Woohoo! Finally, another chapter done! First up, the replies!

Daniel Wesley Rydell: Uh, what?

missmanga90: Yup. Surely are.

anbu713: Yep, she's back! And things will get more interesting now, as everything will take a major upswing in plot. The Farplane part, I'm still working out the details on. Unfortunately, every time I think I have the mechanics of souls being sent to the Farplane figured out, it contradicts itself. So, I gotta figure that completely out first. As for what happens between Rikku and Ben, wait till the Thunder Plains. Hehehe...

Iron Reaver: pokes back Uh, yeah. Rather get electrocuted than killed by the dang thing. Ben won't take complete center stage, but he will get his moments to shine. First notable one will be coming up sooner than you think. About the Thunder Plains, yeah. Probably. And antagonate away, you won't get very far.

Feather Black: If you're reading this, welcome to Destiny's Call! Yeah, Ben is basically me. So, how he acts is really the way I act. Personality and action-wise. And that little guy isn't THE fayth, he's just one of them, but he takes center stage a LOT. So, I refer to him as 'the fayth'.

beastboy-had-a-brain: Can't count the number of times I realized something that they SHOULD have caught, but didn't. Drove me nuts. Anyway, thanks!

Jiranto Valsis: Welcome to Destiny's Call as well, Jiranto! And thanks, that really means a lot. I'm trying to do an already great game even greater justice, and it gets hard at times. Description seems to be my strong suit most of the time. And if you want to read more of my work, you can check out FF8: The Shadow Slayer under my profile. That fic is complete, but the first several chapters are kind of lower-end, as I wasn't as good of a writer when I started the fic. It picks up about chapter 7 or so, though.

ArticunoNeo: Thanks! And I just had to yell at Shelinda, she just deserved it way too much.

MysticSuperSaiyanGohan: Thanks for the compliments! I don't think there will be any combination attacks/Overdrives, but Ben will use both his katana and wakizashi in some of his later Overdrives, instead of just a single weapon. And no, I haven't played any of those games, unfortunately.

Well, now that that's done, on to the chapter! Guadosalam awaits!


Chapter 19—Unexpected Developments

"Fire!" I yell, slaughtering a Bite Bug that has just flown a bit too close to me. If you thought they were annoying in the other FF games, you haven't actually been IN one. They are horrible. Attacking in swarms, but weak as newborn kittens. It's a pretty simple matter to take them down, but the problem is that there's so many of them.

"Look out!" Rikku cries, throwing something at a Bunyip fiend in front of me, which explodes and utterly decimates the fiend. I sigh, cutting the head off the last Bite Bug, before turning to Rikku.

"What was that?" I ask, and she smiles.

"Mix. I can make stuff from other items. Potato Masher is what I call the thing I just threw."

"Whoa." I say, smiling.

"Yep!" she chirps happily, as we continue down the path to Guadosalam.

'Man, she looks cute.' I think to myself, as we come across the entrance to Guadosalam. At first glance, this thing looks like it was carved out of the base of a giant tree of some sort. As I get closer, that idea seems to become more and more correct. The floor of the entrance area is leaf green, with what looks like roots swirling on the floor, making an intricate design. On the far side, the path slopes down, leading to the underground city itself.

"Whoa. Caverns..." I say, looking down the inclined path.

"Come on, let's go." Auron says, beginning to walk down, and I just shake my head.

"Spoilsport."


The inside of the city is even more breathtaking than the outside. Split into 3 tiers, the middle of which we're currently standing on, the lower tier leads to the Thunder Plains, while the upper tier leads to the Farplane entrance. At the back of the middle tier is the manor of Lord Jyscal, which is now Seymour's manor, after his father passed away to the Farplane. As we enter, an elderly Guado greets us, looking quite happy to see Yuna.

"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna. Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my lady." he says, turning and walking towards Seymour's manor. "This way."

"Me?" Yuna asks, causing Tromell to turn and take Yuna by the hand, but Wakka steps in, blocking the elder Guado with his arm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he says, and the Guado bows in apology.

"Oh, I beg your pardon. I am called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."

'I'll bet he does.' I think, resisting the urge to glare.

