Well, Hello again. And here I update with chapter three. This one developed slowly for me in my mind; I hope it turned out all right. Centering mainly on Rikku and her fear of lightning, if you understand the message that this chapter is trying to convey, then kudos to you. The big event will be chapter four.

Anyway, I shall respond to the reviews now.

BlackDemon567: Well, a familar face! How are you doing, old friend? Anyway, yeah, Yuna . . . she's a bit hard to write for, under the circumstances. But I think she has a right to be a little OOC because of what she's dealing with, and what she'll have to deal with as President of Spira. I'll try to make her seem a little bit more like the Yuna we're all used to, but there has to be a correct time for such a thing to occur. It's coming up soon, though, don't you worry!

pichublaSter: Okay, I've hopped to it. Another chapter. Enjoy!

Cluck the Chickin: I'm glad you like it! Here's another chapter for you. Enjoy it.

Well, that about covers it. I leave you now to read chapter three!


Chapter 3: Hidden Wisdom

Rikku awoke the next morning greeted by a different sight than what had graced her eyes on the previous morning. Instead of her room being flooded with the typical morning sunlight that was associated with Besaid, it was oddly dark in her room. But her curtains weren't drawn. Looking out the window, she saw that the isle of Besaid was currently caught in a deluge. Rain splattered against the window with such force that the girl still lying in bed was surprised that she wasn't woken earlier by the rain.

Seconds later, there was a flash that illuminated her room for a split-second.

Rikku let out a sharp cry and dove back under the covers. Lightning. It always had to be lightning, she thought bitterly. That was the icing on the cake. The rain itself was bad enough, she thought. Having lived in a desert for as long as she could remember, sun and heat were the only things she was used to. Rain was a very rare and unwelcome commodity in her life. In the desert, there was no rain, and there was no lightning. And that was the way she liked it.

'Not a great way to start the day,' she thought. 'Especially an important day like this!'

Another flash. Rikku shrieked and dived further under the covers. She lay there, breathing fast, hands clasped over her ears. Now that there was silence, she had some time to cast around for something to think about. Why did she have such a phobia of lightning? Of course, she knew the answer to that question. When that spell missed and hit her, she thought that she would die. But she also thought that she would get over it in time. And here she was, 15 years old, and she still acted as she did the day after that horrifying incident.

She was glad that none of the others saw her there, under the covers, cowering like a cornered beast. They would think her weak, afraid. Certainly too weak to handle her new position. Well, everybody except Yuna would. She was always kind and understanding. But that was just Yuna. Any other person would think it rather strange that Rikku would be hiding from a thunderstorm. And rightly so.

Quickly, she became irritated with herself. "That's it," she said to herself. "I'm going to go outside, in the rain, and take a walk. Thunderstorm and all."

As soon as she threw back the covers so that she could see around her again, another flash lit up the sky. She let out a small cry and winced. Staying in that position for a few seconds, she reconsidered her resolve. What if she wasn't ready to make such a bold move against her fear of lightning? What if she wasn't brave enough?

'If I'm not brave enough now, I never will be,' she thought. 'It's time to show this thunderstorm that I'm not afraid of it. Yeah!'

She hopped out of bed. The thunderstorm meant that it was chilly out, which also meant that her room was considerably colder than it had been on the previous morning. Hugging her arms to her chest, she walked across the room toward her dresser. The dress that she would wear to Yuna's acceptance ceremony in Bevelle lay on top. She couldn't wait to wear it, even though it would be the only time she did. An occasion such as this needed to be unique in every way possible, so she was told by Lulu a couple of days ago. Why not start with something basic?

Casting her thoughts about the ceremony aside, Rikku fished around in her dresser drawers for something to wear. In the end, she decided on a grey, loose-fitting shirt and her traditional green shorts. In addition to that, she grabbed her grey sweatshirt from the bottom of the drawer. Well . . . it wasn't really hers. Tidus had given it to her to wear on Mt. Gagazet, but he had never asked for it back. In the end, Rikku thought that she would just hold onto it until they got off the mountain. But then . . . you know.

