Hello! Back again (finally) with another chappie! Sorry it's late. I have had so much trouble its laughable. I had to wipe the whole thing and start againâexcept now it doesn't have sound! Noooo! So if this chapter seems a little rushed, it's due to Déjà vu on my part.
Ok, now before I get started with the story, just a few 'shout outs' to my reviewers:
First of allâCid may be dead, he may not. You'll just have to wait and see. Mwahahahahahahahahaha (evil laugh).
And secondly, to Xmaster, (my most faithful reviewer) When I write the chapters in Word, I do leave paragraphs, but for some reason, when I upload each chapter, it just squishes it all together? Does anyone else have this problem? I'll try and space out previous chapters when I work out how to use the server and will also attempt to keep this one orderly for you. ï
I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story so much. I didn't think it would be a hit, I was kinda just gonna just make it into a one-shot. But I'll carry on now! And please please please review!!!! Even if its just to say, "hey your story sucks!" or "or hey your story rocks!" or you know whatever (oh god I sound like Squall!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer – No, I still don't own Final Fantasy, or any of its characters, OR Squaresoft. And I've yet to sneak into their HQ and hold Auron for ransom! Still advertising for a swat team for that. The red ballpoint pen however, is still up for offers though. I'm having a buy one get one free deal on it, a nice blue one to join it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ok, on with the storyâciao!
When I woke up, I felt as though my arms and legs were going to drop off. It reminded me of the time Brother, Dad and I had attempted to play Blitzball in our last home. I hadn't warmed up properly as Dad had warned me, and as a result, the next day, I could barely move. Luckily, I had had that option and stayed in bed for three days straight. Unfortunately, the group weren't quite so forgiving
"Rikku" Someone was shouting in my ear in a singsong voice that was way too happy for the morningâno sorryâDAWN.
"Come on Rikku, we gotta go!" the voice continued, "Lets get packed up ya?" It was Wakka. I groaned and, in return, my bedroll was swiped from underneath me in such a fashion, that even I was impressed. I rolled over onto the ground and, on impulse, reached my arms out to shield me from flying mud and stones.
"Ahh!" I cried, rubbing my sore arms, "Wakka you big meanie!" I started to complain, but he merely laughed and, after fixing my bedroll to the bottom of my pack, threw it lightly to the ground next to me. I looked around, still flexing my stiff arms. The camp was deserted except for Wakka, and me and a few traces of last nights fire.
"Where is everyone?" I asked sitting up.
"They left already. Sir Auron said to let you sleep."
I shook my head, trying to place this new piece of evidence together.
"Auronâlet me sleep?" I repeated the words, my head still in sleep mode, "How come?"
"He said something about a fiend attack last night. You ok? It must been pretty bad if Sir Auron let you sleep in."
Oh yeah, last night. The fiends, the torch, the fall, the fight, and Aurons back.
"Yeah I'm fine, just a little sore. How long ago did the group leave?"
"About half an hour ago, so we'd better get moving if we want to catch up with them. We agreed to meet at Guadosalam."
He held out a tanned hand and I reached up for it, regretting it immediately, as my already sore arm muscles screamed in agony as my body weight was lifted on them.
"You ok?" Wakka repeated.
"Just a little stiff" I smiled back.
"The fiends?" He asked, cocking his head to one side.
"You got it. That will teach me for not warming up before a fight." I laughed as Wakka began to protest that you never knew when a fiend would attack, and thus when to warm up.
"It was a joke Wakka." I pointed out, grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh right" He blushed, which set me off laughing again. Orange hair and a red faceâmmm, very attractive.
After a few more minutes packing, we were on the road again, walking side by side, which was always a preference to being last. I looked at the scenery surrounding us. It was pretty much the same as the rest of Spira, greenery and rock, with the occasional ruin in the distant. Every now and then, we came across a burn area of grass, or shards of ice on the floor, slowly melting into small puddles under the sun, and knew that Lulu's black magic had been cast there recently or saw pyreflies, still debating where to go.
"Soooooo" I said, breaking the awkward silence that had been growing steadily between us. I mean, don't get me wrong, Wakka is a great guy, but he's not really the conversational type,
"How far away is Guadosalam?" I asked, throwing a random question to the winds, to blow where they saw fit.
Wakka seemed to ponder this, "Well, Sir Auron said that if we keep going at a steady pace and as long as we don't run into too many fiends, we should be there by lunchtime."
"Mmm good" my stomach grumbled, "Real food"
"Ya, I know that feeling. You think the Guado's will have some decent stuff to eat?" Wakka asked, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"They had better!" I squealed loudly, "Hey, I just thought! Tidus is gonna get there before us!"
