Well, another chapter over and done with!
Nightfire: About time, too! You surely are annoying.
Grr...(casts Firaga on Nightfire) Now. Where was I? Oh, yes. Replies!

missmanga90: Heh, Seymour was trouble from the first time I saw him. I'll try and read some of your stories one day.

BlackWindKaze: Welcome to Destiny's Call, and thanks!

Iron Reaver: Yes. I do want a cookie, and yes, I will be using Overdrive Reels. Read on to find out.

anbu713: Damnable Seymour indeed. Heh, glad you like the secret meetings that Ben and Seymour keep having. I figured Seymour would love gloating every time they saw each other, and it just fits into the storyline so well.

Now, on with the action! Least there's more of it than last time!


Chapter 16—Disaster

"Let's get em!" I bellow, casting Haste on myself and charging Sinspawn Gui with everything I have. Enthusiastic? A little. Running up to the creature, who is easily 10 times as tall as me, I slash at the bottom, only to have my strike blocked by one of Gui's thick arms. Walking backwards, I hesitate a moment.

"Ok, problem..." I say, as the others run up to me.

"Power Break!" Auron yells, wasting no time in running up to the creature and slashing it down the center, lowering its attack power. Giving a snarl, the creature rears its head back, and unleashes a greenish liquid upon us. Spraying over all of us, we find ourselves coughing and choking as a result of the fiend's Venom.

"Esuna!" I hear Yuna yell, curing herself of the poison first, before beginning to cast it on us. Wakka pulls out an Antidote, and drinks it, while the rest of us wait for an Esuna spell. Throwing the blitzball at the fiend, Wakka goes on the offensive, Tidus joining him a moment later. Another slash is blocked by Gui's arm, but the blitzball hits it in the head, stunning it for a brief second. As an Esuna spell washes over me, I stand back up and rush in once again, jumping to slash at the creature's lower torso. The creature smacks Tidus away, before focusing on me. Before it can do anything, a Blizzard spell flies in, courtesy of Lulu. Wakka throws again, using that as a distraction. Gui screeches again, slamming a claw into Wakka, throwing him away.

"Wakka!" I yell, quickly using a Cure spell on him. Wakka stands back up, a little woozy, and glares at the creature.

"Stupid thing! Take this!" he yells, clenching a fist and closing his eyes for a minute. After a moment, he tosses the blitzball up, twirling it on his finger while a frosty aura covers it, before he kicks it at Gui. Connecting, the blitzball delivers a strong burst of frost, as well as stunning the creature again.

'Element Reels. Cool.' I think, casting a Haste spell on Auron, who runs forward and slashes halfway through the right front leg. Gui retaliates by casting a Thunder spell on Auron, who flinches at the lightning attack. Tidus draws his sword back, and concentrates a moment, before jumping and flipping with his Spiral Cut Overdrive, tearing a large slash down the front of Gui.

Roaring, Gui draws its arms in, and uses another spell after a moment. Unfortunately, it's Demi, which tears a large amount of our strength away from us. Now, I activate my Overdrive.

"Renzokuken!" I yell, running up and jumping to slash at Gui's middle, only to be blocked again. Giving a growl, I slice the left arm off, before falling back down to cut at the middle again. This time, three strikes connect before Gui blocks the last with its right arm. Jumping back, I activate my finishing move.

"Overdrive Reels!" I yell, concentrating again. Laughing, I jump into the air, pointing the sword downward as it glows with energy. "Dragon Fang!" I yell, copying Auron's Overdrive this time. The sword slams into the ground, and explosions cover Gui for a moment, weakening it even more.

"Stand back, everyone!" I hear Yuna yell, and notice her summoning an aeon. Backing off, we get away just in time to see Valefor descend from the sky again, and give a short growl.

"Sonic Wings!" she commands, and Valefor flies up, sending a burst of air at Gui with its wings. The attack hits, but doesn't seem to do very much. Valefor growls again, and flies at Gui, aiming to stab it with its talons. It gets one strike in, before Gui knocks the aeon away. Suddenly, Gui snarls, and another arm replaces the one that I cut off!

"Oh, crap. That's right, it regenerates..." I say, cursing myself for forgetting that. Valefor dives in for another strike, and slashes Gui across the face, earning a screech from the Sinspawn. Gui's head starts to twitch, and it sprays another blast of Venom at Valefor, but the aeon is unaffected by the attack. Moving with surprising speed, Gui charges and rams Valefor with its head, Valefor using another Sonic Wings attack to push the creature back. Giving one more cry, the Sinspawn rushes Valefor again, slamming it twice with its arms in a pincer fashion, sending the aeon to the ground, where it fades away.

Standing still, I look up at the massive Gui, attempting to summon an aeon of my own. But, as I try to call upon one of them, I realize that Valefor is now too weak, and Ifrit still hasn't recovered. "Nuts." I say, casting Haste on Tidus. Tidus, Auron, and I all attempt a triple attack, and Gui roars, raising both arms in a defensive position. Tidus' attack is blocked by the left arm, and mine by the right, but Auron's gets through, slashing yet another cut down the middle of Gui. Gui writhes in pain, the repeated sword attacks beginning to hurt him. Kimahri darts in, slashing with his halberd at the bottom, and scores another hit. Gui raises an arm, and swats Kimahri away, but Yuna casts a Cure spell on him quickly. Lulu raises her hand and sends down a Fire spell, which makes a slight burn mark on Gui's abdomen.

