Well, this is it. The final battle. As it is, of course, the final battle, I'll not waste time with idle chit-chat. Onward and upward to victory!
Chapter 32—Echoes Of The Past
No one says anything for what seems like an hour's time, Shuyin simply standing there and staring at the four of us. My hands stay by my side, ready to draw out my swords if anything goes wrong. Finally, Yuna decides to break the tense silence. Spherechanging into her Songstress outfit, she stands in front of the three of us, facing the unsent.
"Shuyin."
"Lenne?" Shuyin asks, seeming to not believe what his eyes are seeing.
"There's something I must tell you," Yuna begins. "Words left unspoken for a thousand years." Yuna takes a deep breath, and I can almost hear the pain in her voice as she says the next words. "I love you. And I'm grateful...grateful that you stayed with me until the end."
"But, I couldn't save you!" Shuyin protests, looking at Yuna.
"It doesn't matter," Yuna replies. "Please, don't go on grieving alone. Rest," she says, her voice taking on a strange tone as Lenne's voice speaks along with her own. Shuyin's face seems almost sad now, and he looks at Yuna for a moment longer before stepping forward, his ghostly form leaving Baralai's body with ease. The praetor crumples to the ground, gasping heavily, as Shuyin begins to approach Yuna and the rest of us.
"We can finally fade...together?" he asks slowly, staring longingly at Yuna. For a moment, everything looks fine, but then Shuyin's face hardens, taking on an angry glare as he steps back.
"No!"
"Wait!" Yuna exclaims, but nothing could calm Shuyin now.
"You are not Lenne!" he yells, grabbing his sword and taking a fighting stance.
"I'll handle him! Don't worry!" I yell, running in front of Shuyin, both swords in my hands in an instant.
(Play Star Ocean 3 theme The True Nature of All)
"It ends for you here, Shuyin!" I cry, immediately going into an attack with renewed strength. "Renzokuken!"
As my strikes begin to fly, Shuyin slaps them aside, wielding his sword with effortless ease. Quickly, I continue my assault, but Shuyin swats my sword aside and slashes me across the chest, blood beginning to flow from my chest as I stagger back.
"Vanish, with the rest of Spira!" he cries, running up to me and beginning to slash. Strike after strike connects, sending me farther backwards with every blow. After several strikes, he stabs his sword into the ground and leaps off of the hilt, a blitzball materializing in the air as Shuyin kicks downward. The blitzball connects with the ground at my feet, the ensuing explosion blowing me backwards with the force. Slowly, I try to pick myself up from the ground, holding my hand over a nasty cut on my chest, but find myself unable to.
"...That...was more than...a little unexpected," I gasp, trying to find a healing potion. Shuyin just chuckles, looking down at me as I try to get back to my feet.
"You seem...surprised. I would've thought you would have figured it out by now," he says, face going back to an expression of anger.
"What are you talking about!" Rikku yells, joining the fight with a quick slash of her two daggers. Shuyin takes the hits on his sword blade, then knocks Rikku back with a quick punch before speaking.
"He is linked to me, just as I am to him. Therefore, we not only share thoughts and feelings, but strength as well. The stronger one of us becomes, the stronger the other becomes."
That statement causes my blood to run cold, as I finally manage to find a healing potion, pouring some of it over the gash in my chest and downing the rest. Yuna fires off several shots, striking Shuyin, but they barely seem to do anything as Shuyin attacks again. Quickly running in to the three girls, he begins to strike, slashing Yuna, then Paine, then Yuna again, before hitting Rikku twice and stepping back. Paine charges in a moment later, her sword coming down onto Shuyin's blade that leaves an echoing 'clang' all around the immediate area. Quickly, Shuyin spins, his blade coming out from under Paine's sword, before he slashes outward, catching Paine in the stomach with a large cut.
"So...all this time I've been training and fighting...I've really just been helping you all along..." I mutter, an expression of pure rage crossing my face as I let my anger take over. Getting back to my feet, I grip my swords tightly, raising them to the sky.
"Die! Blasting Zone!"
A beam of light blasts out of my swords, racing into the sky, and I waste no time bringing the beam down on Shuyin, causing energy to engulf the area he's standing in.
"You hurt them...I'll make you pay!"
