A New Saviour
Disclaimer: I own neither Final Fantasy nor Shadow Hearts and you know who does.
Author's Note: Yes, yes, I am alive. Let's see, it's only been, oh, 9 months or so since I've updated? Well, I guess that's not as bad as I originally thought it was. I dunno, I lost all inspiration for this until recently when I thought "What the Hell, I'll try to get out another chapter and see how that goes." Hopefully there are still some people who are interested. If not, well, I guess that's my fault . Anyways, I haven't played FFX in like, forever, so things are definitely going to start steering away from that. Like, do we really need to run into Seymour about four times after killing him? No, exactly. And since I've been playing Shadow Hearts Covenant like a maniac over and over, I'm a in a Shadow Hearts mood.
On that note, the SH:C plotline will not be entering into this fic, simply because the world was destroyed before it could happen. I'm not going to go into detail here as it will all be explained in the fic in time.
I'm gonna say this now: Screw the whole wedding thing. We don't need to fight Seymour a million times. Twice is enough for me thank you. I'm not rushing, I'm just eliminating FFX plot that really doesn't have a place here. I mean, it's a whole bunch of craziness that I really don't want to write about. I'll come up with something.
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Chapter 10
Everyone was a little shaken after what had just happened. Yuri wasn't really sure what to say, since he didn't fully understand the whole thing in the first place.
"Wh-what the Hell was that all about?" he asked finally, still staring wide-eyed at the place where Lord Jyscal had been standing only moments ago.
"The only reasonable answer is that Lord Jyscal died and was not sent," Lulu replied as she turned to walk away. Auron was busy ushering the others along as well.
"I don't understand how a man like Lord Jyscal could die and not be sent," Yuna commented quietly, her arm hanging limply at her side as she loosely gripped her staff.
"I believe that he was sent once…but he stayed on Spira. Something, a powerful emotion could have bound him to this world. Such things happen," Lulu said, giving Yuna a comforting look.
"That's against the rules, isn't it?" Rikku asked, a littler perplexed.
"It means he died an unclean death," Auron said simply as the group returned to the center of Guadosalam.
"So, umm, are we about done here? I'm gettin' kind of sick of this place," Yuri remarked, looking around. Yuna nodded at him as Auron and Kimahri lead the way to the exit.
"Aw man, that means we need to cross the Thunder Plains next," Rikku said, a little fearfully. Tidus and Yuri both turned to her, seeing as they were the only ones who didn't know what the heck she was talking about.
"Come again?" Tidus asked.
"The Thunder Plains," Rikku repeated. "There's always a constant thunder storm there. It's loud and scary and just plain bad. It just makes me really uncomfortable," she muttered, lowering her eyes to her feet as she mindlessly kicked at a pebble. Tidus and Yuri both looked at each other, exchanging confused looks. The group followed Auron out, until suddenly Yuna stopped.
"What is it?" Tidus asked as he turned back to face her.
"Shouldn't I talk to Maester Seymour before we go? I feel as though I need to give him an answer," she said softly.
"Oh," Tidus responded, equally quiet. Lulu shook her head.
"After we left to go visit the farplane, Maester Seymour left for Macalania temple," she explained. "I overheard it from Tromell." Yuri wasn't totally sure, but he thought that Yuna looked somewhat relieved and yet disappointed at the same time. However, he decided that it was nothing and shrugged it off.
"Oh, alright then. Let's go."
The Thunder Plains weren't nearly as eventful as Rikku had made them out to be. In fact, Yuri was actually somewhat disappointed. Yes, there were in fact storms raging across the entire length of the open plain. But there were lightning towers that stopped the lightning from even reaching the ground. And there wasn't any rain or wind or anything. Just a pitch black sky and a heck of a lot of noise.
Still, that seemed enough to terrify Rikku as she begged them to stop at the inn for the night. They did so reluctantly, seeing as the poor girl ducked and covered whenever a particularly loud crack of thunder sounded. Once they reached the small lodge, Yuna announced that she was tired and immediately retired to her room. It didn't take long for the rest to follow her example and head for their rooms as well. Pretty soon Yuri was left all alone in the lobby of the lodge.