Nevertheless, it kept her warm. She dressed and threw the sweatshirt over her head, and tiptoed across the room to her door. Opening it slowly so that it wouldn't wake the others, she padded across the hall to the door leading out of the hut. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she drew in a deep breath, which came out as a shudder. Without thinking twice about it, she turned the handle and flung herself outside. A thunderbolt greeted her. Abandoning all pretenses for being quiet, she shrieked and crouched to the ground. She had read somewhere as a child that if you stuck close to the ground, you were less likely to get hit.

After a minute or two had passed, she slowly rose to her full height again. Timidly she looked around at the sky, and out to the ocean. The sea to the south was calm, and the sky was a dull overcast grey. The sea to the north was violent, and the sky above it was frothing like the water in an unattended pot. A boiling, seething, black mass, the sky appeared to have been replaced by something similar to what she had imagined Hell to be like. Apparently this storm had just come across Besaid and was about to pass straight overhead.

'Great,' she thought. 'As if this couldn't get any harder . . .'

She extended her left leg out hesitantly and took her first step toward the path leading down to the docks and the beach. The weather remained calm for that period of time, and Rikku exhaled. She took another step. And another. And another. She continued to take similar slow, steady baby steps for the next few minutes. But before long, she was walking at a normal pace toward the beach. At the time she started up her average walking speed, she didn't even notice it. It . . . sort of came naturally. But then, after a minute or so, she noticed exactly how she was walking.

'I'm doing it,' she thought. 'I can do it! I'm walking in a thunderstorm!'

Rikku, though, failed to notice a man in a red trench coat following her.

> > > > >

Miles and miles away from Besaid, a ship streaked through the sky, barreling southward at top speed. The ship skimmed over the clouds, as a rock did when one skipped it over a pond. The ship would dip into the clouds every few minutes, and then emerge again to enter the world of sunshine above. It was as if the blanket of clouds that adorned the sky below the airship were actually the ground, and if they touched the clouds, they would crash. But no, there was another five miles of sky and clouds below them.

Cid stood watch on the bridge. He loved this airship; it was the greatest find by his people since the location for their previous Home. And now that Sin was gone and Yevon was in disarray, he was free to pilot the ship anywhere with little fear of retaliation. The ship was now the fastest way to get from one corner of the world to the other. He could make it to Besaid from the remains of Home in less than ten hours, as compared to the week it would've taken by ship. And only barring rough seas, lack of wind, and storms.

The Al Bhed were currently working on mass-producing similar airships, but with no place to work out of since the Guado's attack on Home, progress was slow. Once Yuna gave the Al Bhed funds to rebuild their Home, they could really set out to build many more airships, perhaps even bigger, better ones. Cid could feel it. With Yevon gone, and Yuna on their side, Spira was on the edge of an industrial revolution. And Cid and the Al Bhed would lead the way!

Brother suddenly spoke, landing Cid back in reality. "We are approaching Besaid. Landing in approximately one hour," he said in their native tongue.

"We're this close and we land in an hour?" Cid boomed. "What's the matter? Beach disappear on ya?"

Brother shook his head, used to Cid's sarcastic sense of humor. "No, but there is a really nasty storm over the island. It's going to take me longer to descend than normal."

Indeed, Brother was right. The further south they sped, the darker the clouds became. In fact, Brother could see far enough ahead to tell that this were about to get nasty. While they were skimming across the light blanket of white, harmless puffy clouds, a mass of towering thunderclouds loomed before them, towering into the sky. Brother had always remembered their looks by remembering the shape of an anvil. For some reason, thunderclouds looked like anvils to him.

"HAH!" Cid roared. "We won't let a little wind and rain stop us from gettin' there on time!"

"But-" Brother interjected, but Cid cut him off.

"Show me what this baby can do! Punch it!" he said.

"We're going as fast as we can!" Brother protested, calibrating some aspects of the ship from his console.

