Chapter 8: Deception, Soul Gathering, and Betrayal
Eriks leadinglady- I'm glad to see that you actually review and fast too. My other reviews died or something. This chapter was delayed so much due to the fact that I only had you to motivate me and I got distracted too much by playing computer games with my friends and then I went camping this past weekend, which took up that time that I would usually write and also this chap is almost, if not two times longer than most of my other longer chaps. Anyway here's the next chap for ya.
The Celsius hovered in overhead cutting through the thin wisps of white clouds that sheltered Mt. Gagazet. The Celsius descended down to the pathway where Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were awaiting its arrival while lowering the rope ladder it had used so many times before. Rikku was the first one to grasp hold of the ladder and start the ascent up the twenty foot rope ladder. Paine was the second one up onto the ladder a minute after Rikku hurried up it. Yuna hesitated to ascend the ladder to the ship she knew would carry her towards Tidus and the danger that was involved in seeing him again.
Yuna walked over to Kimahri once again. "Thank you Kimahri for everything once again but I have to go now." She turned from the Ronso elder and headed for the Celsius.
"Kimahri wishes Yuna luck." Yuna spun around and smiled at her old friend and former guardian.
"Thanks Kimahri." She continued back to the ladder dangling from the bottom of the Celsius and climbed halfway up it. She and Rikku waved good bye to Kimahri as did he. Then when they were out of sight of their Ronso friend they continued the rest of the way up the rope ladder and into the Celsius.
In the cabin Yuna and Rikku sat on beds opposite to one another and chatted. "So, Rikku..." Yuna gazed up into her cousin's jade swirl eyes. "…any idea of how that magical barrier came up and saved you?" Yuna's bi-colored eyes were filled with wonder.
Rikku pondered her cousin's question before she remembered what happened. "You know, I don't have any idea but it was like someone or something wanted me to stay alive because I'm sure I didn't do anything." Rikku rubbed her chin in a pondering like way.
"Well, whatever it was it saved you Rikku and for that I'm thankful." Yuna began to cry softly. "When I saw him stab you I though you were a goner and I would never get to see you again." Yuna began to shake at the mere remembrance of thinking that her cousin was about to die.
Rikku moved over and sat beside Yuna. "Yunie, I'm still here no reason to cry." Rikku's attempt to cheer her cousin up once again was foiled. "Thinking on the past doesn't help anybody out Yunie. You gotta stay focused on what we're doing now and that is rescuing Tidus." Her words seemed to calm Yuna down a bit this time.
"You're right Rikku." She stood up wiping tears from her eyes. "We gotta go rescue Tidus now." Yuna turned to her cousin. "Let's go."
"Right!" Rikku agreed as she leapt up off the bed and bounded after her cousin down the stairs and off to the elevator down the corridor. The elevator lurched and began its ascent to the bridge where their friends were waiting on the arrival at Guadosalam.
As the chilled metal elevator hurtled towards the bridge an alarm sounded and Brother's voice rang over the intercom. "Yuna, Rikku, we have fiends in the engine room." His voice was cut off as the intercom went dead. Rikku and Yuna glanced at each other in curiosity.
"How did fiends get on the ship Yunie?" Rikku queried to her just as clueless cousin.
"I don't know Rikku." Yuna stated bluntly as she went over to the control console and began to type in the commands to go to the engine room. "But we got to go down there and get rid of 'em." The elevator came to a sharp halt and then lurched again as it began its descent into the engine room.
The twin metal doors shielding the elevator from the engine room sung open with a slight swoosh. There were no fiends in sight or any damage to the engine or the room from what the two cousins could tell. A dark shadow moved upon the lighter ones in a quick stalking method. The two cousins were oblivious to the fact that many fiends surrounded them hidden in the shadows cast by the engine. Then all at once the fiends leapt out at their unsuspecting prey claws and teeth out thrust at the two girls.
Rikku was toppled over by a large lizard like fiend which hastily leapt off her and spun around on the ground. A rather large wasp fiend poised its stinger into an attack position behind and above the unsuspecting Al Bhed girl. Rikku pencil rolled to her left as the stinger from the great wasp fiend buried itself into the metal holes of the walkway. The agile lizard came back for another quick attack at its prey but was quickly tossed aside as Yuna shot the fiend in the temple just a foot in front of Rikku. The fiend bounced up into a wall before bursting into pyreflies that continued on with their ascent to the farplane. The wasp fiend managed to free itself form the metal hole prison right as the lizard was blown against the wall. It hovered behind Rikku and prepared fro its attack when Rikku noticed it and spun around with a dagger in hand at the blade. She tossed the dagger into the fiend's diminutive head and watched it plummet to the floor.
A flan fiend plopped itself right down in front of Yuna as she disposed of yet another lizard fiend with her dual blazing pistols. The fiend jiggled up and down a bit before a cluster of ice bolts shot at Yuna. She barely evaded the ice bolts as they zipped past her head and the rest of her body. One of the ice bolts did manage to scrape her right leg but it was only a mere flesh wound and she continued on fighting. She fired off a dozen shots into the ice flan but the bullets either just passed through its jello like body or were completely submerged in it and rested peacefully in it.
Yuna decided it was time for a new plan of action and evaded another of the flan's ice spells. 'So it can't be affected by physical attacks.' She thought as she contemplated on a new course of action. 'Yes, I'll use my black mage dresssphere and use fira on it.' As the words passed through her head, she withdrew the black mage dresssphere and underwent the transformation to a black mage.
With her newly acquired magical skills along with a rather large witch like hat she began to cast a spell. A ball of intense flame began to form in front of the black mage as she prepared to cut the ice flan down. The fiend unleashed another barrage of ice bolts at Yuna but they were melted on impact with the red orange ball of flame shielding Yuna from any frontward attack. When she had gathered all power possible she unleashed the fira spell right into the ice flan. The fiend let out a squealed of pain as the super heated flames smashed into its body. Its body began to hastily drip away as the flame ball proceeded through the fiend and to the other side. The fiend's body, what was left of it, burst into pyreflies right after Yuna's immense spell passed through it.
Rikku retrieved her dagger from the ground where the fiend dissolved into pyreflies. As she gripped the hilt and dragged it up into a fighting stance a rounded, triangular fiend with two yellow slits for eyes descended behind her. She whirled around to see the fiend charge up a magical attack. She hurried to close the gap between her and the fiend but she wasn't fast enough. A bolt of lightening came crashing down upon her paralyzing her on the spot. She collapsed to the ground still paralyzed from the flash of lightening the fiend struck her with. The fiend charged up for another lightening strike when a voice could be heard casting its own spell. The fiend was engulfed in a crystal ball of water that burst slamming the fiend into the ground. Rikku mustered up enough strength to get upon her feet and rushed over to the incapacitated fiend and impaled it with her dual yellow and orange daggers.