He walked over to the table closest to the fireplace and sat down, thankful for a moment to finally sit down and just think. He stared at the crackling fire for a moment, losing himself in the dancing flames. His hand reached for his neck, absent-mindedly fiddling with the small pendant he wore, the talisman that used to collect the malice of monsters. Now, his whole adventure in Shanghai and the curse of the four masks seemed so long ago. And if Auron was telling the truth, then it really was a long time ago. As he continued to sit there, staring at the fire, his thoughts wandered to his father.
"Dad," Yuri muttered softly. "What would you do if you were me? You always had the right answer to everything…so please, tell me what to do…" He didn't need his father there to tell him what to do. He knew what his father would do. He would do whatever it took to get stronger and save Spira from Sin for good. Yuri let out a small chuckle. "I can't explain it dad, but it feels as if you're sitting right here, beside me, encouraging me. I know what you would do…but how do I get stronger? Is this new fusion monster really my only shot? I- I'm afraid dad…I'm actually afraid. Everyone I knew is dead, and I'm stuck in a fight that I'm not sure I can continue or escape…" Yuri placed his head into his hands, running his fingers through his hair. He knew what he had to do, and he was afraid to do it. But this thing was getting more serious by the minute. And if his small sacrifice could help everyone, then so be it.
As Yuri headed up to his room, he could hear a small scuffle down the hall.
"What do you think you're up to?" came a loud voice, which Yuri recognized as Wakkas. He turned the corner to find that Wakka had Tidus in a choke hold in front of Yuna's bedroom, whose door was wide open. Yuri shook his head, unable to suppress the sly grin that spread across his face.
"Aw man, you just couldn't control yourself anymore, could ya? Just had to make your move," he commented, as Tidus' face went completely red.
"It's not like that at all!" Tidus protested. "Yuna was acting funny, so I came to check on her, and she was watching a sphere with Seymour's old man on it!" Wakka and Yuri both turned to Yuna for an explanation.
"I was watching this sphere of his. It's his will," Yuna explained. "He's simply asking me to take care of his son." Tidus snorted in disgust at the mention of Seymour.
"I know one way I'd like to take care of him," he muttered angrily as he freed himself from Wakka's grip.
"Alright all of you, get to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so better rest up," Wakka ordered. The three did as they were told, heading to their rooms.
The next morning went pretty much the same as the night before. Rikku squealing in fear at the sound of the thunder and Auron getting more and more agitated. Still, they pressed on, eager to continue the pilgrimage. Before they reached the end of the plains, Yuna stopped them, beckoning them over to a small shelter where they would be safe from the lightning.
"Everyone, I have something to tell you," she said after taking a deep breath.
"Here?" Lulu asked, a little dumbfounded. "Can't it wait until we're out of the storm?"
"No, I have to tell you now," Yuna insisted quite firmly. Once she was sure she had everyone's full attention, Yuna told them her decision. "I've decided to marry."
"Thought so," Lulu said, almost matter-of-factly. No one else said anything for a while.
"I want to assure you all that I will not quit my pilgrimage. But, this wedding will make people happy…it will help unite Spira. I think it is the best thing to do" After hearing this, Auron didn't seem like he was going to argue this and turned to leave.
"This is all because of that sphere, isn't it!" Tidus suddenly burst out. This caught Auron's attention.
"What sphere?" he asked, turning back around. "Show me."
"I-I can't," Yuna said, unable to meet his gaze. "I need to speak to Maester Seymour first…it's sort of a personal matter." This seemed to satisfy the guardian as he once again turned to go, signaling the end of the conversation.
"But why do you have to marry him?" Wakka asked her as they continued on. "Can't you just talk to him?" Yuna shook her head.
"I can't explain it now, I just believe that this is for the best." Yuri kept his mouth shut, thinking that it wasn't really any of his business. This was a personal record for him as well. Usually the more something wasn't his business, the more likely he was to comment on it. Still, the tension was high amongst the group after Yuna's announcement and he didn't wish to add to it. The look in Tidus' eyes alone could stop a fiend dead in its tracks. But soon they were out of the Thunder Plains and entering Macalania forest. Rikku let out a huge sigh of relief to be free from the storm.
The forest was indeed beautiful, and despite himself Yuri couldn't help but stop and pause a minute at its splendor. He just couldn't get over how drastically Spira's landscape kept changing from one area to another.
"We need to get to Macalania temple on the other side of this forest," Auron instructed them. "Just follow the path." They encountered quite a few fiends in these woods, disrupting its calm and serene appearance. These fiends seemed a lot stronger than ones previously fought, and took a lot longer to defeat. Seeing as how the group would become exhausted if they kept this pace, Yuri decided to fuse to help the battles go more quickly.
