Please Note: I do not own Square Enix or Final Fantasy X-2. All characters are copyrighted to Square Enix. Also, do not read this if you do not have any background on the plots in Final Fantasy X and X-2, or if you do not want the games spoiled for you.
Another thing: Thanks go out to all of you who have been reading my fanfic, and to oezi for helping me with the Al Bhed language.
And one final note: Keep in mind that Tidus is possessed by Shuyin, and since Shuyin has total control over Tidus, he will be talking through Tidus's body. Shuyin has also possessed Paine and Rikku, so keep that in mind as well.
"Where am I? I can feel a cool breeze coming over my shoulder, and I can faintly smell the sweet scent of roses, but I am standing in a pitch-black room. How can this be? Wait! I can see a bright light emerging from within the darkness. It appears to be a person, but I can't make out whom exactly it is. Hey, they are coming over here, but why? Are they going to help me escape this hellhole? No! This person is taking out a pistol! I must get out of here, but it seems that my feet are stuck to the floor, so I cannot move! Oh no, the person pulled the trigger! I am so sorry Rikku, Paine, and...Tidus..." Yuna shouted out as she began to wake from her slumber. Her face was beat-red, and tiny teardrops poured from her eyes. "I guess I just had a bad dream, but it felt so real. Oh well. I got to go and find everybody else, and make sure Tidus is okay." Yuna thought to herself as she got out of her bed, wiped her face off in the bathroom, and took the elevator back down to the bridge area. As she walked out of the elevator, she noticed Rikku and Paine piloting the airship, while Tidus sat at the monitor, and kept an eye on the navigational system. "Hey, where are we headed to now, guys?" Yuna asked as she walked over to Rikku and Paine.
"Tidus had requested that we venture to Zanarkand today, so that is where we are headed to." Paine replied as she continued to pilot the airship.
"Why are we going to Zanarkand, though?" Yuna inquired as she walked away from the front of the airship, grabbed a chair from across the room, and sat next to Shuyin.
"Well, I want to visit Zanarkand in order to check something out. See, I had a sphere of my family that I hide in the dome, back when we were on your pilgrimage, and I would like to see if it still there. Probably, not, though, since all of these sphere hunters came to be..." Shuyin lied as Yuna smiled back at him. "Hmph. Simple-minded fool! She's so lovesick over Tidus that she would believe anything I tell her! Anyway, she'll be in for a big surprise once we reach the dome..." Shuyin thought to himself as he grinned back at Yuna.
"Well, don't you worry, Tidus! The Gullwings are on the case, and we never fail, right Rikku and Paine?" Yuna cheered.
"Sure." Rikku replied in a monotone voice.
"Whatever. As long as there is something in it for me, then I don't really care what I have to do." Paine mumbled under her breath as the two of them glared back at Yuna.
"Something's not right. Rikku and Paine never act like this, especially when we are on a sphere-hunting mission. I wonder if anything happened to them while I was sleeping..." Yuna pondered as she got up out of her chair, and walked over to the front of the airship. A few minutes later, Rikku got out of the pilot's seat, and walked over to Shuyin.
"Lord Tidus, we have finally arrived in Zanarkand. Are the instructions you gave to myself and Paine earlier still in effect?" Rikku whispered into Shuyin's ear as Paine got up out of her seat as well, and joined Rikku.
"Yes. All you have to do is follow my lead, and everything will be all right." Shuyin commanded.
"However, I do have one final question before the operation begins. Why exactly are we going to Zanarkand? I mean, would it really make a difference where we went?" Paine silently asked as she leaned over Shuyin's shoulder.
"Well, I just figured that Zanarkand would be the best place to depart to, due to the fact that no one ever goes there anymore. We have to make sure that no one else discovers our plans, or else we could all end up in prison for the rest of our lives, so I figured the ruins of Zanarkand would keep everything hidden in secrecy." Shuyin replied as he looked upon Paine's eyes.
"Well, you are most certainly a genius, Lord Tidus, to come up with a plan like this one!" Rikku cheered as she jumped up and down.
"Yes, and even I have to admit how full-proof this mission is. It's like the perfect crime, that no one will ever be able to figure out." Paine slightly smiled.
"Ah, ladies, you flatter me too much! Let's just get off of this airship, and begin, shall we?" Shuyin requested as the three of them walked over to the elevator. "Hey Yuna, aren't you coming with us?"
"Yes! Just hold on a second!" Yuna exclaimed as she ran over to the elevator. Eventually, they reached the exit of the Celsius, and began to walk along the grounds of Zanarkand. Zanarkand's sky was full of blue and white pyreflies that shined like stars, and the landscape was covered with rubble.
