Koneko-chan- Lol. I didn't think about those two. Just think about what Wakka's reaction would be to them though. He'd probably have a heart attack. lol.
Crimson Cutie- yeah I knew I forgot something. He'll get to see her send sometime soon. I even think Selphie's personalit is kind of scary. It's like she's on eternal sugar high.lol. But still she's so cute when she's hyper. You have to admit that.
Anyway, let's go on with the next chapter. In this next one, the gang's gonna see what Zell meant about his emotions getting in the way. He sort of loses his famous temper on the wench, Dona. Also this is the part where Zell gets to see the Moonflow and he nearly has a life near death situation. Anyway, read on.
Chapter 8.
They finally came to the temple. The ground was shaking like there was an earthquake right under it. A large pillar of stone was in front of them. "Is that the Djose temple?" he asked. Suddenly a burst of electricity exploded from the top and the stone exploded into large chunks revealing the temple under it.
Zell and Tidus both grinned. "Awesome!" They both chanted. They could see electricity shooting to each other rock. Zell grinned. "This is definitely my kind of place." He said. Tidus looked at him. "Why?" He asked. Zell just evilly grinned and followed the others. Lulu looked at them. "The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a summoner is addressing the Fayth." She said. Wakka nodded. "That means another summoner's already in there." He said.
Yuna looked at them. "Another Summoner?" She asked. Tidus had a disgusted look on his face. "What if it's Dona?" He asked. Zell cracked one knuckle. "Then I guess we could ask her if she wants to join us for lunch. Musclehead would love one of my Knuckle sandwiches." He said. Tidus grinned wickedly. Yuna scowled at them. "You should not talk like that. We have to hurry." She said and hurried forward. The others followed.
They walked into the Djose Temple just when the door opened to the Cloister of Trials. A man in blue robes walked out. Another man and a kid was with him. They looked at the new group then calmly walked over. " I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?" The Summoner asked. Yuna bowed. "I am Summoner Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid." She said.
The Summoner smiled. "As I thought. The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father." He said softly. Yuna tilted her head. "My father? You knew him?" She asked. The summoner shook his head. "No, I have never met the man. Ah, my apologies. I am Issaru. I am a Summoner, like you." He said. The little boy jumped forward. "I'm Pacce! Pleased to meet you!" he said. The other man nodded. "And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here." He said.
Issaru nodded. "Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska. I wished I would someday become a high summoner like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you. I believe you might someday defeat Sin." He said. Yuna looked flattered. "I…I'm not really…I've only just become a Summoner." She said. Issaru nodded. "Of course, I've not intention of losing, either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?" He asked with a smile.
Yuna smiled. "Very well, then. I accept your challenge." She said. Maroda looked at his brother. "Issaru!" he said. Issaru nodded. "Yuna, I beg your leave. Good luck, to both of us." He said. Yuna nodded. "Yes." She said. The trio turned and started towards the door while Yuna and the others turned to go up.
However, Issaru paused looking at Zell and Tidus. "Excuse me you two." He said politely. Zell and Tidus looked at him. "Huh?" Zell asked. Tidus looked at Zell and pointed at himself. "Us?" He asked. Issaru nodded. "You are Yuna's guardians, no? Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you two should know." He said. Maroda stepped forward and nodded. "I heard it from those Crusaders. Seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just…disappearing." He said.
Issaru nodded. "It could just be the fiends got them…but not so many so quickly." He said. Maroda nodded. "Sorry I don't know more, but you better watch your backs. Ain't much a future for a Guardian without a Summoner, eh?" he asked. Pacce walked up. "What? What? Whatcha all talking about?" he asked. Maroda looked at the boy. "We're talking about doing your job as a Guardian." He said.
Pacce smiled brightly. "Hey, I'm doing good! Right, big brother?" He asked looking up at Issaru. The Summoner nodded and faced the two blonde summoners. "Please, be careful." He said. Zell nodded. "We will." He told him. Issaru and Maroda turned walked away only having to pause because Pacce was still looking up at Zell with awe. "Pacce!" Issaru called. The young boy jumped turning around. "Oh…what?" he asked. Issaru nodded. "We're leaving." He said.
The boy nodded. "Be right there!" he looked back at Zell and pointed. "I like that marking on your face. It reminds me of lightning." He said. Zell grinned. "That's because it's the symbol of lightning." He said. Pacce grinned and nodded. He waved and ran towards the door. "See ya!" Zell waved after him and looked at Tidus who looked curiously at him. "I was kind of wondering what that marking was for." He said.
