As promised… here is the chapter, on time, and no more silly notice. (Well on time if uploads this right… ahh! It better. I tried so hard to have this done today.) And that notice thing won't happen ever again, I can assure you. I just really lost track of time during all the crap going on with my family… I'm really sorry. Anyway, it won't happen again, because things have settled down and I'm optimistic that life isn't going to throw me any more curveballs. Hah. Yeah, I shouldn't have said that, should I?
And if you're here reading this… thanks for sticking around to still read it. I mean that. Thanks everyone also for the comments. Even the ones that scared me. No, I'm kidding. It's good to hear that sometimes, good kick in the rear about updating. Just sorry I didn't get to this sooner. Darn life. Though I'll be getting even busier in the future, I promise that I won't be neglecting this. I'll try to update more and put more effort into it.
I don't own FFX or FFX-2. Square/Soft/Enix does.
Slight warning, I haven't really read over this much, so there might be a few grammar errors and stuff, please forgive me if you spot any… I've been really busy and tired lately, and in no mood to re-read right this minute. Urgh.
One itty bitty thing I wanted to address, couple of comments about Tidus and how he's been a bit off or weird or too sad or irritable and such… and that may very well be, but part of it I'm writing intentionally… basically because… my argument is… well, it's been two years, and people change a bit, and he's been through a lot, and crazy stuff just keeps happening. That can really wear down a person. So it's both getting to Yuna and Tidus a bit, but despite that, they're holding together. That's one of the points in the story I'm trying to make… maybe sometimes I over do it or don't do it enough. I'm sorry. It's not a perfect story, it's just a story. A fanfic, at that… I'm just writing my own silly interpretation. I really enjoy doing it, that's why I keep writing it. So please forgive the faults, I'm sure there's a lot of things in the story people don't like… there's no such thing as a perfect story really, that can make everyone happy… just trying my own version. Anyway, don't mean to rant, and I'm not trying to sound rude or irritable. Just wanted to put in my two cents, because I get a few comments here and there and they make me think… but I don't change the story because of them. That's my reason why. Ah, I shouldn't rant when I'm this tired. Sorry.
ANYWAY, onto the freaking chapter, because you've waited too long for it already. Big huge apologies to everyone for the wait, even though I know that doesn't make it any better. Thank you all for waiting, and commenting. Sorry about this. Hope you enjoy it.
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CHAPTER 22
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Yuna woke up feeling as if she'd been asleep a thousand years. Somewhere in the back of her fog-filled mind, she could remember dreaming. But not of what, or if it had really been a dream. The harder she tried to place it, the more distant it became, until it seemingly vanished and the feeling she felt of uneasiness faded as quickly as it had come.
Deciding it was probably best she couldn't remember, she let it go completely and opened her eyes.
Bright sunlight was streaming through the cabin's windows down onto her face. Though it wasn't really very warm, the feeling made her smile and remember the sunlight of the peaceful mornings in Besaid. She missed waking up to those mornings. She missed the feeling of peace they brought.
Slowly she sat up, and turned to look out at the sunlight. It seemed the snowstorm had cleared overnight, for now the sky was spotless and a uncommon blue. She couldn't remember ever seeing a blue sky on the mountain before, not underneath the usual clouds anyway.
Yawning absently, Yuna slipped out of her bed and quietly reached for her clothing. She dressed as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake Rikku and Paine who slept in beds on either side of hers. The warrior was sleeping peacefully, while her cousin seemed to be having a dream. Rikku was muttering something faintly, in Al Bhed, and would occasionally wave an arm up in the air only to let it flop back down on the bed with a dark mutter.
Tip toeing past Rikku, Yuna made her way to the stairs and down to the cabin's bar. It was strange seeing the cabin so quiet, even the chocobo who had taken up residence, much to Barkeep's distaste, wasn't awake. It was sleeping peacefully, despite the fact Calli was draped over it's back, one arm hugging it's wing in her sleep. Yuna smiled a little, then moved on tip toe past, deciding that she would let Barkeep sleep and pass on breakfast. Even the Hypello seemed to be asleep.
