Disclaimer: I don't own…you know the rest…
Chapter 7: Rebellion
Rikku felt pain flush through her body as she slowly came to. She felt weak and giddy and her joints ached, but those were sign she was alive, and that was all that counted.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw a blurred figure bending over her. Blurred, but familiar.
Startled, she got up like a bolt of lightning, conveniently giving the figure a head-butt.
"Ow…ow…ow…" yelled the figure as he backed off.
The voice sounded so familiar to Rikku as she balanced herself. Blood now flowed more smoothly through her body, resulting in her vision getting cleared. Now she could finally put a name to the voice. Tidus.
Tidus too looked surprised to see her.
"You…you're Rikku…" he managed to choke out.
"Who were you expecting? The Hulk?" Rikku answered sarcastically.
"You don't look so good…what happened?" asked Tidus.
"You beat me up you meanie," replied Rikku.
"I...er…you mean you were in that thing?" asked Tidus again.
"Duh…" said Rikku.
A voice came from behind Tidus, "Your friend?"
"Yeah. Guys, meet Rikku. She was the one who helped me out when I first came to Spira. She's an Al Bhe-" Tidus stammered. He couldn't reveal Rikku's true identity in front of Wakka.
"Well then…hello Rikku," Wakka greeted. Quite obviously, he didn't hear Tidus clearly.
Rikku, seeing her acceptance by a group of potential Al Bhed haters, went up to Yuna and wanted to ask her something in private. Yuna agreed.
"Ok…secret girls meeting. Boys please wait over there," called Rikku.
Tidus and the others trudged a distance away. He wanted to hear what Rikku had to say. He wanted her to be a fellow guardian, but what if Wakka found out…what if….
Soon, Yuna, Lulu and Rikku approached.
"Rikku wants to be my guardian." Said Yuna.
"That's great!" commented Tidus.
Auron had a hunch. He walked over to Rikku. "Look at me." He ordered.
However, Rikku's eyes remained tightly shut. Uh-oh thought Tidus. He knows.
"Open your eyes." Auron ordered again.
Reluctantly, Rikku opened her eyes, revealing green pupils with swirls. The clear sign of an Al Bhed.
"As I thought." Muttered Auron again.
Rikku felt terrible. She had confessed to Yuna and Lulu she was an Al Bhed, they didn't seem to mind. Yuna said Tidus and Kimahri also didn't mind. The problem lay with Auron and Wakka. Wakka was a clear cut Al Bhed hater. However, he didn't know how to tell and Al Bhed from a Yenonite. Auron was a different case. They didn't even know his feeling for Al Bhed, but the feared for the worst.
Thoughts of Auron's oversized blade slashing her into bits were clouding Rikku's mind. She kept her fingers crossed and hoped for the best.
Finally, Auron broke the silence, "You sure you want to do this?"
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
"A hundred and ten percent," replied Rikku eagerly.
"If Yuna wills it." said Auron.
"Alright guys, that's settled. Let's move out!" shouted Tidus.
The party made their way up the scenic path of the moonflow to their next stop, the subterranean city of Guadosalam.
A/N: Guadosalam: the most fucked up place in the entire game. It's cold, wet, damp and…fucked. Amen.
"Lady Yuna, welcome to Guadosalam," an elderly and well-rounded guado greeted.
"Greetings," replied Yuna.
"Er…no offense brudda, but who the fuck are you?" asked Tidus.
"Oh…where are my manners. I am Tromell (single or double 'l' ?), servant of Lord Seymour." Replied the guado. "He requests your presence at his manor to ask something of great importance."
"Ok…we'll go," said Yuna.
"Thank you Lady Yuna. This way please." Said Tromell as he bowed respectfully and led the way.
Tromell didn't have to lead the way, the party would have found their way there anyhow. Seymour's manor was smack in the middle of Guadosalam and was nearly twice as tall as ordinary residences. It was illuminated with lights and had a big sign saying: 'The Residence of Lord Seymour.'
The party was told to wait in the dining hall while Tromell went to get Seymour. The interior was illuminated by lights hanging from the ceiling on bronze chains. The floor was lined with polished marble tiles and the walls were decorated with pictures by famous guado artists. Expensive pottery lavishly decorated with precious gems were place on equally well decorated bronze stands. On the large cherry wood table lay a spread of delicacies from every corner of Spira. In the middle of the table was the most beautiful flower arrangement Yuna had seen, boasting many rare and exotic flowers. Seymour was bloody rich, that was for sure.