"Wow, so this is what Zanarkand looks likes after the Machina War. I just can't believe that Bevelle did this much damage to my homeland! If I ever get the chance, I would love to wreak havoc upon Bevelle's precious temples, and show them how my people felt when their beloved city of Zanarkand was totaled!" Shuyin contemplated to himself as the group headed up to the dome. No longer was the dome filled with cheering fans and blinding lights, like Shuyin remembered, and all that remained was broken glass, busted-up metal poles, and memories of a fallen city. Eventually, the group arrived upon a small ramp made out of steel, and Shuyin, Rikku, and Paine stopped walking.
"Hey, is this where the sphere is buried, Tidus? Because I don't see anything here..." Yuna remarked as she looked around, but Shuyin just ignored her, and withdrew his sword. Paine and Rikku then stood against each other, and winked at Shuyin, signaling that they were ready for the final showdown to begin.
"Well, you aren't as dumb as I thought, Yuna! See, there never was a sphere buried here, but I do have a surprise for you! Be prepared, Yuna, to grief like my heart has for the last 1000 years!" Shuyin shouted back at Yuna.
"What are you talking about, Tidus? Have you lost your mind?" Yuna roared, but it was too late to change Shuyin's mind. Just then, Shuyin turned around to face Rikku and Paine, and with one swift movement of his sword, he slit both of their throats, instantly killing them in the process.
"We willingly die for you, Master Tidus." Rikku and Paine proclaimed as they quickly exited the living world. The impact from Shuyin's sword caused for both Rikku and Paine to fall over the edge of the ramp, and into the ruins below. Blood dripped furiously from Shuyin's sword as he took a step back from the edge of the ramp. Yuna then rushed over to the edge of the ramp, in order to try and catch them, but she was too late. She then tackled Shuyin, and began to repeatedly punch him in the arm.
"How could you do this? Rikku and Paine were our friends, and you just go and kill them! What is wrong with you? Have you gone over the deep end? If that is the case, then no matter how much I love you, I can never forgive you for the blood that you split today. You must now pay for your crimes, Tidus!" Yuna howled as she grabbed Shuyin by the throat, and withdrew her pistol from her back pocket.
"You know, you're pretty cute when you're angry." Shuyin smirked as he lifted up his blood-ridden sword. With one quick jolt, Shuyin stabbed Yuna straight through her heart, without even making any noise. He then took his sword out of her body, as she laid lifeless upon the ramp. Suddenly, pink and white pyreflies came and surrounded Yuna's body. "The transformation has begun..."
Another thing: Thanks go out to all of you who have been reading my fanfic, and to oezi for helping me with the Al Bhed language.
And one final note: Keep in mind that Tidus is possessed by Shuyin, and since Shuyin has total control over Tidus, he will be talking through Tidus's body. Shuyin has also possessed Paine and Rikku, so keep that in mind as well.
"Where am I? I can feel a cool breeze coming over my shoulder, and I can faintly smell the sweet scent of roses, but I am standing in a pitch-black room. How can this be? Wait! I can see a bright light emerging from within the darkness. It appears to be a person, but I can't make out whom exactly it is. Hey, they are coming over here, but why? Are they going to help me escape this hellhole? No! This person is taking out a pistol! I must get out of here, but it seems that my feet are stuck to the floor, so I cannot move! Oh no, the person pulled the trigger! I am so sorry Rikku, Paine, and...Tidus..." Yuna shouted out as she began to wake from her slumber. Her face was beat-red, and tiny teardrops poured from her eyes. "I guess I just had a bad dream, but it felt so real. Oh well. I got to go and find everybody else, and make sure Tidus is okay." Yuna thought to herself as she got out of her bed, wiped her face off in the bathroom, and took the elevator back down to the bridge area. As she walked out of the elevator, she noticed Rikku and Paine piloting the airship, while Tidus sat at the monitor, and kept an eye on the navigational system. "Hey, where are we headed to now, guys?" Yuna asked as she walked over to Rikku and Paine.
"Tidus had requested that we venture to Zanarkand today, so that is where we are headed to." Paine replied as she continued to pilot the airship.
"Why are we going to Zanarkand, though?" Yuna inquired as she walked away from the front of the airship, grabbed a chair from across the room, and sat next to Shuyin.
"Well, I want to visit Zanarkand in order to check something out. See, I had a sphere of my family that I hide in the dome, back when we were on your pilgrimage, and I would like to see if it still there. Probably, not, though, since all of these sphere hunters came to be..." Shuyin lied as Yuna smiled back at him. "Hmph. Simple-minded fool! She's so lovesick over Tidus that she would believe anything I tell her! Anyway, she'll be in for a big surprise once we reach the dome..." Shuyin thought to himself as he grinned back at Yuna.
