FDB- You will notice the absence of a disclaimer. Refer to last chapter for an explanation. So, lucky boy Jamie got to sleep with Rikku. Not like that you perverts. Anyways, we join them preparing to leave the Thunder Plains.
Chapter 6: I wish that you would just leave.
Rikku woke the next morning to an empty room. But she thought nothing of it and got dressed. I was out of bed when my watch said six. I was wide awake all night, and I just had to get up and get active.
That Rin guy was here, and offered me breakfast. At least that never changes. Eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice. I had a sneaking suspicion that the egg came from a chocobo, but it still tasted the same. What I didn't want to know was where the bacon came from. It tasted fine, though with my health fanatic parents, I prefer turkey bacon. It's a lot better than it sounds, don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
Slowly, everyone else awoke. Auron was first, then Tidus and Wakka, Yuna, Lulu, then Rikku. Kimahri never went to sleep last night, I don't think. He was just…up. Before we left, Rin bid us good bye.
"I would like to wish Lady Yuna a safe pilgrimage, and I would also like to ask something. Why did Mr. Black here," he said, referring to me, "request a cold shower this morning?"
I froze, more so than after the shower. I shot a death glare at the Al Bhed bastard.
"Rin?" I growled through gritted teeth.
"Yes?"
"Remind me to kill you."
Outside, Auron laughed and put an arm around me. "Guess Rikku found someone to sleep with last night," he said in a low voice. As he walked of, I glared at him, picked up a small rock and flung it at him. He whipped around, shooting a death glare of his own.
"Ah!" I cried, jumping back. "What are you looking at me for? Somebody's throwing stuff. We going to Macalania or what? What's going on?" I said all in one breathe. He just stared at me and kept walking.
Yuna stopped us at this small pavilion, and told us she was going to marry Seymour. I think my eggs are coming back up. Gag…. I mean, she doesn't even like him. If the weddings here are anything like back home, then when they get to the 'if anyone here has just cause yadayadayada speak now or forever hold your peace', I'm gonna speak now and Seymour will be the one holding his piece…es.
I sat down, thankful for the chance to get some rest. I must have nodded off, because next thing I knew, Auron was kicking me. Glancing at him, bleary eyed, he said, "What's wrong with you? Didn't you get any sleep last night?"
If he had known what had happened, even he would understand. As we entered Macalania, I just stared in awe at the beautiful trees. Barthello showed up, looking for Dona, but you know the routine. Yadayadayada. Could care less. The only trees I had ever seen were in Central Park, and they were very unimpressive.
Auron started walking off on his own, then stopped before a growth of twisted roots and branches. Tidus asked another of his lame-brained questions, and Auron answered by cleaving a path in the mess. We walked on and came to a small pond.
"What is that?" Tidus, I have found, asks the stupidest questions.
"This is what spheres are made of. It absorbs and preserves people's memories."
As he was saying this, something was rising out of the water, looking like a huge ball of Jell-o.
"Unfortunately, fiends are also attracted to these places."
Following Aurons instructions, we easily took down the Jell-o ball. Though, I was a bit embarrassed when my leg got stuck in it and was trapped until it died. Rikku was still laughing her ass off. We watched a sphere of Tidus' dad. Ugly old fart, if you ask me.
After that, we walked on to the lake, meeting one of those chocobo guys again. We met a Guado that told us about Seymour, Yuna's gonna marry him, blah blah. I heard something in the distance that sounded oddly familiar, like the whine of a crotch rocket. Over the hill sped Al Bhed on what looked like snowmobiles. They were back to try and kidnap Yuna again.
This guy with a mohawk, a series of tattoos on his chest and overalls said something to Rikku that I couldn't understand. As he was saying this, a huge tank-looking thing topped the hill.
"Oh, no!" Rikku whimpered.
"What did he say?" I asked her.
"He's gonna use an anti-magic field on us!"
Yuna wasn't there, otherwise I'd be guarding her, but since she wasn't, I stepped in front of Rikku, using the Tetsusaiga as a shield against the barrage of bullets. This sucked. They had us pinned down. Had to think of something. Come on…………there!
"Rikku!"
"Huh?"
"Can you draw their fire for just a few seconds?"
"Maybe…yeah, I can do that." With that, she took of running, throwing grenade after grenade at the tank.
While she was doing that, I was preparing my part of the plan. I smiled when I saw that all too familiar golden rift, the wisps of wind surrounding my sword. Tattoo Chest, not to be confused with Tattoo Face, started laughing. He babbled something in Fucktard-ese, which Rikku translated as 'Magic won't work here.'