'Just how early is it?' Yuna wondered with a surprised blink as she passed her Uncle and Brother, who were both draped in chairs and snoring quite loudly. The sun must have just risen, or perhaps they really had worn themselves out from last night. Buddy however, was no where in sight.
'Maybe he's up on deck already.' She thought, heading towards the lift. She didn't feel like sleeping anymore, or waking anyone. She'd just go to the deck and see if Buddy was awake. If not, she'd just enjoy the view and wait for everyone.
Stepping into the lift she covered her mouth with one hand as another yawn surfaced, and hit the lift's controls with her other hand. As the lift slowly came to life and began to rise, she leaned on the side and stretched.
'I wonder where Tidus is?' He hadn't been in the cabin. Maybe he was up on deck too, with Buddy. Though that didn't seem quite right. She hadn't gotten the impression that he was an early riser.
As the lift rose slowly, she felt her mind come completely awake. With a sudden wave, the previous night came back to her in one big rush.
'The Fayth… the temples… the spheres… I never thought I'd be this involved in all that again. But maybe, after this, it will be over for good…' She felt a sick little feeling in the pit of her stomach at that thought. 'What about Tidus? What about the Fayth and the dreams…?'
Biting her lip she stood up away from the side of the lift and walked to the center. No, she wasn't going to start thinking about that. She'd find a way to stop it, if it came to that. She wasn't going to stand by and watch him disappear again, she'd fight through anything to stop that from happening. There would be a solution. Maybe it wouldn't even happen, anyway. Who knew? There was no point in worrying. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the lift and into the hall that led to the bridge.
Today was going to be a big day. She couldn't spend time worrying. They'd have to go to the temples, as many as they could in one day, and try to find the spheres… well, that was only if Shinra had managed to find them.
The door to the bridge opened and she was greeted by the sight of snow and rock from the windows. Sunlight was streaming into the airship, making everything look almost painfully bright. Blinking at the sudden glare, Yuna continued at a leisurely pace, down the stairs and onto the main deck.
Buddy was no where to be seen. In fact, the bridge seemed to be completely deserted. It was strange, and somewhat lonely, not to see Brother prancing around, directing orders, or Shinra at his computer typing away. She couldn't recall ever seeing it without anyone in it.
Taking another few steps, she walked up to Rikku's cockpit and turned to the left to look out at the view. Everything was covered in snow, except a few bare ledges of rock that had somehow avoided the storm. Despite the sun's bright effort however, clouds seemed to already be on the move.
Ignoring the coming darkness, she smiled at the sunlight and felt herself feel lighter inside. Stretching again in the sun she closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of peace.
Beside her, someone snored lightly.
Almost jumping out of her skin, Yuna turned and looked down to see Tidus, sprawled in Rikku's seat, fast asleep. His arms were draped over the side of the seat and he looked, though oddly disarranged, quite comfortable and peaceful. As she watched, he continued to snore, completely oblivious to the sunlight shining down on his face. In the light, his hair truly turned golden, almost shining, against his skin that had been sun darkened who knew how long ago. She'd never seen anyone with skin quite like his, not even Wakka and the other blitzers.
Her thoughts were interrupted as he shifted an arm and yawned, his eyes flickering open for a fraction of a second. She grinned, and stayed in her place as she watched him slowly reopen his eyes.
"Yuna?" He asked, somewhat blearily, still partly asleep.
"Good morning, sleepy-head." Her voice was teasing, but genuinely cheerful. It seemed to wake him up a bit, as he opened his eyes wider and gave another slow yawn. Silently she watched him as he rearranged himself into a sitting position, blinking his blue eyes at the sunlight and scratching the back of his head.
"Uh… morning already?" He said finally, squinting a half glare in the direction of the sun. "But I just went to sleep…"
"Sorry." Nodding her head once in a sort of apology, she clasped her hands together behind her back and looked over to the sun. "It's nice today."