As the triangular fiend burst into pyreflies a deep throated growl came from within the depths of the shadows. A torma then leapt out from the depths of the shadows surrounding the engine at Yuna. The black mage was caught off guard and knocked to the ground in surprise. The fiend clawed relentlessly at Yuna with its razor sharp claws and pressured its head down closer to her throat. Yuna struggled to keep the torma's fangs from sinking into her flesh as she also deflected away many a swipe from its razor like claws.
The sound of doors opening caught Yuna's attention as she battled for her life against the unrelenting fiend. The sound of metal flashing into flesh sounded next sending a tiny spray of blood over Yuna's head. The fiend lay limp upon her before quickly bursting into pyreflies. "Thought you might need some help." Paine stood above Yuna wiping the trace amounts of crimson blood off her skull blade.
Yuna just smiled. "Thank you Paine." A thick shelled komodo dragon like fiend crept up on the warrior that had saved Yuna from the torma. Paine swung around and in one fluid movement she flipped her blade around in her hands and decapitated the fiend sending it into pyreflies immediately.
A specter etched with blue-white smoke around it creped out of the shadows that engulfed the engine on the unsuspected thief. Rikku let out a silent scream when she finally saw the specter creeping up on her and froze up in terror. The specter edged closer and closer to the young Al Bhed girl while she stood there gawking in fear. Yuna and Paine shot warnings at their friend as the ghastly fiend neared her but she didn't budge. Yuna charged up a lightening bolt as the specter was only a foot away from her cousin. She raised her hand and dropped the bolt of lightening upon the specter's head distracting him from his prey.
Paine charged the ghost fiend with her skull blade dragging along side her in the usual fashion. She leapt up into the air only three feet away from the specter and brought her blade down upon its misty head. Her blade slipped right through the specter's nonexistent flesh and dug itself into the metal floor with Paine's momentum. The fiend turned to fully face Paine and raised a finger leisurely apparently casting some sort of spell. A petite figure adorned with a blue-black and an odd white and red mask appeared out of thin air in front of Paine. It revealed one of its arms to be harboring a set of large steel claws fused with its arm with a black mist gently cascading to envelop the ground with the same mist.
The miniature figure swung its clawed arm at Paine with unimaginable speed; she was barely able to duck under the massive swing. She attempted to impale the figure with her blade but when she pressed the blade through its flesh it made no contact with anything, only air. Paine cursed as the figure then followed her feeble attempt to slay it with a counter attack using its clawed arm. The blow scrapped Paine in the back, tearing little slits into the black leather she was clad in and drawing trace amounts of blood.
While Paine was fighting the losing battle against the demonic figure Yuna was over trying to snap Rikku out of the trance the specter had placed on her. She succeeded in freeing her cousin from the fiend's fearsome grip and helped her to her feet. The two cousins gazed upon their friend as she battle the minute figure in the white and red mask and saw that she desperately need help. Rikku rifled through her various pouches and produced the white mage dresssphere she owned. She underwent the transformation into a white mage as Paine took another scrape to the stomach.
Once her transformation was completed Rikku rushed to her battling friend and stood beside her. She placed her hands up in front of her face into a prayer gesture and then began to glow with a pallid light. The vivid pallid light intensified with each passing second causing the demonic figure to shield its eyes from the intense vibrant radiance. Rikku then continued her prayer by pushing her hands out flat towards the minute floating figure. Out of her hands came a burst of highly concentrated holy energy concentrated right on the figure. The holy magic washed over the minute, demonic figure causing it to give out a shrill cry of pain as it writhed in the holy energy. When the flash of holy magic disappeared the floating figure was nowhere in sight, it had been completely disintegrated out of existence.
Rikku preformed the same spell to disband the ghastly fiend that had only moments before paralyzed her with fear. As the three friends caught their breath after the small squabble a light snickering came from within the depths of the shadows around the engine. A woman emerged from the shadows with a false smile spread across her sapphire colored lips. What appeared to be ice etched upon the left side of her face overlapping her left eye but not closing it off. Her blue hair cascade down a little past her waistline with golden ribbons braiding it the entire length. At the end of each braid of cerulean hair was a steel circle looped through each braid. A bikini top with a snow flake imprinted on it and a sheet of ice covering her left breast stretched across her chest. A swimsuit bottom rested on her thighs with a half dress like Yuna's stretched the length of her right leg.
Rikku leaned up to whisper in Yuna's ear. "What's an aeon doing here Yunie?" She slowly pulled herself away from her cousin's ear after her words over her lips.
"I have no idea." Yuna admitted to her cousin.
"Hey, maybe Issark came to pay us a little visit." Paine jested although it was apparent that that would be the most likely reason. Shiva let another smile pass upon her sapphire lips as she raised her right arm into the air. She slowly guided her had down towards where the three friends stood. They could hear the air above them being sliced as an object plummeted to the earth hastily. "Move!" Paine commanded as a large clump ice shattered upon the ground where they had just stood.
Yuna was the closest to the goddess of ice and began to conjure up a massive fire spell. Shiva noted the spell Yuna was preparing and unleaded a spell of her own. The colossal sphere of water hurtled towards Yuna and her ball of fire. When the immense water ball collided with the fire orb Yuna was conjuring a wall of steam shot in all directions from the center of the collision. Yuna braced herself as a wave of excruciatingly hot steam splashed over her body. Rikku leapt back away from the hastily vanishing steam as Shiva just stood in the midst of it all.
Paine took up her skull blade and charged the goddess of ice. Her blade was a foot away from impaling Shiva through the chest when a wall of ice randomly appeared between the warrior and the ice aeon. The blade ricocheted off the wall and dragger Paine back about five feet almost toppling her over. She regained her balance and prepared for another charge at Shiva. Paine signaled Yuna to conjure up a fiaga spell and launch it when she was about to hit the barrier. Yuna nodded in agreement and began to prepare the spell.
Paine took up her skull blade once more and charged wildly at the goddess of ice. As Paine drew closer and closer Yuna got more and more ready to unleash the spell she was harboring. Paine leapt into the air drawing a smirk from the seemingly arrogant aeon. As Paine began to plummet down upon the ice barrier Yuna called out, "Fiaga!" and hurtled the fire spell at the barrier of ice at the point where Paine would fall. The ice melted away rather hastily leaving a large gap where the falling warrior could get a clean shot at the aeon. Paine fell right through that hole and took a cleaving blow at Shiva. She just raised a hand and as the blade rushed towards it ice shot out of her left hand and froze the blade in mid air.
Paine yanked on the hilt with all her might but she couldn't free it from its icy prison. She couldn't call upon Yuna to use a spell to free her sword fore it might melt the very thing she was trying to get freed. The warrior had only one choice to make either run away or go hand to hand with the ice goddess. She chose the second option being the serious fighter that she is and began hand to hand combat with the aeon.