"Are you sure you want to?" Tidus called to him as he dodged a particularly nasty fire spell from a huge Chimera. The group was surrounded by them at this point. If they had to keep fighting battles like this, they wouldn't make it.
"It's okay, I'll be fine!" Yuri called before taking a few steps backwards.
"I thought it hurt too much, which is why you didn't fuse to fight fiends," Wakka called over his shoulder as he hurled his blitzball, casting darkness on a second chimera while Kimahri followed up, slashing at it with his lance.
"Don't worry about it!" Yuri said as he closed his eyes. Going through his mental checklist of monsters and, after selecting one, concentrated hard, allowing the monster to come forward. He clutched his head and screamed at the sudden burst of pain, which was followed by a bright light. As it faded, a large white and green werewolf stood in Yuri's place. Although, this wolf looked as if it had already died, as its fur was dirty and matted and a supernatural feel surrounded it. It narrowed its glowing red eyes, snarling at the chimeras. Before the others could do anything else, the wolf Lobo flung back its head and let out a long, eerie howl as it raised its arms above its head. In its outstretched paws formed a giant meteor, which it then proceeded to hurl at the chimeras. The impact took out all of them in one shot, much to the relief of the rest of the party.
Yet even though the battle was over, Yuri didn't turn back into himself. Instead, the wolf turned and began to trudge along the path that they had been following. A little confused, the group timidly followed. Auron hung back with Tidus, a small smirk playing on his lips as he watched Lobo from behind. The monster took out any fiends in their path in a flash, clearing the way. The entire time, Tidus went on about Yuna marrying Seymour, while everyone else just walked silently. Rikku just walked on in amazement, this being the first time that she had witnessed Yuri's powers. She kept her distance from Lobo, watching its back with wide eyes.
Once the group finally made it out of the woods, Yuri finally turned back into himself. He staggered a moment, almost losing his balance completely as he grabbed at a nearby tree for support.
"Holy crap," he muttered, still quite disoriented. Auron turned to him.
"What is it?" he asked. Yuri looked at him, squinting for a second, as if he didn't recognize him. Running a hand through his hair, Yuri finally replied.
"Oh, it's nothing. I've just never stayed in another form for so long before, that's all."
"How come?" Auron asked. Yuri felt like he was almost being interrogated.
"I dunno. Why does it matter? I just thought it would help us get through the forest easier since those monsters were pretty bad." Auron studied him for a moment.
"I see," was all he said before turning around and looking over the frozen lake before them.
"Brr, it's cold here," Tidus commented, rubbing his arm in an attempt to restore warmth.
"Well, there is snow on the ground," Rikku remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she placed her hand on her hip. Tidus shot her a look, causing Yuna to let out a small giggle.
"My point was that it wasn't cold at all in the forest, which is only like, a few feet away. And now it's like we've stepped into the Antarctic," he explained.
"I'm with you on that one," Yuri said, pushing himself off from the tree, the effects his long fusion had left finally gone. Lulu watched him for a moment, a hint of concern in her eyes, yet she said nothing.
"Macalania temple isn't too far from here," Lulu explained. "We just need to cross the lake," she said as she pointed out across the land. Just then Wakka's stomach let out a lout growl. He placed his hand on it and looked up at everyone, a sheepish grin on his face.
"I guess I'm a little hungry," he said, giving an awkward chuckle. Auron let out a disapproving huff, but gestured over to the travel agency located at the edge of the frozen lake.
"We'll stop there for one hour. No longer," he said. Yet when they entered the travel agency, the met with an unexpected guest. The Guado Tromell was at the counter. His face lit up once he saw who the newcomers were and he instantly rushed over to them.
"Lady Yuna!" he exclaimed. "We've been expecting you. We were surprised that you decided to come so soon. Pleasantly surprised of course. Lord Seymour sends his apologies for having left without notice." Yuna shook her head, giving him a small smile.
"It's quite all right," she assured him. "I have one question, if I may sir."
"My lady?" Yuna took a breath.
"I want to keep journeying, even if I marry. Do you think that Maester Seymour would let me?" Tidus let out a little growl at Seymour's name, but Yuri quickly elbowed him in the ribs, warning him against saying anything further. Tromell smiled at her question.