Zell didn't answer. He just nodded towards the Cloister of Trials door where Wakka was still standing. "Hey, you two coming, ya?" he asked. The two nodded and hurried up the stairs after him. They went through the door to find everyone waiting. "All right. Guardians at attention." Wakka said. Yuna nodded. "We are ready." She said. Wakka nodded. "All right…let's do it." He said and they began travelling through the trials.
They made it to the door of the Chamber of the Fayth. Yuna looked at everyone then went in. Everyone just sat down or stood. Zell sat cross legged and began meditating. He could feel a few eyes on him but he ignored them and relaxed. "Hey, what…" Tidus was starting to ask. "I wouldn't interupt if I were you." Auron spoke up.
Zell kept his eyes closed and continued to meditate. He heard the others talking and listened but kept focusing. "But, what's he doing, ya?" Wakka almost whispered as if he was in a sacred place that didn't allow loud voices. Auron was watching Zell too. "It's call meditating. It helps some focus their will power, body and mind. You could say it's like praying to the Fayth but it's much different." He said.
Everyone nodded and kept quiet just to be respectful to Zell. But the one voice ruined it when They entered. "Well, well. You again." Zell growled and opened his eyes. Dona and Barthello walked into the room and looked around. "Still travelling with quite the crowd, I see." Dona said looking around. To everyone's surprise, Barthello walked straight up to Auron and placed his fists on his hips. "What is it, Barthello? You know this riffraff?" The cruel summoner asked.
Barthello tilted his head. "You are…Auron, no?" he asked. Auron just stared at him lazily. "What of it?" he asked. Barthello flexed his muscles. "Can…I shake your hand? Auron…no, Sir Auron. You're the reason I became a Guardian." He said. Auron laughed softly and held out his hand. "Thank you, sir! This means so much to me." Barthello said. Wakka smirked towards Dona. "Calling the personal Guardian to Lord Braska riffraff." He said.
Lulu smirked too. "And you call yourself a Summoner." She said. Zell smirked and Tidus grinned. Dona growled. "Barthello, enough! Get back here!" She barked. Tidus waved at the big man. "Hang in there, buddy, eh?" he said. They waited longer for Yuna. Finally she came out and fell to her knees. Kimahri ran over to her and held her up.
Dona shook her head and tsked. "You owe much to your father. All these Guardians and Sir Auron too? And I heard Maester Seymour's quite taken with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska." She said. Everyone frowned towards the mean woman. "This has nothing to do with my father! I am travelling on my own as a full-fledged Summoner." She said.
Dona smirked. "Oh, is that so? Then try standing on your own two legs for once." She walked over to the door. "Your Guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes." She said starting to enter. Zell stood quickly. "Excuse me, Lady Dona?" he asked. Dona paused at the door and turned her head.
Zell looked at her with a serious look that would make Squall go green with envy. "Exactly what does that mean? You think Yuna is weak but your wrong. She's strong. She may be very young for a Summoner, but what gives you the right to criticize her?" He asked. Dona turned fully to face him with an annoyed look. "Tell me, Guardian. What right do you have to butt into my business?" She asked. Zell narrowed his eyes.
"Why don't you ask yourself that?" he said coldly. Then he stiffly walked out leaving the others, but Auron speechless. Including Dona. She then frowned with annoyance and went into the Chamber. Auron smirked as soon as she stomped out and then followed after Zell. The others hurried after.
Outside, Zell was facing the rocky wall with his head against it. His arm resting above his head and he was muttering angrily. Tidus, Wakka and Lulu walked over to where he was. "Eh, Zell? You okay? What was that all about?" Wakka asked. Zell lifted his head off the rocky wall and shook it. "It was nothing." He softly said and went quiet.
Lulu stepped closer and tilted her head to see Zell's face. "That was nothing. You were angry. Why didn't you just keep your emotions to yourself?" She asked. Zell shook his head again. "I have a hard time controlling myself, Lulu. It's what gets me into trouble. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you all in front of Dona. It's just….she reminds me of someone I once thought of a brother one time but hated." He said.
The three blinked in surprise. "Who was that?" Tidus asked. Zell sighed closing his eyes. "Seifer. We lived in the same orphanage when we were kids. He was real mean to me. He bullied me around and no one really did anything to stop him. Except Matron, the kind lady that took care of us. And now that I see Dona bullying Yuna, I can't allow that to happen." He said. Wakka sighed and put his arm around Zell's shoulders.