Before I can attack again, however, Shuyin charges, flipping and spinning into the air before bringing the sword down on me. Snapping my swords up, I catch the attack and counter, a foot smashing heavily into Shuyin's gut. That gives me all the time I need to smash the hilt of my sword into his face. As I'm doing so, Shuyin slashes outward with his now-unblocked sword, catching me in the stomach and forcing me to back away.
"Leave him alone!" Yuna yells, a volley of bullets smashing into Shuyin's unprotected side and causing him to turn.
"Yeah!" Rikku adds, a pair of strikes sneaking by Shuyin's sword and catching him in the side just before Paine delivers a hard downward blow that seems to shake Shuyin with the force, despite Shuyin blocking the attack. Watching carefully, I seem to notice that even though Shuyin has the same amount of strength I have, he seems to be weakening.
Shuyin seems to wish to prove my theory wrong, however, and leaps into the air, hanging there as his sword begins to glow with energy. Slashing it across, several energy beams fly from the sword and melt into the floor before the entire area explodes around us, knocking us all to the ground. Getting up angrily, I begin to gather the energy that I have left.
"Renzokuken!"
Charging in once again, my first strike comes down at Shuyin, who predictably moves his sword to block. At the last second, I change the angle of the strike, knocking Shuyin's sword down at an angle, which allows the next of my strikes to connect. That stuns Shuyin, just long enough for me to continue my assault, landing six more slashes which seem to have a serious effect on the unsent. Spinning, I deliver a powerful kick to Shuyin's face, knocking him to the ground hard. He moves back to a standing position, but doesn't attack, instead standing and seeming to glare at the ground.
(End Star Ocean 3 theme The True Nature of All)
"Shuyin..." Yuna begins, almost feeling sorry for the unsent as she puts her pistols away.
"Don't try to tell me you understand," Shuyin says bitterly, shaking his head. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine say nothing, until motes of light begin to gather around Yuna's body. Glowing brighter and brighter, they begin to take form into an image of Lenne, which leaves Yuna's body and steps forward towards Shuyin.
"Lenne..." Shuyin breathes, looking at the vision in front of him. Lenne says nothing, instead moving over to Shuyin and taking his hand in hers.
"Hi there," she says, smiling.
"A thousand years, and this moment is all we get?" Shuyin says, sounding quite sad, a stark contrast from mere minutes earlier.
"This moment's enough," Lenne replies. "I don't need anything else. Just knowing how you feel is enough. Shuyin, let's end this. Let's go home."
"Can we?" Shuyin asks softly. Lenne simply places both hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes.
"That was all a thousand years ago. We've come too far to look back now. Rest, Shuyin. Rest with me."
Nothing is said between the two, the pair instead opting to simply embrace each other, a thousand years of grief and despair melting away in an instant.
"Let's go. I have a new song for you," Lenne says, before looking over at Yuna. "Thank you."
With that said, the pair begins to glow, bright trails of light shining around their bodies before they simply fade away, returning to the heart of the Farplane. With Shuyin's departure, I can feel the mental link we once shared break, and I sigh, knowing it's truly over.
"We did it," I say, knowing that is all that needs to be said. "We won."
"Let's go home," Yuna says, smiling.
"Wait...how do we get out of here?" Rikku asks, and all of us look at the other, the question stopping us all in our tracks. Yuna just continues to smile, looking around at our confused faces.
"You have to believe," Yuna says. "Think of a place, and imagine yourself there."
"The field of flowers. Where the entrance in Guadosalam leads," I say. Everyone else seems to like the idea, and we all close our eyes, a familiar tingling sensation washing over me as I suddenly feel my body become almost weightless.
'We made it.'
That's the only thought running through my head right now. We walked into the very heart of the Farplane, and we made it back. Nothing else matters to me,only that we're all okay.
"Guess this is it," Rikku says, looking around.
"Looks that way," Paine replies, and Yuna nods.
"Ready?" she asks, the three of us nodding in reply. Just as we're about to begin walking towards the exit to the Farplane, however, a loud whistle stops us in our tracks. Yuna seems to freeze, looking around with an expression of disbelief on her face, but seeing nothing. A moment later, though, the fayth begins to fade into view, a small smile on his face.
"Thanks," he says simply.
"You're very welcome," Yuna replies, smiling.
