A New Saviour
Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy nor Shadow Hearts and you know who does.
Author's Note: First of all, thank you so much to Mako-Magic, Dragonheart7373, Skye, Palla, foxfire, Roc, ME, majin83, booyah, gigamesh, martius248, and Harakiri for the reviews! I'm so glad that people are actually enjoying the idea of this crossover. And from what I'm hearing, I'm rushing again. Sorry ^-^! I'll be extra careful with that from now on, but if I start doing it again be sure to tell me. It's this thing I've always had a problem with, but that's probably why I'm not a professional making millions of dollars. Yet. That last chapter was no good, I know. I mostly just wanted to get it out of the way 'cause I've got lots of ideas for later on. So hopefully the rest will be better. Thanks again guys! And I've decided I am going to include Amon as suggested. I've thought about it and I think I can fit him in, he just won't come right away. I was re-playing my Shadow Hearts (again) and I forgot how cool he was ^-^! Love that Demon Rays attack!
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Chapter 6
After the battle and the appearance of Auron, the group was ready to head to the temple at Djose. Of course, this meant that they would have to walk the long road to get there, which was simply crawling with fiends.
"Take that!" Tidus yelled as he slashed through the last fiend. So far the fiends that had attacked them hadn't been very strong, so the group hadn't been having any trouble.
"You're getting a lot better with that sword," Yuna praised as she smiled warmly at him. Tidus beamed, his cheeks growing a little pink. His mood had lightened slightly as they had continued their travels, yet Yuri could still tell that the whole Jecht-Sin thing was weighing heavily on his conscience.
"I must admit, you are an adequate fighter," Lulu added. "I guess you will be more of a help than a hinder."
"Was there ever any doubt?" Yuri asked. Lulu turned to him.
"Yes there was. I had no idea if you two could even fight at all, let alone how good you are. Besides, you actually seem to enjoy it to an extent."
"Well, I've been fighting all my life, I'm used to it. Thanks to that, I've changed from your ordinary bad boy type into a real psycho!" Lulu sighed and just shook her head. The whole time Auron had stayed silent, yet Yuri was becoming quite desperate to talk to the man. He had so many questions for him, starting with why he was here.
"I'm hungry. How about a quick stop?" Wakka suggested. The others nodded their heads. Wakka was able to find some wooden boards nearby, most likely from a carriage. Lulu helped by casting a fire spell. Yuna brought out some provisions and began to cook. Yuri saw this as a good opportunity to finally talk to Auron.
"So, you're the one who brought me here," he said, sitting down next to him. Auron didn't respond. "Come on Pops, I need to know! If you are the one that brought me here, then you can at least tell me why!" Auron glanced over at him at the 'Pops' comment, but still didn't say anything. "Alright, if you're gonna be that way, then you can at least tell me what happened to my friends!"
"You mean the two girls and the Adept?"
"Aha, so you can speak. So you know them? What happened?"
"I don't know." Yuri practically fell over.
"Whaddya mean you don't know! Tell me right now!"
"You really need to control that temper of yours," Auron said simply. Yuri's eye twitched as he balled his hand into a fist. Before anymore could be said Yuna called them over to eat. Yuri reluctantly stood up and headed over to the fire. At that moment, a large, yellow bird darted by, with someone riding it.
"What the Hell was that?!" Yuri asked as he watched the figure run down the road into the distance. "It looked like a giant, mutant chicken!"
"That was a Chocobo. They're real fast and it's easier to avoid fiends if you're riding them," Wakka explained.
"So Chocobos are just giant chickens?" Yuri asked.
"What's a chicken?" Wakka asked him, sounding just as confused as Yuri.
"Chickens are normal sized versions of that mutant that just ran by!"
"That wasn't a mutant. Chocobos are always that size."
"But chickens aren't! You asked me about chickens!"
"Well, yeah, 'cause I already know about Chocobos." Yuri just threw up his hands and sat down to eat.
"My head just exploded," Tidus commented. "I couldn't follow that at all."
"Maybe renting some Chocobos would be a good idea," Yuna commented. "I mean, it would get us to Djose a lot faster."
"That's a good idea. I think there's a place you can rent some a little farther down this road, at this inn/shop," Lulu informed them.
"There's no way in Hell you're getting me on a chicken!" Yuri burst out.
"We're not trying to," said Wakka, still confused. Yuna giggled. Kimahri didn't say a word, but still looked annoyed.
Soon they packed up and continued down the long path, running into two Crusaders, Gata and Luzzu. They chatted with them a bit before continuing. They had almost reached the shop when a voice called out to Yuna. They turned to see a woman in a long blue and green robe. Yuna approached her.
"Yes?" she asked. The woman smiled.
"My name is Belgemie. I am a Summoner as well. I just had to introduce myself to High Summoner Braska's daughter."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you," Yuna said politely.
"I'm curious about your skills. What do you say to a battle- Aeon against Aeon?" Belgemie asked.
"Ha, Yuna could wipe the floor with you!" Tidus exclaimed. Belgemie raised an eyebrow at him.
"Really? Then maybe she can teach me a few things."