"You're a good guy, Zell. You have a good heart. But some times you have to let things go. Yuna doesn't seem to care at all that Dona's bullying." He said. Zell shook his head looked at him. "Did you ever think she might be bottling up her emotions? I can tell she is. I've seen it before." He said. He turned around and walked away leaving the three to look at each other.
Zell had fallen asleep only to dream one dream that haunted his sleep once in a while. The fight against Ultimecia. He remembered how horrible it was to fight her. He remembered watching the evil Sorceress striking Irvine down then Selphie. Then she took out Quistis.
Absorbing them into time. Squall was looking horrible and was taken quite the beating. Rinoa was close to losing consciousness next. The blonde fist fighter had received a nasty scar on his back because of Griever. He remembered the pain that he had to deal with when he had fallen and was being absorbed in time. He heard Squall crying out his name.
Zell then remembered being in the darkness when Squall had finally defeated Ultimecia and Griever. He was alone. He could hear the others but couldn't see them. Then every thing had gone black. He was alone on a beach. The ocean splashing against the shore. Zell had started yelling out for his friends. He felt alone and it was the most depressing feeling he'd ever felt. Then he remembered something. It was the feeling he always felt.
He remembered he felt that depressed feeling when he saw Squall and Rinoa hugging and kissing lovingly. Seifer actually looking lovingly at Quistis. Irvine and Selphie laughing together. And he remembered that feeling even if he was with Diana, the girl with the pig tails. Zell woke to himself muttering his friends' names. He sighed and sat up. Zell grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. He couldn't sleep anymore. He just couldn't. He left the inn and sat outside looking up at the morning sky.
"I was really starting to get homesick.My dreams….I couldn't believe I was dreaming them again.
I missed my friends. I couldn't believe this either
but I was missing that stupid song of Selphie's too.
That train song.I don't know why I did it but I sang that song softly."
"Train Train, Take us away. Far away. To the future, we will go. Where it leads, no one knows." He softly sang. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. He sighed and shook it. Then that creepy feeling fell over him. The same one that he felt that one night. He opened his eyes and found the same 10 year old boy standing right in front of him. Zell blinked. "You?" he whispered.
The boy just stood there. "Don't be scared." He said. Then vanished. Zell looked around. "Hey, wait a second! Come back here. Tell me why I'm here." He said getting to his feet but the boy was gone. Zell sighed.
"You're here to because Yuna needs your help too." Someone said. Zell jumped and turned around. Auron was standing there watching him. Zell blew out a long sigh. "You know, your going to scare someone to death if you keep moving around in silence like that. Just be lucky I'm not Squall. Squall would have accidentally fired off his Gunblade and killed you." He said. Auron smirked. "I'm glad that you are not Squall then." He said. Zell smirked and stood.
"What are you doing up so early?" he asked. Auron tilted his head. "What are you doing up so early?" He repeated the question. Zell shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." He said. Auron nodded. "I don't sleep." He said looking away. Zell shrugged. "Whatever, man. So what's the plan for today?" he asked. Auron looked back at him. "We leave when everyone gets up. We'll travel across the Moonflow, then the Thunder Plains, to Macalania Temple." He said.
Zell nodded. "I like the sound of these Thunder Plains." He said. Auron stared at him for a minute. "Why?" he asked lazily. Zell grinned. "I like electricity." He said. Auron nodded. "One of your strengths. That's good." He said. Zell nodded. "Tell me, Auron. Why is Jecht Sin?" He asked. Auron was quiet. He then turned and walked away. Zell blinked.
"Well it proved it right there. He knew why but he didn't want to say.Apparently it must have been bad. Things weren't making too much
sense at the time. I knew later they would.
But the question was, did I want to know?"
Everyone was outside the temple waiting for Yuna. Apparently she was still sleeping. Zell was meditating again, this time without any interruptions. He could feel everyone's energy though while meditating. Wakka was pacing. Lulu was just standing there. So was Kimahri. Tidus was kicking rocks. And Auron was leaning against the wall. It was actually hard to read Auron's energy for Zell.
"We're leaving once Yuna gets here." Wakka said for the fifth time. Tidus sighed and moved towards the temple. "I'll go see what's taking her." He said. No one objected. They waited for about five minutes before Tidus walked out and went back to kicking rocks. Yuna finally came out only minutes later. Wakka grinned at her. "Yo! Sleepyhead!" He said. Yuna looked around looking worried. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!" She hurries over to Auron. "Please forgive me." She said.
