Hey people! I have tried to stick to my word and update every day this week, but I was, unfortunately, tied up on Monday. I have decided to request assistance from a very good friend of mine in the following chapters, one that will help me with my punctuations. XD, I know very well I have been extensively using quotation marks in the completely wrong way, but fear that no more, because the masterful Jas has lent his mighty brain to the squire, Kody!
Bobbichan: I wanted to thank you for the advice you gave me in your last review. I understand I have been making serious errors and in this chapter I intend for there to be none. Please inform me in your next review if I have made another mistake. As for rewriting everything, I am afraid I cannot do that. This fic must be completed soon and my Kingdom Hearts fic must begin. I appreciate everything man, I look forward to your future reviews.
Chapter 15: Temple of the Sands
Tidus hung limply against the limestone tiles of the chamber walls, currently unconscious. He hand been overcome by darkness when the mysterious man, known as Gallant, engulfed him with the ominous blue light during their encounter in the desert. His hair had been matted by dirt and sweat that clung to the fabric of his clothes now tattered on the sleeves and legs, visual proof he had been dragged through sand and endured torture beyond imagination. Torture he awkwardly, couldn't recall.
It seemed to have been only moments ago when he last saw those eyes. Those malevolent, blue eyes that frightened him. Even in his grogginess, as he slowly forced his eyes to open, he could detect those bright, cerulean orbs upon him in distance, somewhere peering in the shadows. Lifting his head upward with great difficulty, Tidus released a groan of exhaustion and pain, barely able to keep his head from falling once again like it weighed hundreds of pounds.
He was weak. The attack forced upon him had fatigued his muscles from enduring it, drained from having to push himself to the limits of his endurance and beyond.
Clinching his hands into fists before relaxing them, Tidus worked gradually to sooth his aching muscles. Even though his hands often locked when he closed them which sent spasms throughout his arm, the tightening was pushed away by his own will to recover. A strong will from what he knew, and not once had his will failed him, his determination was just too strong.
With another groan, he felt the pain suppress itself and gradually edge away. Pride filled him for conquering the agony, content with his body's ability to survive and heal so quickly. Now his strength could return, all he needed was time.
Time was something he did not have. As his vision began to become more lucid and the haze dissipated in his head, he began to acknowledge bizarre aspects of the chamber where he hung. Inscriptions of a forgotten language, written with superb literacy, lined the limestone walls while runes, carved with amazing craftsmanship, displayed above and below on the ceiling and floor tiles. Truly a site to awaken to.
Besides that, the room was practically normal. Candles lit the center of the room in a path that allowed one to follow, leading to a staircase the seemed to lead upward. Yet that could not be determined, for shadows clung to the steps and cloaked it in total blackness.
"Where the hell am I anyway?" Tidus questioned to himself out loud.
Popping his neck where a stiffness occurred, he attempted to recollect his shattered memories and recall with precise accuracy the events that had taken place. An arduous task, he came to realize, but not one that could not be done. Even in his state, it was completely possible.
Where he had been before his blackout was remembered without difficulty, along with the encounter with Gallant, but what confused him was the inability to recall why he had stood before the dangerous man. Thoughts of Yuna crossed his mind, Rikku, Paine, and everyone else. The night Yuna and himself had shared was vague yet still there, but after that everything was rather blank, like it had been erased. Tidus suspected it was merely a side effect from the blow and stuck to that theory like a child clings to It's mother when frightened.
"I am pleased to see you've awakened my dear friend, Tidus.." Came the raspy, cold tone of Gallant as he descended from the darkness of the staircase.
Tidus wasn't certain this was the man he had faced before. For although he wore the burgundy cloak, the hood was pulled back and no longer covering his face. Before him stood a man with eyes of the clearest sky, skin as pale as the clouds and a face that had such old features. Gallant appeared to be no more then an old man who had strayed from sunlight for far too long. Yet looks are the front of deception, and Tidus was already being deceived.
"You've been asleep for a few hours now.." Gallant responded to Tidus's silence, casting a cold glare in his direction which sent chills up the young man's spine. "I had actually came to here to wake you.."
"Gallant!" Tidus spate with venom as he jerked his head upward to stare into the malevolent blue orbs, recoiling as they peered down into his own ominously. "What did you do to me?"
"Nothing to concern yourself with, really." Gallant coolly as he halted his movements with a shrug. "Just taking precautions to make certain that little….dormant power within you doesn't somehow break it's chains."