The first fist Paine flung at Shiva landed gently in the palm of her hand. Paine felt a surge of cold and pain shoot up through her hand and then into her arm. Shiva had clutched her fist and was crushing it with her mighty aeon powers and then freezing it over with her magic. As her right hand was locked with the aeon's left she lashed out with her own left. This time she struck the aeon in the face causing her to blurt out something incoherent and then yank Paine close to her via their gripped fists. As Paine came flying towards her, Shiva punched her in the gut with a commanding blow that knocked the wind out of her. As Paine was falling back from the blow Shiva tugged on her arm once again and drew her back to the ice goddess. Shiva brought a knee up into Paine's face almost snapping her nose. The ice goddess released her grip on Paine's right fist and let her plummet to the ground with the momentum conveyed by her last blow.
Rikku focused all of her magical energy possible into one holy attack and fired it at Shiva. The ice goddess pivoted on her heels to see the holy spell hurtle at her. She tried to evade the massive concentration of energy but was caught in the blast anyway. The searing pain that overtook her was like a living hell. Every nerve ending in her body burned with an intense pain that one would only envision as the pain of roasting in the fires of hell. Her eyes began to blink with darkness as the pain overtook her mind, shutting it down. She collapsed to her right knee and right elbow as she began to glow symbolizing her defeat.
A sudden rush of cooling warmth splashed throughout her body as she felt the severe burning pain subside. A voice crept into her head. 'Don't fail again. I can't keep you alive easily from this distance.' Shiva understood and began a full scale attack on the one who had just injured her.
Rikku's jade swirling eyes shot open in horror as Shiva immerged unscathed from her massive blast of holy energy. She was also exhausted from using all her magical energy into one attack and couldn't cast another spell of the same of greater magnitude. She decided that she should use a different dresssphere since she had no magical energy left in her body. She contemplated on which to choose. 'Gunner? No. Thief? I might have enough speed but not enough power. Ah, This one!' She produced her dark knight dresssphere and underwent the transformation.
Shiva drew back her right hand as energy began to condense around it. Rikku was almost at the end of her transformation into a dark knight when the ice goddess shot out her right hand forward. From her outstretched hand came a wave of solid ice that froze Rikku to the ground where she was standing. When all the ice formed itself around the dark knight Shiva leisurely raised her right hand up again. With a click from her middle finger and thumb the ice formation around Rikku shattered with a deafening noise. Rikku collapsed to the ground onto her stomach when the ice prison shattered into millions of tiny shards.
Yuna felt anger boil up from within herself that she had never experienced before in her life. This intense anger welled up inside her as Rikku was struck with the deadly diamond dust spell. A faint green radiance began to pulse through the engine room as Yuna's feelings of hatred intensified. The green energy all at once flowed together to encase Shiva in its plutonium like glow. The ice goddess gazed around at the prison of jade energy she was engulfed in with shock and horror. Yuna smiled and called out, "Ultima!" The green radiance that engulfed Shiva lit up and exploded with an earsplitting screech.
The shockwave resulting form the ultima blast threw Yuna back up against the wall behind her. Shiva writhed in pain as the blue and jade flames spun around her in a torrent of pain. The ice aeon collapsed down upon her right knee and elbow as she did before. Her skin began to shimmer and fade into a solid liquid like form, still keeping the shape of her outline. Pyreflies slowly leaked out of the liquid like form that used to be the body of the ice goddess.
Yuna lifted her weary head and shook it to make her vision clear. She gazed about the engine room half expecting Shiva to leap out and strike her down, but when the aeon never did she hurried over to the form of her cousin. On her way over to where the collapsed Rikku lay she reached into a pouch at her waist and drew out the white mage dresssphere. She continued to run on over to her incapacitated cousin while she transformed in mid flight. Rikku's body was chilled to the touch but there was still some warmth radiating out from the core of her body. Yuna placed her hands slightly above Rikku's back and began to chant some words that couldn't be made clear. Her hands glowed with a blue white shine as they hovered gently above her cousin's immobile body. The blue white sparkle flowed off her finger tips and enveloped the young Al Bhed girl's entire body. She coughed after the aura washed over her body for about ten seconds and opened her fatigued jade swirled eyes to meet Yuna's blue and green ones.
"Hiya Yunie." Rikku greeted her cousin after her spell of unconsciousness. She leaned up onto her hands and knees which trembled at the slight shift of body weight. Never the less she stood upright after having her legs quiver with ache and faced her cousin. "Hey, where's Paine?"
The two girls glanced around the engine room in search of their friend. They saw her laying upon the floor on her back, arms and legs sprawled out in all directions. The two cousins rushed over to their friend and they each cast a high power healing spell on the injured Paine. Her crimson eyes fluttered open as the soothing warmth flowed through her veins from the dual healing spells. Paine sat upright in between the two cousins washing a smile of relief and joy over their faces. They stood up and each outstretched a hand to their warrior friend. She took one in each hand and was hauled up onto her feet by her two friends.
"How do you feel Paine?" Yuna queried when she hoisted her friend to her feet.
"Fine." Paine stated bluntly walking past the two joyous cousins towards the elevator. "Coming?" She cocked her head back and questioned the cousins who were standing there gawking at her.
Rikku started off towards her friend and the elevator. "Yeah, we're coming!" Yuna took off after the hyper Al Bhed girl and the serious gothic like warrior.
As the three sphere hunters grouped themselves on the metal elevator Buddy's voice crackled over the intercom, "How's everything down there?" The transmission ended Yuna enough time to answer the asked question.
She held the wrist communicator up to her lips. "Everything's fine. We were just coming back up to the bridge." She let her arm fall to rest at her side once again.
The silence that followed was cut when static crackled over the intercom again. "Good to hear you're all safe. By the way we are almost at Guadosalam so you might want to get ready." His words echoed on through the empty hull of the airship as the elevator continued to glide its way up to the bridge.
The Celsius came to a halt right over the entrance to Guadosalam and lowered down the large cargo bay lift. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine stood on the lift as it made its descent to the dusty road on the outskirts of Guadosalam. The three companions leisurely strolled into the Guado home town seeking the entrance to the farplane. All the buildings were repaired since the last time they were here when all the fiends attacked. The harmonious melody of the musicians from Macalania woods floated through the air giving off a calm aura. A few Guado children played in the once deserted and desolate streets of the Guado home town.
The large antique crimson doors that barred the passageway into the farplane were boarded up and had a Guado guard on either side. Rikku charged up the rest of the way to the door to the farplane and right past the guards. Her fists pounded upon the boarded up door relentlessly as the Guado guards just stood silently. "Hey! What's the big idea! We have to rescue Tidus!" She then continued on to hit one of the guards in rage and confusion.
A familiar and calm voice came wafting up the ramp into Rikku's ears. "Please Miss. Rikku calm down." Tromell came up the path at his usual leisurely pace towards the infuriated Al Bhed. "You have to understand. We had to shut up the farplane due to the past attack on our home by those fiends from in there. I am just doing my job as leader and protector of the Guado." The old Guado's slow and calming words seemed to have some affect on Rikku.
"But…but…if we don't…" She stammered but was cut off by Yuna.