"HAH!" he roared again. "Gimme those controls. I'm gonna put this honey into a downward spiral!"

All Brother could do was shake his head again. Once again, Cid's boundless youth was shining through at its fullest. But, he obliged his older relative and surrendered the pilot's seat. Cid walked slowly over and sat down, looking around from this chair. In truth, all he had ever done was captain the ship; he had never actually flown it before. However, all he had to do was take one fleeting glance at the control panel to realize that they were not going at max speed as originally thought.

"Brother!" he said. "Come over here and take a look at this!" When he could see that the Al Bhed was next to him, he showed Brother something on the panel. "Look at this. We could've cut our time by 1/3 if you had pushed this button here. It opens the exhaust vents on the two largest rear engines and allows more flow!"

"Oh," was all Brother could say. "Sorry about that."

"Nifty, eh?" Cid remarked, slapping Brother on the back.

They were just coming up on the thunderheads now. Brother, knowing how crazy Cid could get when he was in a good mood like this, gripped the back of the pilot's seat a little harder than normal. Cid steered the ship straight at the black thundercloud, and then tapped the control on the computer that opened the last two exhaust vents. The ship lurched, and without warning, Cid rotated the directional controls so that the ship slowly began to spin.

"Cid . . ." Brother said, his voice trembling nervously.

Cid pain no attention to him. Before the rest of the passengers and the other Al Bhed flew out of their seats due to the ship being upside down, the airship began to undergo a very rapid plummet. It flew straight into the ominous thundercloud. Lightning struck all around the ship. Since Cid and Brother were on the bridge, they had the best view of the lightning display. One particularly bright bolt struck parallel to the ship's flight path, so that Brother could see the forked energy streak past him.

The ship began to shake and rumble, due to the violent surge of weather outside. Cid however paid no attention to the storm. He loved piloting this airship, almost more than he enjoyed being its captain. He jerked the controls to the right, so that the ship was plummeting to earth in a corkscrew fashion. They were dropping at a rate of about 400 feet per second, and Cid was loving every second of it.

"Cid . . . please, you're scaring me," Brother said.

"YEEHAW!" Cid shouted, laughing maniacally. "We're going in!"

> > > > >

The thunderstorm over Rikku's head was showing no signs of relenting. She scanned the skyline nervously as she approached the beach. On an ordinary day, she would have welcomed a swim near the shoreline. However, today was a day farthest from the ordinary. And the more Rikku stared at the beach, and the ocean crashing against it, the more it began to resemble the pond where she had been struck by lightning. She shuddered, and crouched close to the ground as another forked bolt zigzagged across the sky in front of her.

'When will this get easier?' she thought. 'And why am I out here?'

As she stood at the endpoint of her walk, she asked herself that question mentally. What was the purpose of defying her fear of lightning? What was she trying to prove, and to whom was she trying to prove it? Was this such a good idea after all? Was she able to lessen her fear of lightning by coming on this seemingly pointless walk, by herself, to the beach?

Her answer: probably not. Even though she had walked over a mile by now, she still didn't feel any less afraid of the weather phenomenon around her. Mentally, she scolded herself for ever thinking that one walk amongst the ravages of the aspect of nature she feared most would instantaneously solve her problem. It was like therapy, in that it was a gradual process. Not like death, an instant, finite process. This was gradual, and could even change for the worse over time. Rikku shook her head.

"I don't even know what I'm doing out here," she muttered to herself.

"I don't know what you're doing out here either," said a low, cold voice from behind her.

Rikku spun around to see the last person she ever wanted to meet on a walk in this situation. Auron stood leaning against the rock, rain dripping off his salt-and-pepper hair, his sunglasses surely inhibiting his ability to see as they were spattered with rain. He had a searching look on his face, obviously wondering what Rikku was doing outside, alone, in the middle of one of the worst thunderstorms Besaid had seen in a long time. Rikku quailed slightly under his harsh glance. She got the uneasy feeling that he didn't like her for some reason. Maybe it was because of the Thunder Plains (so like the situation now), and how all she wanted to do was flee somewhere else, and discontinue the pilgrimage.