"What?" It took a moment for Tidus to completely understand the power the villain referred to. "Ha! So your afraid of it then?"
This false declaration only annoyed Gallant and in an instant his eyes where upon the bound prisoner once again, sizing him thoroughly. "Insolence…You speak valiantly, I'll give you that." A swift glance to into the eyes of his enemy was enough to determine the courage his fear hid behind, then he turned away in disgust. "It's sad your anxiety betrays otherwise."
"Hey!" Tidus snapped as the harsh words sunk in. "Unchain me and lets just see who's afraid! I won't hesitate a second to fight you! Give me a sword and I'll cream you like I creamed Sin!!"
"Your so simpleminded.." The pale man responded with a tinge of frustration in his tone. "Your comparing an enemy fought to an enemy unknown. How do you know my power does not exceed his? How do you know I cannot obliterate Spira with the flick of my wrist? How do you know you even stand a chance?"
"That's easy," The bound man began once again. "because if you were as strong as you say you are, you wouldn't have bothered to go through all of this. That's how I know for certain, that's how I know your not as powerful as you claim to be!!"
"An interesting theory." Gallant returned with slight amusement as he turned back to face him. "I commend you on your ability to state things with facts to support them. Your correct, I cannot annihilate Spira, but I know someone who can."
"Well, can you stop making my guess now?!" Tidus was becoming petulant with the games Gallant persisted in playing. "I'm starting to get annoyed with this shit! So just tell me what the hell is going on, then unchain me, and I'll kick your ass!"
"You demand a lot." Folding his arms upon his chest, Gallant faked a moment of consideration to apparently mock Tidus. The time was short, however, and Gallant allowed his arms to fall to his side with a grin playing his face. "Too bad your not in the condition to order me around. You sound so demanding as well. Hell, I feel somewhat compelled to let you go. Yet, as unfortunate as it may be, I also lack the authority to release you."
"Say what?" This statement confused Tidus all the more and he was forced to detain from suffocating himself. "I thought you was the one running things around here? Who the hell could make you obey orders? That guy you said who could destroy Spira?"
"Precisely." Gallant began once more with frown. "He needs a body strong enough to contain his power, and with your dream like form, it's endurance is boundless. Do you understand how difficult it is for you to even die? The Fayth can just recreate you with ease if someone managed to do it! Your unique you see.. Your not like the others and no one is like you."
"Well that's nice." The blonde man bound to the limestone wall shot back sarcastically. "But I don't give a shit what I'm like! I'm alive and this time I refuse to be treated like a dream! Yuna will come for me, so will the others, and when they do, you'd better be ready to have your ass kicked."
"You can't hide what you are." Tidus's words seemed to annoy Gallant, as though he had been disturbed by the man's refusal to accept what he was like he had just learned he was a dream. "You can't go on living a life where you pretend nothing is different. That's not possible, and do you know why?" He inquired with an arched brow. "Because you are different, you always will be. Your friends can act like your normal, that your made of flesh and bone, but inside….they will always know you don't belong. Your imaginary, I know you know that, and that will forever be what you are….A dream and nothing more."
Yuna disembarked for the Celsius in a rush, bounding up the dunes before her without bothering to question Nhardala of the temples whereabouts. That goal had since been forgotten during the recent events and now the only mission they were obliged to complete was the liberation of Tidus from his captives. Yuna's love for him insured that obligation would be fulfilled without delay.
"Yuna!!" Paine cried somewhere near the Celsius's ramp as the warrior set foot upon the sands. But Yuna did not allow it to distract her, they would follow and she knew it.
You had better be okay, she thought inwardly. The fear that had been expressed on Tidus's face when the Rukh abducted him was not reassuring, it made her doubtful and paranoid. Even when she was certain he had called out to her just earlier on the ship, she could not convince herself completely. Tidus was out there, somewhere, waiting for her to save him. The time for doubts had passed and the time for action was now, she would save her lover, she vowed too, a vow imprinted on her soul.
"Yunie!!" The high-pitched tone of Rikku shattered the barrier of sound around her as the energetic blonde sprinted in Yuna's direction impulsively, only moments after she had disembarked. The Al Bhed was obviously concerned for her cousin, she knew the torment she was going through. Actually, she had never experienced it before, but the thought of losing someone she loved with all her heart was enough to give off the impression she had.
With steady breaths, Rikku aligned herself with her cousin in a fit, shaking her arms wildly as her nose scrunched and eyes squinted in disapproval. It was an awkward look, one scarcely seen on the expressions the hyper Al Bhed displayed. One could say anger was not commonly expressed, and it wasn't.