"Business with me? Whatever could it be, I wonder?" Yuna says, and I resist the urge again to shake my head. She's a little too naive for her own good.

"Please, come inside the manor. All will be explained. Of course, your friends are welcome, too." Tromell says, as everyone but myself, Rikku, and Tidus follow Tromell to the manor. As we all stand there, I can't help but glare unconsciously, which causes Rikku to look at me.

"You okay?" she asks, catching me slightly off guard.

"Huh? Oh, me! Yeah...I'm fine. Just don't have a good feeling about this place." I reply, and Rikku turns away for a moment, before snapping her fingers.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Let me show you guys how I can customize weapons and armor!" Rikku says excitedly. I nod, pulling out my katana.

"Think you can customize this?" I ask, and Rikku nods, taking the katana from me.

"What do you want on it?" she says, and I think a minute.

"Sensor would be nice." I say, and she nods again.

"Hand me 2 Ability Spheres." she replies, and I comply, taking the spheres out of my pocket and handing them to her. She takes a small tool out of her pocket, and begins to work on the hilt of my katana. In little more than a minute, the hilt of my katana is now set with the 2 spheres, and I just stand there, amazed.

"How did you...wow. You're awesome!" I say, looking over my katana, and Rikku blushes slightly.

"Aw, it's not that hard, really..." she says, and I laugh.

"Whatever you say, Rikku." I say, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Come on." I tell the two of them, smiling at Rikku, as we walk inside the mansion.


The inside of the mansion looks much like the outside of the area, color-wise anyway. The inside truly has the atmosphere of an old manor; spiral staircases and doors abound in the place.

"Come on, you three! We've been waiting on you, ya?" Wakka says, and Tromell nods.

"Sorry." I say, apologizing for the three of us.

"This way, please." Tromell instructs us, leading us into what appears to be a banquet hall of some sort. Food covers several tables on the inside of the room, and the wall at the back is covered with a mural of some sort. I resist the urge to walk over and look at it more closely, preferring instead to stay near Rikku, for some reason.

'Do I...have a crush on her?' I think, and look over at her for a moment. She is cute, there's no denying that.

"I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here." Tromell says, and leaves the room to get Seymour. I almost shudder at the thought of seeing him again.

"Stay on your guard." Auron tells Tidus, who simply looks at him strangely.

"Why?" he asks. "This guy's just a priest, right?" Auron nods, but continues to stare at Tidus.

"Those with power use that power. Maesters have power." he says, and Tidus quirks an eyebrow at him.

"Wait...you sure you don't have something against Yevon?" he says to Auron, who chuckles.

"I lived a long time in Zanarkand." he replies, which causes me to look at him strangely. Dismissing the thoughts, I shake my head, before walking over to Rikku, who is eating something at one of the tables.

"Hey there." I say, a little nervous at being so close to her. Now, I really am sure I have a crush on her. I'm normally not nervous around girls.

"Hey." she replies, eating a small bit of some sort of rice.

"So, what do you think Seymour wants with Yuna?" I ask, trying to make conversation, even though I already know the answer.

"I'm not really sure. I just rejoined you guys, remember?" she says, and I scratch the back of my neck, nervously.

"Yeah, that's right, isn't it." I say, as the door opens again, to reveal Tromell, but no Seymour.

"Truly, it is good to have guests again." Tromell begins, his eyes passing over all of us. "Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira." Yuna says, standing up and clasping her hands.

"Was this Maester Jyscal really such a great guy?" Tidus whispers to Wakka, who starts to whisper back to Tidus.

"He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado. He was truly a great man." Wakka says, and Tidus nods, standing back up fully to listen to Tromell.

"Truly, a loss for us all. But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human. He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour...he will surely become the shining star that lights the way for the peoples of Spira." Tromell says, as another figure walks up behind him.

"That is enough, Tromell." Seymour says, walking into the room at last. "Must I always endure such praise?" he tells the elder Guado, before facing us and doing the prayer gesture. "Welcome!" he exclaims, and everyone does the prayer gesture as well.

"You...wanted to see me?" Yuna asks, somewhat shyly.

"Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush." he says, motioning to some chairs in the room. Auron steps in, though, walking close to Yuna and looking Seymour dead in the eyes.

"Please keep this short. Yuna must rush." he says, voice seemingly as cold as ice.

"Pardon me." Seymour says, apologizing. "It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna, this way." he says, walking towards the back of the room, which is a large, open area. All of the tables are to the side, instead of in the center. As we all move towards the open area, the room goes dim, almost completely dark, but light enough for us to see where we're walking. Suddenly, the surroundings change to that of Zanarkand, as it was a thousand years ago. Everyone gasps, and Yuna puts a hand over her mouth, apparently awed by the majestic city.

"This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead on the Farplane." Seymour explains, as Tidus finally finds the coherence to say something.

"Zanarakand!" he exclaims, shocked.

"Correct. Zanarkand...as it looked one thousand years ago." Seymour continues, and everyone looks around at the surroundings. It's a perfect reconstruction, looking exactly as the machina city did when I fell into it at the start of this adventure. People walking along the streets, enormous buildings rising into the sky, even the announcer of the blitzball stadium can be heard in the background.

"The great and wondrous machina city, Zanarkand. She once lived in this metropolis." Seymour says, and Auron smirks, though I'm the only one who notices.

"She, who?" Yuna asks, and the scene changes, to a large, decorated room, where a woman with long, white hair, and dressed in a bikini of some sort, is sitting on a bed. Yuna gasps again, apparently recognizing the woman.

"Lady Yunalesca!" she exclaims, and Seymour nods.

"She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from its ravages. And you have inherited her name." he says, as Yuna just looks at him.

"It was my father who named me." Yuna explains, and Seymour nods once more.

"Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task. He wanted you to face Sin, as Lady Yunalesca did. However, Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone. To defeat the undefeatable Sin..." Seymour says, doing the prayer gesture, "It took an unbreakable bond of love—of the kind that binds two hearts for eternity."

Seymour starts to walk closer to Yuna, as the scene continues. A man, in an elaborate outfit, and wearing a large, golden crown, walks into the room. Yunalesca stands up, hugging the man, apparently her lover. As the two of them embrace, Seymour and Yuna look at each other, neither of them saying a word. Yuna breaks the stare, returning to watch Yunalesca and her lover, as Seymour leans over and whispers something in Yuna's ear. It must've shocked Yuna, because she covers her mouth with her hand, gasping. Seymour backs away slowly, nodding at Yuna, as the scene disappears. Yuna finally turns, approaching the rest of us, but instead, she turns and grabs a small glass of water, gulping it down quickly. As she finishes drinking, she breaths a sigh of relief, before we all go to meet her.

"Wow! Your face is beet red!" Rikku says, and I nod, noticing the severe blush that has crept onto Yuna's cheeks.

"You okay?" Tidus asks, and Yuna just continues to fumble around with her words, moving her gaze from one of us to another.

"He...he asked me to marry him!" she says, finally, causing everyone's eyes to go wide.

"You serious?" Tidus asks, as Auron moves to talk to Seymour.

"You know what Yuna must do." he says, and Seymour nods.

"Of course. Lady Yuna—no, all summoners—are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more than just defeating Sin. She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Yuna as a Maester of Yevon." Seymour explains, and Auron just crosses his arms.

"Spira is no playhouse. A moment's diversion may amuse the audience, but it changes nothing." he says, and Seymour smirks, causing me to cringe.

"Even so, the actors must play their parts." he says.

'More like puppets, you mean.' I think, angrily.

Seymour stays silent for a few moments, before walking over to Yuna. "There's no need to answer right away. Please, think it over." he says, and Auron nods.

"We will do so, then. We leave." he says simply, motioning for us to exit.

"Lady Yuna, I await your favorable reply." he says, as we all turn to leave. Suddenly, Seymour speaks up again.

"Why are you still here, sir?" he says, and Auron stops, turning to look at him. Seymour bows, a slight smile on his face that creeps me out. "I beg your pardon. We Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane." he replies, and Tidus walks up to Auron, beginning to sniff him. I almost laugh as Auron shoves the smaller teen away, and walks out the door, closely followed by the both of us.