"Rikku." Yuna got the full attention of her blonde haired cousin. "I want to get to Tidus more than any of us be we also have to respect Tromell's decision as the leader of the Guado for the safety of his people." She explained the situation in a way her cousin could understand.
Tromell began to apologize, "I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have put you into but…" He was cut off by an understanding nod from the three sphere hunters. "If there is anything else I can do for you I would gladly see to it."
Yuna smiled at the elderly Guado. "No, it's okay Tromell you don't have to do anything for us. We must get going though." Yuna gathered her two friends and began to stroll down the path to the entrance to Guadosalam. "Good bye Tromell." Yuna waved back just as they rounded the corner and went out of his sight.
Back aboard the Celsius they bounced ideas off each other of ways to get into the farplane as soon as possible. "So how can we get into the farplane if Guadosalam is blocked off?" Rikku was the first one to ask the question everyone had on their mind.
"It's quite simple Rikku." Paine shot in from her usual dark corner drawing questioning glances from Yuna, Rikku, Buddy, and especially Brother. "We go in the way we did a year ago, through the fayth holes in one of the temples." Paine expressed what she had on her mind to the rest of the group.
Rikku was bounding up and down on her heels till an idea suddenly leapt into her head. "Hey, why don't we use the hole in the temple on Besaid? That way we could see Wakka, Lulu and their cute little sun again." She took center stage in the conversation.
Paine shot an annoyed glance at the giddy blonde haired Al Bhed. "Because then Wakka would probably want to come along to save his bud." Her words confused Rikku.
"But what dose that have to do with anything?" Rikku questioned as she got up in Paine's face. "Then we would have some more help to rescue Tidus not to mention that we would be spending time with one of our old friends. Besides, Wakka is a good fighter so what's to worry about." Rikku tried to make sense of what Paine had just said.
Paine shook her head at her clueless friend. "Dose Yuna look happy about the idea of going to Besaid?" Rikku tilted her head in the direction of her cousin. Sure enough as Paine said it Yuna didn't look too excited about the idea, instead she looked kind of depressed. "See Rikku. If we go to Besaid and tell Wakka and Lulu what we are doing there then Wakka will for surely get caught up in it and tag along. Then if anything were to happen to him Yuna wouldn't be able to stand the fact that she made one of her friends get hurt or worse." Rikku looked back and forth between her cousin and Paine. "Get it Rikku?"
"Well…yeah. I mean I understand most of it." She continued to contemplate and analyze everything said to her in her brain.
"Good enough." Paine admitted just to get on with the question of where to go. "Now, any other suggestions?"
Yuna rubbed her chin trying to remember exactly where all the holes to the farplane where located. "Hey! How about we go to Djose temple?" The idea shot into her mind like a lightening bolt. "I know how much you've wanted to see Gippal again after your run in with him on Bikanel." She expressed her new idea.
Rikku looked upon her cousin with a look of confusion. "How did you know that?" She covered her mouth quickly as the words floated into the air. She began to blush.
"It seems our little Rikku is growing up." Paine jested from her overshadowed corner.
"Hey!" Rikku's face turned an even brighter color of red. "Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" She attempted to cover her face with her hands but the brightness of her beet red face shone through the slightest crack between her fingers.
"Okay, then it's decided!" Yuna spun around rather quickly almost losing her balance to face Buddy and Brother. "Let's get going to Djose!" Buddy and Brother ran back to their posts and leapt in their seats simultaneously drawing a slight snicker from Yuna.
The Celsius sliced through the air as it hurtled at a lightening fast pace towards Djose temple. When they arrived at the sandy machine fraction HQ the air ship hovered over the ground and lowered the cargo bay lift as it did when they were here last time. Rikku, Yuna, and Paine emerged from the depths of the shadows cast by the air ship. An Al Bhed came running up to the three girls as the Celsius took back off into the azure sky leaving them to enter the farplane "Hello, and welcome to Djose temple the HQ of the machine faction!" The Al Bhed greeted the quests. "Oh, hey Rikku!" He noted that he recognized these guests. "Ah, and you must be Yuna." He gazed at Yuna for not more than a second before his memory clicked with the face.
"Hello, we're here to see Gippal, is he around?" Yuna greeted the Al Bhed man and queried on Gippal's current location.
A disappointed look passed over the Al Bhed man's face. "Oh, I'm sorry he is with Nooj and Baralai I believe." He apologized for the absence of his leader.
"I see." Yuna contemplated on what to do next since the plan had revolved around Gippal. "Is there anyway we can get into the chamber of the fayth?" The man looked at her like she had five heads and tentacles but responded.
"Sure you can. Although I don't know why anyone would want to go into that old place but who am I?" The man gestured for them to pass into the former temple and into the chamber of the fayth.
As the three sphere hunters strode into the former temple past all the machina and Al Bhed working on them thoughts bounced around in Rikku's head. 'Why dose he always avoid me or act like a jerk when he is around? Could it be because he is afraid of what I might do if we keep these feelings for one another? Or what he might do?' By this point she had stopped in the middle of the stairs that lead up into the chamber of the fayth. Yuna called out to her to hurry up which broke up all thoughts in her mind.
Rikku hurried up the rest of the way up the stairs and passed through the chamber before entering the fayth chamber. The chamber of the fayth didn't change much since a year ago when Yuna got knocked into the farplane by Ixon. The large gaping pitch black hole with mingling pyreflies floating throughout it still stood in the enter of the chamber. It still had the distinct scent of fuel and oil from the three years of being filled with operating machina. Yuna and Paine were already nestled on the edge of the hole when Rikku entered the room.
Yuna gazed back at Rikku and then at Paine. "Well, it's now or never." She let herself slip into the seemingly never-ending void that they all knew too well to be the entrance to the farplane. Rikku and Paine followed suit shortly after their friend plummeted into the vast void.
Once inside the farplane the three companions gazed around in confusion as they didn't see the damp murky cavern like structure with numerous platforms hovering in mid air with fiends crawling all over the place. Instead it was more like the inside of a large complex. The walls were made of steel and glinted in the soft light that pyreflies emit. The floors weren't the dust covered murky dirt and rock but rather it was smoothed over granite. Light fixtures mounted on the ceiling gave off more than enough light to see every little detail in the complex like structure.
Footsteps sounded throughout the long, open corridor the three companions strode upon. There was noting in the corridor or any other for that matter, save the lights on the ceilings that cast a pallid glow upon the entire structure. Only a few shadows lingered in the corners of the chambers and passageways, but for the most part it was lit well. No furniture lined the chambers or corridors and no signs of life were perceived, not even fiends who would have usually called a place like this home.
Yuna, Rikku, and Paine milled around through the numerous passageways and chambers in the complex structure. "What do you suppose this place is?" Rikku queried while she beheld the one dimly lit room they had encountered since their arrival. "And how come there aren't any fiends here? Every other time we came to the farplane in the past year we always have encountered fiends." Her question raised a querying stare from Paine who had rested herself upon the wall to the north.
