FDB- Anbu713 agrees that I should have a sequel. And Jamie does take quite a bit of punishment from Rikku. I want to hear from you. Tell me if I should have a sequel. But, I still have a long way to go: Bevelle, Calm Lands, Gagazet, Zanarkand, Sin, and the farewell. I'm splitting the Bevelle encounter in two. This is part one. Regrouping in Macalania will be another. Calm Lands, might split Gagazet, Zanarkand will be one, one for Sin, and another for the last battle and the farewell. So that makes…7, maybe 8 more chapters. Holy shit. Hello Carpal Tunnel.

Chapter 8: But though you're still with me. Pt.1

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, feeling like I could take on the world. I was ready to save Yuna. I dressed and walked out into the hall, and I was met by Rin. What friggin luck.

"Good morning, Jamie," he said, cheerfully. "I noticed Miss Rikku exit your room earlier. Would you like me to direct you to the nearest washroom?"

"Why?"

"So you may take another cold shower."

After I was through with him, I'm sure he won't be able to have kids. And if he already has some, I hope and pray they aren't like him. I walked around more, enjoying my first time in…whatever this was. I went to the bridge, and saw that Cid was busy chewing out one of the other Al Bhed in there. He can be scary sometimes. I tried to sneak out, but he caught me and motioned me inside.

"Come on in! I want to get to know you, kid," he called out.

I was reluctant to go in, but seeing as how I was catching a free ride with him, I complied.

"What's your name?"

"Jamie Black."

"You're not from around here, are you?" I opened my mouth, but he stopped me. "I can tell just by looking at you. The clothes give you away. So, you enjoyin' Spira?"

"It has its ups and downs…"

"Everywhere you look has a few of those. Some places more so than others. Down about Spira: Sin. That bastard destroyed our original home."

"Yeah, Rikku told me about that…"

"She did, did she? Guess she felt you needed to know. Anyways, on to the ups. Spira don't have many of them. Yevonites would call summoners and up. But…"

"The summoners aren't very effective, if Sin keeps coming back."

He just looked at me for a second, then he looked up, spread his arms, and said, "Finally! Someone gets it!" He whipped back to me, grabbed me, shook me, and yelled at me. Enthusiastic, isn't he?

"That's the point we Al Bhed have been trying to make for years! The summoners don't work! And to think…it took a foreigner to figure it out." Thank God he finally released me.

"I'm not saying they don't work, I'm just saying they don't work right. They have to be doing something right if they can defeat Sin, even though it comes back every time. What I'm trying to say is it doesn't make sense."

Cid was nodding, taking things in, so I continued. "It's like one of my teachers used to tell me: 'It doesn't make sense to do the same thing over and over expecting different results.' If you see a fire and stick your hand in it, you get burnt. You see another fire, think it won't burn you again, stick your hand in it, you get burnt again. Same thing here. Yevon keeps sending summoners to face Sin, they beat it, but it comes back. Send another summoner, same thing. Over and over."

"You know, that makes a hell of a lot of sense. And the way I see it: it's a losing battle. Both the summoner and Sin die, but Sin comes back. When a human dies, they die. No comin' back."

I thought about what he said. 'A losing battle.' That kid sent me here to protect Yuna, but the battle against Sin is pointless. What difference does it make if I'm here or not? Why can't I go home? Maybe that kid didn't send me here to help Yuna, but to help someone else. No way. If it was anyone other than Yuna, then the kid would have steered me the right way a lot sooner. It just doesn't make sense.

"Hey Jamie," Cid said. "I know it may be a little off topic, but I heard from someone that you were in the same room as Rikku last night. Now," he continued, putting an arm around me, "since her mother died, Rikku and her brother are all that I have left. If something were to happen to either of them, I don't know what I'd do. What I'm trying to say is this: If I find out you've done anything to my Rikku, I will hunt you down, and I will kill you. Glad we had this talk," he said, patting me on the back.

Is everyone in this world a psycho? I walked out of the bridge feeling…what exactly? Why did Cid think there was something between me and Rikku? Sure I slept with her, but nothing happened. And I wonder who told Cid I slept with Rikku? It couldn't have been Rin, he was probably too busy with the nut butter I made him. Who was it?

"Enjoy your talk with Cid, Jamie?"

I take it back. I know exactly who blabbed to Cid. Damn him.

"I hate you, Auron."