Wakka looked puzzled, "Yeah and?" He ventured for me to go on.
I stopped dead in my tracks, "Duh! He'll eat everything! We got to run!"
Somehow, even with all the noise that Wakka and I made as we ran the distance to Guadosalam, we somehow only managed to encounter two fiends, both dog like creatures, and so, by the time we had the large stone steps of the temple in our sights, we could also see the rest of the group entering the giant oak double doors.
"Yuna!" I shouted, cupping both hands to my mouth. I saw her hair whip round and her face break into a smile as she turned to face me. She raised a hand and waved, jumping up and down like a regular teenager that I knew, as her cousin, that she longed to be. Then, almost as if realising where she was, she straightened her skirt and visibly shrank back into her 'Lady Summoner' pose as called it; hands clasped in front of her and her hand tilted to the left slightly. I laughed in response and Wakka and I jogged the last few hundred yards to meet them.
"Hey you guysâthanks forâwaiting!" I moaned my breathing heavy.
Yuna looked so crestfallen it was funny and my growing stitch was agony as I laughed.
"I'm so sorry Rikku, it's just that Sir Auron said you were attacked last night and that you needed rest, and you looked so peaceful and we didn't want to wake you andâhey!" She scowled playfully as she realised that the joke was on her. A slight ahem behind us made us all jump and spin round, smiles still spread across our faces.
A Guado was standing there, dressed in a shade of deep blue and green, his hair, in thick strands all over the place.
"I am sorry to intrude upon a group moment. My name is Tromell. Maester Seymour sent me to request he speak with you all before you continue your journey."
"Maester Seymour is here?" Wakka gasped. I could practically feel Tidus's mode go from happy to snappy.
"What does he want with us?" He scowled at the servant, "Can't it wait?"
"Maester Seymour wishes to speak with Lady Yuna in person, a matter that cannot wait a moment longer."
Wakka shrugged at Yuna's face.
"Speak with me?" She repeated, "Well of course, if my guardians do agree, we shall all attend." She looked around at us all, checked that everyone was ok with the new plan. Her gaze lingered on Aurons.
"If it is the summoners wish." He stated simply. I looked at his face, it seemed almost angry somehow. As if feeling my eyes upon he, he turned his head towards me and I shrunk back, turning instead to the servant.
"Does Maester Seymour have food?" A smile played on my lips.
"I would imagine that is correct. If it is not, I could ask the cooks to prepare to something especially to your tastes."
I turned back to the group, "Well. What are we waiting around out here for?" Even Tidus looked a little happier at the though of free food as we were led through a series of passages to Maester Seymour's 'Suite'. I heard Wakka give a low whistle next to me and I had to agree, it was pretty impressive.
The floor was decked out in a majestic royal red carpet and topped with a few decorative rugs. The centrepiece of the room, a large mahogany fireplace, contained a roaring fire. I looked up at the ceiling, where two gorgeous chandeliers hung, about 4 meters apart, dripping with, what I can only assume to be diamonds or crystals, and sporting about 20 candles each.
Big squashy seats that looked like you'd sink in if you sat on them lined the walls of the room and above them, more candles in holders. Bookshelf's crammed with Mythology tales and Geographical studies covered one wall, and maps of Spira hung spectacularly on another. Large comfy seats and coffee tables stood proudly under a spectacular set of bay windows that were so big that they also, covered a whole wall. The glass itself had small, thin lines of lead running through it, in a diagonal pattern and, in alternate spaces, the glass was coloured with greens, reds, yellows and blues.
The royal red drapes were tied at the edges with thick gold hoops, engraved with what looked like a small sphinx with large sparkling ruby eyes. But the item that drew my attention the most was the large oak table in the centre of the room.
It was probably about double my height in length and about half my height in width. But it was not its size that impressed me, it was the fact that is was laden, almost to the point of overflowing, with the most delicious foods from all over Spira.
"Food" I heard Tidus and Wakka say simultaneously as well all practically jumped the distance to the most gorgeous smelling fruits, meats, savoury and sweet foods I had ever seen. Even dads Al Bhed, 40th Birthday party couldn't surpass this. I grabbed an apple in one hand and a loaf of still warm bread. Tromell came up beside me and offered me a glass of red wine. I sniffed it experimentally and found it smelt sweet.
I looked across at Wakka and Tidus, and nearly chocked at the rate that they were consuming everything. After swallowing a particularly large piece of chicken, I stood up, feeling very full and satisfied. Tidus and Wakka were still going strong though, almost having a race. They kept eying what the other had eaten and, almost growling. I heard Yunie and Lulu laughing behind me, and followed they're line of sight. They too were laughing at the boys.