"I don't speak your fucky language, but I know you understand this," I grinned, flipping him off. Huh, guess he does know what it means. "And besides," I continued, raising Tetsusaiga over my head, "this ain't magic. Wind Scar!"
I swung my sword, and those beautiful trails of energy appeared again. The tank started falling apart after being struck, but after the Wind Scar faded, it was still twitching. But just barely. Rikku pointed out that the anti-magic field had dissipated, so Lulu threw in a few Thunder spells, and soon, it was scrap metal.
Tattoo Chest mumbled on in Short Bus-ese, which Rikku answered in the same language. Huh, I guess the Al Bhed have their own language. Wakka wanted to know why Rikku spoke Al Bhed. So that's what it's called. Original…
"I'm Al Bhed. That was…my brother."
"You guys knew?" We all nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"We knew you'd be upset," Lulu said.
"This is great!" he ranted. "I can't believe I've been traveling with an Al Bhed! A heathen! A UHHHHHHHHH!" Wakka's little speech was cut short by a swift punch to the jaw, sending him to the ground.
"Sorry, Wakka," I grunted, cracking my knuckles, "but that was the only way I saw to shut you up. Now tell me, what's the problem?"
"Jamie, what are you…" Lulu started, but stopped when I raised my hand.
"Problem? Problem! The problem is that that…wench is a blasphemer! An Al Bhed!"
I glanced back at Rikku, and saw that she was about to cry. Turning back to Wakka, I asked, "And just how long has she been Al Bhed, hmm?"
"Since she was born!"
"So what you're telling me is that she was born an Al Bhed, therefore, she was an Al Bhed back at Moonflow. And Guadosalam. And Thunder Plains."
"What's your point?"
"My point is: She was an Al Bhed when we first met, she was an Al Bhed between Moonflow and here, and she's an Al Bhed now. And you've been getting along with her just fine! She didn't just magically become an Al Bhed; she was an Al Bhed the whole time. What makes now so different?"
"It…she…well…it's just…different!"
I just shook my head, and helped Wakka to his feet. Auron was examining one of the snowmobiles, and asked Rikku if it would work. She managed to get it cranked, bringing it to an idle. Auron swung a leg over it, preparing to leave.
"We're not using those, are we?" Wakka asked. "Wait…Sir Auron isn't Al Bhed too, is he?"
"Dammit Wakka!" I growled. "Shut up about the Al Bhed or I'll sock you again!"
I swung my leg over one of the snowmobiles and found it to be exactly like the ones in my world. I revved mine to life, remembering the skiing trip in Colorado I went on with my friends. I felt someone get on behind me, and turned to face Rikku. She giggled as my nose tickled hers, but I just turned around and gunned the motor.
We moved to the temple, and a guard tried to deny entry to Rikku. I thought I'd have to 'persuade' him like I did Wakka, but they all worked it out. Dammit.
Someone shouted about a sphere with Yuna's stuff. We went and had a look at it. It was from that Jyscal guy. I wasn't following very closely, but I did manage to catch that Seymour was a dangerous guy. If he's that dangerous, and he's with Yuna, then…shit. This is bad.
I rushed through the Cloister to try and find Yuna. Auron wasn't that far behind me. I reached the chamber at the end of the hall, and found Seymour there alone. Tidus rushed in, and Yuna came out of the Fayth room.
"Why?" she asked us.
"We saw Jyscal's sphere," Tidus responded.
"You killed him," Auron said, pointing to Seymour.
"What of it? Lady Yuna, certainly you knew of these things, did you not?" Seymour asked, being the scumbag that he is. "Well then, why have you come here?"
"I came to stop you!" Yuna shouted.
"I see. You came to punish me, then." Yuna backed up to the rest of us, and Seymour continued, "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."
Oh, yeah. I've been waiting to take on this creepy bastard. I drew Tetsusaiga, making Seymour's eyes widen slightly. But only slightly. I was hoping he'd shit himself.
We let loose on him. You'd think eight on one would be cake and pie, but he was one fast son of a bitch. I missed twice with the Wind Scar, and whatever else we threw at him, he seemed to shrug off.
Then, something I don't think any of us were expecting happened. Rikku jumped on Seymour's back, trying to get him in a headlock. Seymour threw her off, but she found a soft landing pad. My back!
"Owie, sorry," she said, jumping off of me.
"What were you doing?" I yelled at her.
"Check it out," she smiled, turning to Seymour. "Hey, Seymour! Check you pockets!"