Zell laughed as he stood. "Hey, Yuna. Don't worry about it." He said. Lulu nodded as she walked over to Yuna. "Really, there's no rush….Here, your hair." She said running her hands through Yuna's hair. Yuna helped her fix it. Wakka laughed. "A summoner with bed hair! What's the world comin' to?" He joked. Yuna scowled. "You could have woken me up." She said. Lulu smiled slyly. "We called to you, but with all that snoring." She said. Yuna gasped.
"Hmm…. What is it today? Everyone's picking on me!" She said. Everyone laughed. Then Auron chuckled. Yuna looked at him. "You too, Sir Auron?" She asked. Auron stood straight. "Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave." He said. Everyone laughed while Yuna blushed and began flattening her hair. Zell shook his head.
"I hadn't really laughed like that in a long time.""It was only later that I realized..."
"The only ones really laughing then...was me and Tidus."
"Laughing must have been the only thing keeping them going."
The group began to move away from the Temple. The Chocobo Knights were up ahead. Lucil looked at the group and bowed to them. "Off so early? Lady Yuna, you must be exhausted after working so hard last night. Will you be okay?" She asked. Yuna giggled and returned the boy. "I feel that I have rested enough. But thank you for your kindness. Will you be leaving too?" She asked. Lucil nodded. "Yes, first we cross the Moonflow and then we head north in search of chocobos to replace those we have lost." She said.
Elma nodded. "Once we find Chocobos, our Mounted Forces will ride again." She said. Tidus looked around. "Huh? Aren't you missing someone?" He asked. Just then Clasko ran up. "Captain! Waaaait for meeee!" He cried out.
He stopped and bent over breathless. Elma gave him a dark look. "What took you so long? We're leaving." She said. Clasko kept on panting. "You expect me to keep up with a chocobo!" He gasped. Lucil shook her head. "Lady Yuna, I wish you good fortune. Elma! Clasko! Let's go!" She ordered. Elma saluted. "Ma'am!" She said. Clasko looked too tired. "Eh! C-Can't I just rest a sec…." He was saying. "No complaints!" Elma said and they hurried away.
Zell shook his head. "I feel really bad for that guy." He said. Tidus nodded as they walked over to the fork in the road. "So, where's the Moonflow?" Zell asked. Wakka pointed. "That a way." He said. Tidus nodded. "Gotcha! He said. And they began walking down the road. Along the way, they met up with Shelinda again. She looked horrible though. "Good day, everyone. We can all learn a lesson from what has happened to the Crusaders. Only the truly faithful have a hope of defeating Sin." She said.
Zell shook his head as they walked. 'Then how come I'm not dead yet? I don't even believe in this Yevon thing. It sounds too weird.' He thought. The group soon came to a turn where two familiar and unpleasant Ronso was standing. Zell grumbled seeing them. They were talking to a shorter human who ran away as soon as the group walked up. Yenke and Biran sneered as they looked at Zell. "Look! One of Kimahri's friends! Looks just like him! Even act." Yenke taunted.
Tidus growled. "What!" He snapped. The two Ronso sneered. "Both follow Summoners on all fours! Hornless goatlings!" Biran said. Yenke laughed. "Hornless! Hornless!" He chanted. Zell pushed up his sleeve. "I'll show you hornless! How about I break yours off!" he growled starting forward but Kimahri grabbed him and held him back. He growled towards the two. "You come to insult Kimahri?" He asked calmly.
The two Ronso shook their heads. "Wrong. We come to warn little Kimahri." Biran said. Yenke nodded. "Summoners disappear. Never return." He said. Biran nodded and pointed at Yuna. "Next be Kimahri's Summoner." He taunted. Yenke laughed. "Poor Kimahri! Lost his horn, next lose his summoner." He laughed. Biran joined in. "Pitiful Kimahri! Howl alone! Howl alone!" the two then ran off.
Tidus looked at Kimahri. "Do those two got something against you?" He asked. Kimahri shook his head. "What, they were just pickin on you?" Zell said. Kimahri turned away. "Kimahri will deal with them." He said. Tidus stepped forward. "And I'll help." He said. Kimahri turned back and held up his hand. "Kimahri alone." He spoke. Tidus looked put out. "But…." But Wakka cut him off. "It's Kimahri's problem. We can't interfere. It's a rule." He said.
