The Shattered Calm
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the FF X-2 world or characters.
Author's Note: People's thoughts are in ''. This is my first fan fiction on here so I hope u like it. Please Read and Review here is chapter one.
Chapter One: The Sphere
Pale moonlight shone upon rippling clear water reflecting its vibrant light. A reflection of a figure engulfed in shadow sat upon the edge of the crystal clear water. The faint form did not move from its relaxed position near the sparkling water. A large sword etched in gloom rested next to the sitting form. A soft and silky voice called to the shady form. The figure did not react to the calming voice. The voice called again and again through the gloom till it was a desperate shouting. The figure began to fade. Pyreflies twinkled in the pale moonlight as the ascended to the clear sky.
The pyreflies disappeared out of all sight as a hyper voice chimed in. "Yunie, are you okay? Wake up." A shaking started.
Out of the gloomy sight came a familiar face. It was Rikku. She was shaking Yuna out of her nightmare. Her face lit up when she saw Yuna's blue and green eyes gradually open. Yuna sat up in her comfortable bed aboard the Celsius. She raised a cold hand to her mouth and let out a slight yawn.
Rikku's green eyes met Yuna's. "Yunie are you alright?" Rikku was concerned.
There was a moment's pause then Yuna spoke. "Its nothing. Nothing more than a dream." Yuna looked down at her woolen sheets. She let out a sigh.
Footsteps echoed down the empty corridor from the elevator. Paine appeared in the silent doorway. She looked up to Yuna and Rikku up on the second floor. "You were dreaming of him again weren't you Yuna?" Paine looked into Yuna's sleep glazed eyes.
Yuna didn't respond. She kept gazing at her soft sheets. Rikku comforted Yuna as best she knew how. Paine strode across the chamber towards the stairs. She scaled the iron stairs with soft footfalls. She came to stand next to Yuna and Rikku and sat down beside them.
Loud clanging noises came from the direction of the elevator. Heavy and hurried footfalls thundered down the corridor. A figure appeared in the doorway leaning against it out of breath. It was Brother.
"Where…is…Yuna…?" He said panting.
Yuna shifted her glance down at Brother. "I'm here." She called to him.
Brother looked up and his face lit up. "Are you…alright?" He asked, still out of breath.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"I heard Rikku yelling your name." Brother said regaining his breath. "Are you sure your okay my Yuna?"
"Yes"
Rikku stared at brother and yelled something in Al Bhed at him. Brother yelled something back and came rushing up the iron stairs.
Another clamoring came from the elevator. Buddy came running down the corridor into the room just as Brother was ascending the iron stairs. "Hey, calm down!"
Brother stopped mid stairs. He slunk back down the noisy stairs and through the chamber towards the elevator. He seemed pretty upset. Buddy followed him back up to the bridge.
There was silence. Then Paine spoke. "Well, you should get some more rest Yuna, that is if you can." She walked off down the stairs and to the elevator.
Rikku looked at Yuna and sighed. "Night Yunie." She ran off.
Yuna lay down upon her warm and comfortable sheets. She did not sleep the rest of the night. She stayed awake thinking about things, anything that popped into her mind. She spent a considerable amount of time thinking about three years ago when she was with Tidus. She recalled sitting with him at the fire in Zanarkand that night and all the fun times she had with him. Morning finally came and she rose out of her comfy bed. She strode up to her cabinet and pulled out her clothes. She got dressed in her gunner outfit and discarded her pajamas in a hamper.
A crackling came over the intercom. "Gullwings to the bridge!" Brother shouted over the intercom.
Yuna rushed to the elevator and rode it to the bridge. She stepped out and ran down the empty corridor to the bride. She leapt over the railing and onto the center of the bridge. Rikku and Paine joined her. Brother sat in his pilot seat. Buddy announced there were sphere waves coming from the calm lands in Remiem Temple.
Shinra turned around in his large seat. "There is a high concentration of fiends in those ruins." He spun back around and went back to working on his keyboard.
Buddy turned to Yuna. "Want to go?"