"Okay, I accept," Yuna said. Belgemie smiled. The others stepped back as the two Summoners faced each other. Yuna summoned Valefor, patting the beast on the head before it took its position. Belgemie summoned Ifrit, a large, fiery beast with long, sharp horns and teeth. Yuna started out very well, using Valefor's Sonic Wing to slow down Ifrit's movements. But unfortunately, Belgemie's Ifrit was pushed into overdrive and unleashed its Meteor attack. Valefor fell to the ground and disappeared, although Yuna didn't look disappointed.
"You did quite well, young Summoner," Belgemie praised her.
"Thank you. Your skills are amazing," said Yuna.
"I hope to see you again." And with that, Belgemie left.
"That was interesting. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of her," Lulu commented as the group continued on, each having their own thoughts about the Summoner.
After a lot more walking, and quite a few more attacks, the group could eventually see a small shop.
"Wait a minute!" Wakka said, halting in his tracks. "That's an Al Bhed shop! You guys actually aren't thinking about staying here, are you?" No one answered him as he impatiently tapped his foot against the ground.
"Why not?" Yuri asked. "Do you see anywhere else to sleep or buy stuff at?"
"I'd rather sleep on the ground than in a place run by those . . . people!"
"Okay, suit yourself. 'Night!" Yuri called over his shoulder as he headed inside. Wakka stubbornly crossed his arms in front of him and just stood there before Auron turned and told him to get inside. Wakka immediately did as he was told.
The shop was pleasant enough. An Al Bhed man named Rin who sold them items such as potions ran it. After everyone replenished their stock of items, they sat down to enjoy a nice, hot meal, which Rin informed them was on the house.
"It's not everyday we're visited by High Summoner Braska's daughter," he informed them. No one protested, a free meal was something they could all enjoy. Even Wakka was able to scarf down three helpings, despite the fact that it was Al Bhed food. Their bellies full, everyone began to retire to their rooms one by one.
Yuri stumbled into the room that he would be sharing with Tidus and collapsed on the bed.
"Man, it's been so long since I've eaten that well! I'm exhausted!" He quickly drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*~*~
He didn't end up sleeping as soundly as he would have liked because pretty soon he found himself in the graveyard.
"Okay, this isn't funny anymore," he grumbled as he reluctantly headed towards the doors where the four masks floated. "Alright, what is it this time?" he asked flatly. "I was actually in a good mood before you idiots pulled this."
"Charming as always," remarked Gold.
"We have a new message for you," said Staff.
"Yeah, yeah, get on with it. I'd like to get back to sleep." The masks glared. They definitely didn't like the fact that he didn't fear them.
"Again, this message is only being passed on by us-" Grail started before Yuri interrupted him.
"And I know you're not gonna tell me who it is because you're all a bunch of assholes. Get on with it!"
"There is a creature you must conquer before true power can be passed on to you. One who is said to have control over life, death, and even karma," Sword began.
"What do you mean? Like, another fusion monster?" Yuri asked, his curiosity aroused.
"Yes. If you are not ready to conquer this soul, then you are definitely not ready to possess the ultimate power," Staff explained.
"So it's like a test. Well, bring it on then!"
"We will do no such thing. The one watching over you will decide when the time is right for you to battle this soul, for it is stronger then any of the monsters you currently possess," Gold said. Yuri hung his head.
"So you're pretty much telling me what you told me before. I gotta get stronger, then fight this new fusion monster, then I get to find out who's doing all of this for me." Yuri turned to leave. "I guess I'll be back then," he said miserably.
"Of course we will watch with interest," Grail said as Yuri began to walk away.
"For it would give us no greater pleasure than to see you fail," Staff added. Yuri stopped.
"What did you say?" he asked, turning. "What makes you think I'm gonna lose?"
"We know the soul you are to battle. There is no way you can win. You can barely handle the monsters inside you now," Sword told him. That struck a nerve.
"Excuse me?" Yuri began to grow angry.
"We know of the fear and doubt in your mind every time you fuse. You fear the very being that you become. You fear that you will become swallowed by the darkness!" Gold said, chuckling.
"You are afraid of yourself. You fear that the beings inside you will take over and you will destroy everything and everyone you hold dear!" said Grail.
"Which is why you will never conquer this new beast! You will lose to your fear and die along with everything you care for because you are too weak to bear the dark fate of a Harmonixer!" Sword said.
"Enough! Shut your stinkin' mask face!" Yuri yelled at them, balling his hands into fists.
"You only become angry because you know what we say is true," Staff laughed.
"Listen. I am not going to lose! Not to my monsters, not to whatever this new monster is, and especially not to you guys! I've got too much to fight for now to allow myself to even think about becoming that weak! You got that you bodiless freaks?" And with that, Yuri turned and stormed towards the entrance of the graveyard, trying his best to block out the cackling of the masks behind him.
*~*~*~*~
Yuri awoke still incredibly angry. One look out the window told him that it was still night, yet he didn't really feel like going back to sleep now. He glanced over at the bed opposite of him and noticed that it was empty. The sheets hadn't even been turned down.