Paine pushed her way leisurely off the wall and surveyed the area neighboring her. "Maybe we're not in the farplane." She stated frankly retreating back to the wall she had regretfully given up to answer her friend's pondering mind. "Take a look around." She gestured around the room and down the foyers. "Dose this look like the farplane to you? There are usually pyreflies roaming sporadically through the air which brings the fiends, hence the reason for no fiends." She deciphered what was in her mind.
Yuna rapidly scrutinized her surroundings with her bi colored eyes. "Something's not right here…" Her feet carried her throughout the entire chamber with her right hand firmly placed upon the grip on the hilt of the pistol in the holster lashed to her waist.
A cry chimed from the shadows of an abandoned corridor neither of the sphere hunters noticed when they arrived into their current room. The soft call radiated out from the shady passageway, the cry increasing in volume till it echoed off the walls of the alcove but it was still incoherent to everyone. As it continued to increase in volume so did its clarity. "Yuna!" A familiar, young, energetic, warm, and loving voice called out to the former summoner.
A figure began to appear in the gloom of the corridor, taking more and more shape as it proceeded forward at what seemed to be a running pace. Out of the shady passageway came a blonde haired teen with a yellow and white shirt with black shorts with a 'J' etched in red orange on the right pant leg. His deep blue eyes meet with Yuna's blue and green ones causing tears to well up in her eyes immediately. They both ran into each other's arms and stood still in the heart of the chamber for moments on end. Yuna's voice then broke the silence through her cries of happiness. "Tidus…you're safe…" The young man pulled himself away from the former summoner and smiled.
"Yuna…" She glazed up into his blue eyes as he continued to speak. "…I love you." He enveloped her in another passionate hug. After another few moments the two broke free of each other's grasp and Tidus noted the other two in the chamber. "Hey Rikku. And you're name is?" He gestured to Paine.
"Oh, that's Paine." Rikku answered the question aimed for Paine. "She's not much of a talker." Paine gave an annoyed look at her friend which drew a smile from Yuna. "So, Tidus…" He glanced over to her, giving her his full attention. "How did ya escape?" Rikku changed the subject rather hastily.
"I managed to escape when the guys that had me tied up left into another part of this place to talk in private." He explained how he escaped the clutches of the enemy. "I managed to pick one of the arm locks with my teeth and a lose pin from my shirt. Then I just continued on to unlock all the rest of the shackles."
Tidus went back to Yuna and placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "We better be going. No telling when those guys might show up again." He slid his hand down her arm and clasped his hand in hers. They began strolling down a corridor in the opposite direction from the one they came in.
Rikku started to follow the reunited couple but had to impose a question. "Why are we going this way? Shouldn't we go that way?" She motioned to the passageway they had come in on from the entrance. "We came in through there so the exit's there too." The couple turned back to their hyper friend.
"I know a shortcut." Tidus stated bluntly and pulled Yuna back around to follow the path that he had set before.
"Wait! How do you know a shortcut? You were imprisoned here not just exploring."
He turned back to face his AL Bhed friend once again, only this time he was annoyed with her constant questioning. "I wandered around a lot before I found you three after I escaped. Is it so hard to believe that I would know one?" He continued with Yuna through the doorway into the corridor he selected.
Paine strode over to stand beside her dumbfounded friend. "I don't even know the guy and I say theirs is something not right going on here." Her words drew Rikku's attention.
"What do you mean?" Her questioning was in a very confused manner.
Paine's gazed followed the former summoner and her love down the dusty corridor that they were following. "I can tell that he isn't himself just by how he answered your questions. He acted like you didn't matter and he was going to proceed with his plan no matter what like he wanted to get Yuna somewhere and quick."
Rikku looked even more confused with Paine's every word. "So, what dose that mean then? Than that isn't Tidus? Or what?" Her jade swirled eyes now followed the slow paced couple as they strolled peacefully together.
"Exactly."
"Well, why can't Yunie tell it's not him if it isn't? I mean how can she not tell if it's him, she knows him the most." Rikku continued with her never ending torrent of questions.
"Maybe she is just over excited because she is finally back with the one she loves after three years."
Rikku glanced at Paine and then back at the couple walking down the ever darkening corridor. "We can't just let Yunie go with that imposter!" She took off after her cousin but Paine landed a hand upon her shoulder, holding her back. "Lemme go! We need to tell Yunie!" Paine tightened her grip on her friend's shoulder sending a small wave of commanding pain through the Al Bhed girl's body.
The warrior let go of Rikku's shoulder and explained herself. "We can't just go and tell her outright, she won't believe us. You know Yuna more than I do so you should know how she doesn't let something go easily if she believes in it. We have to wait for the right moment." She continued on with discussing her reasoning for detaining Rikku and on how to save Yuna.
The two of them caught up with their two other friends within a minute of conversing. After a short while of meandering throughout the passageway they were in they came to a dead end. Tidus broke free from Yuna's grasp and walked up to the wall where a minute recess was placed. He placed his right hand into the alcove and a clicking noise sounded through the silent chamber. Nothing happened. Then all of a sudden the wall began to peal back to reveal a sheet of crystal glass. On the other side of the thick glass stood a figure shackled to the wall.
Yuna's eyes shot wide with confusion and fear as she realized who the figure belonged to. "Tidus!" She hollered to the figure behind the glass but it muffled the sound to nothing. The imposter Tidus began to laugh maniacally at Yuna's intense reaction.
"Muwahahahahaha!" The imposter doubled over with malevolent laughter. "Your reaction was greater than I had hoped. I wonder what you're thinking right now. Could it be how you just spent a whole hour walking hand in hand with a complete stranger without realizing it?" The man laughed as he spoke, breaking up some of his words.
Paine glared at the imposter with deadly crimson eyes. "As I thought. You're not Tidus at all but an imposter." She drew out her skull blade and readied herself for the battle to come.
"My, my. Aren't we hasty?" The man walked closer to the group of girls. "I haven't even shown you what I look like yet nor told you my name and you want to fight." His body began to glow with a jade shine as he underwent a transformation. When the jade light retreated from sight it left the man by himself in a new form. Long, platinum hair cascaded down past his shoulders which he flicked a stray bang out of his deep brown eyes. A blood red short sleeve shirt rested upon his broad chest. Baggy jet back pants fastened with a gold and silver belt flowed down his long legs. "Now that you see me for who I am, now I can tell you my name. My name is Xanthos." With that he charged at Paine, unarmed.
When he neared Paine, Xanthos unleashed a massive barrage of punches and kicks. Paine cast her blade aside and blocked each of the oncoming blows with her fore arms and catching them in her hands. "So, you're the one from Gagazet too? I recognize your fighting style." He unleashed a massive kick that landed square on the warrior's chest. She was flung through the air five feet then crashed on her back to the ground with an echoing thud.
"Yes, I am. And it seems that you haven't improved your fighting style since then so you cannot hope to beat me." He rushed up to her and grasped her by the shoulders and tossed her through the air and into the nearby wall. She struck the wall flat on her back and flopped off the wall onto her stomach forcing the wind out of her lungs. She unsteadily rose to her feet to meet an uppercut to the chin sending her straight up in the air two feet and then plummeted back towards the ground. Xanthos spun around and then spun back on one heel letting fly a devastating kick to the warrior's torso.