"What are you doing out here?" Auron repeated, walking slowly to her. "I thought you were afraid of thunderstorms."

"I am," said Rikku.

"Hmph," Auron muttered. "I can only hope that, at some point, you'll start to make sense."

Rikku hesitated. "I wanted to confront my fear," she said finally.

Auron grunted. "Today?"

"Yeah!" she responded. "How often does Besaid get a thunderstorm?"

Auron chuckled. "Not very often. But that still doesn't excuse your behavior this morning."

"What are you, my father?" Rikku snapped back.

"It feels like it," Auron said, shrugging and turning away.

"Don't you turn away from me like this, dang it! You know I hate it when you do that!" Rikku said, running to catch up to the older man.

Auron turned around slowly. "I didn't."

"Yeah, well . . ." she said. "I'm here now. And I'm not a kid anymore."

Auron raised his eyebrows. "You're not? What would you call yourself then?"

"Responsible enough to know that I do have a reason for being out here, no matter how silly it may be, you know?"

"To confront your fear, as you said earlier?"

"Yeah!" she said. "Isn't that important?"

"It is," Auron agreed, nodding slowly. "And I'm impressed that you felt brave enough to confront it by yourself."

Rikku looked down, a mix of pride and embarrassment on her face. "Thanks," she said. "But I don't think I got anywhere with it. I'm still afraid of lightning."

"Overcoming fear isn't instantaneous," Auron said. "You're going to have to go on many more walks before you feel comfortable around lightning."

"I remember, that day when it happened . . ." Rikku said, shuddering. "The white-hot burning in my back, the spots in my eyes, the terrible heat . . . I was afraid, Auron. I thought I was gonna die."

Auron said nothing. "I thought I was gonna die . . ." she had said. Auron knew the feeling. On Braska's pilgrimage, when he had lashed out at Lady Yunalesca . . . she had struck him down with one simple stroke of her finger. He lay there, thinking that he was going to die. He wasn't much older than Rikku is now, maybe five or six years. How foolish he was then, just as Rikku was now. Foolish. But was it truly foolishness, or was it something else, something more complicated than that which Auron could explain? He couldn't even answer that question about himself, let along the shivering Al Bhed girl in front of him.

In the end, his facial expression relaxed. Right then, another lightning bolt variegated across the sky. Rikku convulsed even more, and looked around desperately for a place to seek refuge from the storm. She was tired. There would be more thunderstorms where she could try this again, but for now she just wanted to go home. She had had enough for the day. Auron, forever aware of his surroundings, read all these emotions and thoughts straight from Rikku's facial expression. She was a very easy person to read.

Auron sighed and removed his overcoat, placing it over the shivering girl in front of him. She looked at him, conveying her silent thank-you. Auron gestured toward the path leading back to the village, indicating that he felt it was time to head back. Rikku nodded and began to walk back up the path. She was starting to feel warmer already. Auron's overcoat was thick enough. Auron looked straight ahead of him, back up the path leading to Besaid, and nodded.

Rikku, forever the person who liked to get straight to the point, asked Auron a question. "Why the sudden display of affection?" she asked.

Auron looked at her. "It's not a display of affection," he said cooly. "I simply don't want you to catch cold."

"Concern, then?" Rikku persisted.

Auron's expression turned harsh. "Don't think I'm softening up," he warned. "For you to be absent during the inauguration ceremony because of a head cold is unacceptable. I'm trying to get you to abandon this walk before that happens."

Rikku shook her head. "I wonder how you got to be so mean," she said.

Auron began to laugh, an amused laugh. "Call it harsh wisdom," he said. "The world is relentless and unforgiving in the hardships it throws at people. Experience and pain are the only ways to gain wisdom and shed the youthful innocence which you possess, and I possessed." He paused. "I know this sounds harsh, but it is the absolute truth. In time, you'll come to understand what I mean."

"Well . . ." Rikku said slowly. "I understand."