Yuna looked at Rikku and Paine, they both shook their heads yes. 'Alright, Gullwings wove out!" Yuna cried.
"Roger." Buddy said typing in the coordinates.
The Celsius flew through the clear blue sky of the early morning. They flew for only a few moments till they reached the entrance to the calm land ruins.
Yuna, Rikku and Paine exited the Celsius. They strolled over to the entrance it was well worn and had great green ivy grew upon it. The letters and shapes on it could hardly be seen from hundreds of years of decay. There was a rather large crack in the corner of the entrance that none of the noticed. They walked into the ruins and found there was no light.
"Awwwww, now what do we do? I can't see." Rikku complained as they walked into the darkness.
Yuna looked around franticly for some sort of illumination. Off in the distance she spotted a small splotch of illumination and began to go towards it. "I see something. Come on."
Rikku and Paine hastily followed Yuna as they descended into the cavernous ruins. The light grew more and more vibrant as they rushed towards it. In the direction of the light came a fiendish deep roar that echoed throughout the entire premises of the ruins. Rikku jumped at the sound and hid behind Yuna. Yuna stiffened up from the evil sound but Paine continued on normally.
The three companions stopped. "I don't think that is just a light." Rikku said as she cowered behind Yuna.
Another thunderous bellow rang through the ruins. "We don't know how to get out of here so we have no choice but to proceed." Yuna announced.
The vibrant light began to move towards the three companions with booming footfalls. As the light came closer and closer they noticed the outline of the fiend. It was a large lizard like fiend with a though hide and spikes upon its back. The illumination was flames gushing out of the fiend's fanged mouth.
"Yuna, we have to kill it." Paine stated. She took her blade and assailed the fiend. Her blade glanced against the fiend's rock hard hide.
Yuna whipped out her guns and fired at the fiends head. The bullets glanced off the fiend and refracted off the wall hitting the dirt in front of Rikku. "Nothings working."
The fiend let out a burst of flames at the three companions searing the air. Paine stepped forward and brought her sword down on the flames and reflected them away from the three of them. The fiend let out a terrible bellow. Rikku covered her ears as the deep bellow rung through the ruins.
Rikku drew out her two orange-red daggers and went for the fiend's stomach. Her blades were deflected off its rough hide and they stuck into the dusty ground. Rikku yanked her daggers out of the old ground and went for the fiend's head. The fiend bit at one of her daggers and grappled it with its fang like teeth. It wrenched it out of Rikku's hands and flung it down the bitch black corridor.
Rikku leapt back. "No fare!"
Rikku took her remaining dagger and tried to stick the fiend in the eye. The fiend moved its large head and dodged her attack at the last second. It spewed orange flames at her as she flipped away from the fiend. She dodged the flames and shouted for Yuna's aid.
Yuna took up her guns and fired consecutive shots into the fiend's head. Its tough hide deflected all the blazing bullets. She slid one of her guns back into its holster and aimed her remaining one with her steady hands. She aimed for one of its eyes and fired. The shot rang off the moss-covered wall and echoed on. The fiend lost one of its eyes and went into a howling fit.
"I'll take it from her Yuna." Paine rushed up to the distressed fiend and shoved her blade into its flaming mouth and down its throat. Purple colored blood gushed up out of the fiend's mouth splattering on the ground and walls.
The fiend lay limp on the chilly moss-covered floor as pyreflies began to rise from it. Paine pulled out a cloth rag and wiped the purple blood off her blade. She threw the bloody rag onto the mossy floor as she turned to Yuna and Rikku. "Well, what now?"
Rikku looked about for something. "How are we supposed to do anything if we can't see?" She stumbled, trying to walk.
Yuna's green and blue eyes gazed down a shady corridor. A faint pallid light shone upon something. She began to stroll towards the enchanting light down the mysterious passageway. She walked as if hypnotized by some heavenly force. She began to disappear from Rikku's and Paine's sight as she strode forwards to the light.
Rikku ran after Yuna's disappearing figure, "Yunie! Wait up!" Her shoes clamored down the empty passageway.