"Bright enough." Tidus muttered, rubbing at his eyes with his gloved hand, and yawning yet again. Without waiting for any kind of reply, he sat up straight and pulled himself out of the chair, coming to a soft landing beside Yuna. Stretching, he looked around the bridge.
"Where is everyone?"
"I think they're still asleep."
He raised an eyebrow. "Asleep?"
"Yeah." She grinned. "You were too, remember?"
"Hmph." He walked towards the middle of the bridge, stretching his arms and legs as he went. Yuna followed a few paces, going over to Shinra's terminal and sitting down on one of the chairs. Turning it to watch Tidus, she braced her chin on her hands and smiled. Tidus was going through what was probably a usual routine for him, or any blitzer's for that matter. Besides Wakka, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen someone do so much to ensure he stayed fit. Well, before Wakka got married, anyway…
"So today's the big day." He commented lightly, as he got down onto the floor and started doing a long chain of push ups.
"Big day? Oh, right." Yuna corrected herself in mid sentence, for a moment having been able to forget about anything but watching him. "Soon as Shinra contacts us, anyway." She sighed, leaning back in the chair and looking towards the terminal behind her. Though it was turned on, it made no sound. No one had sent a sphere transmission overnight.
"He'd better hurry up!" Tidus turned over and started on sit ups, staring up at the ceiling with a half grin on his face. "There's no way I'm spending the whole day cooped up in this airship! I want to go somewhere warm again."
"Me too." Yuna said quietly, looking back out to the windows. The clouds were quickly moving in, eating up the rays of the warm sunrise.
"Well well, I see some of you finally decided to wake up!" Yuna looked up to see Buddy entering the bridge, grinning in amusement.
"Morning, Buddy." Yuna smiled, and the Al Bhed smiled back, his eyes hidden by his goggles as always.
"Morning, Yuna. Sleep okay?"
"Yes, thank you."
"How about you?" Buddy paused to look down at Tidus, who was in the process of doing sit ups. In between one, Tidus paused and gave a sort of smirk.
"Could have used a pillow."
"Hah, that's what you get for sleeping up here." Buddy shook his head, moving away towards the main cockpit.
"Well I didn't actually do it on purpose." Tidus muttered, jumping up and dusting himself off.
"Ah, just as well. Wasn't much room in the Cabin, what with all the people we seem to be attracting lately. No beds left, and no chairs, for that matter." Buddy chuckled lightly, sliding into his seat and typing something into the computer.
Tidus walked over to Yuna and leaned on the terminal beside her. "How are you feeling?" He asked in a quiet tone, so only she could hear him.
Nodding slowly, Yuna looked up at him and gave a small smile. "Pretty good. No dreams."
"At all?" He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
"None. I guess I really did manage to calm the Fayth down."
"Do you think it will last?"
Pausing, Yuna closed her eyes, then shook her head. "No."
He sighed, and looked away towards the terminal.
"Uh… what's that?"
Yuna frowned and turned to see where he was looking. "What's what?"
"That flashing light, it just came up."
Peering closer, Yuna nearly jumped out of her skin for the second time that day when a small hologram suddenly popped up of Shinra.
"Hello everyone." Came his usual quiet yet calculated voice. Yuna pulled back to better focus on the small figure standing on the terminal. The image was hardly perfect, it rather in fact looked like a sphere, blue, and full of static. But the sound was perfect, to the point where Yuna almost believed Shinra was standing right beside her.
"Hey Shinra." Tidus raised his hand as if in a wave, though looked as though he wasn't sure if that's what he was supposed to do or not. Shinra gave a little wave in return however, indicating that he could, by some means, see them too.
"Good morning, Shinra." Yuna replied finally, having recovered from her small shock. Behind her she could hear Buddy approaching.
"How goes the hunt?" He asked, bending over beside Yuna to peer down at the transmission.
"I've got good news, and I've got bad news." Shinra replied calmly.
"Oh great." Yuna groaned, closing her eyes.
"Good news first?" Tidus asked, and Yuna could hear him shift to move beside her.
