Kind of a short chapter this time, but more development than anything else. As always, the replies.
Daniel Wesley Rydell: Hm. Okay.
desert-tiger: The OCs each have their own purpose...you'll find out soon enough. And yes, this chapter is relatively funny.
Auron's Fan: (plays the Mission Complete theme) Actually, some of the things from chapter 1 of FFX-2 will come back and combine with chapter 2. You'll just have to see for yourself. And, please, don't remind me of Lady Luck...(shudders)
OCAdam: Rikku...calm down. You don't have to kill the guy. Hm, as for most of the OCs being invincible to everything, not me. I got killed twice in Destiny's Call, and many more times in Eternal Requiem, more than likely.
Iron Reaver: I think you've discerned that I don't like priests. And I've proven my mettle in battle, as well. Hehehe...
XxCougarxX: Actually, there are a few lines in this chapter that I like. Notably, Rikku saying, 'Did you see their faces? They totally wet their pants!' and Yuna saying, 'Who the heck is Lenne!'. Those amuse me.
mike: If you're reading this, welcome to Eternal Requiem, mike! My favorite character in FFX-2 is Lenne, to answer your question. And thanks for the compliments on my stories.
Now, on to the chapter!
Chapter 7—Find Your Way
As we walk back onto the bridge of the Celsius, Paine holding the sphere, Rikku grins from ear to ear, looking as if she's going to burst with happiness.
"Did you see their faces? They totally wet their pants!" Rikku exclaims, and I double over, laughing hysterically. Wiping tears from my eyes, I shake my head as Yuna speaks.
"Maybe we overdid it?" she asks, and Brother spins around to look at her, mouth open in shock.
"'Overdid it'? There is no such thing! The Gullwings shall be notorious throughout Spira!" he says, and Paine turns to face him, her gaze neutral as always.
"They weren't all that happy," she says, Rikku looking at her with a look of confusion.
"Huh?"
"Don't forget that notoriety can be a bad thing," Paine says to Brother, ignoring Rikku.
"So what?" Brother replies. "I want to have fun."
"Just make sure you don't do anything to land us in hot water, okay?" Buddy tells Brother, who simply shakes his head.
"Aww...where's the fun in being plain old regular sphere hunters?" Rikku asks, voice holding a certain air of disappointment. Walking over, I wrap an arm around her shoulders, and grin.
"Yeah, what she said!" Brother agrees, earning a round of looks from around the bridge.
"Oh, no..." Paine starts, not even bothering to finish her sentence.
"What?" Yuna asks. Shinra steps forward now, speaking for the first time in a while.
"Whenever Rikku and Brother agree...bad stuff happens."
"Hey! That's my girlfriend you're talking about!" I say, putting on a tone of mock outrage. Rikku just giggles, and I laugh as well. "But...you have a point there," I finish, earning a punch on the shoulder for my trouble.
"That...can't be good," Yuna says, seeming to finish Paine's earlier sentence. "How'd the sphere analysis go?" she asks, turning to Shinra and changing the subject.
"Hmm..." Shinra says, pausing for a moment and turning back to his computer, typing quickly and pulling up a menu. "It's just a regular movie sphere. It doesn't appear to have any special functions. You wanna take a look?"
"Sure," she replies, as we all walk over, the image of the sphere beginning to play over Shinra's computer screen. A picture of a large room appears, with the same boy from the other sphere that Yuna showed Lulu at Besaid standing in the middle. His back is to the sphere, and in front of him is an enormous machina, with the visage of a horned skull.
"You know, you're all I can count on to save Lenne," the boy states, the sphere continuing to watch the boy and the machina for a moment, before shutting off.
"Fryd eh Spira ec dryd machina?" Brother asks, awed by the evil-looking machina from the sphere.
"Any ideas?" Buddy asks, looking around at us.
"Not a one," Shinra replies, looking at the older Al Bhed. "But, as machina go, it looks extremely dangerous. Definitely a weapon."
"Yunie...it's him," Rikku whispers to her friend, who just looks down at the ground. Without saying anything, Yuna walks out of the bridge, Rikku and Paine following after a moment. Silently, I follow them out, and head back to my room.
"Should I tell them...or should I wait and let them find out...so many choices..." I'm torn between telling them what I know about Shuyin and Lenne, or waiting for them to discover it on their own. I don't want them to be completely clueless...but I also don't want Yuna to know it's not Tidus in the sphere. Sighing, I get up and walk back towards the bridge, unable to think of anything else to do. When I get there, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine are over near one side of the bridge, talking amongst themselves. Looking around, I walk inside, and lean over the guardrail, looking over the bridge from the top of the small staircase.
"Gullwings, front and center!" Brother says, and I leap over the guardrail, landing in a crouch and walking up to stand near Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. "So, uh...let's give back that sphere, what do you say?"