"Hey! What gives?" Tidus mumbled through a mouthful of grapes.
"We were just trying to work out the difference between you two and a shoopuf." Said Lulu, giving off one of her rare, genuine smiles.
"And?" Tidus questioned, sticking his chest out a little I noticed, and looking incredibly smug.
"The shoopuff digests what it consumes." Lulu said, in a slightly bored voice with a causal flick of her long braids.
The speed in which Tidus's chest retracted was so funny that I burst out laughing, his expression changing within the blink of an eye. Soon everyone was laughing; even Auron and Kimahri managed a slight chuckle.
"What's a shoopuf?" Tidus asked. It occurred to me, as well, that I had not seen a one for many years.
"Wait and see" Yuna said coming to stand next to me, facing the blonde Blitz star, "We should be heading that way soon"
"So it's somewhere we are going?" He asked again, cocking his head to one side.
"I'm not saying a thing" Yuna said, that mischief smile that had as a child sliding back into place.
"Oh come on! Don't leave me in the dark. That's not fa" Tidus wined, before being cut off, by yet another ahem from Tromell. I eyed him warily.
I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something not right about him. Call it, Al Bhed intuition if you like, or maybe just the fact that, since I'm normally such an open person with people, and this guy just got my back up, he made me a little edgy of him.
Wakka was seen out of the corner of my eye, slurping yet another glass of red wine and wiping his mouth of the back of his hand. Tromell eyed him with a look to slight disgust.
"Maester Seymour apologises for the wait. He shall be joining you soon. Help yourself to food and wine." He spoke in almost a whisper that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Sir Tromell, I don't suppose that you could inform us when Maester Seymour will be ready could you? It's just that" Began Yuna, her maturity shining through.
"Ah, Lady Yuna, and her guardians" Another chill ran through me, Seymour; yet another person that I didn't like, "I do hope I have not kept you wait too long."
Yuna blushed a deep red; from what I can only hope was being address directly by a Maester of Yevon. I frowned in spite of myself, but the Guado continued:
"And Sir Auron too. I heard the rumours that the great warrior had once again become a guardian, this time too his predecessors daughter. How very touching. Leading her down the same path. Like father like child." He sneered. I felt my hands clench in anger. Auron's hands I noticed, were also clenched which was very unusual, Auron, showing a sign of emotion. I raised my head again to look at Seymour, just as he did the same to me. I felt his eyes boring into mine and a slight flick surprise; almost recognition flittered across his face.'Not good! What if he knows I'm an Al Bhed! Definitely not good! I got to tell Lulu, she'll know what to do.' I thought, real panic sweeping me.
As carefully as I could so that I wouldn't be noticed I slipped my goggles from around my neck and placed them over my eyes, blocking out all light, and inquiring eyes. I looked up and saw Auron staring at me. It gave me the shivers, his eyes questioning. It reminded me of dad's funeral. He was the only one watching then as well.
I looked elsewhere, away from his own tinted glasses and tried to tune back into what Seymour was saying, but I swear he kept giving me side-glances. But that might just be me.
'I can't see a thing with these goggles on' I thought, 'They're designed for the desert sandstorms, not rooms light by candle and fire light. Man I hate being an Al Bhed. Well, no I don't, I just hate the rest of the world for being so hard on us. I especially hate Yevon! S'all his fault anyway, blaming Sin on us. What did we ever do that they didn't huh?'
I freaked out when suddenly I felt the walls melt away.
'It's your own fault Rikku, you should have been listening' I scolded myself after looking around and seeing, shock, but not fear on my friend's faces.
'Zanarkand' I told myself silently as I was whisked away on an invisible floor through the ancient machina city. And sure enough, a few seconds later I heard Tidus call that same name. Of course it was, I had visited this place so often in my dreams, that I could recall it all from memory. Visiting the old ruins with Brother to salvage lost machina was a chore, but exploring them was an adventure!
I looked across at Tidus, he looked very happy to see his 'hometown' as he called it, again, but a sadness that no smile could hide was laying underneath his exterior. I felt for him. I knew what it was like to have everything taken from you, when you least expected it to be. I mean, take Home for example. We were doing fine on our own, not bothering anyone, until the Yevonites came and destroyed it, what we had worked for so long and so hard to build.
'Argh! No matter which way you look at it, it all boils down to them. And they call us the heathens.'