"This thing is tough!" I hear Wakka say, and I nod.

"Yeah, no kidding! Lot tougher than the others! But still not tougher than us!" I yell back, charging in once more. But, before I can raise the sword, I'm smashed in the body by a powerful punch from the Sinspawn. The wind completely knocked out of me, I fly back, feet not even touching the ground, to hit the sand about 6 feet away. Dazed, I faintly feel a Cure spell hit me, and I sit up. Kimahri roars, and jumps on his halberd, bounding up in the air to crash down on Gui, stabbing a path straight down the front of the creature. The Sinspawn moans in pain, and casts another Demi spell on us, sending me back to the ground. I'm almost unable to move now, and I use Cure on myself, somehow finding the strength to stand.

"Man, you just won't die! Renzokuken!" I yell, using my Overdrive again. Jumping up, I slash Gui's arms first, rendering it helpless to defend the next 5 strikes that cut ragged paths through its chest and face. Jumping back, I pick my finishing move quickly.

"Rough Divide!" I yell, darting in and carving a path up through the creature, earning another howl of pain for my efforts, the fiend seeming weaker with each strike. Finally, Auron charges in, and cuts one final time, sending the fiend to the ground, still alive, but unable to do anything more than twitch.

"Whew. That's over with, for now..." I say, watching the Crusaders organize themselves behind us. Suddenly, Sin rises up out of the water, looking like a massive island removing itself from the water.

"Let's go!" I hear Lucil yell, and the Chocobo Knights surge forward, as the Al Bhed cannons that are set up along the beach fire, each of the shots knocking pieces of Sin's skin off, to fall in the water below. The Crusaders storm the water's edge, beginning to do battle with the fiends created from Sin's fallen skin.

"Look out!" Auron yells, but the Crusaders cannot hear him. Sin drops its outer layer of skin, appearing fully, and an energy barrier crackles into existence around him, quickly expanding to engulf the Crusaders. The energy barrier disintegrates anything that comes in contact with it, the Crusaders and fiends turning into nothing more than dust, which blows away, as the barrier continues to come inland.

"Oh crap!" I yell, as the barrier suddenly explodes with energy, knocking everyone to the ground, unconscious.


As I awaken, I look around, noticing dozens of dead bodies lying around me. I shiver at the sight, and stand up quickly, looking for any sign of anyone. A roar to the right catches my attention, and I see Seymour and Yuna fighting off a newly revived Sinspawn Gui.

"Yevon, how I hate this..." I say, running over to help Yuna, and reluctantly, Seymour. Auron is right behind me, and I tense up for yet another fight. Suddenly, a small glint catches my eye, and I look down, noticing a small, slender blade lying on the ground beside one of the bodies. "A wakizashi...wow. This could help me out a lot..." I say, grabbing the blade and sheath from the body, as disgusting as it seems to me, before running up to the trio.

"Stand back, Lady Yuna." Seymour says, and Yuna nods slowly, stepping back slightly.

"Y-Yes." she replies, as Auron and I drop into attack stances. Seymour takes the first move.

"Fira!" he yells, the powerful second level black magic hammering into the creature, scorching its torso.

"Power Break!" Auron cries, using the same move he started out with the first time we fought this creature. I just glare, charging in and slicing the creature along its left arm with both of my blades.

"You don't know any special sword skills?" Yuna asks me, and I shake my head.

"Not yet. I don't think I will, actually. But, let's save that for later!" I yell, dodging a strike from Gui, as Seymour raises his hand again.

"Blizzara!" he cries, the icy blast slamming into Gui's head, snapping its head back while covering it in a frosty veil.

'Wow, Seymour's spells do a lot more than we were able to. Maybe having him on our side for this fight isn't so bad.' I think to myself, preparing to use another attack.

Before I can attack again, Auron runs in, stabbing the creature in the lower torso with his sword. Taking the chance, I run in and jump onto and off of Auron's sword, using the extra height to slash twice at Gui's chest, causing the Sinspawn to wail in pain. Auron rips the sword out, and slashes the fiend in the torso for good measure, as we run back.

"Thundara!" Seymour yells, a powerful bolt of lightning falling from the sky and striking the creature in the top of the head, the electricity coursing through its body, as it slumps over, smoking slightly.

"Let's finish it!" I yell, as Auron and I run towards the Sinspawn, and bring our swords down on its head, cutting deep gashes into its head, before Auron steps back, and raises the sword high. I step back, out of the way, as Auron brings the sword down, decapitating the powerful Sinspawn and killing it for good. The creature bursts into pyreflies, as I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Finally." I say, as Yuna looks around in slight panic.