"But we worked so hard to get it!" Rikku protests, Brother clenching both fists.
"That thing is uber bad news," he replies, and I shake my head, mentally laughing at the expression on Brother's face.
"What if we donated the sphere to the study of Spira's history? That's what being a sphere hunter was originally about, right?" Buddy asks, and Paine turns to him.
"It's a little late to be bringing that up."
"Yeah! We already swiped it!" Rikku adds.
"Well, I still don't want it!" Brother exclaims. "We're giving it back! Now!" Yuna just nods, unaffected by Brother's small outburst.
"You don't mind?" Rikku asks Yuna.
"I've seen it," she replies simply.
"It's still pretty shameless to saunter up and give back the sphere we just stole," Buddy comments.
"Oui pi xiead!" Brother tells Buddy, who just shakes his head in annoyance.
"Our reputation is all but worthless if we do that. Our leader's, too, no less," Paine comments, her arms folded.
"Crid ib!" Brother tells Paine, and Paine just rolls her eyes.
"Who says we have to give it back to New Yevon?" I ask.
"What do you have in mind?" Yuna asks, and I smile.
"Youth League wanted it, right? Let's give it to them," I reply, looking around. Silence meets my suggestion, before Yuna finally speaks up again.
"Well, now, this isn't any fun at all."
"I really gotta let off some steam," Rikku says, and I find myself nodding in agreement.
"Whaddaya got in mind?" Buddy asks, Shinra looking over all of us before speaking.
"Why don't we ask Yuna to dance?" he suggests.
"Dance?" Yuna asks, looking a little surprised. Brother, however, seems intrigued by the suggestion.
"Oh? That's it!" he exclaims, turning to Yuna. "Yuna, you must dance! Our sanity depends on it!"
"That sounds like an order, Yuna," Paine says, sounding slightly amused by the situation.
"The exercise will do us good," Yuna replies, smiling.
"Whoopeeee!" Brother shouts, and I can't contain my amusement any longer, bursting into a fit of laughter. Rikku just sighs, as Yuna speaks again.
"Hang tight while I get ready," she says, walking out and presumably back to her room. Watching Yuna go, I sigh, beginning to follow her out.
"Where are you going?" Rikku asks, and I stop.
"Up on deck," I reply, walking out.
As I step onto the deck of the Celsius, feeling the wind whip past me as we fly, I notice just how calm I feel. The feeling of freedom, being able to go anywhere and do anything, the feeling of flying through the air, and mostly, the silence. A chance to think, to ponder, to sort out the feelings twisted inside your mind.
"You feeling okay?" a voice behind me asks, and I turn to see Rikku standing there.
"Eh, I'm fine," I reply, as she walks over to stand beside me.
"Whatcha thinking about?"
"Believe it or not, I'm trying not to think," I say, shaking my head. Rikku smiles.
"Sure didn't seem to think too much on Yunie's pilgrimage, either," she teases, and I put on a look of mock hurt.
"Hey, that's not nice! I did plenty of thinking...just not when it came to anything involving my actions..." I trail off, chuckling. Rikku giggles too, and shakes her head.
"You never did seem to think before you act."
"Still don't. I say, your first instinct is the right one. Just follow your gut. Do what you know is right, and you'll never go wrong," I reply, looking back out over the blue sky.
"You may have a point," Rikku says, and I quirk an eyebrow.
"Of course I have a point. You expected less?" I ask, jokingly.
"Yep," she says, and my face falls as Rikku laughs.
"Not funny..." I say, chuckling.
"I thought it was!" she replies, still laughing. "Come on, let's get back inside. They might need our help."
"Yeah, sure..." I say, sarcastically, but follow Rikku back into the Celsius anyway.
A few hours later, Rikku walks to the door of my room, letting me know that the concert, of sorts, is about to start. Nodding, I stand up from my bed, following her up to the deck. When we arrive, the deck has been set up much like a small band stage. I recognize the three strange musicians, and guess that Brother must've picked them up at Macalania Woods sometime. I also recognize Tobli, and chuckle a little as he walks around the instruments, making sure they're set up correctly. Tobli then walks off, and the door to the deck opens, Yuna walking out in her Songstress dressphere, microphone in hand. Everyone sits down, as the band begins to play, Yuna beginning to sing along with the music after a moment, dancing to the rhythm as well.
Silently, I stand in the back, leaning beside the door of the deck. I'm watching Yuna, trying to take my mind off of things, but it seems that my mind has other ideas.
'Should I tell them about Shuyin and Lenne, or should I let them find out on their own...man, this is confusing...I want them to know, but at the same time, I don't want to change anything. I should just forget about it...what happens, happens.' Sighing, I shake my head to clear it, before focusing on the concert again.
