, I will
have to take them."
"Maester Seymour. I
trust my guardians with my life. But they are also my friends. I will not stand by and watch them be hurt. I
will fight you, too!"
"All right!"
"Maester Seymour!"
"So be it."
Shuyin staggered back slightly, his mind reeling from the sudden onslaught of
memories that weren't his. What was
going on? Why was he remembering this
now? Was Tidus trying to warn him, or
was it something else? He felt the sword
slap at his thigh and his mind flashed to the final time the group had seen Seymour
alive, just as Tidus had shoved a sword into his gut.
"Lord Seymour! What happened here?"
"What...what have I done?"
"Wait a minute! It's not our fault at all! Seymour struck first! He's the bad guy!"
"You did this?"
"Yuna. Send him."
"No, stop! Stay away from him, traitors!"
Shuyin hadn't even heard half of the talk the group had engaged in with Seymour. He didn't even care. For some reason he knew that Seymour liked to talk and talk and talk and yet never really said anything of importance. Shuyin's mind kept repeating the same image in his head again and again. Tidus' sword swallowed up in Seymour's gut.
Well, it worked the first time. Why not again?
Without a word or a sound, Shuyin pulled the sword from its holster at his side and lunged, slamming it through Seymour's gut. He waited for a second for Seymour to crumble to the floor in agony, prepared to die for a second time, but the blue haired former maester just stood there, staring down at the sword with a bemused look on his face.
He glanced up with a frown, "Well that wasn't very nice."
"Wha…?" came Shuyin's startled and confused reply as Seymour slowly pulled the sword from his stomach without so much as a wince.
"You can't kill the dead." Said Seymour with a wicked grin when, as quick as lightening, he flipped the sword in his hand and penetrated it deep within Shuyin's stomach. The pain nearly split him in two. He vaguely heard the screams of those around him; Yuna's being the loudest, as he keeled over onto his back, the force of the fall pushing the sword out of his gut a little and wrenching more pain from his middle. His vision began to blur but he distinctly saw Seymour wrench LeBlanc toward him and rush for the door before anyone had the chance to react. He saw Yuna crying above him, casting spells left and right and was left with the vague feeling that this might be the last time he ever saw her. This might be the end for him.
And then the world went black…