Chapter Four:

Is it an inside hurt or an outside hurt?
It's an inside hurt. My heart hurts, mommy

It was so very, very cold. She shivered, which woke her up. The world swam before her eyes, but that didn't matter much since it was bathed in darkness.
Kisrel sat up, against the protests of her screaming back. She looked up first, at the hole which had delivered her to her current status of ache and pain. And she blinked. And then she blinked again. She had fallen a good thirty feet! By all laws of nature she should be dead! And yet all she had was some bruising. She squinted as she tried to remember the events after she had headed towards the mysterious blue light.
She had felt panic surge through her as she realized she was falling, but then time and space blurred into nothingness. She did recall a vauge feeling of slowing down, as if a soft wind had hindered her plummet. She shook her head and closed her eyes. None of it made sense. Kisrel pressed her hands hard against her throbbing temples, trying to put things in order. Then she laughed, an odd sound in the vacancy of her temporary prison.
"Well this is a good start."

She didn't waste time. As soon as she felt able, Kisrel stood up and looked around. It was incredibly dark, but not pitch black. She moved her hands down a wall that felt like it was covered in a thick layer of slime. Repressing her gag reflex, she used the wall as a reference until she reached a door.

A single torch burned in this small room. Kisrel didn't even bother speculating why it was lit. With all the other surreal experiences she had had so far, one blazing torch in a room no one had stood in for two centuries seemed almost normal.
It was what the torch revealed that interested Kisrel. A Sphere. Just like the one the strange boy-that-wasn't had given her. She moved towards it carefully, testing each wooden board of the floor before placing all her weight on it.
The firelight cast elusive and frightening shadows on the blackened walls of the Inner Chamber, like watchers, silently observing everything she did. Kisrel tried to ignore them.
A floor board creaked, and she almost jumped in startlement. But it was only a monkey, with wide expressive eyes and long flat ears. It looked at her, balefully, but she had no desire to pet it. She knew that these 'adorable' creatures were vicious thieves and could rob you blind.
"Shoo," she hissed, and after giving her a look that could have meant anything, the little monkey obeyed.
Kisrel turned her attention back to the Sphere. It glowed and pulsed, beckoning her. She felt no resistance to obey. Reaching her hand out tentatively she grasped the bright object.

"That wasn't a very feel-good ending was it?"
"People who want happy endings have to write their own."

There was no picture, only feelings and sounds. Kisrel caught her breath. She had to strain to hear the voices but the emotion came through loud and clear. Satisfaction tainted by dissapointment. Kisrel fell to her knees, but she was barely aware of it.

"Dr.P, what is your diagnosis?"
"The hardest person to know is yourself."

Humor. Concern. I/She was at war with herself.

"What is it?"
Terror. Sadness.
"It's an Aeon!"
"YOU MUST STOP!"
Desire, urgency. Confusion.
"You want to get yourself killed? We have no choice! Fight, we have to!"
Adrenaline. Ending. Exhaustion.
"Thank you, Paine. You were right. We had to fight it, didn't we?"
Loss.

Kisrel gasped, as the scene ended. She had no energy left in her, only a deep seated sadness. There was no doubt in her mind who or what she had just felt. It was Yuna. But what did the Sphere mean? What was its significance? She growled in frustration. Every time she thought she was closer to getting answers she was only left with more questions.
"What are you trying to tell me?" she whispered into the darkness.

Her heart nearly stopped when it answered.
"Well first, I want you to slowly stand up and back against the wall. Then I want YOU to tell ME what you're doing here."
At first Kisrel was afraid it might be the Marauders, that they had followed her here. But the leader's voice had been rough and coarse while this one, though obviously male, was smooth, almost melodic. And very self-assured. She did as she was told, but her dark eyes flared with defiance.
"I don't have to tell you anything,"she announced. A laugh, from somewhere in the shadows. Quiet but sure.
"That's true. But seeing as how I just saved your life, I think a little appreciation is appropriate." The speaker finally showed himself. She took in a dozen details at once. He was most definitely Al Bhed. And not the kind that had all sorts of other races mixed in. Full blood true Al Bhed. You could tell from his bright blonde hair, looking as if he had been born in the sun. His height, just slightly above average, though that wasn't typically Al Bhed. And he was cocky. He stood with his hands hooked into his pants, his head tilted to one side as he observed her with unveiled interest. She felt like a bug, not being use to such attention.
"Well?" he asked, expecting an answer.
"Well what? I was being attacked by those Marauders, and decided to hide in here. Then I fell through the floor." She shrugged as if the answer had been obvious the whole time and he had been just too dense to get it.
"Yeah. I saw the hole on the way here." His expression changed to one of suspicion.
"And-"he continued, "-I find it hard to believe you would survive such an event."
That makes two of us, Kisrel thought, but kept it to herself. Instead she just offered another shrug. He stepped closer, giving her an even better look at him. True Al Bhed, with the same crystal green eyes and smooth tan skin. Kisrel tried to imagine how she looked at that moment. Tussled and dirty, her hair in dissaray and her clothes torn. And not caring in the least.
"What's your name?" he asked, abrubtly changing the subject. Kisrel licked her lips which had become dry and dusty. She didn't know if she really wanted to tell him, she didn't even know if she trusted him. But if he had really saved her life...
"Kisrel." There she said it. No taking it back now. She looked at him expectantly. Taking his cue, the Al Bhed rescuer tapped his chest and replied:
"Zavv. Now that the pleasantries are over, let's say we get outta here, eh?" He reached out his hand. She eyed it warily, but in reality, what else was she going to do? She tried to look like she was in control of the situation and strode past him, but suddenly he reached out and grabbed her arm. She was about to protest VERY loudly, whne she happened to look down. She'd been about to walk off another drop off, only this time she couldn't see the bottom. She stared into the face of her two time hero and felt her face flush red heat. He gave a broad smile as he pulled her away from the offensive hole.
"That's two you owe me, kiddo."
Not knowing what else to say, she just shook her head and replied:
"Whatever."