Paine started up following the other two, "These two are hopeless." She ran after the hollering Rikku.
Yuna reached the orb of pallid gleaming light. She stood in front of the hypnotizing orb staring into space. Rikku encountered a few fiends as she rushed down the hall towards Yuna, where Yuna had walked right past them. She flicked her daggers into the fiends' flesh and cut them down running. Paine ran into the same problem but they were all pushovers. Rikku and Paine finally reached the dazed Yuna.
The orb was a video sphere, but it was blank with nothing on it. It just shone there on its quartz pedestal attracting Yuna with its pallid radiance. Rikku and Paine stood behind Yuna for some time without doing anything. Then Rikku grasped Yuna's cold shoulder and gave her a minute tug. Yuna did not react to Rikku's tug, only stood there gazing upon the vacant orb.
Rikku looked at Paine. "What are we gonna do Paine?" Rikku looked back upon Yuna.
"I don't know."
Rikku grasped both of Yuna's chill shoulders and heaved upon them desperately trying to wake her from her reverie. Yuna's body just shook with Rikku's movements but she did not acknowledge Rikku. "Yunie wake up!" She continued to shake Yuna violently. "Come on Yunie!"
Rikku finally gave up on waking Yuna from her trance and stood behind her, head lowered. Moments later Yuna regained her senses. She turned around on her heels and gazed at Rikku and Paine. Her green and blue eyes were moist with tears. Rikku gaped as she saw Yuna's face streaked with tears.
"What's the matter Yunie?" Rikku queried, her big green eyes looking into Yuna's.
Yuna wiped the tears from her face, "Nothing is wrong."
Paine looked at Rikku and Yuna. "Then why are you crying?"
"These are not tears of sadness but joy." She smiled a bright smile.
Rikku and Paine glanced at each other and shrugged. "What are you so happy about Yunie?"
Yuna smiled at Rikku. "Let's just say I found out something really good about someone." She walked past Rikku and Paine, her footfalls echoing down the corridor.
Paine and Rikku glanced at each other with a questioning glance before following Yuna. They continued down a corridor until they came to a moss-covered wall. The three sphere hunters spun around and walked back the way they came hugging each side of the walls. Rikku finally found another passageway and they continued down it. Yuna turned a corner and saw glowing sunlight at the end of the gloomy passage.
The three of them rushed down the corridor, their footfalls sounding after them. As they came closer to the shining a large shadow began to cover up the golden sunlight. Rikku stopped on her heals nearly causing Yuna to bump into her. Paine stopped before colliding with Yuna and gazed at the shadow.
There came a deep roar from the outside bellowing through the ruins. An object came rushing at the three friends. Rikku and Yuna fell on one wall and Paine on the other to make a passage for the shape to run through. The figure ran past the sphere hunters discarding a few golden feathers. 'A chocobo!' Yuna thought to herself.
A crashing came from the entryway where the shade bared the three friend's escape. A few rocks were wedged lose and came crashing down upon the mossy ground. Rikku leapt back in surprise as a large rock smashed onto the floor in front of her. The shade passed after crashing into the entryway for about three minutes. Paine released herself from the wall and strolled down to the doorway. Rikku and Yuna followed in suit.
The three of them exited the ruins and were ambushed by a massive fiend. It had a colossal head upon two large legs. Many sharpened teeth jutted out of its massive wicked mouth. Two extensive arms spread out from the head and ended in two muscular fists. The fiend had no body, just had a head with legs and arms. In its right fist was clutched a poor chocobo. It squawked and cried out as it was being suffocated in the strong grip of the fiend.
Rikku drew her two red-orange daggers and rushed at the fiend's right fist. She embedded them into the fiend's bulgy wrists it let out a terrible cry and released the squawking chocobo. The chocobo ran off across the dipping rope bridge extending to the calm lands.