"You heard it, didn't you?" the fayth asks, to which Yuna nods. "You want to see him?"
"Him?" Yuna asks, the expression on her face one of pure surprise...and hope.
"Yes. You want to walk together again?"
"Yes!" she exclaims, smiling wider than I've ever seen her smile before.
"I can't promise anything, but we'll do what we can," the fayth replies, before turning to me. "Hi."
"Hey there," I reply, smiling as well.
"I have a gift for you. You come from another world, with no way to return, save through us. Would you like the ability for yourself?"
"I don't understand..." I say, not immediately seeing what the fayth is saying.
"A way to travel between worlds and within worlds in an instant," he replies, causing my eyes to go wide.
"A way to move between worlds...you would really give me such a gift?" I ask, disbelieving.
"You have proven yourself. Your actions speak louder than any words ever could. That is why Mistress Freya offers this gift to you."
"Then...I accept," I say, smiling. The fayth simply nods, closing his eyes and beginning to chant in a language I don't understand. A warmth spreads through me, and a light flashes around me for a moment, fading in an instant.
"It's done. All you need to do is think about where you wish to go, and you will go there."
"I don't know how to thank you," I say, shaking my head softly.
"It is us who should be thanking you four." The fayth begins to vanish with that, but I step forward, holding a hand out to stop him.
"Yes?" he says, noticing my gesture.
"I feel kind of strange asking about this, after what you've just done...but I want it off my chest. Can you bring Shuyin and Lenne back?"
"What?" Yuna asks, her expression changing to shock.
"I know it seems crazy, but just hear me out," I say, turning to Yuna for a moment. "Shuyin and Lenne never got to live their life, and it wasn't even their fault...they deserve a second chance. I know it's a big request, but please...it's not right that they never got to see where life would take them." The fayth seems to ponder my statement for a minute that seems like an hour, before speaking.
"As I said, we'll do what we can. Whether they wish to return is their decision, and their decision alone."
"Thank you...I can't say how much I appreciate even the consideration for this."
"You will know if they decide to return," the fayth says, before vanishing completely. I can see Yuna murmuring something softly, and I step back over to Rikku and Paine, smiling.
"Are we ready to go?" I ask, and they nod, causing me to turn to Yuna. "Yuna?"
"I'm ready," she says, still smiling.
"Alright," I say, turning my comlink on. "Brother?"
"Yes?" he replies, a small bit of anxiousness creeping into his voice.
"Mission complete. We're at Guadosalam, pick us up there," I tell him.
"Roger!" he says, obviously happy to know we've succeeded. Far below us, I can see the platform and the entrance to Guadosalam.
"I suppose we get there the same way we got here?" I ask Yuna, who nods, closing her eyes. The familiar tingling returns, and a moment later, the four of us find ourselves standing in front of the exit to the Farplane. Without hesitation, we step through, glad to be back in the world of the living.
"Ugh...I'm glad to be off of my feet now."
Quietly, I sit down on my bed, joined by Rikku a moment later.
"That was...quite the adventure," Rikku comments, and I find myself nodding.
"No kidding...I've had enough of giant machina to last me a lifetime." That gets a giggle out of Rikku, who grins at me.
"I thought you said you liked adventure?" she asks, and I frown.
"Adventure. Giant, planet-destroying machina. Call me crazy, but I don't think those two phrases are the same," I say, chuckling softly. "Though, when you have the three of you for friends..." That earns me a swat with the nearest object, which turns out to be a pillow.
"Are you saying you don't like our company?" Rikku asks playfully.
"I don't hate your company...more like the trouble it brings with it," I say, laughing harder now. That just earns me another hit from the pillow. "Kidding, kidding!"
"I thought so," Rikku says, putting the pillow down with a smile. Sighing, I stand up, stretching slightly as I begin to move for the door.
"Well...now that everything's finished with Vegnagun, shouldn't we get back to exploring? There's a whole world to see, you know," I comment, and Rikku shakes her head, taking my hand in hers.
"Let's have some time alone first," she says, pulling me into a kiss as the midday sun's rays shine through my window.
(Play FFX-2 theme Ending -Until The Day We Meet Again-)
Well, at long last, the X-2 storyline wraps itself up. Does this mean that Eternal Requiem isover? Nope...I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve. So, as always, please review!