A/N: This story was written just as an attempt to do something slightly out of the norm from the traditional pairings and occurrences of most fan fiction. Don't misunderstand – most of my favorite stories are traditional pairings, but once in a while it's fun to change things around a bit. Enjoy this twist of fate and remember, Square-Enix owns the characters and the characters own you… for life, yo. Word.
Light
Chapter One – Sanguine
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"High Summoner! Thank you for coming on such short notice."
A lithe, green and blue-eyed brunette nodded in reply. "Please, just call me Yuna."
"Of course," the tall, blue-clad Guado replied with a short bow.
"Yuuuunie!"
The two turned slightly to catch the sight of a shorter blonde leaping from the door of the airship and running towards them. Soon she skidded to a stop next to them and doubled over for a moment to catch her breath. "Whew… So, what seems to be the trouble?" She asked, straightening.
"Lady Yuna, Lady Rikku, you are well aware of the stability issues with the Farplane, are you not?"
"Yes," Yuna replied. "The last time we visited Guadosalam, the entrance was completely blockaded. Has it… gotten worse?"
The silver-haired Guado nodded slowly. "Yes, much worse I'm afraid. Over the course of a few month's time, there have been a number of disturbing reports. Some say that the pyreflies' numbers have grown so great, they have become a health risk to visitors. The combined powers of the pyreflies allow them to create unspeakable visions and… bring them to life."
"Like with fiends…" Rikku added, piecing together the situation.
"Quite similarly, except… they are much more powerful and are unlike anything we've seen in all of Spira. Not only that… They are not always fiends."
"What do you mean?" Yuna asked.
"There have been sightings of men and women borne of the pyrefly clusters. However, they are also unlike any that have ever walked Spira. Their dress is entirely alien. At times they may bear a startling resemblance to the observer, but only for a moment."
"…Creepy…" Rikku whispered.
"Has anyone been hurt by these creatures?" Yuna asked, voice laden with worry.
"Not yet." The Guado replied. "And that is precisely why we've called you here. We wish to prevent any such situation from ever occurring." He looked towards the entrance to the gateway between Spira and the Otherworld. "For centuries it has been the Guado's sworn duty to protect the Farplane. We do not wish our ancestor's efforts to keep it safe to have been in vain."
Yuna nodded, a sad smile forming on her lips. "I completely understand."
"We'll have those uber-creepy creatures out of the plane before you can say 'Childish chocobos chit-chat over chocolate cherries' five times fast!" Rikku cried enthusiastically. "Just lead the way!"
The Guado nodded. "Thank you both. Our leader will meet you just inside the barrier walls and discuss the matter further."
As Yuna climbed after the tall Guado, memories swelled in her heart. I thought about going inside so many times before. And always, I decided it was better this way… But now, I really don't have a choice. Even if I do see y- him…Him… I can't keep talking to him in my thoughts. Paine's right. I have to learn to move on.
"Yunie?"
"Huh?" Yuna's head whipped to the side to meet Rikku's concerned gaze.
"You okay, Yunie?" Her friend asked with a small smile. "This place…"
Yuna nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She gazed forward at the quickly approaching barrier door. "I knew I'd have to come back sooner or later." She paused for a moment. "Actually, I could ask the same of you…"
Rikku shook her head. "I'm fine, too. I do still miss Gippal, but… It's not really the same, y'know?" She smiled. "Even though I'm sure he would have been honored, no- supremely blessed- to have me for a girlfriend…" She smirked. "We just liked to piss each other off with stuff like that. I don't really know how to explain it. We knew each other for so long that it would've been kinda weird to think of each other as anything more than just friends. Even though most people thought we should be… Which is why that was his favorite way to get me angry."
"It seemed to work pretty well…" Replied Yuna, smiling at the memory.
"I know!" Rikku exclaimed. "And to think, I was the one who started that trick and he went and used it against me! And was better at it! But, there was this one time when I saw him and…" She stopped short realizing they had arrived. "…Wowwie… That's some barricade…"
Two sets of guards slowly pulled the thick, metal doors open. The trio stepped into the dimly lit passageway and their guide bowed and took his leave. Soon the two Spirans were greeted by a familiar voice.
"Ah, Lady Yuna and Lady Rikku! Thank heavens you've come!" Tromell cried as he shook their hands.
"We came as soon as we heard." Yuna replied.
"How can we help?" Rikku chimed in.
"If I may direct your attention over here…" Tromell motioned towards a medium-sized sphere screen. "This is footage of the Farplane captured only a few days ago. It shows the more disturbing of the pyreflies' creations – men and women the likes of which have never been seen." Tromell activated a small, green sphere set in a holder at the side of the screen and the movie began to play. "I will explain the rest of the situation afterwards."
At first everything seemed to be in order. The plane was deserted. All around its rocky borders, a few pyreflies danced, glittering in the strange light of the blackened moon. The powerful water of the surrounding falls pounded into oblivion and melted seamlessly with the fields of wildflowers covering the grounds. And then, very slowly, it all began to change – starting with the pyreflies themselves. Ever so slightly, the pitch of their usual cry began to change into a higher tone. Their wail became more intense. It was almost as if they were in pain. Their color began to change as well. The turned from jeweled tones to deep, rich reds and golds. They gathered together in sweeping clusters and soon took the shape of dark-cloaked figures. For a few moments, the figures gazed around at the scenery, then took a few steps forward. One figure turned towards another and mumbled something incoherent. The other nodded stiffly and motioned to the others. A few moments later, they glowed bright red and reverted to clusters of pyreflies. The pyreflies continued to rush around wildly until a few moments later when they regained their normal coloring and pitch.