"Well, don't you worry, Tidus! The Gullwings are on the case, and we never fail, right Rikku and Paine?" Yuna cheered.
"Sure." Rikku replied in a monotone voice.
"Whatever. As long as there is something in it for me, then I don't really care what I have to do." Paine mumbled under her breath as the two of them glared back at Yuna.
"Something's not right. Rikku and Paine never act like this, especially when we are on a sphere-hunting mission. I wonder if anything happened to them while I was sleeping..." Yuna pondered as she got up out of her chair, and walked over to the front of the airship. A few minutes later, Rikku got out of the pilot's seat, and walked over to Shuyin.
"Lord Tidus, we have finally arrived in Zanarkand. Are the instructions you gave to myself and Paine earlier still in effect?" Rikku whispered into Shuyin's ear as Paine got up out of her seat as well, and joined Rikku.
"Yes. All you have to do is follow my lead, and everything will be all right." Shuyin commanded.
"However, I do have one final question before the operation begins. Why exactly are we going to Zanarkand? I mean, would it really make a difference where we went?" Paine silently asked as she leaned over Shuyin's shoulder.
"Well, I just figured that Zanarkand would be the best place to depart to, due to the fact that no one ever goes there anymore. We have to make sure that no one else discovers our plans, or else we could all end up in prison for the rest of our lives, so I figured the ruins of Zanarkand would keep everything hidden in secrecy." Shuyin replied as he looked upon Paine's eyes.
"Well, you are most certainly a genius, Lord Tidus, to come up with a plan like this one!" Rikku cheered as she jumped up and down.
"Yes, and even I have to admit how full-proof this mission is. It's like the perfect crime, that no one will ever be able to figure out." Paine slightly smiled.
"Ah, ladies, you flatter me too much! Let's just get off of this airship, and begin, shall we?" Shuyin requested as the three of them walked over to the elevator. "Hey Yuna, aren't you coming with us?"
"Yes! Just hold on a second!" Yuna exclaimed as she ran over to the elevator. Eventually, they reached the exit of the Celsius, and began to walk along the grounds of Zanarkand. Zanarkand's sky was full of blue and white pyreflies that shined like stars, and the landscape was covered with rubble.
"Wow, so this is what Zanarkand looks likes after the Machina War. I just can't believe that Bevelle did this much damage to my homeland! If I ever get the chance, I would love to wreak havoc upon Bevelle's precious temples, and show them how my people felt when their beloved city of Zanarkand was totaled!" Shuyin contemplated to himself as the group headed up to the dome. No longer was the dome filled with cheering fans and blinding lights, like Shuyin remembered, and all that remained was broken glass, busted-up metal poles, and memories of a fallen city. Eventually, the group arrived upon a small ramp made out of steel, and Shuyin, Rikku, and Paine stopped walking.
"Hey, is this where the sphere is buried, Tidus? Because I don't see anything here..." Yuna remarked as she looked around, but Shuyin just ignored her, and withdrew his sword. Paine and Rikku then stood against each other, and winked at Shuyin, signaling that they were ready for the final showdown to begin.
"Well, you aren't as dumb as I thought, Yuna! See, there never was a sphere buried here, but I do have a surprise for you! Be prepared, Yuna, to grief like my heart has for the last 1000 years!" Shuyin shouted back at Yuna.
"What are you talking about, Tidus? Have you lost your mind?" Yuna roared, but it was too late to change Shuyin's mind. Just then, Shuyin turned around to face Rikku and Paine, and with one swift movement of his sword, he slit both of their throats, instantly killing them in the process.
"We willingly die for you, Master Tidus." Rikku and Paine proclaimed as they quickly exited the living world. The impact from Shuyin's sword caused for both Rikku and Paine to fall over the edge of the ramp, and into the ruins below. Blood dripped furiously from Shuyin's sword as he took a step back from the edge of the ramp. Yuna then rushed over to the edge of the ramp, in order to try and catch them, but she was too late. She then tackled Shuyin, and began to repeatedly punch him in the arm.
"How could you do this? Rikku and Paine were our friends, and you just go and kill them! What is wrong with you? Have you gone over the deep end? If that is the case, then no matter how much I love you, I can never forgive you for the blood that you split today. You must now pay for your crimes, Tidus!" Yuna howled as she grabbed Shuyin by the throat, and withdrew her pistol from her back pocket.
"You know, you're pretty cute when you're angry." Shuyin smirked as he lifted up his blood-ridden sword. With one quick jolt, Shuyin stabbed Yuna straight through her heart, without even making any noise. He then took his sword out of her body, as she laid lifeless upon the ramp. Suddenly, pink and white pyreflies came and surrounded Yuna's body. "The transformation has begun..."