Auron looked down at her. "You understand, do you? At your age?" Rikku nodded. Auron sighed and shook his head. "Then you may possess a hidden wisdom of the world."

"And for that, I pity you."

> > > > >

Half an hour later, Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, Auron and Rikku stood in the living room of the hut, all dressed and ready for Cid to arrive. The girls were in their dresses, and Wakka wore a tuxedo with a black bow-tie. Auron had decided not to dress up; he would go as he was always clad. He had to endure the playful protests of Yuna, Lulu and Rikku, but he only smiled and ignored their attempts to get him to change into something different.

Lulu was wearing a simple, yet beautiful lavender dress, studded all over with genuine amethyst. The dress covered her left shoulder, leaving the right one bare. Hugging her body tightly, it fell to just above the ankle, and it had a slit running up her right leg. The gems, expertly crafted and cut, glinted in the feeble light that streamed into the room. Gloves of matching color also came with the dress, and they extended all the way up past her elbows. Lulu also wore her hair down, so that it flowed like waves over her back and shoulders. Her large bangs hid most of her facial features, giving her an even more mysterious look than usual.

Rikku's dress was bright green. It resembled a spiral-shaped candy; it seemed as though the dress was composed of two strips: one that was bright metallic green and the other a thin see-through green. Stitched together, it formed the dress Rikku was currently wearing. The beginning of the metallic strip started at her right shoulder, went over her breasts, and continued to wind its way down and around her body, stopping just above the knee. The transparent strip ran parallel to the metallic one, so that you could see her left shoulder and stomach. It fit Rikku well; she looked quite charming in a dress that color.

Yuna's dress was by far the prettiest. The actual dress itself was a shiny black color, with fake silver specks adorning the whole garment. The straps of the dress came together in a pretty knot at the back of her neck. Wakka described the dress as looking like "she had the night sky wrapped around her like a blanket." The dress also hugged her body tightly, and fell to the knee. Over the actual dress Yuna wore a gauzy, transparent navy blue body draping that fell to her ankles and extended along her arms, so that her remaining exposed skin was tinted with the blue color. Her hair was let loose to flow freely, which gave her an aphrodisiacal look.

"You three look charming," Auron said.

"Thank you," Yuna said quietly. A compliment like that from Auron was rare.

Lulu and Rikku nodded. "Yes, thank you," they said.

Rikku started jumping up and down all of a sudden. "Look!" she shouted.

In the midst of the raging thunderstorm taking place outside, they could all see a moving object far off in the distance. It was growing larger every second, meaning it was barreling straight toward the island. Indeed, it was the airship, for no bird was that large or moved that quickly. As it loomed into focus, Yuna was able to see that it was not flying normally, rather, it was spiraling straight at them. Panic flooded her mind, what if the ship was going to crash? Certainly that pattern of flight wasn't normal.

Rikku, on the other hand, laughed. "Cid's obviously flying the thing," she said.

Yuna laughed too. "Is he always that outgoing?"

"He enjoys doing crazy stuff," Rikku responded. "Like this, I mean," she added, gesturing toward the airship.

All of a sudden, the airship straightened out its flight pattern so that it was flying level with the ground. It zoomed over the hut, making the ears of those still on the ground rattle. Cid couldn't have been more than 30 feet off the ground when he flew overhead. Seconds later, the ship came back into view. It was circling above Besaid, apparently trying to lose speed before it landed. After circling the village a few times, the ship settled over the landing spot, and gently touched down, landing in the middle of Besaid Village.

Immediately after the airship landed, other villagers slowly streamed out of their huts to gather around the new arrival, and to bid Yuna farewell. They milled about, faces scrunched against the lashing rain and unrelenting wind. Obviously they didn't mind, however. Yuna's sendoff was way too important to miss because of a storm. This would be a day talked about for the next hundred years, and they didn't want to miss being part of what would become a historic sendoff.

"Let's go," Auron said. "Our ride is here."

"You have a knack for stating the obvious, ya?" Wakka cut in, chuckling.