"Well, I found the spheres you guys need. There's on in each temple, just like expected."
Yuna's eyes snapped open. "Really!" She hadn't expected it to be that easy.
"What's the bad news?" Buddy asked almost warily.
"The sphere finder couldn't pin point exactly where each sphere is. I can give you a general idea, but you'll have to hunt around yourself. They could even be hidden."
"Aw man!" Rikku shouted from behind them, making everyone, except Shinra, jump.
"When did you get up?" Tidus blinked, stepping away from her as she kicked the deck in frustration.
"I would have got up sooner if someone had bothered to tell me Shinra was on the line!" She snapped, crossing her arms.
Yuna sighed and looked back to Shinra. "But you're sure the spheres are there?"
"Yep." He nodded, then shrugged. "Each sphere is located somewhere in the middle of the temple. That's all I know, I'm sorry."
Rikku scowled. "If you know here they are more or less, why can't you just tell us exactly where they are? Your last sphere finder thingy did just fine!"
"These spheres have a weaker signal. My device can't pick them up as well."
"Can't you improve it?" Asked Tidus.
Shinra shrugged again. "I'm just a kid."
Rikku let out a frustrated groan as the transmission came to an end. After a few good-byes and another few thank you's, the transmission flickered out and Yuna turned in the chair to look at the others.
"Well, I guess we better get started." She stood up, seeing Brother and Paine enter the bridge at last.
"What's our plan?" Paine asked without hesitation, as if she'd heard the entire conversation already. Perhaps she had guessed.
Everyone looked to Yuna, who blinked in surprise. "Uh…" She swallowed, her mind racing. "Well, I guess we better do this as fast as we can. We'll split up?"
"Sounds good. Me and Rikku can take one temple, you two can take another. Everyone else can stay on the ship and pick us up once we're done." Paine nodded, smiling just a little.
"I guess the best choice would be to go to Besaid and Kilka first. We could normally ask Lulu and Wakka to find it, but they're in Luca right now. So someone will have to go to Besaid." Buddy was already heading towards his seat, mentally plotting out his course.
"We'll take Besaid!" Rikku chirped, bouncing up.
"Then we'll take Kilka." Yuna nodded, her hands falling to her sides absently.
Brother seemed to take this as his cue.
"Okay! Off we go! Buddy, full speed to Kilka!"
Grinning, Buddy punched in some commands and the airship began to slowly rise from it's bed on the mountain.
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Tidus stretched as he walked down the airship's boarding ramp, down to the docks of Kilka. It was nice to finally get some warm, fresh air, and some real sunlight on his skin. All that running around in caves and the airship had been making him feel a little agitated, not to mention claustrophobic. It was so nice to finally be able to see the water again, going off endlessly towards the horizon…
"Okay you guys, see you later! We'll pick you up as soon as we're done in Besaid!" Rikku called from behind him, waving as she started back up the lift. Yuna waved back, stepping off the ramp beside Tidus. No sooner had she gotten off, it began to rise and fold back into the airship's belly. Within a few moments, the airship had lifted up into the air and was racing off towards Besaid, a red blot against the sky.
"Wow, this place has changed." Tidus commented, as Yuna turned to look at him.
It wasn't like he had remembered at all. But then, he'd never seen it when it was built. They'd arrived just after Sin had destroyed most of it, and all that was left of the small town was a jumble of broken wood and broken lives. They hadn't even really started to rebuild the last time he'd seen it, on their way to confront Sin. People had still been simply trying to survive, to get a foot hold again and start anew.
They'd come far, in two years.
"Yeah. Once Sin was gone and nobody had to worry about preparing for it's return anymore, everyone's spirits rose. People came from all over Spira to help rebuild. Eventually the Youth League took over and gave the final push that's brought it to where it is now… and they're still working on it." Yuna began walking down the dock, past the boats and the various fishing gear set up along the wood.