A few minutes later, the small concert has ended, Yuna walking over to sit at the side of the Celsius. By the look on her face, I can tell she's thinking about the sphere, but to be more specific, Lenne. Looking around as everyone talks amongst themselves, I stare up at the sky, watching the stars intently to try and ease my mind. Suddenly, Yuna stands up, looking almost angry about something.
"Who the heck is Lenne!" she exclaims, and everyone stops, turning to look at her with a look of surprise on their face. Yuna suddenly seems to realize that she said that out loud, and turns, a clear look of embarrassment coming across her face. "I'm going to go to bed," she says, attempting to save at least some of her dignity, and walks off of the deck. As the door closes, I collapse into a round of hysterical laughter, my eyes tearing over as I lean against the side of the Celsius. Rikku looks at me as if I've lost my mind, before shaking her head.
"...Ah, that was great..." I say to myself, before looking at Rikku. "I think Yuna's on to something. I'm going to bed too, see you guys tomorrow." With a final nod, I walk off the deck, headed back to my room.
Stepping into my room, I take off my shoes and socks, before slumping back onto the bed. Yawning, I stare at the ceiling for a moment, having nothing better to occupy myself with, before falling into a peaceful sleep.
I have to get out of here...I have to save us both...I have to save her. Grabbing her hand, I run down a hallway, footsteps behind us letting me know we're still being pursued. Turning into a second hallway, she lets out a short cry from the sudden change in direction as we rush down the hall. The corridors seem endless, every one looking exactly the same, no change in design or color at all. Without thinking, I turn, running into a large open room, as if I know exactly where to go.
It's a dead end. Nowhere left to run...all we can do is wait. They're closing in now; the footsteps are getting closer. They've found us...guns raised, they block the exit. I hold her, looking into her eyes, as she looks into mine, her eyes pleading for a way out, yet understanding and accepting our fates. I meet their faces, showing no fear, but rather, acceptance...but hate. Hate for the situation we're in...and hate for those who put us there. They fire now, the bullets striking us both and sending us to the floor. With all my strength, I turn my head to look at her, neither of us able to move now. A single tear falls from her eye, as I vainly try to move my hand, to help her...but it's too late. The last thing I see is her face...and then white...
"Aaah!" Sitting up in my bed, I look around, drenched in sweat and shivering. My breathing starts to slow, as I realize it was all a dream. Then, it speeds back up again, as I realize exactly what just happened.
"That was...Rikku...and me..." I mumble, standing up and stepping out of bed. "I need to go see Yuna..." Walking down the hallway, I take the elevator up to the cabin, stepping out. As I walk inside, I see Yuna sitting up in her bed, much the same way as I was, Rikku and Paine standing beside her. Quickly, I run up the stairs, standing next to the three of them.
"Yuna, are you okay?" I ask, Yuna still seeming a little stunned.
"What..."
"What 'what'?" Paine asks.
"It must've been a dream," Yuna says, calming down a little.
"A dream's a dream," Paine replies, Rikku giggling a little.
"Blame it on your new jammies," she comments, Yuna now realizing she fell asleep in the Songstress dressphere. Standing up, she spherechanges back to her normal Gunner, before I speak.
"Yuna...what was your dream about?" I ask, cautiously.
"It was weird...Tidus and I were running through some kind of hallways, and we ran into this room...we were being followed, too. We got there, and guards came in...they blocked the exit, and then...they killed us. That's when I woke up," she replies, and I nod.
"I had the exact same dream, but with Rikku and I in your places," I say, and Yuna gasps.
"What...?" she says, shocked.
"I don't know what it means, but I can explain some. You wanted to know who Lenne was?" I ask, and Yuna nods. "Alright, I'll tell you what I know. Lenne was a famous songstress, who lived in Zanarkand a thousand years ago. She was also a summoner. Her boyfriend, Shuyin, was a blitzball player. Now, Zanarkand and Bevelle were at war with each other, and all the summoners were called to fight. Lenne didn't want to go, and so Shuyin decided he would find a way to save her. He went underneath Bevelle, where he found a machina named Vegnagun. He planned to use it to destroy the Bevelle forces, ending the war. Lenne tried to stop him, knowing that wasn't the way, but they were both trapped there, in that room, and killed."
"That's...horrible..." Yuna says, after a moment.
"I know. That's all I can tell you, I'm still not sure myself why I had this dream. I'll think on it, but I can't make any promises that I'll figure anything out." As I walk out, headed back to my room, Rikku runs after me, walking beside me in the hall.
"Ben...you said...they killed us?" she asks, nervously, and I nod. "Do you think it'll happen...?"
"It won't. They'll have to kill me first to touch you, I swear it," I reply, giving her a final look that seems to put her at ease, before I take the elevator back down, headed back to my room.
I enjoyed writing the dream sequence, that was probably my favorite part of this chapter. So, what does it all mean? Keep reading to find out! Until next chapter, please review!