"But of course, my lady! Lord Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure." Yuna bowed her head slightly to Tromell, relieved to hear this. She then turned to the rest of them, bowing her head again.
"Goodbye." Tidus opened his mouth to say something, yet Auron and Lulu both caught this in time to each give him a stern look. He promptly closed it again.
"Well, we must follow Guado tradition. I'll have to ask you to wait here a little longer. I'll send someone to escort you," Tromell said to the large group of guardians. Yuna looked back at him for a second, then back to her guardians. Auron gave her a small nod.
"We're all with you. Do as you will," he said. "We'll escort you outside."
"Thank you," Yuna said before turning and exiting the travel agency with Tromell. Auron then turned to Tidus before the rest of them followed.
"Sorry," was all he said. Tidus looked confused.
"Huh?"
"That was your line," Auron replied. Yuri let out a loud snort of laughter at Tidus' embarrassment. Tidus said nothing as he followed the others outside. There was transportation ready for Tromell and Yuna, yet the others had to wait around for their own way to Macalania temple. This was fine for Wakka as it gave him a chance to fill his belly. Little did they know that the next few hours at Macalania temple were not going to go as smoothly as they thought.
The rest of the group arrived at the temple not too long after Yuna had left them, yet when they got there she was no where to be found. After a bit of asking around, they discovered that she had entered the Cloister of Trials with Maester Seymour.
"So then what should we do?" Yuri asked upon hearing the news.
"What else can we do? We wait for them to finish," Wakka replied as he sat down, cross-legged. Rikku plopped down next him, leaning back on her hands. Auron found a wall nearby to lean against, while Kimarhi and Lulu seemed content with just standing. Tidus sat down initially, but only sat there for about five minutes, before getting up to stand, crossing his arms over his chest. Yuri watched as Tidus shifted from one foot to the other, and then tried shifting his hands to his pockets before beginning to pace a little.
"Man, would you calm down? You're making me nervous," Yuri remarked to him. Tidus stopped pacing and looked up at Yuri.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it. I mean, this whole wedding thing is really bugging me." Yuri rolled his eyes. It was really no secret to anyone that Tidus was developing feelings for Yuna.
"Dude, listen. If this is what she feels she needs to do, then I don't think you're gonna be able to change her mind."
"I know, I know. Auron already lectured me on this. I know she's not doing this because she loves him. It just, I dunno, feels wrong that whatever she's trying to accomplish with this she's trying to go about it alone, you know?" Yuri nodded. Then suddenly one of the temple workers, a young woman, came rushing out of the small room beside the entrance to the cloister of trials.
"Excuse me, Sir Auron? I found this sphere among Lady Yuna's belongings. It's a sphere of Lord Jyscal!" She said frantically as she went straight over to Auron and handed him the sphere. Without hesitating, Auron activated it. The whole group crowded around him to watch its contents. A figure of Lord Jyscal appeared and soon he began to speak.
"What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth. I swear it on my honour as a Guado. Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son Seymour. His mind is closed, even to me, a maester of Yevon. But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira. I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son. But I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds. But whoever is watching this, I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son." It was here that the recording ended. A stunned silence followed.
"Well, that's just great," Tidus muttered.
"So, wait a minute. That means Yuna is in the cloister with a murderer!" Yuri exclaimed. Tidus' head snapped up in alarm.
"Then let's go get her!" With that, Tidus headed straight for the stairs leading to the cloister of trials.
"Are you crazy? He's a maester! I'm sure Yuna is perfectly fine," Wakka protested. Although it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
"Fine, then you can stay here," Yuri said to him as he raced up the steps
"Come on Wakka, let's at least hear him out," Lulu said as Auron, Rikku, and Kimahri rushed past her, following Tidus and Yuri. Wakka stood there for a minute before letting out an exaggerated huff and following them into the trials. They whipped through the trials faster than any of them thought was possible. It seemed they were able to think quicker with something like Yuna's life was at stake. Even Yuri surprised himself by solving a few parts of the maze. When they finally reached the end, they burst in to find Seymour waiting calmly…
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Author: And that's that for now. All I can say is, the next chapter is going to be so much better. I've already planned a bunch of events from here until the end, all of the heavy with SH plot. And get ready for the next part, 'cause a heavily anticipated guest will be making his appearance. Who is it? It's, oh I dunno, Amon maybe? And don't forget to review