Chapter Seventeen: The Rescue

Hey guys again! I guess it's probably time to write the next chapter. Well, I've got nothing to say much….just only enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Seventeen

I slided down the rope that Vydran had provided for us as we moved down to the platform of Bevelle's High Temple. We had finally defeated Evrae, the guardian of Bevelle who was believed to be invincible since it was always said to have helped much when defending the heart of the Yevon religion against Sin.

"Watch out for their weapons!" I heard Tidus' cry as we came closer to the platform of the High Temple. There were waves of their weapons as they fired at us. Wait a minute. Were they firing and not using arrows? I noticed clearly as they were clearly aiming machina weapons at us instead. Wasn't their weapons officially banned by the Yevon religion? I saw closely as Seymour grabbed Yuna by the hand, running up the steps.

As we dodge the fires of bullets, we proceeded down to the platform where it led to the long route leading to the higher platform where Yuna was at. As soon as we had landed, several soldiers rushed to protect the couple as the first few soldiers engaged us for battle.

"Yuna!" Came Tidus' cry of concern.

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The soldiers were beaten by us, but we were exhausted from the consecutive battles that these soldiers had rushed to stop us. It was definitely shocking, for they had weapons that were supposedly banned by the Yevon religion, with some soldiers even having a flame-thrower weapon that sought to burn us but failed.

"Stop!"

I heard the halting command coming from one of the men at the platform. He wore a different suit from the rest, probably one of the higher ranks.

"This has gone far enough!" The higher ranking man gave a signal which made the soldiers raise their arms. I noticed in the distance that Yuna held out her wand. So this was it. It was a ploy by Yuna to subdue him for she knew that he was already evil from the start and had plans to marry him so that she could stop him from doing more evil in Spira. At this moment, I was impressed at my own cousin's great idea at agreeing to marry the person she hated. However, this was not to be long as it ended when I turned behind.

A rifle was placed next to Tidus' face. He would be instantly killed should the machina weapon be fired upon him. I felt great emergency for him, but I knew it was stupid if any of us made a move on him. We would be all killed if we had made a move. I felt a sense of maturity as I had finally understood how to act in such perilous situations. And it was all thanks to the great crimson guardian I knew as Auron. Seymour gave a slight chuckle.

"You would play at marriage just for a chance to send me?" He gave a sinister laugh as he continued to look at all of us from the platform. "Your resolve is admirable."

"All the more fitting to be my lovely wife," he remarked sarcastically as he looked at Yuna again, who had raised out her wand. I could notice that pyreflies were beginning to exit her bridegroom's body. Yuna was beginning the dance to send him to the Farplane. This instance led to soldiers once again pointing their rifles at us.

"Stop!" I could hear that the voice this time came from someone much more powerful. It was an old man with a white beard. Maester Mika. "Do you not value your friends' lives?"

"Rikku," I heard the voice coming from the red guardian again. "Use your flash grenade when the time comes."

"What?!?" I exclaimed in shock at his order. "How did you know that I'd carry one everytime?"

"I have my own sources." Came his short reply again.

"How would I know when?" I responded to his sharp answer. "The situation is so tense now!"

"You will know."

It was rather confusing but something caught my eye as soon as we ended our brief conversation. I had completely missed out on hearing what Maester Mika was talking about, which ended when Seymour had begun to kiss Yuna. I turned to find a very angry Tidus, with extreme jealousy in his face expression. There were claps heard, which made the blitzball player more angry.

"Kill them."

I heard that from Seymour. He was giving the order for killing us. Now I had finally known what I was supposed to do when Auron had instructed me.

"I'm sorry," I turned to see the other high-ranking man close to the old guardian. "But it is for Yevon."

"Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" I felt a touch of animosity in his tone.

"There are exceptions," he replied and stuck the rifle in Auron's face. My heart was racing, as I was going to rush forward instinctively and save him. However, it was rather stupid as someone beat me to it, and I had no idea why I desired to save the old guardian.

"No!" I heard Yuna's voice again. "Throw down your weapons! Let them go, or else…"

It was a scene of horror as I saw Yuna beginning to walk backwards towards the platform's edge which led all the way to the bottom. As the name suggests, the High Temple was really high, literally. I noticed Seymour lowering his hand in response which made the soldiers put down their weapons. I saw as Tidus rushed up the stairs, a natural response to what was happening.