Yuna whipped out her twin pistols and aimed them at Xanthos' head with sturdy arms. She squeezed on the triggers firing two high speed bullets at the martial arts master. The bullets zipped through the air but Xanthos did not take so much as a glance towards Yuna or the two bullets hurtling through the air at him. The bullets reached him and were about to sink into his flesh as his hands shot out lightening fast and grappled the bullets with his pointer finger and thumb in each hand. He shook his head in disappointment and dropped the bullets from his grasp.
Rikku rifled through a few of her various pouches lining her waist in search of a new dresssphere. She finally found one she decided to use and withdrew it from the leather pouch. Pallid light engulfed her as she called upon the power within the sphere. When the glow disappeared she emerged with a monkey on her shoulder that looked more hyper than she, if that is possible. She ordered the monkey to attack Xanthos right before he reached Paine. The monkey leapt up onto Xanthos' back and began to screech and howl in his left ear and scratch at his spine. In annoyance and pain he gripped the monkey by its long golden tail and plucked him off his back. Then he held the monkey away from his body and flicked it like a whip while releasing it in mid crack. It soared through the air until it made contact with Rikku. She was toppled over by the momentum of the flying monkey and almost landed on the thing.
Xanthos smiled and plucked a stone from the ground. He began to toss it casually up in the air while he waited for Rikku to regain her footing. 'This should be entertaining.' He thought as he caught the stone and clenched his fist tightly around it. He opened his clenched fist back up after a few seconds to reveal a perfectly ripe banana. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? I can change things outside of my body as well as my body into anything I wish." He then continued to spin it on the palm of his hand as the monkey's attention was drawn away from Rikku's commands and more onto the banana. Noting that his plan had worked he tossed the banana down an eerily dark corridor and watched as the monkey stupidly followed after it. "Ha! Relying on lower life forms, pathetic." A noise like a trap door opening sounded from the depths of the shady passageway as a distressed cry from the monkey shortly followed.
Paine by this time regained her breath and footing. She also changed to a different dresssphere, the dark knight. She charged Xanthos with her newly acquired sword and powers as he was preoccupied with his amusing act with the monkey. She leapt into the air and brought her spiky blade down upon his head. At the last second he pivoted on his left heel and caught the blade in between his hands. He twisted his hands to the side causing Paine to lose her gripping on the blade and tumbling her through the air. She got back upon her feet and charged him again to attempt to retrieve her sword from him. He amazingly relinquished the blade back to its master without any hesitation. He reached into a pocket in his pants and produced a tiny rod of metal. A smile passed over his lips as the metal rod began to glow with a white intensity. As the flash died down the outline of something could be seen in his grasp. The glow died completely to reveal him wielding a katana in his right hand.
Paine charged Xanthos as fast as her legs could carry her with her sword rested across her back. When she got within attack range she gripped the sword hilt securely with both hands and brought it down with a left diagonal slash. His katana flashed upwards to the left upside down to parry the two handed slash. Metal on metal sounded as Paine's sword was deflected with ease by Xanthos' katana. She hastily yanked her blade back and came in from the right with a one handed, horizontal swing. Once again his light weight katana parried the aggressive dark knight's blade stroke causing it to bounce off and making Paine stumble to the side. Xanthos saw his attack of opportunity and took the first blow her could deal. He jabbed out his sword hilt into Paine's stomach, doubling her over in pain. He removed the hilt from being imbedded in her torso and let her body slump over like a rag doll.
Rikku and Yuna both used their warrior dresssphere to transform them into a state where they could duel Xanthos. They emerged from the light made by the transformation with large blades at their sides. Xanthos saw the two cousins transform so he charged them with his full force. He dragged his katana along side him as he charged towards the two cousins. When he entered the attack range he pulled the katana up and to the left with two hands. Yuna and Rikku were caught off guard by his sudden assault and fell back from the attack. Then he wrapped his katana around to the left near the ground and continued his movement by binging it up diagonally to the right. Yuna fell to the ground from his attack that put a small gash into her stomach.
Paine got back upon her feet, grabbed her sword and rushed over to stand beside her two friends to prepare for the next attack. Xanthos smiled with amusement as he rifled around in another of the small pouches lining his waist. He produced another of the small metal rods and clasped it in his fist. The metal rod glowed as before and produced another katana in his left hand. He charged the three girls with his dual katanas dragging along side him. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine counter charged him and smashed into his blades with their own. He was knocked back by their sheer momentum due to the fact that there were three of them and only one of him. They began to unleash a series of deadly sword strokes against the shape shifter as he dodged and parried them.
Xanthos finally got off an offensive strike after blocking and or evading the multitude of sword strokes Yuna, Rikku, and Paine let fly. He parried all three of the girls' swords with his left katana and took back his right katana over and behind his head, holding it in mid swing. He pressed his blade against the three sphere hunters' swords, knocking them back a few feet. Then he finished his swing with his right handed katana sending a wave of cerulean wind hurtling towards Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. Yuna and Paine dove under the wave of cerulean illumination as it passed over, almost forcing the two friends back as the dove forward. Rikku was not so luck, she couldn't dive under the wave of destruction so she did all she could do to block it. She whipped up her sword in front of her perpendicular to the sapphire wave of wind.
A vibrant orange glow shot around the blonde Al Bhed where her sword collided with the azure wave of energy. The shine enveloping Rikku dissipated revealing her sitting on the ground with her sword propped up in front of her sturdily with her left hand placed on the flat side of the blade. Xanthos' jaw dropped wide in astonishment as he gazed upon the young Al Bhed girl that deflected the wave of energy he launched upon her. He quickly shook the bewilderment from his face and mind and prepared for another charge upon the battered sphere hunter. His twin katanas came down upon Rikku's head after being carried across the gap between them with lightening speed. Yuna and Paine flocked over to their friend from either of the flanks surrounding Xanthos. As his blades were just about to come down on the dazed Al Bhed Yuna's blade propelled itself above her head and parried the blow. Paine came in from the other side and brought her blade across from her left along Xanthos' torso. He leapt to the side almost toppling over Yuna but rapidly recovered and leapt back away from the group.
Yuna shook her cousin out of her stunned state and pulled her up to her feet. Paine filed in next to Rikku and Yuna, preparing for another attack or a counter attack if Xanthos attacked first. Her surprisingly stood back and let the three companions plan their next move. They all glanced at each other and nodded as they took off towards the shape shifter with implausible speeds. Yuna brought her blade from the right to the left with two hands but Xanthos flashed his blade up just in the nick of time sending the echoing sound of metal on metal throughout the vast room. Rikku thrust her blade into his stomach but that was also averted by him taking his right katana and driving down towards the ground catching her blade tip on his finger guard. With both his swords being used Paine saw her chance and pounced upon him through the air, driving it down to his chest. He moved his mass back a few inches as the warrior's blade came down upon him. The sword flew straight through the gap in between Xanthos and Rikku catching itself where the Al Bhed and the shape shifter's swords met, breaking the lock between the two.
