Disclaimers etc on first page... Thanks to my reviewers!
Chapter Two
Tidus paused to catch his breath. After a day and a half of walking he had reached the summit of Mount Gagazet, the place where the Fayth had once dwelt trapped in stone. The rock face still showed impressions of the Fayth, but the spirits themselves were gone. The lake, which had once indicated the summoning of aeons, lay dormant, almost frozen over in the harsh climate.
Tidus leaned against the rock his breath coming in puffs of condensation on the chilly air. He was making good time, but then again he was also rushing. Excitement at seeing Yuna coursed through him every so often giving him a burst of energy. 'Down hill from here,' he thought thankfully.
Heading down the slope of snow, Tidus suddenly remembered fighting Seymour around there and how the Maester had wiped out most of Ronso population on the mountain. He wondered if any remained and if he would see them.
'Kimahri might be here,' he mused as he jogged lightly over a crest of snow. To keep his mind off of the cold he thought of seeing all the places he'd been to and meeting all the people he'd known. He wondered if they'd changed as he himself didn't seem to have changed at all.
Then something occurred to him that brought him to a standstill. How long had he been gone? Were his friends even still alive? Was Yuna?
The questions spurred him into movement; he jogged slightly faster down the snowy hill of Gagazet realizing he was being a bit reckless. He had no weapon and no idea of what to expect.
Yuna's emerged from her hut the next morning ready for travel. She wore a pair of rather short hot pants, a white vest and knee high black boots. Around her waist was a belt with a long frill down one side. It was the outfit she had been wearing since she had decided to shed her summoner's robes. It had taken a bit of getting used to for her friends as much as her but wearing the summoning robes didn't seem right anymore, nor did she feel comfortable.
But the most outrageous of thing about her new outfit had to be her choice of weapon. She carried two handguns in place of her staff, a gift from her Al Bhed uncle. As first she had been against it, but Cid had told her that she still needed to defend herself against the few remaining fiends and the ever-growing number of enemies.
Bevelle, it seemed, did not take her alliance with the Al Bhed lightly nor did they like the fact that the people of Spira were not backing them.
It was evident as she looked around the village. She was always amazed at how quickly the people had accepted the convenience of Machina into their lives. The village itself had not grown much, staying the tropical retreat that it was. The villagers were willing to accept machina but they were not willing to give up their homes to replace them with larger more modern buildings.
Yuna looked around and spotted Wakka and Lulu a short distance off debating something. Lulu had shed her heavy garments that she had worn as a guardian for a pair of black knee length pants and a sleeveless red leather vest with a high leather turtle neck collar not unlike the one Auron had worn. On her feet she more shorter black boots than Yuna's with a heel and on her hands she wore elbow high black gloves with a zip up the inside. Her hair remained the same.
Yuna chuckled, some things would never change. Like Wakka, for instance. He wore a simpler version of his old Auroch uniform, now that he was only their coach. His hair also remained the same, much to the annoyance of Lulu who kept insisting he cut it. Apparently she had never liked it.
This was probably the subject of their debate but it quickly stopped as Yuna approached.
"Mornin'," Wakka said as she joined them.
"Good morning," the ex-summoner replied, "Ready to go?"
"When you are," Lulu told her with a nod.
Yuna returned the nod and led them toward the path that would take them to the beach. As they passed people, they would give them a nod or wave of farewell, but it was pretty casual. This time they knew Yuna would be coming back.
Tidus sat down on the grass of the Calm Lands with a thump. He was tired, no which way about it. He had run all night, desperate to get answers to the questions that spun around his mind.
Now he knew he needed rest and he needed to find himself a weapon. On the mountain he had encountered a few minor fiends but rocks and snowballs could only go so far and a few cuts and bruises were testimony to the fact that he was ill equipped to defend himself.
Heaving himself to his feet he shielded his eyes from the rising sun, trying to remember which way the Al Bhed Travel Agency had been on the endless plains. All he needed now was to get lost on in Calm Lands.
As it turned out, it wasn't necessary. He had only walked a few metres when the sound of an engine was heard distantly. Tidus stopped and cast around for the source of the noise, wondering briefly if he should hide. Not that there was anything in the way of cover out on the plains.
Within seconds the cause of the noise came over the ridge and Tidus almost whooped with joy. He jogged forward as Rin's Traveling Travel Agency slowed in front of him. The Al Bhed in the driver's seat stood.
"Hiya," Tidus called waving.
The man continued to stare for a few moments then climbed off the rig and came forward removing his goggles as he came. It was only then that Tidus recognized him.
"Rin!" he said incredulously.
But if he was shocked it was nothing compared to what the Al Bhed felt.
"But..." he started then stopped, "It's...it's you," he eventually said sounding dazed. The Al Bhed looked behind him as if seeking some sort of sign that he was dreaming.
Tidus shrugged sheepishly.
"But...you died," Rin went on looking at him closely. He seemed hesitant to come to close to the supposedly dead blitzer, "Yuna was distraught."
Tidus grabbed Rin's forearm, "You've seen Yuna?" he asked, "Where is she?"
Rin jumped slightly at the physical contact, "In Besaid I guess," Rin said distantly, "That's where she lives," he added, a little stupidly.
Tidus chewed his lip thoughtfully, "Rin, this will sound strange but I need you to tell me..." he hesitated, "How long has it been?"
Rin gave him a blank look, enhanced by his shock.