"It's really nice." Tidus looked up to the tree like houses, decorated in vibrant cloth and carvings. He couldn't remember seeing anyplace that looked so beautiful. Even though it was still jarringly primitive to his eyes compared to Zanarkand, there was a strange peace about it. Just like Besaid, though it didn't have the same charm. But then, maybe he had a soft spot for Besaid, simply because it was where he'd appeared, and where he'd met Yuna.
"Everyone was kind of surprised it was rebuilt so fast. But I guess, knowing it wouldn't get knocked down again… made it seem really important." Yuna was talking softly, waving at the people they passed who recognized her and smiled. Despite the little conflicts Yuna had told him about, the people still seemed to have a high regard for Yuna. Not that it was a surprise, it wasn't likely that they would ever forget her. They'd be remembering her for probably the rest of Spira's history…
"Something wrong?" She asked, smiling at him. He shook his head in reply, and in doing so shook the thoughts free. It was weird, thinking about things like that. He'd never thought about it before back in Zanarkand, if he'd ever be remembered, or if anyone else ever would. There were no figures there, sure there were blitzers, but what were they in comparison to the Summoners…? Of course there had been a war going on, but nobody in Zanarkand heard much about it. It was mostly kept hushed over, people didn't want to think about war, they wanted to think about having fun.
Yuna had resumed her waving and her smiling, seemingly reassured by his silent reply. Tidus let out a low sigh and looked over at the people doing their various chores on the dock settled town. Everyone seemed so cheerful. So much more cheerful than they had been when Tidus had last seen them, or last seen Spira, for that matter.
"What's going on with the Youth League?" He asked suddenly, remembering Yuna's tale about the fuss in Kilka. If they were going to go to the temple, they'd have to deal with that… if it was still a problem.
Yuna paused, and looked over to him. "I'm… not really sure. Nooj and Baralai have been working things out I think, but some of the people around here might be set in their ideas still. New Yevon still controls the temple, but I think they have sort of a pact with the Youth League now. That's what Nooj and Baralai said, at least." She shrugged a little hopelessly. "I guess we'll just have to try leaving the village. The gate's probably still guarded."
"Yes, it is. Why wouldn't it be? New Yevon's still being pushy." The two of them stopped and looked to the landing above them to see who had spoken.
"Dona!" Yuna exclaimed, but Tidus couldn't tell if she was happy or somewhat upset.
"Don't stand there gawking, get up here and we'll have a little chat. I presume you're going to go cause trouble again, I'd like it if you told me what you're doing before you go do it." The Ex-Summoner sniffed, waving a strand of her hair out of her face.
Yuna silently obeyed, Tidus following after her. The Ex-Summoner was exactly as he remembered. Haughty, a bit arrogant, and quite icy. All too well he remembered his first encounter with her and her bumbling guardian. Staying beside Yuna, he decided he'd keep his mouth shut and let her handle Dona.
"Well?" Dona asked, cocking her head and sounding impatient. "What brings the High Summoner to our little village, again?"
Yuna briefly explained the situation, a very short version of the entire story. Dona knew half of it already, and seemed to guess correctly what people hadn't yet told her. By the time Yuna was finished, Dona seemed a little less irritated.
"I see. Well, I suppose that's a valid reason, then." She made a little sigh, and shook her head. "I'll go talk to the gate keepers. They'll let you through, as long as you promise not to go making a fuss of stealing and returning the sphere again."
Yuna's face went a slight shade of red, and she looked down to her feet.
"But we have to take it, for the other temple." Tidus interjected, and Dona snapped her head to his direction as if she'd only just seen him.
"Yes, of course I know that. That will be fine, Yuna can explain herself to the temple priests. They'll understand. Just as long as she doesn't try to go stealing it again."
Tidus frowned. "Hey! Don't keep saying that! She didn't steal it, she-"
"She didn't?" Dona raised an eyebrow. "You my dear, were not there. Don't go making assumptions of what she did and did not do. I saw the entire thing."
Yuna reached out and took Tidus's hand, squeezing it ever so slightly. "It's okay, really. I'm sorry for what happened, Dona. It won't happen again."
Dona shrugged, and mercifully said nothing more. Instead she strode away down the platform, heading towards the island itself.