Xanthos stumbled backwards from the unexpected blow dealt by Paine's blade stroke. An eerie laugh echoed from the shadows in amusement at Xanthos' folly. "Need help my friend?" The laughter ended and a figure stepped forward out of the shadows of the walls.
The shape shifter bent his head back around his shoulders to gaze upon the figure emerging from the shadows. "What took you so long Issark?" The shadows wrapped around him pealed back to show the green and white robed summoner.
The robed summoner withdrew his dual battle axes and strode up to the one that was his friend. When the two were standing side by side they then charged the three sphere hunters with their dual weapons. The three young girls broke away from one another, Yuna going to the left, Paine to the right and Rikku ran up to the two foes and leapt over them. The former summoner charged Issark from his right causing him to turn and focus all his attention on her. The dark knight took Xanthos' attention fully upon her leaving Rikku free to do as she willed. Yuna flipped her sword through her hands and brought it down upon the former summoner. Issark held his two axes crossing over each other and caught Yuna's sword in their steely clutch. Paine took her blade and drew it up from the ground to her left towards Xanthos' right side. He shot out his right arm with his katana brushing aside the dark knight's blow.
Rikku took her chance to assail the duo and rushed up to the men who were back to back. She took up her blade and raised it above the two fighters, who had all their attention focused on Yuna and Paine. Her sword fell down upon the shape shifter and summoner; however they both stepped forward in one synchronized fluid motion pushing back their foes and eluding the blonde girl's blade. After the blade fell silent to the ground the two men fell back to touch one another's back and each placed a foot on the sword, pinning it against the ground. Yuna continued her assault on Issark with a succession of multiple slices. He skillfully parried all of the multitudes of blows with the blades of his battle axes. He caught her sword in one of the holes in the axe head on his left axe and brought the butt of the axe handle to her stomach. Paine took her spiked sword and thrust it out at Xanthos but the assault was in vain. He slid his two katanas into belt loops on his jet black pants and reach out his hands. Her blade slid right in between his two palms as a clapping sound resonated as his hands crashed together to grip the blade firmly. Paine almost lost hold of her dark knight sword in surprise of the incredible skill Xanthos held within him. He crooked his wrists and arms to the right forcing Paine's sword to eject from her hands and come into the possession of Xanthos.
Yuna recovered from the blow to the stomach from the axe butt to her gut dealt by the summoner. She then rushed the summoner with her blade out behind her with the tip just barely off the ground with her left hand out across her chest. Issark swung his massive, magical axe in his right hand from up behind his head to out in front of him in an attempt the swipe the charging former summoner. Yuna, prepared fro this attack, shot out her left hand and gripped onto the handle of the battle axe hurtling towards her. Issark's jaw dropped down to the ground in wide eyed surprise at the block the girl put up against his heavy hitting axe blow. He rapidly yanked the axe handle out of Yuna's grasp and conveyed his battle axe in his left hand across at Yuna. She carried her sword up from behind her back along the ground and up to impede the approaching swipe. The sword traversed through the handle of the battle axe, severing the head off the shaft. The axe head flew over Yuna's head and dug itself into the ground behind her.
Paine, weaponless, tried to reclaim her blade from behind the shape shifter but Xanthos shot out his arm to clothesline her as she passed. She toppled backwards to the metallic floor as his muscular forearm smashed into her soft neck muscles. He swiftly gripped the hilts of both his katanas and ripped them out of their respective belt loops. He strode over to where the dark knight was knocked to the ground and drew out his katanas over her unmoving body. As his katana blades were about to plunge into her chest her eyes fluttered open and rolled to the left. A sharp pain flashed over her body as she rotated away from Xanthos on the ground but soon disappeared as she continued to roll away from the shape shifter. His blades rang off the ground and shook violently in his hands, almost making him lose control over them. Paine glanced over to where she had just been to determine what sent the sharp pain through her back. She caught a glimpse of her spiky dark knight blade and began to roll back towards it.
Rikku charged up to Xanthos as his dual katanas continued to quiver fiercely in his hands. She took up her blade and leapt into the air at the preoccupied shape shifter. Her blade dug into his flesh across his spine leaving a slight gash all the way across his back. He let out a minute howl of pain when Rikku's sword leapt off his skin. He spun around, dual katanas in hand, and glowered at the young Al Bhed girl and charged her. He brought his blades down upon her two shoulders but were repelled away by her own blade. He fell back after not succeeding in his assault against the troublesome blonde girl and contemplated his next move. An idea sprung into his head and slid his katana that he held in his left hand back into its respective belt loop. He then inspected the contents of his pouch and found what he was searching for. He produced a strange, small, pointed object and clasped in his palm as crimson light broke through his fingers. The strange, pointed object transformed into a prickly frisbee like weapon which he then pitched at the young Al Bhed blonde.
Yuna followed up her skillful severing off the axe head of Issark's left battle axe with a thrust to the summoner's stomach. He leapt over the blade with incredible ease, much to the dismay of Yuna as he came back down upon her with his remaining battle axe. She dexterously eluded the summoner and his deadly plunge from the sky with his magic aura battle axe. As she darted to the left of the now grounded summoner and took her blade up to the back of her neck. She then continued with her attack and swung her blue and gold blade at Issark's neck while continuing on a spin on her toes. He stood up right before the azure and gold blade slit his throat but not noticing the attack he was still struck in the chest and fell to the ground, bewildered.
The bristly frisbee like weapon hurtled towards Rikku with an immense speed that not even the over hyper blonde could match. All she could do was bring up her blade in front of her face to block the oncoming weapon and pray that her sword would bar its path. The frisbee like blade refracted off of Rikku's sword and smashed along the ground stirring up dust clouds and screeching noises. Xanthos cursed in silence as his plan faltered and shattered to pieces in front of his face. Rikku then charged the shape shifter after opening her eyes to see that her blade managed to avert the ring blade's trajectory. Xanthos slipped his other katana back out of its holster and back into its regular sword fighting stance. The blonde headed Al Bhed swung her light yet sturdy blade at the shape shifter's stomach. He fell back with a rather deep gash taken to the stomach and collapsed to his knees. Rikku poised her blade above Xanthos' head and was about to bring it down upon his neck to finish him off when a hissing voice rang through the chamber.
"Enough. You two are a disgrace to me for disobeying my orders to finish off the former summoner." A cloaked figure crept out of the shadows and lifted up a black sleeve. With that the tip of his sleeve began to glow gray as did the air around the fallen Issark.
"No, wait! What are you doing?" Issark shouted in a confused manner as his body began to dematerialize.
The cloaked figure let out an eerie, maniacal laugh from within the depths of the shadow covering its visage. "I gave you life so you could fulfill my wishes by taking care of the former summoner, Yuna, but you failed so I will take your life back." Issark's body faded to nothingness as pyreflies leaked into the figure's cloaked arm.