Kisrel followed Zavv outside...and beheld her first sunrise.
Zavv looked at her sharply as she gasped, first in suprise and then sheer delight. And what a sunrise. The sky was a splash of vivid, vibrant colors of every hue and tone. From the horizon, the lowest point she could see, the light was pure gold, brighter than Zavv's hair. Above that was the most fiery shade of red she had ever seen, matched only by the deep crimson above it. Higher than that, the last vestige of night clung to Spira, holding on desperately in a cobalt blue. But that receded quickly leaving only light azure in its place.
How long she stood there she could not recall. Only that it was the most spectacular thing she had ever seen.

Finally, she deigned to look at Zavv who was in turn, looking at her, with a mixed expression of amusement and confusion.
"What?" she demanded, defensively, brutally aware of her lapse in self-control. He shrugged non-committally.
"I've never seen the sun before, okay?"
He blinked.
"What, like...never?"
She shook her head, energetically. He gave a low whistle. Kisrel would have said more but at that moment the rest of his party decided to arrive.
There were only four of them. Three males and one girl. The latter was obviously not thrilled by Kisrel's presence, as she made clear by asking, belligerence oozing from ever word:
"Who's she?" Two words. And yet they implied a dozen emotions, the least of which was disapproval. Kisrel wanted to snarl, but she kept her emotion in check.
"This is our 'rescuee', Dom. She says her name is Kisrel."
Kisrel didn't miss the implication that he believed her to be lying. 'Dom', as Zavv had called her, studied Kisrel, up and down, missing no details. Kisrel was beginning to tire of being remorselessly judged and critisized by strangers.
"Now, if you don't mind-"
"What were you doing down there?" Dom cut her off. Kisrel glanced at Zavv who had been noticeably silent. He nodded in encouragement, but it didn't make her feel any better. Still, she didn't like lying, even to strangers, so she came out with it.
"I make for the Macalania Ruins."
She waited as surprise exploded on their faces. Zavv spoke first.
"Why?"
Kisrel raised her head, but showed nothing on her face but cool self-possession.
"My reasons are my own." Dom snorted.
Kisrel turned and looked at her. She was pretty in that Al Bhed kind of way, with the same sun-kissed blonde hair that Zavv had, but high-lighted with just a hint of red. Her eyes were a pale blue, icy but clear. She was shorter than Kisrel, and slighter in build, but she had a sinewy strength and an agile form. Her outfit was a bit less concealing than Kisrel's one piece black body suit, but then an outfit such as Kisrel's would not be practical in the desert. Instead, Dom wore a two piece outfit, the top being a green tank that tapered in at the neck, and cut off just below her bust line, exposing most of her abdomen. It was matched by a pare of light green shorts that didn't leave much to the imagination but were made to move in. She was very beautiful and well proportioned and obviously felt threatened. Kisrel was night to her day, darkness to her sunlight. Silently, Zavv watched the mental battle, his own expression, unreadable. Suddenly, his head snapped up. Kisrel watched his face go from bland to intent. He didn't look so care-free now, in fact she found the intensity of his eyes disconcerting.
"What is it?" Dom asked, ignoring Kisrel's presence entirely. Zavv swore in Al Bhed. Kisrel blushed, she had heard such words used before by...lower born. Abruptly, he turned away, but glanced back over his shoulder to say:
"Bring her."
There was no questioning such a tone, but Dom did anyway.
"But-but she's a Zanarkite!" she exclaimed, mortified. Zavv shook his head, as if a fly was buzzing nearby.
"I don't care. With what's coming this way, I refuse to leave anyone-" he paused for effect,"-ANYONE behind. Now...bring...her."
Finality.

For some odd reason, when Kisrel had heard Zavv say 'Bring her' she had assumed it would be in some nice, reasonable fashion. But no. Dom handed her a dirty rag that had probably once been orange but was now a stale brown color. Unfortunately, the Al Bhed girl didn't deing to tell Kisrel what it was for, and when Kisrel didn't do what she was suppose to-ie, wrap it around her face-Dom punched her straight in the face, rendering her unconscious.

"Well what was I suppose to do?"
"Not knock her out!"
"She can't find it. None of them can."
"This is different."
"You only say that because-"

The pain in her head was wearing off, giving away to icy anger. She sat up and became aware that the disgusting rag was still on her face, she could smell it. Sweat and blood and slime. She tried to tear at it but found that for the second time in as many days, she had been bound.
At least all her movement had attracted the attention of her rescuers/captors.
She felt strong but careful arms, lift her up, and untie her. She knew it was Zavv but that didn't stop her fury from unleashing itself. The instant she was free, she was upon him, verbally, because she knew she couldn't take him physically.
"How dare you? I-" she stopped. She sounded adolescent. Putting on her coolest expression she said, very distinctly.
"You WILL let me go. Now. I-" she was forced to stop again, this time by Zavv's rich laughter. And it wasn't a chuckle. His head thrown back and his chest heaving, he guffawed with gusto. Kisrel was confused to say the least. He threw his arms out, and Kisrel noticed for the first time where she was. A whistle came through her mouth. Now THAT was a Temple. It shone in the sun, a Shrine to the sun. Every orifice gleamed gold, every window stained with sunrises. And it was HUGE. It had a rounded dome, that opened as they neared it, basking in the radiance of the day. Zavv took her arm.
"Welcome to Dra Dasbma uv dra Necehk Cih. The Temple of the Rising Sun."