Zell grumbled. "Some rule." He muttered. Lulu looked at the ground. "I'm worried." She said. Wakka looked at her. "Let the Ronso deal with Ronso problems, ya? That's how it's always been." He said Lulu shook her head. "I mean I'm worried about those summoners disappearing." She said. Auron shook his head. "They aren't just disappearing into thin air." He spoke softly.
Tidus shrugged. "Hey, if we Guardians do our job…no problem, right?" He asked. Wakka stepped back. "Whoa!" He cried out. Lulu smiled lightly. "Confident." She said. Tidus puffed out his chest and stuck his hands on his waist. "Yeah!" he said. They continued to walk down the road towards a bunch of trees. Then Tidus pointed. "Whoa!" He exclaimed and ran forward. Zell blinked and then hurried after him.
There was a large, gray colored river dotted with water lilies and several globes of light flying around above it. The river was a beautiful sight. Zell had never seen such a river like it. In fact he had never seen anything so beautiful like this. "This is the Moonflow." Lulu said walking up. Yuna joined them. "These are moonlilies. They say that clouds of pyreflies gather here when night falls." She said. Lulu nodded. "The entire river glows like a sea of stars." She said.
Tidus and Zell looked amazed. "Really!" They both said at the same time. They looked at each other and grinned. "Hey, I got an idea!" Again they both said. Auron looked dully at them. "We're not waiting till nightfall." He said. Both blondes' shoulders fell. "Awww." They both whined. Wakka looked at them like they were crazy. "Don't do that, ya! That's freakin' me out!" He cried out. Everyone laughed. They watched the lights a little longer before Wakka broke the silence again. "Hey, we better hurry or we'll miss the shoopuff!" He said.
Tidus and Zell looked at him with confusion. "Shoopuf?" Zell asked. Tidus tilted his head. "That some kind of boat?" He asked. Wakka shrugged and pointed down the river. Both blondes turned their heads and looked. Their eyes went wide. "Whoa!" They both exclaimed. What they saw was a huge massive elephant-like creature. A cabin of some sort strapped on it's back for passengers. "That's a shoopuf." Wakka said. Zell looked amazed. This world was just full of surprises.
"Whoa, Let's ride! Come on, let's go!" He said. Wakka nodded. "All right. We board soon as we're ready, ya?" He said. They all walked towards the boarding area. There were several people there. Even the Chocobo Knights. They were arguing with a strange creature. It was the weirdest thing Zell had ever seen.
He looked at the closest person which happened to be Yuna. He nudged her then pointed quickly. "Hey, Yuna. What's that thing?" he asked. Yuna looked at what he was looking at and then back at him. "Oh, that's a Hypello. They're the people who live on the bay of the Moonflow. They're also the caretakers of the Shoopuf. Hypello are pretty much the only ones that can control them." She told him.
Zell nodded. "Oh." He said now feeling awkward that he didn't know anything about the people here in Spira. Yuna smiled understanding. "You'll see a lot of things that you won't know about. But don't worry. We'll all keep you informed." She said. Zell smiled thankfully. Then turned his attention to the Chocobo riders and the Hypello.
"No, I don shink sho. Ish bad idea, yesh." The Hypello said. Lucil looked upset. "Please, we beg of you." She said. The driver shook his head. "Imposhibibble! Imposhibibble!" He said waving his hands. Tidus walked right up to Lucil. "What's wrong?" He asked. Elma turned towards them. "This guy won't let our chocobo on the shoopuf." She complained. Tidus rubbed the back of his head looking at the chocobo. "It is kinda big." He said. Elma stomped her foot like a toddler being told she couldn't have candy. "It's just not fair!" She whined.
Zell walked up and shook his head. "Life is never fair. And I don't think it would be a good idea to take the chocobo on the Shoopuff for a few various reasons. One, Chocobos can't swim. And two, they don't like water too much. What if the driver did let you take it and half way there the chocobo freaks out? It'll want to get off and a antsy chocobo isn't too good to have around. They can scratch you with those claws and then try and jump off. It'll drown if the water is deep enough." He said.
Yuna looked surprised and covered her mouth. "Oh, that would be terrible!" She cried out. Clasko looked at Elma. "He does have a point, though." He said. Elma gave him a dirty look. "So, what? We just leave him behind?" She asked sharply. Clasko stepped back. "Hey, I didn't say that. Just…" He was cut off. Lucil sighed and nodded. "It is no good. We will have to find another way. We will find a ford where we can cross on foot." She said.