"What did you do to him?" Rikku shot an amazed question at the evil cloaked man.
The figure showed with his body posture that he was having a spell of laughter because he was quivering from Rikku's question. "Simple really, all I did was suck his soul back up into my body, gathering his energy to use as my own." The figure got a crook out of his neck and continued. "He was part of me. I absorbed his soul for the powers that he held as a summoner so I could recuperate from the wounds that you, former summoner Yuna, and your friends inflicted on me. Then I simply gave him some of my power as well as his own to form his living body so I could use him as a slave to do my biding."
Yuna stared blankly at the cloaked figure as did Rikku and Paine. "But why? Who are you? And isn't Xanthos under your control too? So why haven't u done the same to him as you did to Issark?" Yuna blurted out a random series of questions.
The figure appeared to be amused with her queries. "I did not absorb Xanthos because he is not a soul I put in a body unlike Issark, he is a living being just as you and I. And yes he is under my control but he won't be for long after he finds out my true identity."
Rikku shot a glance at Xanthos and questioned. "You didn't even know who you were working for?"
"No." He stated flatly shaking his head. "I was a fool. I needed the money that he was offering for the hit on you and your friend. And now it seems like I'm going to regret what I did. Show yourself!" The cloaked figure obliged Xanthos' command, removing the thick black hood shrouding his face in dark shadows.
The hood slid off to reveal a man of middle age with a few wrinkles in his skin and a scar or two running up and across his face. Brown mid length hair almost fell over his two dark brown eyes. "This is my true form, not that parasitic form you battled three years ago, former summoner Yuna." Yuna and Rikku glanced at each other with a madly surprised look of shock and horror as they realized just who this was.
"Yu Yevon." The two cousins stated synchronized with one another.
"Correct. I' am the one that controlled sin for those thousand years before you and your friends found a flaw in the Sin armor I was in and defeated me." Xanthos stared blankly at Yu Yevon as if something happened between the two a long time ago. "But this time I am not in that pathetic parasitic form to take over aeons because there are none, save the ones I granted Issark to summon against you."
Xanthos' body was trembling and his face was flushed red with what appeared to be raw hatred. "You…you are the one who destroyed my home island and killed my friends and family." His fists shook violently as his teeth clenched and his face became pure crimson. "How can you have no conscious and kill all those people with Sin, you sick son of a bitch!" The shape shifter charged upon the god with his twin katanas. He leapt into the air and came down upon Yu Yevon with his katanas imbedding themselves into the god's shoulders. Then he brought his right knee up as fast as lightening, smashing Yu Yevon's face in and sending him hurtling backwards.
The god got back upon his feet and smiled an eerie, evil smile that symbolized he wasn't affected at all by Xanthos' assault. "You cannot hurt me you pathetic fool." He forced a clenched fist into Xanthos' stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying backwards about fifty feet into a wall. "I can do as I will for I am a god." He proclaimed as he continued to laugh manically at the shape shifter's weakness.
Yuna strode forward and confronted the god. "You have…you have no right to take other peoples' lives even if you are a god, no one dose. What you did with Sin, you will never be forgiven for. All the people that lost loved ones to you in your armor known as Sin made no sense at all! At first I believed that it was a punishment from the sins of our forefathers but when I discovered the truth about Sin….there was no reason for you to kill people."
"But what you still don't seem to understand even after three years, Lady Yuna, is that he was trying to end Spira's suffering as was I by trying to become Sin." An all too familiar low, creepy voice bounded out of the shadows to reach the ears of Yuna and Rikku. A blue, spiked haired man with blue, red, and green robes with a black, odd tattoo placed upon the center of his chest emerged from the shadows. A tattoo like design wrapped around his forehead and stretched down on either side of his grayed eyes. He had long fingernails that were like three inches long.
"But…but…how?" Rikku stammered remembering the many times they had fought Seymour and then Yuna finally sent him.
Seymour grinned slightly at the lack of intelligence of the Al Bhed girl. "Simple." He walked towards the blonde girl. "Even people that are sent to the farplane can come back. Remember my father, Lord Jyscal, he was sent but he had an unclean death, by my hands no less, and tried to come back to the realm of the living to find peace. I died an unclean death at your hands, I still have to exact my revenge upon you two and the rest of your friends, like the one we have in the back room." He gestured to a door behind him in the shadows. "So I couldn't just rot in the farplane for all eternity. So, I regained my strength and then I found him." He pointed to Yu Yevon with a gnarled finger.
"So, what do you plan to do next former summoner Yuna?" Yu Yevon queried the sphere hunter.
Rikku leaned over to whisper something into her cousin's ear. "We gotta get past those two and get Tidus out." She pulled away from her cousin and awaited an order.
Yuna started off one foot and Rikku followed suit as did Paine. Yu Yevon and Seymour chuckled between each other as the three girls slowly strode up to the two of them. Yu Yevon began to perform some sort of spell casting movements with his hands but froze in mid spell. 'What is this?' The god pondered as he couldn't move any part of his body. He then turned on Seymour and shot a fire ball spell at the former Maester of Yevon. He was plastered to the wall by the immense about of energy coming from the powers of the god. Then he turned to Yuna and spoke in a familiar, rough voice. "Yuna, go!"
Yuna and Rikku faced the possessed god. "Sir Auron?"
"Correct. Now go Tidus needs you."
"But how did you get absorbed?" Rikku asked another of her obvious questions.
The former guardian turned to face the young blonde Al Bhed girl. "I was absorbed by him a half a year ago when he retook form and began collecting souls throughout the farplane to gain back his powers. He found me and we fought a long drawn out battle, but in the end he overtook me. But now you must go to Tidus and free him, I cannot hold control over this body much longer. So, go." He forced the three of them into the passageway that led to the chamber where Tidus was being held.
Tidus was shackled to a damp and dark wall on the opposite side of the small prison chamber. Yuna immediately rushed over to the one she loved and began to unlock the locks. Rikku shortly followed her cousin's actions trying to keep in mind what Auron said about that he couldn't hold control over Yu Yevon's body for long. When Tidus was freed from the shackles Yuna heaved him up upon her shoulders and carried him out into the hallway. Auron's voice called through the chamber. "Yuna, go now! We have no more time!" Yuna, Rikku, and Paine rushed out of the chamber and then into a corridor towards the exit of the complex.
A roar of frustration and pain shouted out from the chamber where Yu Yevon and Seymour were. "Get them!" The god screamed at Seymour but he couldn't catch up to the three sphere hunters and Tidus. The walls and ceilings began to tremble as fragments of the ceiling and walls began to break off and fall in the path of the four companions. They flocked through the crumbling corridors and chambers till they reached the entrance. A dark figure crept in the shadows in the entrance to the complex as the four companions exited through a portal back into the mortal realm. The figure followed them in hot pursuit but keeping enough space between them and him to remain undetected.