Tromell switched the sphere off. "We've had our foremost experts on pyrefly behavior review the sphere and they've all come up with different explanations. Some believe the pyreflies are simply morphing images they have recreated in the past together to develop entirely new images and that the cause might be some sort of madness or instability within the pyreflies themselves. They believe it may have something to do with the disappearance of the fayth. Perhaps because the pyreflies were unaccustomed to such a change taking place and they may have not been able to adjust well. Others claim it may be connected to the disappearing forest. The sphere pool is drying up. It has long been thought to be the pyreflies' source of… 'life.' Their display may be a purging of images as a result of a dying process. But, despite all this, I find myself disagreeing with the experts. I can't explain why, but I cannot bring myself to believe that the pyreflies would be capable of death or madness. What do you think, Lady Yuna?"
Yuna thought for a moment. "I think you're right, Tromell. It doesn't seem possible. What disturbs me is the way the pyreflies made the transition. It almost seemed as if they were forced to transform against their will."
"Yeah, I noticed that, too." Rikku continued. "Maybe the pyreflies are being controlled somehow. But the question is by who… or what?" She scratched her head and began to pace slowly. "We can rule out Shuyin. His pyrefly-possessing days are over."
Yuna nodded. "And everyone else has been sent… I think…"
Tromell's eyes widened at the prospect of unsent spirits. "You… think?"
"Yeah, of course they're sent," Rikku chirped, "Heh… heh… Why wouldn't they be?"
"They probably are. I just… Sometimes I wonder. After seeing Lord Jyscal years ago, I've often wondered just how permanent a sending could be. Especially for those that died an unclean death."
"Ooooh… Yunie… Don't talk like that! You're giving me the heebie-jeebies!" Rikku whined. "I-I'm sure that everyone is staying where they should be…" She glanced nervously over at the looming gateway beyond. "AHEM! I SAID 'STAYING WHERE THEY SHOULD BE'…"
"I'm sure you're right, Lady Rikku. Lord Jyscal is the only case I know of where a sent attempted to leave the Farplane. I'm fairly sure it will not happen again." Tromell replied, attempting to calm the jumpy blonde.
"I hope you're right…" Rikku replied. She took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips. "Okie dokie! Let's get this investigation under way!"
"Right," Yuna agreed. It's now or never…
"Good luck to both of you. Please be careful. Remember, your lives take priority. If it becomes too much, leave quickly." Tromell said, worry surfacing behind his ancient eyes.
"We'll be careful," Yuna replied with a small smile. With that she and Rikku cautiously made their way up the remainder of the path and into the gateway's water-like opening.
In a few moments, they ascended a short set of steps and made their way into the heart of the Farplane's central plane. They gazed across the surface, looking for the slightest hint of disturbance. Neither one dared to venture closer to the edge of the plane.
This is ridiculous, Yuna thought contemptuously. I can't avoid it forever, can I? …Damn it… When is it someone else's turn to save the world? I wouldn't even be here if…
Rikku looked over and grasped her cousin's hand. "Maybe if we go together it won't be so bad…" She offered with a sad smile.
Yuna nodded and the two of them stepped forward slowly. They willed themselves not to think about the missing blondes…
…which of course made it much harder not to.
Rikku started humming to herself, which caused Yuna to look over at her incredulously. "I was sent here to find some cloaked freaks only." The younger woman explained. "So if I don't want to see anything but those weirdoes, I don't have to!"
"Right!" Yuna agreed with a determined nod. She began to hum loudly along with the blonde.
(Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm… Banana Phone…)
Hah…He would use this as blackmail against me for the rest of my life… "Oh, crap!" Rikku cried, slapping her forehead. She and Yuna looked up quickly and saw…
…nothing?
"…What the…? I thought about Gippal… Where the heck is he?" She released her cousin's hand and crossed her arms. "Gippal! Hey! You big meanie! Don't you hide from me!"
Yuna blinked a few times. At the words "Oh crap" from her cousin, she knew her own resolve had broken as well, but he hadn't appeared either. "Rikku," her cousin cried, snapping the blonde out of her yelling match with thin air.
"What?"
"…Tidus didn't appear either…" An excited grin spread across her face. "Maybe they're still-"
"No!" Rikku interrupted. "No… You can't trust the Farplane right now. It's not working right, remember?"
Yuna forced out a small laugh. "Yeah… I guess so…" I can't keep doing this…
"Let's just get this over with and get the heck out of here."
"I'd love to," Yuna replied, "but I don't see anything out of the ordinary."
As if on cue, a swarm of pyreflies started weaving in and out of the two. Their wails changed to high pitched, deafening screams and they became to take on a sanguine color pallet. They clustered together at the opposite end of the plane and soon transformed into the same dark shadows the two had viewed on the sphere screen earlier.
The shaded figures approached them. One stepped out in front of the group of three figures. Yuna and Rikku could just barely make out blue eyes and reddish hair beneath his hood. He gazed from one side of the plane to the other before letting his gaze fall on the two in front of him. "This world will be reconnected soon."
"Hey, just who are you, Mister Mysterious?" Rikku said, pointing a finger in the figure's direction. "And what's all this 'reconnected' business?"
"You'll find out soon enough." He motioned to two of the others and they approached Yuna and Rikku.
"Stay back!" Yuna ordered as she revealed her trusty Twin Bees. But the two figures didn't break step once. They each reached for the girls' shoulders and brought them face to face. Each one momentarily took on the face of the girl they held captive. It was just enough to throw the cousins off guard, making it easy for the two figures to drag them off the side of the plane. The two found themselves falling in the midst of a growing mass of screaming red light waves.
To be continued...
Things are about to get chaotic... Thanks for reading! Please review!