The scene around us changed and Seymour stared babbling on about some woman who lived there 1000 years ago. I wonder if Tidus new her? The scene changed again and planet went whizzing past us and I saw Yuna almost dancing with happiness. I watched as she reached her hands out and tried to catch a shooting star, but, a hologram, it passed straight through without stopping. I turned around just in time to see a large reddish looking planet zoom through me. It was weird. Even though the holographic machina pass through me painlessly, it made my stomach jump, like when Brother had taken me out on my first snow sled ride, with him driving, and he'd gone over a snow hill fast. I'd felt like my stomach had dropped out of my body and was left feeling a little queasy.
I glanced across at Lulu and she smiled at me. I guess she was enjoying herself as she hardly ever smiled. I grinned back, trying not to show that I was alarmed by the whole, standing on nothing thing that was happening. I was just about to make my way over to her and quietly tell her about Seymour and our 'moment' when Wakka danced across my view, stealing my thoughts away. He looked like a boy at his first Blitzball match. He was spinning around and staring at everything. I had to admit, he may be a Yevonite and would probably hate me for all eternity if he knew I was an Al Bhed, but I did feel kinda sorry for the guy. Here, in from of him, was a Maester! And from what I could tell, he was using forbidden machina. Poor Wakka's head must be feverishly trying to work out his dilemma. I shrugged it off though. I mean I couldn't exactly comfort him could I? That would make me a complete hypocrite if I did, consoling and advising him, on a subject that I am totally against. So instead I turned back to Lulu, only to find her talking with Kimahri, well, her talking and Kimahri nodding occasionally. So, finding my self with no one to talk to, I stood alone and looked at all the pretty stars.
Dad once told me, that, when you die, and your soul is sent to the farplane, a piece of it escapes, the very essence of you, and becomes a star in the sky. I used to sit up at night and wonder, which star my mum, was. She was always the best at things, so I'd naturally pick out the brightest star and claim it as her. Of course, as I'd grown older, I realised that it was just a tale he'd told me to quieten me one night, saying that if I could find her star, she'd be able to see me and hear me and would visit me in my dreams. But it would still comfort me to look up, find my star, shinning the strongest and whisper a silent prayer. Now, I realised, I would be searching for two
Dashing a tear away that threatened to be the straw that broke the shoopuffs back and let loose an ocean of tears I turned back to Seymour and managed to tune myself back into his last words.
"And so, Lady Yuna, that is the story, though I'm sure that you have heard the tale many times before, and will forgive me for re-accounting it on your behalf." He smiled a thick greasy smile, which matched his thick greasy head and made a small hand gesture. Immediately, as though nothing had happened, we were back in his chamber and were all standing in different places than from where we had left off. I, found myself standing on the marble floor of the fireplace and in horror, jumped back. Another few steps and I'd have been toast.
I wandered back into the group and watched as Auron and Seymour had a brief conversation about the pilgrimage. He said something; a question, that was just out of my hearing range that evidently made Auron mad. I took a step back in spite of the fact that I was all the way across the room and watched as Auron nodded, begrudgingly. Whatever the question was, Seymour looked delighted. He wandered back over to us and clapping his large hands once, summoned Tromell.
"Tromell." He said un-necessarily loudly, and namely for show to get our attention, "Please make up 7 of our best guest rooms. Our visitors wish to stay a few days."
My eyes flicked to Auron, who was glaring at Seymour with evident hate.
"Maester Seymour." I heard Yuna begin, losing her nerve, then start up again, "Maester Seymour, whilst that is very kind of you to offer your services to us, we really must continue on with our pilgrimage if we are to complete it before Sin attacks another populated area."
I saw Tidus squeeze her hand gently in admiration, behind her back and smiled at the thought.
"Oh, but Sir Auron has just told me that one of your party members was harmed on the journey here and needed rest." I felt everyone's eyes swivel to me and unconsciously took a step back.
"Me?" I asked Seymour.
"You are Rikku, is that correct?" He replied, as if judging me, not asking me.
"Well yes but I" I began.
"And were you or were you not attacked last night."
"Yes but you see" I tried again, and again being cut off.
"Are is it not also true that you were, rescued be Sir Auron." He voice said, almost mockingly, slicing the silence of the room like a dagger.
Ok now I was just getting ticked off, and his creepy stare was making my head hurt.
"Yes that is correct, but as you can see I am perfectly fine now." I practically shouted at him.
I brought a hand to my head, okay, so maybe I was so fine. In fact I was feeling really dizzy. It was probably the heat of the fire place and the shouting and all the red wine and
I didn't really think much after that. I remember vaguely hearing my name shouted and hearing a distinct thump, which I later learned, was me, hitting the floor as I passed out cold.