"Well, I can't sleep. Might as well try to find the blonde kid," he mumbled as he headed downstairs. Everything was quiet and he tried his best to tiptoe until he got outside. As he got to the front door of the inn he thought he could hear voices, though they were faint. "Maybe that's where the idiot is," Yuri said to himself as he walked outside. Yuri stopped and took a step back when he saw Tidus sitting in front of a fire. Yet he wasn't alone. Yuna was sitting near him and she seemed to be explaining something in great detail. He didn't want to interrupt the two of them, yet he really wanted to know what they were talking about.
Yuri decided it would be best to leave them alone and waited inside for Tidus. He had to wait a little longer than expected because he ended up falling asleep at one of the tables.
*~*~*~*~
"Yuri. Wake up," came a female voice as a hand on his shoulder shook him awake. He sat up groggily to find Lulu's crimson eyes looking at him.
"Huh? What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"It's morning. Rin needs to open the store and he says it's bad for business if customers saw you snoozing at the tables," she informed him as he sat up. Yuri stretched and yawned, discovering his awkward sleeping position had left him very stiff and sore.
"Okay then, I guess we can get some breakfast, rent us some chickens and be on our way, right?" Lulu shook her head.
"There's a bit of a problem with the Chocobos."
"Why?"
"Well, apparently there is some large fiend that's been terrorizing this area recently."
" . . . And . . . ?" Lulu sighed.
"A fiend that eats Chocobos," she explained. Yuri looked over and saw Rin talking to Yuna. The two seemed to be making some kind of deal. Wakka and Auron then entered the room. Wakka looked quite refreshed, whereas Auron looked quite the opposite.
"Wow, that's the best night's sleep I've had since we started Yuna's Pilgramige! I slept like a baby," Wakka commented.
"Not bad for an Al Bhed inn, is it?" Lulu asked him. Wakka frowned, remembering exactly where he was.
"Auron man, you look terrible. Didn't you get any sleep?" Yuri asked.
"Wakka snores. Loudly," he said simply. Wakka whistled innocently.
"Hey, Yuna, what's happening?" he quickly asked when he saw her approach in an attempt to change the subject.
"Rin has asked that we try to defeat this Chocobo eater. It's not only bad for business, but what about all the poor Chocobos in the area?" she told them.
"Yuna, do we really have time for this?" Lulu asked.
"Well, Rin said that if were able to, he'd let us rent the last few Chocobos he has for free, as long as they aren't eaten first." Lulu sighed before nodding her head in agreement.
"Does anyone know where to look for it?" Wakka asked.
"He says that it usually shows up when the sun begins to set," Yuna explained.
"So I guess we're hanging out here for today?" Yuri asked. Yuna nodded. "Cool! Time for breakfast then!"
*~*~*~*~
After he had eaten, Yuri decided to explore the area a bit. So far they had been walking constantly and he hadn't really gotten a chance to stop and check out the new scenery. It was just so pure and untainted. Everything was so green and bright. The air felt fresher here and everything went at an easy-going pace. Of course, as long as you didn't think about Sin.
"Not at all like home," Yuri said to himself. "Alice would have loved it here . . . " He thought about the young blonde girl he had met so long ago on that train. He didn't know her, yet a voice in his head had told him to protect her. And so he did. No questions asked. He hoped she was doing all right without him. "Margarete and Zhuzhen will take care of her," he said, mostly to reassure himself.
Then a thought occurred to him. Was he jumping right into this journey because of Alice? He washes up on some strange beach in a foreign land and joins in a fight he knows absolutely nothing about. Not exactly what most would call a rational act. But Yuna reminded him so much of Alice, the girl he had promised himself that he would protect at all costs. Maybe this was his way of making up for that promise that he might not be able to keep. Maybe he was protecting Yuna in Alice's place. "Maybe . . . "
"Hey Yuri!" Yuri turned, the voice breaking him away from his thoughts. He looked around, finding himself quite a ways from the inn. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed how far he had walked. "What are you doing out here?" Tidus asked as he ran over to him.
"I could ask you the same thing." Tidus rolled his eyes.
"I was looking for you. I wanted to talk to you." Yuri smirked.
"Does it have anything to do with your little midnight conversation with Yuna under the stars?" Yuri asked. Tidus' eyes widened.
"You saw us?"
"Yup. I didn't want to disturb you though, 'cause it looked like you two were quite involved with your conversation."
"It's not what you think! She was explaining more about her Pilgramige, that's all." Tidus said quickly.
"Uh huh. But you still enjoyed being with her, right?"
"Well, yeah. She's just got so much on her shoulders that I want to help in any way I can and-"
"You want to protect her at all costs," Yuri finished for him. Tidus nodded. "I've been there myself kid. So what'd she tell you?"
"Well, apparently, Summoners defeat Sin by using something they call the final Aeon. Once they've prayed at all the temples and have all the other Aeons, they travel to Zanarkand where they get the final one. It kills Sin and there is peace for ten whole years," Tidus explained.