"The others?" she says, running down the beach a little bit, looking for any sign of Tidus, Kimahri, or the others. Suddenly, a loud rumble gets our attention, and we all look skyward, to see a massive flying ship approaching Sin. Apparently, the Al Bhed decided to bring in their trump card. The ship hums slightly, and two devices fall out from under panels in the bottom, extending out to become what look like giant lances. As the ship hovers carefully, the lances begin to glow, and Sin's barrier reappears, two enormous bolts of energy firing at the barrier. Yuna prays, as the two powers collide, each trying to overpower the other. Sin pushes the energy beams back for a moment, before the beams push the barrier back. For a minute, it looks as if the beams may break the barrier, but then a piece of the barrier slices forward, impaling the tower of the ship completely. Yuna gasps, as the tower explodes, the ship falling into the sea with a mighty splash. Sin roars, and begins to submerge, as Gatta's voice is heard in the background.

"What's...going on? Why? What?" he stammers, before throwing his head up, and screaming. "What's going on? Suddenly, Tidus runs past us, towards the departing Sin.

"Don't you run away from me!" he yells, jumping into the water and beginning to swim after the fleeing creature.

"Everyone, stand back! I'll summon!" Yuna says, trying to do something to help defeat the massive Sin. Seymour walks in front of Yuna at this.

"You won't hurt it. Your powers are still...too weak." he says, and Yuna turns around, beginning to spin her rod.

"But I must do something!" she cries, trying to summon an aeon.

"You can't!" Seymour says, and I walk up to the two of them.

"He's right Yuna. There's nothing we can do. Just let it go." I say, putting my hand on her shoulder. Out in the distance, I see Tidus surface and float for a minute, before beginning to swim back towards us, having abandoned his futile chase. Now that the fighting is over, I take a moment to get a good look at the results.

The beach is completely littered with broken machina parts, dead bodies, and discarded weaponry. Shaking my head, I notice several of the survivors, mourning over the dead bodies of their friends. I do the prayer gesture, out of reverence for the souls that have been lost today. Yuna is performing the sending a short distance away, and I turn my head, unable to look at the spectacle.

"I see you're still here." Auron says to Tidus, walking over to him. Tidus turns to face the monk, confused.

"Huh?"

"Many stories ended here today...but...yours goes on, I see." he replies, turning to walk towards the command center again.

"What?" he says, but Auron is already out of earshot.

"You do not look so well. But now, more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence." Seymour says, as Wakka does the prayer gesture, much the same as I did. Yuna looks like she's about to cry, her eyes sparkling slightly as Seymour continues to speak. "Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow. But you...are a summoner. You are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Do you understand?" Yuna nods, wiping her eyes.

"Yes. I understand." she replies. Seymour smiles at her.

"Are you afraid?" he asks, Yuna smiling back at him. "Yuna, take me as your pillar of strength. As Yunalesca did her Lord Zaon. Lady Yuna, until next we meet, farewell." he says, walking away. Yuna does the prayer gesture, and I stare on in amazement. I've seen it before, but I am still shocked.

'Did Seymour...just flirt with Yuna? Sick...' I think to myself, my face contorting into a disgusted expression, as I shake my head, beginning to figure out a way to attach my new weapon to my side. As I try and tie the sheath around my hip, Tidus walks over to Auron, who looks at him, turning away from the ocean.

"Sin is Jecht." Tidus nods, fully believing the truth now.

"So he killed all those people just for a chance to see me?" Auron nods in response.

"That's what Sin does. He wanted to show that to you. Do you know why?" he asks, and Tidus shakes his head.

"How am I supposed to know?" he replies.

"So you would kill him. As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing. He wants you to stop him." Auron says, causing Tidus to throw up his hands in exasperation.

"You gotta be kidding. How do you know all of this, anyway?" he asks, to which Auron just laughs a haunting laugh, and begins to walk back towards the command center. "I'm not done talking to you! Don't you run away!" he calls after Auron, who turns back to him.

"You're the one running." he says simply, continuing on.

Sighing, I take one last look at the area, before walking after Auron and Tidus.


"Hey, you two! Hurry up!" Yuna says, referring to Kimahri and Tidus. We've all begun to walk back towards the way we came, in order to turn and head to Djose Temple. Tidus and Kimahri are lagging behind.

"She's awfully cheerful." Tidus says to Kimahri, who walks forward a little, then stops and turns to Tidus.

"In dark times she must be. She must shine bright." he says, causing Tidus to gasp.

"Huh?" he says, not understanding the Ronso.

"Now are dark times. Yuna tries hard." he says.

"We should help her, then." Tidus says, looking at Kimahri.

"If we worry, she tries harder. Do not frown." he says, turning and walking away again. Tidus follows us, speaking up again.

"Don't worry, be happy?" he asks, and Kimahri turns back to him.

"Kimahri try, too." he says, and Tidus crosses his arms.

"Smile! Let me see." he says, and Kimahri opens his mouth, trying to smile, but looking more like he's about to growl.

"Sad..." Tidus mutters, and I chuckle slightly, having seen Kimahri's expression.

'I guess Ronso can't smile.' I think, feeling slightly bad for Kimahri as we walk back towards the path that leads to Djose Temple, as well as what should be my first aeon as a summoner.


So, on to Djose Temple at last! Finally, the plot begins to thicken! As always, please read and review!