At first he looked confused, then, digging around in his pockets, he pulled something out of one of them. He looked at it, eyes going wide. It was a grenade. He threw it, but it was too late. It exploded, throwing him against one of the walls. And we let him have it.
"Had enough, Seymour?" I shouted.
"…"
"Guess he's had enough. He sure looks like he's in pain."
"Then feel my pain! Come, Anima!"
What he was doing looked like what Yuna did when she was summoning an Aeon. A weird looking chain with a grappling hook came out of the sky and plunged into the ground, which turned into a huge dark lake. It pulled something out that was uglier than a subway transvestite. Seriously, it was ugly as sin. Not ugly as Sin, mind you. BIG difference. Four arms, weird looking wings, one eye. Shit.
I was about to Wind Scar the shit outta the mother fucker, but Yuna stopped me. Stopped all of us. She went through the motions of summoning a new Aeon, and it was an ice queen. Good God! She was more scantily clad than Rikku! Auron put his hand over my eyes again. What does he take me for? I'm 15! I've seen a fair share of porn in my life. Heh heh. PR0N!
The Aeon, Shiva, let that Anima MoFo have it. After a while of pounding on it, Anima finally kicked the bucket. Seymour attacked us again, but I suppose summoning that fucked up Aeon took a lot out of him, because he eventually went down. And died. Bastard deserves it. But problem was, I think the other Guado were a little pissed.
We tried escaping, but the hall we ran down earlier disappeared. We went through the Cloister and eventually got out. Tromell was there, and he called us traitors. Lulu whispered to me that we were being called traitors to Yevon. I guess it's a kind of religion. They were pissed because we killed Seymour. Tromell destroyed Jyscal's sphere, the only thing that would justify our actions, I guess.
We ran. What can you do? We ran, but a couple of the guards caught up to us. Easily dispatched. We met this thing that wasn't ugly, but it looked like a wookie on crack. We killed it, but it destroyed the ice we were standing on. We fell, and I fainted.
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I woke up to find Rikku tending to me. I saw the bottom half of the Macalania temple. Was everything here bigger than the Apple?
"Where are we?"
"We're under the lake. We all fell quite a ways. You've been out for about an hour. Yunie hasn't woken up yet. Other than that, we're all fine."
I stood up and walked around a bit. Rikku moved back over to Yuna, and I noticed Kimahri was over there, too. Tidus was talking to them. I decided to listen in.
"Lulu is so together," Rikku sighed. "All grown up, I guess. Give me five or six more years!"
"So, Kimahri," Tidus said. "How do we get out of here?"
'Hey!" Rikku shouted, shoving Tidus. "Don't change the subject!"
"We climb." This came from tall, dark, and gruesome.
"Stop it!"
"Only those who try will become."
"Huh?"
"I think Kimahri means," Tidus translated, "you have to work hard if you want to be like Lulu."
"Kimahri think Rikku should stay Rikku."
"Hey! Are you saying I'll never be like Lulu?"
"I think he means you can, but you shouldn't." I said. "Personally, I think Rikku is fine being Rikku." She blushed at this comment. "Besides Lulu's really grumpy." She laughed at this, and tended to Yuna, who awoke not a minute later.
'Only those who try will become.' That's what Kimahri said. I want to impress Auron…more like out-do him, so I guess I just have to try harder. They were all talking about something. I just sat down and thought about what Kimahri said. 'Only those who try will become.' Am I meant to become a hero? Am I supposed to defeat Sin if Yuna fails? Man, I'm doing too much thinking.
Something began coming from the temple. It sounded like a song. Lulu called it the Hymn of the Fayth. She said the Fayth sing it to the faithful. I'm not faithful, and I still hear it. What does that tell you? I listened to it for a while, feeling a little drowsy. Damn, these Fayth know how to sing!
The singing stopped a short while later and the ground started to shake.
"Sin!" Someone shouted out. No idea who.
By then I felt really drowsy. Everything was swirling, everything was blurry, and I felt like puking. Almost like the party Andrew had when his parents were gone. Heh heh. Good times…. Then, something hit me like a Greyhound on a family pet. I was out cold.
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No idea how long I was out, but when I came to, I was staring at a ring of beady black eyes.
Dingle: Hu-freakin'-zzah! Yet another chapter in My Immortal Emotion. Or the Chronicles of the Guardian Formerly Known as Jamie. Whichever you prefer. Well, as I bid you all adieu, I leave you with one request. READ & REVIEW!