Elma sighed miserably. "Yes. Captain, Sir." She said. Clasko looked horrified though. "But…that'll take days!" he said. Lucil shook her head. "Where there's a will, there's a way." She said. Clasko sighed. "Oh, boy…." He muttered. Elma smiled. "That's our captain." She said. Lucil climbed up on the chocobo and rode off with the other two running behind her.
Zell turned to walk away but Tidus and Yuna stopped him. "Hey, where did all the information come from?" The blitzer asked. Zell looked at him. "Huh?" He asked. Yuna smiled. "How did you know all about the Chocobos?" She asked. Zell nodded. "Oh! Well on my world we have Chocobos too. They're a big time favorite there." He paused with a nod.
"My friend, Irvine, he was adopted by a family that lived in the country. And in the country they love the chocobos the most. Plus he knows everything about chocobos. I keep suggesting to him that he should open up a chocobo ranch. I would help him I could. He taught me how to handle the chocobos and a bunch of other stuff. Plus I helped him raise our Garden's pet Chocobo, Boco. I loved Boco so much. Everyone did." He said.
Yuna tilted her head, looking sadden. "Is Boco…he didn't die did he?" She asked. Zell blinked and stepped back. "I sure hope not. The last time I saw him was the day before I came here to Spira. He looked fine to me." He said. Yuna smiled. "Well, that's good then. You had me worried for a moment." She said. Zell shrugged.
They began walking around. Tidus and Zell walked over to where Auron was standing who was looking up at the Shoopuff. "Hey, Auron. Whatcha doing?" Zell asked. Auron just stared up at it. "Ten years ago…." He was cut off for a second. Tidus rolled his eyes. "A history lesson?" He asked but Auron continued. "Jecht saw his first Shoopuf here. Surprised, he drew his blade and struck it." He said.
Tidus and Zell blinked. "Why?" The young blitzer asked. Auron smirked. "He was drunk…thought it was a fiend." He said. Zell laughed while Tidus rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother." He muttered. Auron nodded. "We offered all the money we had as an apology. Jecht never drank again. But it would seem that Shoopuf still works here." He said nodding towards the large Shoopuf standing in the water.
The two boys walked over to the driver who smiled at them. "Ride ze shoopuf?" He asked. Tidus nodded. "All aboards." The Hypello called. The whole group climbed on and sat down. Zell and Tidus sat next to each other. Yuna sat close to Auron and Kimahri at the other end. Wakka was sitting by the boys while Lulu sat across from him. "Shoopuf launchin'!" the driver called out and they began going.
They were still departing for the other side when Wakka nudged Tidus. He nodded to over his shoulder. "Hey. Take a look." He said. Tidus and Zell stood and looked over the edge. "What?" Tidus asked. His eyes went wide as well as Zell's. "Whoa! A sunken city!" He cried out. Zell leaned on the railing with interest. He thought it looked a lot like Esthar. Wakka nodded. "A machina city…a thousand years old. They built the city on top of bridges across the river." He said.
Lulu nodded. "But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse and it all sank to the bottom." She said. Wakka nodded. "Right. It's a good lesson." He said. Tidus looked at him. "A lesson?" He asked. Wakka nodded again. "Yeah. Why build a city over a river, ya?" He asked. Tidus shrugged. "Uh, well it would be convenient, with all that water there." He said.Wakka shook his head. "Nope, that's not why. They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature." He said. Tidus shook his head. "Hmm? I'm not so sure about that." He said. Zell looked at him. "I don't think I told you about it but in my world we have a city over the ocean." He said. Wakka looked at him. "And it hasn't sunk?" He asked. Zell shook his head. "No. I guess it depends on the material you used. What was the bridges made of?" He asked.
Auron looked over at him. "Stone and wood." He announced. Zell nodded. "Well there's the problem. Water can break minerals off stone and wood, if wet enough can bend then snap. For our city we used metal." He said. Wakka snorted. "Ah, another machina city." He said lazily. Zell shook his head. "Not all machinery is bad. Weapons, yeah. But it depends on how you use it." He looked back at the city.
"Most of the machines we use, especially for Garden, we use for knowledge. It stores everything people need to know in our computers. And some machines, like a few robots we have, has saved lives. Then again, we've had some idiots try to use some super powered weapons on us. Like missiles. Some guy tried to have an army blow up our Garden." He said. Yuna looked surprised. "But why? I thought you said children live in your Garden." She said. Zell nodded now looking distant.