The heavy oaken doors to the room suddenly creaked open and the lord of the guado entered with all the vigor of a leader.
"Lady Yuna. Welcome to Guadosalam." Said Seymour, his booming voice echoing throughout the room. "Forgive my insistence of stopping you pilgrimage, but I have something of grave importance to tell you. If you would, come with me."
Yuna and Seymour proceeded to the back of the room. Seymour whispered something into Yuna's ear. Almost immediately, she flushed a shade of bright red and dashed back to the company of her guardians.
"What did'e say?" asked Rikku.
Yuna didn't answer and a silence fell over the party.
"He said…he said he wanted to marry me…." stammered Yuna.
"That's absurd!" yelled Tidus.
"Totally crazy!" added Rikku.
"I…I think I'll have a word with my father." muttered Yuna. "Lord Seymour, which way to the farplane?"
"Exit the mansion and take a first left. Then proceed three blocks and turn right at Jyscal Boulevard. Then you should see a sign that says "Farplane" follow it and you'll be there."
A/N: About three to four hours after that.
Tidus was pissed. Very pissed. He knew women and from the looks of it, Yuna was gonna marry that good for nothing gayhole Seymour. He heard Lulu muttering something about "married in the name of Yevon…bring happiness to the people" blah blah… Like he cared. Screw Yevon, screw the people. The faster Sin was sent six-feet-under the better, don't have to waste time on some stupid wedding. I mean…did Yuna even love Seymour? Or was he just jealous. His emotions swirled round and round within him, threatening to explode in any moment.
But there was nothing he could do about it. Like Issaru said, "Not much of a future for a guardian without a summoner".
He needed to get his mind off this mess. He strolled through the streets of Guadosalam, receiving the utmost respect from the guado as he was Yuna's guardian. He kicked a stone that was lying on the road and watched it skip towards a shop. A weapons shop. Just the right thing to take his mind off this. Shopping.
He entered the shop and was greeted by the owner who directed him to the longsword department. There weren't many people it the shop and Tidus managed to get the full attention of the shopkeeper.
He tried out all the swords, but none caught his eye. They were all too light, too heavy, too long or too short. Anyway, he was just window shopping, he had no intention of replacing the Brotherhood.
Then he noticed a rusted sword on a rack hanging on the wall. Under the sword was a brass plate that had several inscriptions in guado.
"What's that sword?" asked Tidus, "And what does the brass plate say?"
"There's a story to that sword, also a prophecy. If you have time, would you like me to tell it to you?" said the shopkeeper.
"Sure…go ahead," replied Tidus.
"You know the previous high summoner Lady Yocun? Shortly after she defeated Sin, about fifty years ago, her guardian, on her way back to Luca, passed by here. She was so grieved about her summoner's death that she committed suicide in her inn room. She stabbed herself with this sword and her blood covered it. We were never able to wash the blood off. My father bought the sword within hours as a memento to the guardian. However, it rusted overnight and no amount of oil or sandpaper could remove the rust."
The shopkeeper continued, "The guardian also left a note with a prophecy, 'When a guardian takes hold of this sword and the rust shatters for eternity, that guardian will bring the Eternal Calm'. Countless guardians took hold of the sword, the rust didn't even crack. No one believes the prophecy now."
"So the prophecy is on the brass plate?" asked Tidus. The shopkeeper nodded.
"Then lemme give it a shot, I'm a guardian too you know," said Tidus.
(Warning: Blatant He-Man rip-off)
The shopkeeper stood on a small ladder and carefully brought the sword down. He then respect fully handed it to Tidus. Tidus grasped the handle with his left hand and waited for a few moments.
Nothing.
"Guess it's not me," said Tidus as he shrugged and was about to return the sword when there was a crack.
Not a very loud crack, but loud enough to be heard by several other customers. They rushed over out of curiosity and were rewarded with a spectacular sight.
Starting form the sword-guard, a jagged blue line appeared and made its way across the blade. Soon, other lines appeared and more cracking was heard. The sword was now covered with jagged lines that shone out bright blue light.
Then it happened. A small piece of rust fell off and descended to the ground. All who were present gasped. Soon another piece fell, and another, till the whole sword was clear of rust.