'Can't believe no one caught that one...' I think, amused by Seymour's words.


As we exit the manor, everyone seems to be silent, perhaps stunned, or perhaps just waiting for someone else to speak first. Finally, Lulu decides to speak.

"Yuna, the High Summoner's daughter. Seymour, the leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race. It would give Spira something cheery to talk about, for a change." Lulu says, crossing her arms.

"Sounds just like a passin' daydream, like Auron says. Wakka says, and I look at everyone.

"I gotta agree with them, Yuna. Do you really think this is the right thing to do?" I ask, and Tidus decides to take his turn to speak.

"Come on, let's just get on with the pilgrimage! I mean, marriage?" Tidus says, and Rikku nudges him in the side.

"Hmm. Jealous?" Rikku says, trying to antagonize Tidus. Tidus just glares at Rikku.

"What? No way! We gotta defeat Sin. Romance can wait!" he exclaims, somewhat embarassed by Rikku's accusation.

"He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us." Wakka mutters, crossing his arms.

"Maybe it is a fine time." Yuna says, finally speaking up, causing everyone to look at her.

"You serious?" Tidus asks, and Yuna looks at him.

"If my getting married would help Spira...if it would make people happy...if I could do that for people...maybe I should do what I can." Yuna says after a moment. "I never imagined doing anything like this. But, I won't answer till I know what's right."

"Seriously?" Tidus says, and Yuna nods.

"You could always quit your pilgrimage and get married." Rikku says, but Yuna shakes her head.

"I will...go on. I'm sure that Lord Seymour will understand." she replies, and Rikku, looks down for a moment.

"Umm, I guess so..." she mumbles, as Yuna looks at everyone again.

"I am a summoner! I must fight and defeat Sin."

"Like Braska before you." Auron says, and Yuna nods, turning to him with a smile.

"I'm going to the Farplane. I'm going to see my father and think on this." she says, turning to walk onto the upper tier.

"Go on, we'll be right behind you." Lulu says, and Yuna nods, as we all walk towards the upper tier.

"This will be neat. I've never been to the Farplane before..." I mumble to myself, as we walk along the upper tier.

As we arrive at the Farplane entrance, the first thing I notice is that it reminds me of something out of a Star Trek episode. The entrance is a large, glowing blue portal, easily 12 or 15 feet tall, surrounded by the glowing pyreflies.

"Question!" Tidus says, as we stop in front of the portal. "About this Farplane...when somebody dies, a summoner sends them to the Farplane, right? So their souls, or whatever they are, they go to the Farplane, right? But that's the Farplane we're going to, right? And Yuna's old man's there, too? Do dead people live there or something?" he asks, shivering at the last sentence.

"You're thinking those funny thoughts again, ya?" Wakka says, causing Tidus to laugh and scratch the back of his head. "You'll see once we get there." he finishes, as we all start to walk up the stone steps to the portal. Auron stays behind, though, causing Tidus to turn to face him.

"Aren't you coming?" he asks, and Auron shakes his head.

"I do not belong there." he replies, and Tidus puts a hand on his hip.

"You're scared!" he retorts, Auron just standing there in response.

"Searching the past to find the future...this is all that is there. I need it not. You'd better be going." he says, as Rikku walks up to us, having lagged behind as we were walking.

"You're not really going to see the dead, more like your memories of them. People think of their relatives and the pyreflies react to them. They take on the form of the dead person—an illusion, nothing else." she says, and Tidus puts a hand on his chin, thinking.

"Still, it's sometimes worth it for the chance to see a loved one once again. Even if it is nothing more than a memory." I say, looking solemnly at Rikku.

"I keep my memories inside." she replies, standing over with Auron.

"You're not going either?" Tidus asks, and Rikku nods.

"Memories are nice, but that's all they are." she says, shrugging slightly. I just nod, as Tidus taps the portal before walking in. Sighing, I follow him and the rest of the group through the portal, not sure what to expect on the other side.


And now it starts! Ben has a crush on Rikku, Seymour plans to marry Yuna, and everything is deciding to go topsy-turvy for the group. What will happen in the Farplane? You'll just have to keep reading to find out! As always, please review!