The two of them followed in an uncomfortable silence. "Uh… I'm sorry, Yuna." Tidus said after a minute, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck and wondering if he should say anything at all.
"Oh, no it's alright. I understand, you were just trying to help." She smiled, a real smile, even if it was a small one. "Dona's just… well…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say.
He grinned a little. Yuna seemed completely incapable of saying anything bad about someone, even someone she didn't really like. It was kind of cute, he couldn't remember ever seeing anyone who was like that.
Yuna increased her pace until she was side by side with Dona. Tidus stayed a few steps behind, still looking around at the village as they passed by it.
"So, how have things been here?" Yuna said after a few moments of silence.
"The usual, though perhaps a little less heated." The Ex Summoner waved her hand towards the various people going about their daily business. "As you can see, everyone is moving along with their lives. That little fuss with New Yevon and the Youth League wasn't enough to stop that. But New Yevon is still being pushy, and though they're letting villagers in, they don't like the fact of the Youth League going to the temple. We've been trying to sort it out, but they're simply being pig headed. Nooj said he would speak to Baralai about it, but I doubt he will anytime soon. There are more pressing concerns, apparently, that are demanding his attention." She sounded slightly bitter, as if she didn't think Nooj was doing a very good job, or that he had been wrong to back down at all. But then, she always seemed to sound bitter, Tidus reasoned, watching her wave her hands to seemingly stress her words.
"But there's been no fighting?" Yuna asked, tilting her head. She looked a little worried, but Dona didn't seem to notice.
"Fighting? No, there hasn't been. Sometimes a young hot head will come up with some crazy plan to kick New Yevon out of the temple, but it never goes anywhere. The villagers seem fed up with the conflict."
This seemed to satisfy Yuna, who fell silent. Dona didn't say anything more, she didn't seem to want to. It was almost as if she didn't like talking to people, at the same time she liked to go on about her opinions.
They arrived at the gate without interruption. As Dona went up to the guard, Yuna and Tidus stayed behind.
"Well, we're making good time." Tidus commented at a lack of anything else to say. Yuna nodded once.
"Kilka's temple isn't very big. We should be able to find the sphere quickly. Then we just have to wait for Rikku and Paine."
Tidus looked over to the gate, Dona seemed to be having a sort of argument with the guard, but looked as though she were winning. The guard looked somewhat frightened of her and was backing away.
"I wonder if they're at Besaid yet." Tidus away from the gate and up to the sky, squinting as the rising sun glared at him. The sky was a perfect blue, completely spotless. It looked almost as if he were looking at water, and not the sky at all.
"Probably. The airship's pretty fast." Yuna too looked up to the sky, but only for a moment. Dona was on her way back towards them, a smug sort of grin on her face.
"You're allowed through, thanks to me."
"Thank you, Dona." Yuna gave a quick half bow, and Dona snorted.
"Well, let's go then. I don't want to stand around here all day."
Tidus blinked. "You're coming too?"
Dona shot him a look that wasn't very pleasant. "Of course. I'm a member of the Youth League, in fact one of the few that kept things together here when everything was a mess. I have to go along to make sure you don't take any more spheres than you need. And that New Yevon keeps stays in it's place." She paused, then with a sort of grimace, added rather uncomfortably, "Barthello is up there anyway. I have to… talk to him about… supper."
Yuna's face flickered ever so slightly, but she seemed to be able to keep herself from grinning. Tidus didn't have as much luck.
Dona scowled, and spun on her heel.
"Oops." Tidus grinned, unable to contain it. Beside him, Yuna was keeping a straight and solemn face, but he could see a shred of amusement sparkle in her eyes.
"Hurry up. I don't have time to wait around for two celebrities who think the whole world can go on hold for them." Dona snapped a moment later, not even looking back to see if she was being followed.
Tidus opened his mouth to say something, anything, in reply, but Yuna stopped him by putting her hand on his. She shook her head silently, with a half weary look on her face. Dona was just looking for an argument, Yuna was right. Swallowing it with some difficulty, Tidus sighed and stared off towards the jungle they were fast approaching.