"Leave now!" Yuna ordered us as her voice echoed across. "Please!"

"You're coming with us!" Tidus exclaimed as he rushed across to save her.

"Don't worry! Go!"

"This is foolish," Seymour interrupted. "If you fall, you'll die."

"Don't worry," Yuna wiped her lips. "I can fly."

Tidus was looking at her with uncertainty. On the other hand, Seymour was looking unfazed at what Yuna had spoken. It was clear that he knew what she was going to do.

"Believe."

I could see Yunie as she took a step backward, making her fall off the platform.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted as he looked down from the platform.

"Now is the time," I heard Auron exclaimed. I nodded in reply and turned to everyone.

"Cover your eyes!" I closed mine as I threw the grenade onto the ground, feeling the intensity of light behind my eyelids. I opened to see that the rest were blinded by the sudden flash produced by the grenade.

"What was that?" Wakka enquired.

"An Al Bhed flashbomb," I replied to his inquiry.

"Lemme go!" I could hear Tidus screaming like a baby as he was carried away by Kimahri. I knew he was reliable when it came to such situations when Tidus became impulsive. "I'm gonna kill that Seymour!"

"Yuna said leave!" The blue Ronso replied back as he carried the struggling Tidus away in his arms. "We leave!"

"We'll join up with her later!" Lulu reassured as she led the way. It seems like she had been to this part of Bevelle before.

"Break through!" Auron replied.

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We arrived at the front of a building. It seemed that we had shaken off the soldiers and the walkway had led to a rather large building. Upon seeing it, I had a bad feeling about it.

"Where'd Yunie go?" I questioned.

"Bevelle Palace is temple," Kimahri replied unexpectedly. "Yuna goes to one place only."

"The Chamber of the Fayth!" Tidus cried out as if he had solved a mysterious puzzle. Auron nodded before turning to enter the building. It was definite that he was always trying to show off that he was the only one who knew the way around Bevelle.

It was not long before we arrived inside the temple. There was a spiral staircase which led to a long way down the building into sheer darkness. Strangely, the building was quiet despite the fact that the soldiers could easily pursue us here. It was rather unusual to have a building to be that tall too without the use of machina, especially at the heart of it.

"It's too quiet," Lulu's suspicion came. I could see behind Auron's glasses that he was agreeing too, but made no comment. "A trap?"

"Who cares?" Tidus' impulsive nature came again. "Yuna's waiting for us!"

"Huh?" I took notice of a machina at the side of the wall. What in the world was it doing in such a place? Trying my luck, I operated it without much trouble. It seemed that Bevelle too had an internal network of machina. And they had once mentioned that these kinds of machina were forbidden in temples. Great liars.

"What's a machina doing in a temple?" Wakka inquired with curiosity. It was natural of him to enquire about such strange 'phenomenons'.

"I suppose it comes in handy," I replied with revived enthusiasm.

"That's not what I mean!" I could sense his frustration over machina found in the temple. "The teachings! What about the teachings?"

"Hey, don't look at me!"

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We descended down the temple through the use of the strange Yevonite machina. At the lower platform, I could see another of them at the side of the wall.

"Another machine?" Wakka exclaimed in disappointment. "Man…"

"So this is Yevon's true face," the great crimson guardian gave a chuckle. "They betray their own teachings."

Wakka gave a sigh in return. I knew Auron was rather sarcastic in his words, but I could see that he was a little hurt through his eyes too. Perhaps, he was feeling the same as Wakka.

"They treated us like dirt," came Wakka's response.

We continued our walk into the chamber before looking at the front of a doorway with its door closed. It was pretty obvious what it was as soon as Lulu had mentioned its name.

"The entrance to the Trials."

"I wonder if Yunie's really in there," I was curious at it from my new exposure to the inner temple. I had never been to a single temple in my whole life; it was my first time.

"Let's go and see!" Wakka exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Lulu continued.

Well, I hope you like it much. I shall try to write the next chapter as this chapter isn't very related much to the main story. Goodbye for now!