"But, hold on, aren't you from Zanarkand?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah, that's where I got lost to. I think the only thing I can do at this point is travel there with her and see it for myself. And who knows? By traveling the same road as my father, I might be able to learn more about how he ended up here."
"I thought you hated him."
"Yeah, I still do." Yuri sighed.
"C'mon, let's head back." Tidus nodded and the two headed back to the inn in silence.
*~*~*~*~
A girl's scream from outside was what alerted them of the Chocobo eater's arrival. They had all been inside the inn, waiting impatiently for it to make an appearance. Now that the moment had arrived, they all quickly headed outside. They were greeted with a huge, armored monster standing only a few yards from the inn. Auron took one look at it and right away knew they were gonna have problems as Wakka unsuccessfully hurled his blitzball at it.
"Those kind of attacks are not going to work!" Auron warned them. "Its armor is too thick! We have to try to get it off the edge of the cliff behind it and knock it into the sea!"
"My Fire spells seem to weaken it, so I'll try to distract it while you and Kimahri use your attacks to push it back!" Lulu called to them.
"I'll keep you guys at full strength! I won't let anything happen to you!" Yuna added.
"What do you want me to do?" Tidus asked.
"Keep us moving quickly," Auron said simply as he unleashed a Power Break on the monster. It howled as the blade struck him and swung at Auron, nearly knocking him off his feet. Kimahri was having the same problems.
"What's he talking about?" Yuri asked Tidus, watching Lulu as she cast another fire spell on the creature, making sure to keep her distance. Tidus smiled knowingly.
"Well, I know a few simple spells," Tidus said as he began to cast something on Auron. It took a minute, but suddenly Auron's speed seemed to double as he dodged the Eater's attacks and slashed at it with his sword. Tidus did the same for the others.
All of a sudden one of the eater's arms collided with Kimahri and sent the Ronso flying. Yuna was right there with a cure spell to help him, but Auron was ready to re-think their strategy.
"Wakka, even with a Haste spell, there are too many close calls! We need you to blind it so it won't be able to hurt us as much! Even with Yuna's spells, if we keep getting hit by that thing we won't survive!" he ordered as he dodged the Eater's arm. It went to attack him again and he almost didn't see it if Lulu hadn't cast another Fire spell in it's face, causing it to miss.
Wakka's blitzball grew dark before he hurled it at the Eater. It screeched and began to thrash around blindly, not coming as close as it was previously with it's attacks.
"Dude! What did you do?" asked Yuri.
"I cast Darkness on it so it can't see us as easily," Wakka told him.
"Can everyone use magic in this place?!"
"Speaking of which, why haven't you fused yet? We sure could use it!" Tidus said as he re-cast Haste on Auron as it wore off.
"Oh, yeah," Yuri said quietly. He knew it shouldn't bother him, but the words of the four masks floated back into his mind. What if they were right? What if he did lose control and wind up attacking his friends? Yuri looked over in time to see Auron receive a heavy blow. That answered his question. Following Lulu's example with the fire, Yuri clutched his head and transformed into his fire monster Forron. The monster stood six feet high with red skin that looked like rock. Its face was almost human, although it wore a look of complete superiority and cruelty. Two arms hung at its side while another two were crossed in front of its chest.
Tidus turned and looked in time to see the change.
"Whoa," he said quietly as the monster ran in to attack the Eater head on. This being Yuri's strongest monster physically, it was able to take the blows from the Eater with ease, it's rock-hard body barely feeling it. Auron looked at the monster and smiled inwardly. If this was what Yuri had already accomplished, then maybe his plan would work after all.
Pretty soon the group was beginning to tire, even with Yuri using his fusion. Yet Auron had everything planned out. He had decided that they had gotten the Eater close enough to the edge.
"I know you can understand me Yuri. Use your fire magic and finish it off," he commanded. The monster Forron stopped its barrage of punches on the Eater and looked in Auron's direction. It waited a second for Kimahri to get out of the way before spreading all it's arms in front of it. Flames formed in its hands and he thrust a fist into the ground. Directly in front of him a stone doorway began to emerge. It was elaborately decorated down the sides and a stone devil was perched on top, designed like the very gates of Hell. Then a rumbling could be heard as the doors slowly opened and flames began to pour out.
Even though they were farther away, the group still had to step back even further because of the sheer heat emitted from the hellfire. The flames rushed at the Eater with a force strong enough to push it off the cliff while burning it. As soon as the doors disappeared, Yuri transformed back into himself.
"Yeah, we did it!" Wakka cried. Instead of cheering with the rest of then, Yuri marched right over to Auron.
"Okay Pops, you have some explaining to do."
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Author: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been so busy with theatre and my computer's a piece of shit and kept dying, which is why I saved this story on a disk, which I then lost and it's just been chaos. Hopefully this chapter was an improvement over the last one. Anyway, I hope people are still interested in this story because no matter what I'm seeing it through 'till the end! I like this crossover idea too much to let it go and I have all these ideas for later on that I want to get out, like how I'm gonna add in a lot of the Shadow Hearts plot to mix with the FFX plot. So keep reading guys 'cause I'm gonna keep updating. Love you all ^-^!
Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy nor Shadow Hearts and you know who does.
Author's Note: First of all, thank you so much to Mako-Magic, Dragonheart7373, Skye, Palla, foxfire, Roc, ME, majin83, booyah, gigamesh, martius248, and Harakiri for the reviews! I'm so glad that people are actually enjoying the idea of this crossover. And from what I'm hearing, I'm rushing again. Sorry ^-^! I'll be extra careful with that from now on, but if I start doing it again be sure to tell me. It's this thing I've always had a problem with, but that's probably why I'm not a professional making millions of dollars. Yet. That last chapter was no good, I know. I mostly just wanted to get it out of the way 'cause I've got lots of ideas for later on. So hopefully the rest will be better. Thanks again guys! And I've decided I am going to include Amon as suggested. I've thought about it and I think I can fit him in, he just won't come right away. I was re-playing my Shadow Hearts (again) and I forgot how cool he was ^-^! Love that Demon Rays attack!
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Chapter 6
After the battle and the appearance of Auron, the group was ready to head to the temple at Djose. Of course, this meant that they would have to walk the long road to get there, which was simply crawling with fiends.
"Take that!" Tidus yelled as he slashed through the last fiend. So far the fiends that had attacked them hadn't been very strong, so the group hadn't been having any trouble.
"You're getting a lot better with that sword," Yuna praised as she smiled warmly at him. Tidus beamed, his cheeks growing a little pink. His mood had lightened slightly as they had continued their travels, yet Yuri could still tell that the whole Jecht-Sin thing was weighing heavily on his conscience.
"I must admit, you are an adequate fighter," Lulu added. "I guess you will be more of a help than a hinder."
"Was there ever any doubt?" Yuri asked. Lulu turned to him.
"Yes there was. I had no idea if you two could even fight at all, let alone how good you are. Besides, you actually seem to enjoy it to an extent."
"Well, I've been fighting all my life, I'm used to it. Thanks to that, I've changed from your ordinary bad boy type into a real psycho!" Lulu sighed and just shook her head. The whole time Auron had stayed silent, yet Yuri was becoming quite desperate to talk to the man. He had so many questions for him, starting with why he was here.
"I'm hungry. How about a quick stop?" Wakka suggested. The others nodded their heads. Wakka was able to find some wooden boards nearby, most likely from a carriage. Lulu helped by casting a fire spell. Yuna brought out some provisions and began to cook. Yuri saw this as a good opportunity to finally talk to Auron.
"So, you're the one who brought me here," he said, sitting down next to him. Auron didn't respond. "Come on Pops, I need to know! If you are the one that brought me here, then you can at least tell me why!" Auron glanced over at him at the 'Pops' comment, but still didn't say anything. "Alright, if you're gonna be that way, then you can at least tell me what happened to my friends!"
"You mean the two girls and the Adept?"
"Aha, so you can speak. So you know them? What happened?"
"I don't know." Yuri practically fell over.
"Whaddya mean you don't know! Tell me right now!"
"You really need to control that temper of yours," Auron said simply. Yuri's eye twitched as he balled his hand into a fist. Before anymore could be said Yuna called them over to eat. Yuri reluctantly stood up and headed over to the fire. At that moment, a large, yellow bird darted by, with someone riding it.
"What the Hell was that?!" Yuri asked as he watched the figure run down the road into the distance. "It looked like a giant, mutant chicken!"
"That was a Chocobo. They're real fast and it's easier to avoid fiends if you're riding them," Wakka explained.
"So Chocobos are just giant chickens?" Yuri asked.
"What's a chicken?" Wakka asked him, sounding just as confused as Yuri.
"Chickens are normal sized versions of that mutant that just ran by!"
"That wasn't a mutant. Chocobos are always that size."
"But chickens aren't! You asked me about chickens!"
"Well, yeah, 'cause I already know about Chocobos." Yuri just threw up his hands and sat down to eat.
"My head just exploded," Tidus commented. "I couldn't follow that at all."
"Maybe renting some Chocobos would be a good idea," Yuna commented. "I mean, it would get us to Djose a lot faster."
"That's a good idea. I think there's a place you can rent some a little farther down this road, at this inn/shop," Lulu informed them.
"There's no way in Hell you're getting me on a chicken!" Yuri burst out.
"We're not trying to," said Wakka, still confused. Yuna giggled. Kimahri didn't say a word, but still looked annoyed.
Soon they packed up and continued down the long path, running into two Crusaders, Gata and Luzzu. They chatted with them a bit before continuing. They had almost reached the shop when a voice called out to Yuna. They turned to see a woman in a long blue and green robe. Yuna approached her.
"Yes?" she asked. The woman smiled.
"My name is Belgemie. I am a Summoner as well. I just had to introduce myself to High Summoner Braska's daughter."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you," Yuna said politely.
"I'm curious about your skills. What do you say to a battle- Aeon against Aeon?" Belgemie asked.
"Ha, Yuna could wipe the floor with you!" Tidus exclaimed. Belgemie raised an eyebrow at him.
"Really? Then maybe she can teach me a few things."