As Yuna and Tidus fell into step beside Dona, Tidus could almost feel the Ex Summoner's cold manner radiating from her. She wasn't making eye contact with either of them, and her face was set in a scowl.
'Yeah, go ahead and be upset.' Tidus muttered to himself, recalling his first meeting with the woman and her strange sense of humor. Granted things had worked out for the best, but it'd still been a problem for him at the time. He hadn't known anything about Spira, and then she and her hulk of a guardian had decided to go around getting him into more trouble than he'd already got himself into. He knew it wasn't really a good thing to hold grudges, and it was true, Dona had ended up redeeming herself somewhat over the time he'd been there…. But now she seemed to have reverted to her old self.
"Dona, did the Youth League take down all the gates?" Yuna asked suddenly, as if trying to erase what had happened from everyone's minds.
"Yes. We decided they were un-needed after New Yevon made the pact. Though New Yevon is being a bit testy, they haven't yet broken any of the agreements. One of our sides of the bargain was to take the gates down. So they're down." She shrugged. "It's not like they did any good anyway. It wasn't long before people started finding ways through the jungle."
"Like the tree branches." Yuna murmured, and Dona nodded absently.
Now they were in the shade of the jungle, and Tidus felt a wave of relief flow over him. He hadn't realized how hot it'd been getting out in the sun, not that the sun bothered him. It was just a little uncomfortable. Maybe he wasn't as used to it, after all, it'd been a while since he'd been out in the sun for a long period of time. The jungle's shade was refreshing, though humid. Since it was still morning, the humidity hadn't gotten too bad yet, but Tidus remembered all too well what it'd been like the first time he'd been. And the bugs…
The walk through the jungle was uneventful. Occasionally they passed by a Youth League guard, or a New Yevon priest. But no one stopped them or questioned them, everyone seemed caught up in their own business and duties. A few of the priests bowed to Yuna on the way by, and a guards nodded to Dona, but that was the end of pleasantries.
Walking around the final bend, Tidus finally spotted the somewhat familiar stone stairs leading up the mountain, to the temple. Yuna looked a little relieved to see them, as if she were almost at home.
"Do you remember," Yuna started, as they started up the stairs, "Wakka and the others that day? How they wanted to race up the mountain?" She was smiling, and her eyes were distant as if she was in that day, and not in the present.
"Yeah, I would have won too, if it hadn't been for that darn Sin Spawn." Tidus grinned, punching the air dramatically. Dona snorted something, but she was too far ahead for Tidus to make out what it was.
"Yes… The Sin Spawn." Yuna's eyes focused again and suddenly she was beside him, not far away two years ago. "Sometimes I forget about those."
Tidus blinked as they stepped into the sunlight, inwardly surprised how fast the climb had gone. They were nearly there, and it seemed as if they'd only been walking a few moments.
"Are there still any around?" He inquired, suddenly curious at the thought.
Yuna didn't answer right away, instead she stopped and Tidus found them over looking the same landing that the Sin Spawn had appeared. All the stones were fixed now, of course, there wasn't a trace of it left. But why would there be, he mentally slapped himself, that was two years ago after all.
"No, they disappeared with Sin." She replied finally, looking back to where they'd come. Tidus was turning to look at the view with her, when Dona coughed loudly a little ways ahead.
"Would you please stop lagging behind? I really do have better things to do today than play tour guide."
"Nobody asked you to come!" Tidus snapped, unable to catch himself.
Dona scowled. "I already told you why I'm here. I'm not going to repeat myself. Yuna, come along."
"Coming, Dona." Yuna's voice was perfectly calm and neutral, Tidus was amazed at how well she could ignore Dona's commanding tones. But then maybe Yuna was so used to being ordered around, even now, she still didn't question it.
The last few flights of stairs to the temple were completely uneventful. Tidus kept his thoughts to himself as to not irritate Dona. One day he'd make sure him and Yuna came back, then they could talk and take their time, without having to worry about upsetting the ice queen.