Tidus stared in shock and awe of what happened. The sword had a long, relatively averaged-width blade. Judging from the length of the handle, it was a two-hander, but it was so beautifully crafted that he had confidence he could wield it one-handed. The guard was a series of metal bones arranged to look like someone's rib-cage. Embedded in the center was a menacing skull design. Inscribed on the blade was a word in some weird writing. (Sorry guys…no "I am the power!" I felt if I put it in Tidus will become a mindless muscle head like He-man)
The sword was strangely familiar. Almost too familiar. Tidus felt that he had wielded it before, but where, and more importantly, when?
Some customers, recovering slightly from their shock, cheered, while other bowed to Tidus and did the prayer.
"I like this sword. How much for it?" asked Tidus.
"The sword is rightfully yours. Take it," replied the shopkeeper.
"Do you have an Al Bhed to English dictionary?" asked Tidus.
"Why yes…give me a moment," said the shopkeeper as he scurried off to look for it. He returned soon after and handed the book to Tidus.
Tidus skimmed through the book and slammed it shut after a while.
"As I thought. The sword's name is the 'Rebellion'."
Tidus trained his double sword fighting skills through the night and had gotten the hang of it by morning. Satisfied, he proceeded to the courtyard in Seymour's mansion where the party was waiting.
"You're late," said Rikku
"Sorry…" muttered Tidus.
"Groovy sword. Where'd ya get it?" asked Wakka.
"From the shop," replied Tidus. He had no intention of telling them about the prophecy. He didn't even believe it himself to start of with.
"This is…the Rebellion, no?" questioned Auron.
"Huh! You know its name!" said Tidus.
"Jecht told me…oh nothing," replied Auron.
"What did my old man say?" yelled Tidus as he grabbed Auron by the collar.
"Lean in your own understanding. Don't count on others. This is your story, not theirs," Auron said calmly as he pushed Tidus' hands away. "Let's go. Time's a' wasting."
A/N: I always wondered why Seymour left Guadosalam for Macalania before the party. Since I play god here, I can explain why. And you were thinking 'why no predator?' Well ladies and gentlemen, here he is.
Bonus Scene with the Predator!
Seymour was all tucked in under the richly adorned quilts on his over-sized kings-bed. He was sucking his right thumb and in his left hand, he cradle a small brown teddy bear. Tromell was sitting next to him reading bedtime stories from 'Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes for little children and guado' (so much for a maester…)
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Lord Seymour, if you'll excuse me," said Tromell as he rose to answer it.
"ButI want to know the end of the story!" whined Seymour.
"I'll make it quick," replied Tromell.
Tromell and the guado guardian at the door had a short conversation before Tromell turned around and reported back to Seymour.
"Lord Seymour. I have disturbing news that one of Lady Yuna's guardians had managed to shatter the seal on the Rebellion," he reported.
"That's good isn't it," replied Seymour.
(Warning: Spoiler imminent)
"No it's not! We want to use Yuna to create you into Sin to destroy Spira!" retorted Tromell.
"But I don't wanna be that big thing in the sky!" fussed Seymour.
"You have to for Spira's good," said Tromell.
"Oh ok…" Seymour finally relented.
"However, even more disturbing is that the two guardians guarding the door were decapitated and beheaded. Their headless bodies are hanging from a nearby lamppost!" said Tromell.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Seymour screamed as he hid under the covers.
"Lord Seymour, you have to go and see it to address the people and send the guardians," said Tromell.
"I'm scared! I'm scared!" whined Seymour. Then, he had a brainwave.
"I know, Pooky will protect me won't you?" he asked his teddy bear. "I knew you'd say yes."
The scene was worse than Seymour ever imagined. The entire road was covered in blood. The guardians weren't just decapitated, they were gutted too. Their organs were flung in random directions, leaving sickening swirls of blood. They hung upside down from the lamppost, creating gentle spirals of blood from their open, gaping wounds. Although only two guado had died, the entire street stank of death. This was the work of no ordinary murderer, this was the work of a sadistic psychopath (guess who…).
Seymour put on a brave face and tried his best to contain his fear. He sent the two guardians and got some people to clean up the street. He then retired to his manor.
However, once inside, he scurried up to his room and hid under his blanket, tightly hugged Pooky and started to sob and scream. When Tromell came in to check on him, he ordered, "Tromell, get the guys to pack my bags and my toys. I'm going to Macalania Temple to hide!"