"Okay, I accept," Yuna said. Belgemie smiled. The others stepped back as the two Summoners faced each other. Yuna summoned Valefor, patting the beast on the head before it took its position. Belgemie summoned Ifrit, a large, fiery beast with long, sharp horns and teeth. Yuna started out very well, using Valefor's Sonic Wing to slow down Ifrit's movements. But unfortunately, Belgemie's Ifrit was pushed into overdrive and unleashed its Meteor attack. Valefor fell to the ground and disappeared, although Yuna didn't look disappointed.
"You did quite well, young Summoner," Belgemie praised her.
"Thank you. Your skills are amazing," said Yuna.
"I hope to see you again." And with that, Belgemie left.
"That was interesting. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of her," Lulu commented as the group continued on, each having their own thoughts about the Summoner.
After a lot more walking, and quite a few more attacks, the group could eventually see a small shop.
"Wait a minute!" Wakka said, halting in his tracks. "That's an Al Bhed shop! You guys actually aren't thinking about staying here, are you?" No one answered him as he impatiently tapped his foot against the ground.
"Why not?" Yuri asked. "Do you see anywhere else to sleep or buy stuff at?"
"I'd rather sleep on the ground than in a place run by those . . . people!"
"Okay, suit yourself. 'Night!" Yuri called over his shoulder as he headed inside. Wakka stubbornly crossed his arms in front of him and just stood there before Auron turned and told him to get inside. Wakka immediately did as he was told.
The shop was pleasant enough. An Al Bhed man named Rin who sold them items such as potions ran it. After everyone replenished their stock of items, they sat down to enjoy a nice, hot meal, which Rin informed them was on the house.
"It's not everyday we're visited by High Summoner Braska's daughter," he informed them. No one protested, a free meal was something they could all enjoy. Even Wakka was able to scarf down three helpings, despite the fact that it was Al Bhed food. Their bellies full, everyone began to retire to their rooms one by one.
Yuri stumbled into the room that he would be sharing with Tidus and collapsed on the bed.
"Man, it's been so long since I've eaten that well! I'm exhausted!" He quickly drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*~*~
He didn't end up sleeping as soundly as he would have liked because pretty soon he found himself in the graveyard.
"Okay, this isn't funny anymore," he grumbled as he reluctantly headed towards the doors where the four masks floated. "Alright, what is it this time?" he asked flatly. "I was actually in a good mood before you idiots pulled this."
"Charming as always," remarked Gold.
"We have a new message for you," said Staff.
"Yeah, yeah, get on with it. I'd like to get back to sleep." The masks glared. They definitely didn't like the fact that he didn't fear them.
"Again, this message is only being passed on by us-" Grail started before Yuri interrupted him.
"And I know you're not gonna tell me who it is because you're all a bunch of assholes. Get on with it!"
"There is a creature you must conquer before true power can be passed on to you. One who is said to have control over life, death, and even karma," Sword began.
"What do you mean? Like, another fusion monster?" Yuri asked, his curiosity aroused.
"Yes. If you are not ready to conquer this soul, then you are definitely not ready to possess the ultimate power," Staff explained.
"So it's like a test. Well, bring it on then!"
"We will do no such thing. The one watching over you will decide when the time is right for you to battle this soul, for it is stronger then any of the monsters you currently possess," Gold said. Yuri hung his head.
"So you're pretty much telling me what you told me before. I gotta get stronger, then fight this new fusion monster, then I get to find out who's doing all of this for me." Yuri turned to leave. "I guess I'll be back then," he said miserably.
"Of course we will watch with interest," Grail said as Yuri began to walk away.
"For it would give us no greater pleasure than to see you fail," Staff added. Yuri stopped.
"What did you say?" he asked, turning. "What makes you think I'm gonna lose?"
"We know the soul you are to battle. There is no way you can win. You can barely handle the monsters inside you now," Sword told him. That struck a nerve.
"Excuse me?" Yuri began to grow angry.
"We know of the fear and doubt in your mind every time you fuse. You fear the very being that you become. You fear that you will become swallowed by the darkness!" Gold said, chuckling.
"You are afraid of yourself. You fear that the beings inside you will take over and you will destroy everything and everyone you hold dear!" said Grail.
"Which is why you will never conquer this new beast! You will lose to your fear and die along with everything you care for because you are too weak to bear the dark fate of a Harmonixer!" Sword said.
"Enough! Shut your stinkin' mask face!" Yuri yelled at them, balling his hands into fists.
"You only become angry because you know what we say is true," Staff laughed.
"Listen. I am not going to lose! Not to my monsters, not to whatever this new monster is, and especially not to you guys! I've got too much to fight for now to allow myself to even think about becoming that weak! You got that you bodiless freaks?" And with that, Yuri turned and stormed towards the entrance of the graveyard, trying his best to block out the cackling of the masks behind him.
*~*~*~*~
Yuri awoke still incredibly angry. One look out the window told him that it was still night, yet he didn't really feel like going back to sleep now. He glanced over at the bed opposite of him and noticed that it was empty. The sheets hadn't even been turned down.