"How long since Sin was defeated," Tidus clarified, being careful how he worded it, making no mention of his 'death'.
"Oh," Rin said still sounding dazed, "Two years."
"Two..." Tidus started, then stopped and swallowed, "It feels like yesterday," he muttered to himself.
"What does?" Rin said quietly as if loud words would shatter the universe.
"Er, nothing," Tidus said, "Listen, I need to ask a favour."
"Anything," Rin said immediately, "But first you must answer a question."
Tidus nodded, trying not to feel impatient.
Rin looked a bit embarrassed, "Are you unsent?" he asked outright.
Tidus stared for longer than necessary, then laughed, "No," he said, "It's a long story, but I'm alive as you."
Rin grinned back, "That is truly good news, Yuna will be thrilled," he said.
"That's actually got to do with my favour," Tidus said, "I need to get across the plains, fast, and I also need a weapon."
Rin nodded gravely, "Yes, the fiends have not been completely eradicated," he agreed, "I will supply you with transport and a weapon but first, you must rest and eat, you look dreadful," the Al Bhed said frankly.
Tidus wanted to disagree but the night's mad dash down the mountain had caught up with him. He nodded wearily.
Rin climbed back aboard the hovercraft, "Jump up," he called, "We'll get you what you need at the Calm Land's Agency."
Yuna stood on the deck of the refurbished S. S. Liki, letting the wind play in her hair. The ship was the same as it had always been; the only thing different was that it was no longer run by Chocobo power and sail but by machina. This made sailing a whole lot quicker. It also meant that stopping in Kilika was unnecessary and they could go directly to Luca.
Lulu stepped up next to her standing for a few moments in silence before speaking her mind.
"You really believe war imminent, don't you?" the ex-guardian asked.
Yuna sighed and turned to the woman she viewed as an older sister, "I'm worried," she confessed, "About Bevelle and the New Yevon. They're proud and arrogant. They believe all of Spira should follow their ways and now they resent the people's trust of the Al Bhed."
"And that's why you think they may attack the Al Bhed openly," Lulu surmised.
"Yes," Yuna agreed sadly, then frowned, "And the Al Bhed...well, they're hot headed and won't take the hostility of Bevelle lightly."
Lulu chuckled, "Ah, there's my little politician," she said in jest.
Yuna sighed, "Not you too," she said in exasperation, "Rikku said something similar."
Lulu looked curious, "What did she say?"
"That I'm growing up too fast," Yuna replied, remembering.
"Well, you do tend to carry the weight of the world," Lulu said, "Why do you feel so responsible for Spira, above everyone else?"
Yuna looked a bit embarrassed at Lulu's shrewdness, "All my life, when I was training to be a summoner, I believed that if I could defeat Sin, I would have given my all for Spira and that would be enough," she explained hesitantly, "But it wasn't me we ended up losing," she finished in a whisper.
Lulu went 'ah' in sudden realization; "You feel guilty," she stated then shook her head, "That's foolish."
Yuna huffed in irritation, "I know," she said shortly, "But I can't help it. I just hope I'm wrong about all this. I hope I'm just over reacting."
"We shall see," Lulu replied before leaving Yuna to her thoughts.
Tidus awoke slightly disorientated. At first he didn't recognize the room in which he slept or how he had got there. Then all at once the memories from the previous two days caught up with him. He also had a vague recollection of a strange dream but the more he thought about it the fainter it became. He rose swiftly, not surprised to find he had slept in his clothes too exhausted to undress, and made his way to the front of the Travel Agency.
Rin was there and greeted him with a smile.
"Still here?" he jested, "I have something for you."
Tidus followed him out the front of the shop and into the sunshine of the new day. On the grass in front of the agency, stood a machina vehicle. A black motorcycle to be precise.
"A bike?" Tidus asked incredulously.
"Is that what it's called?" Rin asked, "It was salvaged a while back. It runs, but no one really knew what it was."
"A motorbike, yes," Tidus told the Al Bhed, "Very popular in Zanarkand."
"Really, cause that's where we found it," Rin said thoughtfully, "Oh and this." Rin held out a weapon for him.
Tidus took it gingerly, "Not banned anymore?" he said wryly as he inspected the gun, checking it over.
Rin returned the smile, "No," he said his voice harbouring slight bitterness, "But they would be if Yevon had their way."
Tidus looked up sharply, "Yevon?" he spat.
"Oh, I meant the New Yevon order," Rin said his tone mocking, "The last of the Yevonites, I suppose. They've created a new order based on the old teachings and taken Bevelle as their base."
"But how is that allowed? Yevon was a traitor and a deceiver," Tidus asked.
"Yes," Rin agreed, "But they believe themselves above everyone else. They answer to no one. Now they're causing conflict between the people." The Al Bhed sighed and shrugged in despair.
Tidus thought the bit of information over, "I should avoid Bevelle then," he mused.
"I would suggest as much," Rin agreed.
Tidus took a deep breath, spun the gun in his hand and tucked it into his pants. He held his hand out to Rin, "Thanks Rin, I owe you one," he said.
The Al Bhed grasped his hand, "All of Spira owes you, my friend, for your sacrifice," he said, "I'm glad you're back. Oh and here," he handed Tidus a few extra clips of bullets for his new gun, "Good luck."
Tidus nodded in appreciation and climbed aboard the bike. He grinned, gave Rin a jaunty salute and sped off into the plains.
R&R please! Thanks.