"Don't run off like that Yunie." Rikku demanded with the stomp of her left foot the burrowed into the mound of sand. "I want to save him too! But what if you were ambushed by fiends or got lost? You couldn't rescue him then!"
Yuna was dumbfounded by her beloved cousins speech. This too, another thing disturbing, was something Rikku seemed incapable doing. Which was, as hard as it came to believe, talking sense. Yuna couldn't have rescued Tidus if she had been wounded or become lost in the vastness of Bikanel. She admitted she was rash, but the action to run anywhere was impulsive, she had no control over that. How could she control something that activates when your lover is in peril ? Yuna flushed, lowering her eyes to her feet and allowing her chin to rest against her collarbone.
"I'm sorry Rikku.." She began with a hint of sadness. "But I am so desperate to get him back! I can't stand idly by while the man I love is put in danger! I have to save him as quickly as I can!"
"I know Yunie.." Rikku responded with guilt. Perhaps she had come off to harsh when she spoke to her, but it was required if she wanted Yuna to listen. "He is fine though, I am sure of it. Don't worry right now Yunie. So stop worrying and start thinking, alrighty? If you don't, I'll sick Dr. P on you and let her put you in bondage!"
"That is an interest I lack." Paine glowered from behind the blonde who had been unaware of her presence. "Though I am in the mood for a little scat right now and you happen to be handy.."
"Eep!" Rikku shrieked before leaping forward and plunging behind Yuna in fright, cowering like a little child afraid of the dark. " You know what? Forget I even said anything Dr. P! I'll be good!!"
"Anyway," Paine spoke, ignoring the shivering Al Bhed as she focused upon Yuna. "Nhardala doesn't know anything, I've already asked. She is deploying some diggers to search around, but with the size of Bikanel," She hesitated momentarily. "she probably won't be able to find anything."
"Oh poppy!" Yuna mocked Rikku with pout. Even Nhardala, someone who has worked her for many years, was clueless to the whereabouts of the temple. How could they find it now?
Coincidentally, as Yuna finished grieving, a faint rumble caught their attention. At first, they were uncertain that it was anything more then a machina from somewhere nearby, but as the rumble increased they grew suspicious. Next, a shockwave spread throughout the sand dunes, creating crevices that pulled apart mounds of sand. Then the ground began to vibrate, as though something massive was approaching them from beneath. The dunes swayed and opened, pulling tons of sand into an empty abyss as diggers disappeared into the cleavage before them.
"What is going on?!" Rikku inquired frantically above the deafening rumble that intensified into a roar.
"I don't know! It seems like Bikanel is falling apart!" Paine responded as she struggled to keep her balance, kneeling down upon her left knee as a strange dizziness overtook her.
Yuna did not bother to comment. The High Summoner was more so intrigued by the splitting earth rather then frightened by it. She wanted to know what was causing this, she needed to know, and observing the whole ordeal was the best way to find out.
With a moments time to pass, a black pillar erupted from the sand before them, the massive obstruction towering before them as it proceeded further into the sky. One by one more pillars ascended, platforms following along with bizarre walls crafted with limestone. More and more sand disappeared into the crevice in which the temple erected in the center and Yuna, along with her companions, were forced to withdraw back a matter of feet. The ascension finally completed.
"Well, so much for having to look for it." Paine commented in slight disbelief. Obviously, the warrior was amazed as well when the temple arose.
"It's….amazing…" Yuna was entranced by the temples magnificence and stepped forth without thinking. This structure, this beautiful structure, could it be where Tidus was being held? Could she find him in there? She hoped so…she needed him by her side. And that need was unbearable.
Taking another step forward, Yuna lingered on the edge for many moments, until a deafening roar startled her. As she glanced around in confusion, she did not hear the screams of her companions, nor see the massive claw rise up from the crater. But when she did see the glistening claws that marked her end, she could not move. She was frozen, even when they were brought down towards her body.
Booya!! How do you like them apples Bobbichan?! XD, n.n I think I did rather well on that chapter. Also, Booya! How do you like them apples everybody?! This is my longest chapter ever I believe, o.o the next one might be longer! You never know! I am unpredictable! Like gas O.O! You never know when it will escape in class….. …..XD. I am disturbed. So very, very disturbed. Anyway, thanks for your reviews again and peace out! I'll update soon!
Chaotic Heroism, the king of bitches. XD!