"Well, I can't sleep. Might as well try to find the blonde kid," he mumbled as he headed downstairs. Everything was quiet and he tried his best to tiptoe until he got outside. As he got to the front door of the inn he thought he could hear voices, though they were faint. "Maybe that's where the idiot is," Yuri said to himself as he walked outside. Yuri stopped and took a step back when he saw Tidus sitting in front of a fire. Yet he wasn't alone. Yuna was sitting near him and she seemed to be explaining something in great detail. He didn't want to interrupt the two of them, yet he really wanted to know what they were talking about.
Yuri decided it would be best to leave them alone and waited inside for Tidus. He had to wait a little longer than expected because he ended up falling asleep at one of the tables.
*~*~*~*~
"Yuri. Wake up," came a female voice as a hand on his shoulder shook him awake. He sat up groggily to find Lulu's crimson eyes looking at him.
"Huh? What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"It's morning. Rin needs to open the store and he says it's bad for business if customers saw you snoozing at the tables," she informed him as he sat up. Yuri stretched and yawned, discovering his awkward sleeping position had left him very stiff and sore.
"Okay then, I guess we can get some breakfast, rent us some chickens and be on our way, right?" Lulu shook her head.
"There's a bit of a problem with the Chocobos."
"Why?"
"Well, apparently there is some large fiend that's been terrorizing this area recently."
" . . . And . . . ?" Lulu sighed.
"A fiend that eats Chocobos," she explained. Yuri looked over and saw Rin talking to Yuna. The two seemed to be making some kind of deal. Wakka and Auron then entered the room. Wakka looked quite refreshed, whereas Auron looked quite the opposite.
"Wow, that's the best night's sleep I've had since we started Yuna's Pilgramige! I slept like a baby," Wakka commented.
"Not bad for an Al Bhed inn, is it?" Lulu asked him. Wakka frowned, remembering exactly where he was.
"Auron man, you look terrible. Didn't you get any sleep?" Yuri asked.
"Wakka snores. Loudly," he said simply. Wakka whistled innocently.
"Hey, Yuna, what's happening?" he quickly asked when he saw her approach in an attempt to change the subject.
"Rin has asked that we try to defeat this Chocobo eater. It's not only bad for business, but what about all the poor Chocobos in the area?" she told them.
"Yuna, do we really have time for this?" Lulu asked.
"Well, Rin said that if were able to, he'd let us rent the last few Chocobos he has for free, as long as they aren't eaten first." Lulu sighed before nodding her head in agreement.
"Does anyone know where to look for it?" Wakka asked.
"He says that it usually shows up when the sun begins to set," Yuna explained.
"So I guess we're hanging out here for today?" Yuri asked. Yuna nodded. "Cool! Time for breakfast then!"
*~*~*~*~
After he had eaten, Yuri decided to explore the area a bit. So far they had been walking constantly and he hadn't really gotten a chance to stop and check out the new scenery. It was just so pure and untainted. Everything was so green and bright. The air felt fresher here and everything went at an easy-going pace. Of course, as long as you didn't think about Sin.
"Not at all like home," Yuri said to himself. "Alice would have loved it here . . . " He thought about the young blonde girl he had met so long ago on that train. He didn't know her, yet a voice in his head had told him to protect her. And so he did. No questions asked. He hoped she was doing all right without him. "Margarete and Zhuzhen will take care of her," he said, mostly to reassure himself.
Then a thought occurred to him. Was he jumping right into this journey because of Alice? He washes up on some strange beach in a foreign land and joins in a fight he knows absolutely nothing about. Not exactly what most would call a rational act. But Yuna reminded him so much of Alice, the girl he had promised himself that he would protect at all costs. Maybe this was his way of making up for that promise that he might not be able to keep. Maybe he was protecting Yuna in Alice's place. "Maybe . . . "
"Hey Yuri!" Yuri turned, the voice breaking him away from his thoughts. He looked around, finding himself quite a ways from the inn. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed how far he had walked. "What are you doing out here?" Tidus asked as he ran over to him.
"I could ask you the same thing." Tidus rolled his eyes.
"I was looking for you. I wanted to talk to you." Yuri smirked.
"Does it have anything to do with your little midnight conversation with Yuna under the stars?" Yuri asked. Tidus' eyes widened.
"You saw us?"
"Yup. I didn't want to disturb you though, 'cause it looked like you two were quite involved with your conversation."
"It's not what you think! She was explaining more about her Pilgramige, that's all." Tidus said quickly.
"Uh huh. But you still enjoyed being with her, right?"
"Well, yeah. She's just got so much on her shoulders that I want to help in any way I can and-"
"You want to protect her at all costs," Yuri finished for him. Tidus nodded. "I've been there myself kid. So what'd she tell you?"
"Well, apparently, Summoners defeat Sin by using something they call the final Aeon. Once they've prayed at all the temples and have all the other Aeons, they travel to Zanarkand where they get the final one. It kills Sin and there is peace for ten whole years," Tidus explained.