"We do. The guy who made that ordered didn't care if it was a bunch of kids. He wanted the Garden gone. He hated us because we were something he wasn't. Plus an evil Sorceress told him to. He was just a pawn to her pleasures. When she told him to jump five inches off the ground, he did." He said. Wakka shrugged. "Well, anyway, Yevon has taught us: When humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they go too far, ya?" He said.
Zell nodded sitting back in his seat. "That makes sense." He said. Tidus turned around. "Yeah, but don't you use machina, too? Like the stadium and stuff, right?" he asked. Lulu shook her head. "Yevon it decides….which machina we may use and which we may not." She said. Tidus sighed with frustration. "So what kind of machina may we not use then?" He asked. Wakka waved his hand. "Remember Operation Mi'ihen? That kind." He said.
Lulu nodded. "Or war will rage again." She said. Zell looked over at her. "War?" he asked. Yuna nodded. "More than a thousand years ago…mankind waged war using machina to kill." She said. Wakka nodded. "They kept building more and more powerful machina." He said. Lulu pulled a hair off of her doll. "They made weapons so powerful…it was thought they could destroy the entire world." She said.
Yuna nodded. "The people feared that Spira would be destroyed." Wakka shook his head. "But the war did not stop." He said. Tidus sat down. "Wh-what happened then?" He asked. Yuna sighed lowering her head. "Sin came, and it destroyed the cities and their machina." She said. Lulu nodded looking over at Zell. "The war ended and our reward….was Sin." She said.
Wakka folded his arms. "So Sin's our punishment for lettin' things get out of hand, eh?" He said. Tidus looked at the ground. "Man, that's rough." He said. Wakka nodded. "Yeah, it is." He agreed. Zell's attention went blank now. He was in deep thought again.
"Everything they had just said…..it made sense.I just wonder. If it got bad in Gaia like they've said
it happened in Spira….would a Sin come to our world
and destroy everything we worked so hard for?
The thought sort of scared me."
Suddenly the cabin shook hard bringing Zell back to attention. He jumped in his seat and looked around. "Whatsh could thatsh be?" The Hypello driver asked. The cabin shook harder and the Shoopuf gave a small growl of pain. Everyone stood up. Auron looked around then at Yuna. "Sit down." He ordered her. Yuna shivered. "S-Sorry." She said and started to sit down when suddenly someone appeared from above and grabbed Yuna. Yuna cried out and they both jumped into the water.
Wakka, Tidus and Zell jumped up. "The Al Bhed!" Wakka yelled. The three men jumped off the cabin right into the water. They dove down and swam towards a large machine which had Yuna trapped inside a large sphere on the top. "Yuna! We'll save you!" Wakka tried to yell. Tidus pulled out his sword and Wakka had his Blitzball. Zell tightened his gauntlets.
They began to battle the large machine. Tidus slashed everywhere while Wakka threw the ball at the sphere hoping to break it. Zell looked at them and made a strange hand signal. Luckily the other two understood. They were to distract the machine while Zell had his own plan up his sleeve. He swam below the machine being careful not to be seen. He then swam around the machina trying to figure how it worked.
He discovered a hatch, so that meant someone was controlling it from inside. But the door couldn't be opened from outside. Zell then found a large power tube. He would have to pull it to make the machina malfunction. He grabbed it and yanked it as hard as he could. The legs of the machina began to wave around hard and out of control. The machina began shaking.
Zell swam around and began yanking things off the machine, just tearing it apart. It wasn't easy because who ever was controlling the thing was getting mad. It was lucky enough that Zell absorbed electricity because the machine decided to shock him hard. Zell went flying back from the impact and the machine began to smoke and fire began exploding out. Wakka threw his ball hard smashing the glass of the sphere and freeing Yuna. Tidus swam forward grabbed her hand and pulling her as fast as he could to the surface.
Wakka and Zell quickly joined them, ignoring the explosions from the machine. Whoever was controlling that thing deserved it for trying to take Yuna. They all surfaced gasping for air. Wakka looked at Zell who had a pained look on his face. "Hey! You okay, ya?" He asked. Zell gasped. "I can't breath! I think a piece of metal shot off the machine and hit me!" He gasped. Wakka grabbed Zell and dragged him to the Shoopuf. Kimahri and Auron helped them on.
And like Zell said, there was a splinter of metal in his side. Both Yuna and Lulu gasped with shock. Tidus jumped to his feet and tried to hurry forward to help Zell but Kimahri grabbed him and held him back. Wakka made Zell lay back. "Holy Yevon! Your badly hurt, man!" He exclaimed. Auron stepped forward and bent next to him. "We need to get it out and clean you up." He said.