I put as much distance between me and him as possible. I climbed up to a viewing platform, and took a look outside. Tidus was running around talking to the Al Bhed, but I had no idea what they were saying. And I don't think he did either. And they were giving him stuff! Back in NYC, people would much rather get maimed by a sewer gator than give stuff away.

"Daddy give you the 'Boyfriend Talk'?"

"Huh?" Rikku was standing behind me, also looking out the window.

"He gives it to all the guys he suspects me of going out with. 'Do anything to my Rikku and I'll kill you.' That's what he says. You have no idea how many guys he's scared doing that. And I haven't dated a single one of them! My dad is so paranoid."

"My dad is like that," I said. "He thinks every girl I go out with is a tramp, and they usually are. They all end up ditching me. It's like this: they find me, latch onto my wallet, suck me dry, then go back to their jock boyfriends, laughing at me. Most women use me for a cheap laugh. But not all of them…"

She looked at me like I was going to continue, but when I didn't, she stepped forward. "I don't use you for a cheap laugh. And neither does Yunie or Lulu. We're your friends."

"I know that, but…I don't know. I'm just slow to trust people."

She was about to say something, but I saw her look at something behind me. I turned, and outside, I saw a long red…thing. It looked like a Chinese dragon, almost.

"That's the guardian wyrm, Evrae. The great sacred beast-protector of Bevelle!" Lulu shouted.

"The red carpet has teeth," Auron muttered. Oh my God! He just cracked a joke! That's what you call a sign of the apocalypse.

Cid radioed Rikku saying that we had to fight it. Auron cracked another one, saying that 'The ferryman asks a high price.' Oh, yeah. We're going to die.

We all went up on deck, getting ready to fight it. Cid was saying something to Tidus and Rikku, but I was busy unsheathing Tetsusaiga. Cid eased the ship close to Evrae, and we let loose. After a while, Rikku told Cid to back off. I was about to release a Wind Scar when he did.

"What's the big idea?" I asked her.

"Watch!" she shouted, pointing to a part of the ship. I watched as a dozen small hatches opened, revealing a row of missile silos. Cid fired a wave right at Evrae, hitting it hard. Wakka and Lulu hit it from a distance, until it came back. Now was my chance.

"Wind Scar!" The streams emerged from Tetsusaiga, running across the deck. But before they reached Evrae, they fizzled into nothing. They stopped right at the edge of the deck.

"What happened?" Auron demanded.

"I guess the Wind Scar can't cross gaps like that."

Evrae eventually went down. It would have been more fun if I could have used the Wind Scar. Oh well. We dove right for Bevelle, receiving a 'warm' welcome. They had brought out the big guns for our arrival. They released a volley as we made a pass. Cid brought the ship to a hover and fired a set of harpoons at the platform. Tidus jumped on one, sliding down it. Ever seen that Disney movie Tarzan? It was like that, the tree surfing, except on metal, and in real life, and with you actually doing it. Oh boy.

Rikku eventually coaxed me onto one of the cables, but I swear I will never do anything like that again. Hell, I've had enough years shaved off my life to make up all nine of a cat's lives. But you know, Rikku can be very persuasive. Seriously….…Okay! She threatened me with a grenade! What do you people want from me!

Sorry for letting my train of thought derail. Anyways, we fought a bunch of the Bevelle guards, who were unbelievably weak. Off course, you'd go down in one hit too…if you got stabbed by Tetsusaiga. We eventually reached the 'Wedding Arch' I guess you'd call it. Yuna was standing there next to Seymour. I don't get it. How can the guy get blasted in the face with a grenade, and get hit with the Wind Scar, and have nothing to show for it? It doesn't make sense.

Kinoc was there, and he held us off at gunpoint. Didn't Wakka say guns were against Yevon? Why does one of its leaders have one? I managed to glance past the line of guards and see Yuna take out her rod. Seymour said something about sending him. So that's what Yuna had planned! She was going to fake marriage so she could send him. That explains it! Seymour's already dead!

An old dude stepped in, saying to Yuna that her actions decided our fate. Now that was pretty dirty. What would you call it? Bribery? Blackmail? Whatever it was, Yuna put her rod down. Then Seymour…kissed her. I just about gagged. Yuna's kissing a dead guy! Sick...

"Kill them," Seymour ordered. This is just great. Guards were closing in on all sides. I was about to Scar my way out of there and tear Seymour a new asshole.