"But, hold on, aren't you from Zanarkand?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah, that's where I got lost to. I think the only thing I can do at this point is travel there with her and see it for myself. And who knows? By traveling the same road as my father, I might be able to learn more about how he ended up here."
"I thought you hated him."
"Yeah, I still do." Yuri sighed.
"C'mon, let's head back." Tidus nodded and the two headed back to the inn in silence.
*~*~*~*~
A girl's scream from outside was what alerted them of the Chocobo eater's arrival. They had all been inside the inn, waiting impatiently for it to make an appearance. Now that the moment had arrived, they all quickly headed outside. They were greeted with a huge, armored monster standing only a few yards from the inn. Auron took one look at it and right away knew they were gonna have problems as Wakka unsuccessfully hurled his blitzball at it.
"Those kind of attacks are not going to work!" Auron warned them. "Its armor is too thick! We have to try to get it off the edge of the cliff behind it and knock it into the sea!"
"My Fire spells seem to weaken it, so I'll try to distract it while you and Kimahri use your attacks to push it back!" Lulu called to them.
"I'll keep you guys at full strength! I won't let anything happen to you!" Yuna added.
"What do you want me to do?" Tidus asked.
"Keep us moving quickly," Auron said simply as he unleashed a Power Break on the monster. It howled as the blade struck him and swung at Auron, nearly knocking him off his feet. Kimahri was having the same problems.
"What's he talking about?" Yuri asked Tidus, watching Lulu as she cast another fire spell on the creature, making sure to keep her distance. Tidus smiled knowingly.
"Well, I know a few simple spells," Tidus said as he began to cast something on Auron. It took a minute, but suddenly Auron's speed seemed to double as he dodged the Eater's attacks and slashed at it with his sword. Tidus did the same for the others.
All of a sudden one of the eater's arms collided with Kimahri and sent the Ronso flying. Yuna was right there with a cure spell to help him, but Auron was ready to re-think their strategy.
"Wakka, even with a Haste spell, there are too many close calls! We need you to blind it so it won't be able to hurt us as much! Even with Yuna's spells, if we keep getting hit by that thing we won't survive!" he ordered as he dodged the Eater's arm. It went to attack him again and he almost didn't see it if Lulu hadn't cast another Fire spell in it's face, causing it to miss.
Wakka's blitzball grew dark before he hurled it at the Eater. It screeched and began to thrash around blindly, not coming as close as it was previously with it's attacks.
"Dude! What did you do?" asked Yuri.
"I cast Darkness on it so it can't see us as easily," Wakka told him.
"Can everyone use magic in this place?!"
"Speaking of which, why haven't you fused yet? We sure could use it!" Tidus said as he re-cast Haste on Auron as it wore off.
"Oh, yeah," Yuri said quietly. He knew it shouldn't bother him, but the words of the four masks floated back into his mind. What if they were right? What if he did lose control and wind up attacking his friends? Yuri looked over in time to see Auron receive a heavy blow. That answered his question. Following Lulu's example with the fire, Yuri clutched his head and transformed into his fire monster Forron. The monster stood six feet high with red skin that looked like rock. Its face was almost human, although it wore a look of complete superiority and cruelty. Two arms hung at its side while another two were crossed in front of its chest.
Tidus turned and looked in time to see the change.
"Whoa," he said quietly as the monster ran in to attack the Eater head on. This being Yuri's strongest monster physically, it was able to take the blows from the Eater with ease, it's rock-hard body barely feeling it. Auron looked at the monster and smiled inwardly. If this was what Yuri had already accomplished, then maybe his plan would work after all.
Pretty soon the group was beginning to tire, even with Yuri using his fusion. Yet Auron had everything planned out. He had decided that they had gotten the Eater close enough to the edge.
"I know you can understand me Yuri. Use your fire magic and finish it off," he commanded. The monster Forron stopped its barrage of punches on the Eater and looked in Auron's direction. It waited a second for Kimahri to get out of the way before spreading all it's arms in front of it. Flames formed in its hands and he thrust a fist into the ground. Directly in front of him a stone doorway began to emerge. It was elaborately decorated down the sides and a stone devil was perched on top, designed like the very gates of Hell. Then a rumbling could be heard as the doors slowly opened and flames began to pour out.
Even though they were farther away, the group still had to step back even further because of the sheer heat emitted from the hellfire. The flames rushed at the Eater with a force strong enough to push it off the cliff while burning it. As soon as the doors disappeared, Yuri transformed back into himself.
"Yeah, we did it!" Wakka cried. Instead of cheering with the rest of then, Yuri marched right over to Auron.
"Okay Pops, you have some explaining to do."
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Author: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been so busy with theatre and my computer's a piece of shit and kept dying, which is why I saved this story on a disk, which I then lost and it's just been chaos. Hopefully this chapter was an improvement over the last one. Anyway, I hope people are still interested in this story because no matter what I'm seeing it through 'till the end! I like this crossover idea too much to let it go and I have all these ideas for later on that I want to get out, like how I'm gonna add in a lot of the Shadow Hearts plot to mix with the FFX plot. So keep reading guys 'cause I'm gonna keep updating. Love you all ^-^!