The massive fiend swung its left arm at Rikku. She ducked under its massive arm swing and ran back to her friends. Paine was about to charge as the fiend swung its gigantic arm and struck her, sending her flying into a wall. Yuna whipped out her pistols and began to pump it full of lead. The bullets had no effect on the fiend's terrible charge as it barreled down upon her and Rikku.
Rikku leapt to the side glancing off the fiend's fingers. Yuna was not so lucky, she took a commanding blow in the side and was flung into a broken down statue. She couldn't pick herself off the ground and fell back down trying to lift her body. Rikku jumped onto the fiend and bore her flashing daggers into fleshy head. The fiend let out a distressed cry as it trashed out wildly. It smashed through the statue where Yuna lay helpless. Debris fell at Yuna. She managed to roll a few feet just barely out of the range of the falling statue.
The bellowing fiend thrashed about making Rikku lose her balance and fall top the warmed ground. The fiend's gigantic feet thundered upon the ruins' stone walkways letting out deep vibrations. Some broken down jetties began to crumble and plunge to the ground adding only more to the chaos.
Rikku was almost trampled by the fiends clamoring feet. She rolled out from under the stomping just to barely avoid a plummeting piece of debris. She pulled herself up and looked around for Yuna and Paine. Yuna had gotten to her feet and was firing relentlessly at the fiend. Paine was off in the distance half covered by debris, not moving.
Yuna's strength was weaning as she fired franticly into the friend's glower eyes. Her arms began to quiver with each shot from her powerful pistols. She backed up to a wall and leaned on the moss for support as the shots rang out. A few of the zipping bullets flew into the fiend's yellow eyes blinding it temporarily. Its loss of sight made the fiend more infuriated and it began to trash about move and move violently.
A load hovering sound became apparent as Rikku ran over to Yuna's side. The Celsius appeared between two fluffy clouds. Brother's voice could be heard over the loudspeaker. "Yuna! I'm coming!"
The Celsius came hovering down near the fiend that was in a fit of anger. A large crane sprung out of a port side hole and lowered a net down onto the rampaging fiend. The net draped itself over the fiend and then closed around its enormous feet pulling it into the air. The crane moved the fiend over a vast chasm to the side of the rope bridge that was suspended between the ruins and the calm lands. The crane released the net along with the fiend into the vast chasm. It fell with a shrill bellow as it plummeted into the gorge.
The Celsius began its descent to the ruins, lowering a rope ladder to the three sphere hunters. Rikku and Yuna strode over to where Paine was trapped under some rubble. They heaved on the large boulders and rocks but they didn't budge. Brother came hastily down the rope ladder, falling down it ten feet to the ground. Rising to his feet he hastily ran to Yuna.
Brother reached Yuna out of breath. "Yuna…. you all…right?" He puffed. Yuna nodded and pointed to Paine pinned under the wreckage. Brother struck some strange pose and grasped the edge of a boulder. He heaved on it till he couldn't heave anymore.
Buddy came down the rope ladder a minute after Brother. He came over to the three struggling to lift the wreckage off of Paine. He radioed Shinra and ordered him to prepare the crane. Shinra activated the crane and positioned it above the rubble. Buddy gestured to Brother, Yuna, and Rikku to step aside as the crane came down and lifted up the rubble.
Yuna and Rikku dragged Paine off the cleared ground to her feet. Paine's reddish eyes opened to see her friends hauling her. Yuan saw Paine's eyes open and glanced at Rikku with her bi-colored eyes. "You okay Paine?"
Paine gazed up at Yuna with her emotionless face. "Yeah." Yuna smiled at her friend's emotionless expression. She was relived to see that Paine was unharmed.
Brother helped Yuna and Rikku haul the immobile Paine up the rope ladder to the Celsius while Buddy radioed Shinra to crank up the ladder. The rope ladder rose up with the five of them on it fumbling in the air. When they got into the Celsius Yuna and Rikku took Paine to her bed and made her rest despite her refusal. Yuna went and rested upon her bed and closed her eyes.
Well there you are the first chapter. I hope you liked it. As always R&R please. An if there are any LOD fans out there check out my other story "Bardel's Fury".