"Here at last." Dona sighed, sounding quite unimpressed as they came to a halt in the temple courtyard. It was hard to believe she'd actually been a Summoner once.
"Thank you, Dona." Yuna gave a little bow again, but Dona waved her hand in the middle of it.
"No no, don't think you're getting rid of me that easy. I'm coming along with you into the temple too."
"Oh great." Tidus muttered.
"Well, lead the way then." Yuna let out a slight sigh, but kept a half smile on her face.
Dona was taking a step forward when a piercing cry broke the calm air and sent all the birds in the nearby tries scattering.
"DONAAA!" Came the wailing bellow, and Tidus was sure he could feel his eardrums vibrate.
"Ah, Barthello." Dona said, sounding not at all pleased to see the large hulk of a man bounding towards her from one of the temple outer chambers.
"Dona, I've missed you!" The man bent over and all but got down on his knees in front of her. The grin that was plastered on his face, though while no doubt sincere, looked like some horrific parody of a smile. Tidus swallowed carefully and looked at Yuna, who seemed to think the scene was sweet.
"Yes yes, Barthello, I missed you too." Dona muttered, waving her hands to make him get up. "Now get out of my way, we're going into the temple."
"The temple? What for?" Barthello looked from Dona, to Tidus, to Yuna, then back to Dona.
"For spheres." Dona sighed loudly, looking quite tired suddenly.
"Oh. I'll help! We've been looking all over the temple."
"We?" Dona echoed, staring at Barthello as if he was perhaps mad. Tidus couldn't help but feel sorry for Barthello, and wonder how in Spira he'd ever got attached to Dona in the first place. She certainly didn't seem to share the same feelings he had to any great extent. Or maybe she did, but just hid it. Despite how much Tidus disliked the woman, he couldn't help but think, she couldn't be completely bad, not if Barthello was so attached to her.
"Yeah." Barthello nodded excitedly. "We've been exploring the temple, now that the fiends are gone. We found some secret passages."
Yuna's face perked up and she took a step forward. "Really? Did you find any spheres?"
Barthello's gaze went from Dona's face, to Yuna. The smile left his face and was replaced by an apologetic and sad one. "No, no spheres."
Yuna sighed, but shrugged it off. "Well, if you've found some secret passages, there's probably more. We'll find the sphere!"
Barthello's smile returned, and he looked back to Dona. "Yes!" He seemed uncertain though, as if it was the right thing to say. Dona hadn't said anything yet, and he seemed to be waiting for her approval.
"Yes, that will be fine, Barthello. You can help us look. We could probably use the strength." She said finally, nodding once.
This seemed to please him, as he began to grin wildly again and backed a few paces away. "You first, Dona!"
"Thank you." The Ex Summoner replied rather dryly, walking past him into the temple. Yuna followed quickly after, and Tidus and Barthello brought up the rear.
The two exchanged glances for a moment, but Barthello didn't seem to recognize him. Perhaps it was for the best, Tidus thought, so he could just leave that whole incident behind him…
Walking after Dona and Yuna, Tidus walked down the first flight of stairs that led into the temple of Kilka. He couldn't help but have a slight sense of dread. Was this going to be another long winded run around in a dark maze? He didn't even want to imagine.
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Author's Note:
Ahh! Okay, that wasn't the BEST chapter for action or romance or anything, but it's something I wanted to write anyway. I never wanted to make this story just action and romance, I wanted to keep the FFX feel. You know, all that character interaction and such. And I really wanted to stick those two (Dona and Barthello) in somewhere, I mean, they're part of the FFX world after all. Anyway, I promise the next chapter will be a little bit more exciting, and probably a lot less long winded than you might dread. Aka, don't worry, I'm not going to repeat what I've done with the last couple temples. I'm sure that may be getting a bit old by now. Ah! I go sleep now. 24 straight hours of being awake and only 3 hours of sleep – not fun. But it's updated. I update in either a week from today or two weeks. Probably a little less than two weeks. That's a promise. Yep.