"Stop!" Yuna shouted.

She was on a ledge about to fall. More like jump. Oh boy. She dies, my ticket home goes with her. Tidus yelled to her, but she said she could fly. As she fell, she summoned one of her Aeons. Valefor dove down and caught Yuna, easing her down to the ground.

"Cover your eyes!"

"Huh?" I said right before I went blind. I think I heard Wakka ask what happened, and Rikku said she threw an Al Bhed flashbomb. I am an idiot. Someone grabbed me by the collar and dragged my behind them. In the midst of the darkness, I saw the kid. So, he can invade my head while I'm awake. Damn.

"You have got to be more careful, Jamie. My friends and I are getting tired of piecing you back together. Here," he said plainly as we waved his hand, restoring my sight. That stupid kid thinks he knows everything.

"You okay, Jamie?" Rikku asked me, looking worried. I looked at her and said I was fine.

"How can you see? You should still be partially blinded.

"I guess I didn't look directly at the bomb." Which was a lie. The kid fixed my eyes. He's done a lot for me. He gave me Tetsusaiga, he put me back together at Mi'ihen, and he restored my sight. You'd probably think I should thank him. But how would you feel if you were torn from your home by way of the Cadillac Express? I guess that's another thing the kid did for me. He sent me to Spira without a shattered leg.

We made our way to the one place Yuna would go after all this. The Chamber of the Fayth. We came to a long staircase that led down to the temple, and it looked like a long way down. Rikku noticed a panel next to the top, and tapping a few buttons, made a platform raise up. You know Wakka threw a fit.

"What's a machina doing in the temple?"

"I suppose it comes in handy," Rikku replied.

"That's not what I mean! The teachings! What about the teachings?" Like I said. Wakka would wig out if he found an electric toothbrush in here.

We proceeded down to the Trials, and it looked simple enough. Just a weird maze. It was a breeze navigating it. We reached the Chamber, and Tidus just freaked. He rushed to the door and tried to pull it open. Wakka protested, but Kimahri walked over and helped Tidus open the door. He rushed inside, with Auron not far behind. I had never seen the inside of a Chamber before, so I snuck in behind Auron.

There was a huge statue imbedded in the floor. It looked like a human body stuck in concrete facedown with weird appendages attached. From the angle I was looking at, it looked a lot like a dragon. Other than the statue, the room was actually quite plain. Unless you count the kid floating in the air. The exact same fucking kid that brought me here in the first place! He is a Fayth?

"What's that?" Tidus asked. This guy is the biggest numbskull I have ever met.

"A Fayth. They join with a summoner, and together receive the Aeon. They are human souls, imprisoned in stone by ancient Yevon rites. The dead should be allowed to rest." And Auron is the biggest no-it-all I have ever…no wait. That award goes to Lulu. Auron is the biggest ass I have ever met. And in a close second is the kid floating in front of me.

The Fayth kid flew into Yuna and she collapsed. Tidus caught her, and was turning to leave. I slowly back out of the Chamber, not wanting to get caught. I backed up…right into the barrel of a gun. I followed my first instinct of raising my hands over my head.

"Don't come out!" I yelled into the Chamber, but it was too late. A couple of the guards pulled Auron, Tidus, and Yuna out of the Chamber. We were surrounded.

"That's the last of them," Kinoc said. "You are to stand trial"

"I expect it will be a fair trial," Auron said.

"Oh, course it will."

"I wouldn't count on it, Auron," I muttered. "I wouldn't trust lard-ass here as far as I could throw him."

Everything went black as the butt of a gun collided with the back of my head.

Dingle: And so the identity of the 'kid' has been revealed. But everyone who's played the game and possesses half a brain cell could have figured it out. I guess I'm about halfway through with the fic. How I've put it together is go to Game Faqs, find a Game Script, and use it to piece the fic together. This is also how I've put actual game quotes in. Full credit for the script goes to OKong of GameFaqs. Anyways, I've split the script up, and figured where the chapters are. After this one is done, I'll have nine more chapters to go. 17 chapters. I hope this is worth the time and writer's block and arthritis and carpel tunnel and hard drive space. And don't just review on how good or bad the fic is. Help me with revisions. There are a few things that I miss and a few things that Spell Check doesn't notice. And Spell Check doesn't acknowledge words like 'Aeon' or 'Fayth'. Or any of the names, other than Lulu. Oh, well. RR!