Zell waved Wakka off gritting his teeth in pain. "I-I'm fine, man." He said. Wakka shook his head. "No your not!" He exclaimed. Zell forced himself to his knees and grabbed the splinter now pulling it out. Auron grabbed his wrist. "Do it quickly. It will only hurt more if you do it slowly." He said. Zell nodded and yanked the splinter out. He threw it over the side clutched his side. "We've got to do something! He's bleeding like crazy! We have to help him!" Tidus yelled out.
The blonde SeeD shook his head softly pushing Auron back. "Just give me room. It's a good thing I've got Curaga." He said. Everyone blinked. "Cura-what?" Wakka asked. Zell closed his eyes and then threw his hand above his head. Green light suddenly surrounded him and his wound closed up quickly.
Zell breathed hard and then lifted up his shirt. The wound was gone only leaving a scar. Yuna gasped with shock. Tidus' eyes went wider. "Whoa! What did you do?" He asked. Zell forced himself up. "SeeDs are required to carry a certain amount of magic of all sorts. I just used a spell that would heal me in no time." He said. Auron nodded. "I've heard of such things. But have never seen them in my time." He said.
Yuna stepped closer. "Your not hurt anymore are you?" She asked worriedly. Zell stood still holding his side. "No, not really. Just sore. Don't worry about me. What about you? You alright?" He asked. Yuna nodded. "I'm fine." She said. Everyone started to sit back down. Wakka growled. "Grrah! Those Al Bhed!" He snarled. The driver turned around in his seat. "Ish ebullibody okay?" he called.
Yuna stood and turned around. "I'm sorry! We're all okay now!" She said. Auron scowled at her. "Yuna!" He growled. Yuna quickly sat back down blushing. The driver nodded. "Shoopuf full shpeed aheads." He said and they continued. Zell was slumped over in his seat still breathing a little hard. Tidus sat next to him. "You okay, man?" he asked. Zell nodded. "Believe me. I've had worst than this. I was nearly crushed because of a robotic spider." He said.
Wakka growled. "Damn the Al Bhed! What do they want from us? Could it have something to do with Luca? What are they after Yuna for?" His eyes then lit up. "Wait! They're mad they lost the tournament! Or wait! They're mad about Operation Mi'ihen!" he kept getting louder and angrier just talking about it. Lulu tapped her chin. "I wonder…Didn't Kimahri's clansmen say something about summoners….disappearing?" She asked.
The older Blitzer growled even more. "Ah! So the Al Bhed are behind that! Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!" he snarled. Tidus looked at him. "Hey, Wakka. It's no use complaining about the Al Bhed now, right? We'll protect Yuna from anyone, anywhere. It's that easy. That's all I need to know." He said. Wakka sighed. "Well…I guess so. It's just that they….they nearly killed Zell." He said. Lulu shook her head. "Tidus is right." She said.
Zell shook his head too. "Yeah, man. Don't worry about it. I'm fine now. Yuna's fine. Let's not worry about it now that it's past. When I took up this job to help you guard Yuna I knew the consequences. It's a life risker but so's being a SeeD. You risk your life doing your job." He said. Wakka nodded. "Yeah, your right." He muttered. Yuna smiled towards both Zell and Tidus, looking between both of them she mouthed, 'Thank you.' The two looked at each other and nodded with a slight smile.
The Shoopuf finally reached the other side of the Moonflow and everyone got off. Zell limped off because he was still a little sore. Wakka offered to help him but he waved him off. "I'm fine, bro. Trust me, I've really had worst than this." He insisted. Wakka nodded. Zell began to stretch to help get the kinks out of his side then turned to Tidus. "Let's run ahead. I could use the exercise to help get my strength up." He said. Tidus nodded.
"Don't go too far ahead. You don't know the way to Guadosalam." Auron told them. The two blondes nodded and began jogging up the path. They kept jogging when Tidus stopped. "Hey, give me a sec. Nature calls." He said hurrying to the bushes. Zell laughed and nodded.
He went on ahead a little only stopping near the edge of the forest. He looked in the trees and just stood there for a second before turning to get a last look at the Moonflow. But something caught his eyes. A body lying near the water, unmoving.
A/N: There you go. At least Zell's feeling better now. I wonder who that is:rolls eyes: Why do I even ask? Everyone knows who that is. Anyway, review.