Auron said nothing, but led the way outside. While the girls and Wakka were dashing to get inside the airship as quickly as possible, Auron walked at his usual slow pace toward the ship, paying no attention to the pounding rain once again soaking him. He sighed, thinking about how much preparation had gone into a ceremony that was to last only a few hours. He thought about his new position as the one and only Representative of Zanarkand.

He wondered how long it would all last before falling apart.

Cid was there at the entrance to greet them. "Hurry up, Auron!" he roared. "I'm gonna get flooded out!"

Auron ignored him, and continued at his usual pace before getting to the ramp. "Make your goodbyes quick, Yuna," he said to the younger girl. "We don't have a lot of time."

"Yes," she said. The crowd cheered and waved to the former summoner. "People of Besaid," Yuna started, "this isn't the first time I've left you like this. However, the reason I leave today is not to become a summoner, but to become something far more noble and encompassing of the people. When I return . . . I will return as a citizen, a diplomat, and the President of our wonderful land, Spira!" The crowd burst into tumultuous applause. "Farewell, I will return soon!" Yuna said, smiling at the crowd.

She then turned around and walked up the ramp, Auron following behind her. Cid also waved to the crowd, but said nothing. He too walked back into the ship. The ramp closed behind him, and he was greeted by an impatient and slightly dizzy Brother. Cid chuckled at the Al Bhed and patted him on the shoulder, which nearly caused him to fall over.

"We're ready to go," Cid said in Al Bhed. "The pilot's seat is all yours again."

"Sure, sure," Brother said. "Just give me a minute to figure out which way is up."

Rikku laughed. "Cid, I always told you that you're crazy."

"HAH! Thank you, kid!" Cid boomed.

"What? What did he say?" Wakka said.

Rikku turned to Wakka, and grinned. "Brother's having a joke with Cid. We should be going in just a minute."

Brother then shook his head violently, as though he were trying to shake off water. He then sighed deeply, and trudged across the bridge of the airship. Sitting down at the pilot's seat, he gently guided the ship off the ground. The people who were gathered around the ship on the ground backed up so that they wouldn't be caught under the exhaust vents on the engines. They were still waving and cheering at Yuna, who was at the window, waving back with a half-genuine, half-forced smile on her face.

"How's she been?" Cid whispered.

"Not good," Lulu admitted, shaking her head. "This is the only thing that's successfully taken her mind off him."

"That's a good thing though, right?" Rikku asked.

"Good until it wears off," Auron said. "This is only a distraction, a temporary deterrent from her sorrow. Once this is over, she'll remember, and be right back where she started."

"Quite the vicious cycle, ya?" Wakka chimed in.

"It is," Auron said. "A most unfortunate set of circumstances. In fact, I think it may be even worse for Yuna after this is over."

"Why?" Lulu asked.

"Because once she becomes President of Spira, we will have entered a new age," Auron explained. "The years to come are going to be some of the most unstable in the world's history. And Yuna will probably feel that she has to go through all that alone, since Tidus is not here with her."

"But we're her friends!" Rikku protested.

Auron smiled slightly. "You're right. We're her friends. All we can do for her is let her know that."

"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Cid said.

"What's going on?" said Yuna, coming over to where the five other were discussing her.

"We were talking about the ceremony today," Lulu lied.

"I see," Yuna said, before walking off the bridge and disappearing into the corridors beyond.

"The rest of the representatives are back there," Cid said. "You should all go join them now. We'll take care of things up here."

Auron nodded and led the way for the others off the bridge of the airship. Wakka, Lulu, and Rikku followed close behind. Looking around, they noticed that the airship hadn't changed much since the last time they had been aboard. A few bouquets had been taped to the wall in a feeble attempt to spice up the atmosphere on the ship, but other than that, nothing had changed. The corridors were empty, and the soft humming of the engines could be heard in the background.

"Ah, Yuna," said a voice. Yuna turned to see Rin smiling at her. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

Back on the bridge, Cid shouted, "That's the last of 'em! Last stop: Bevelle!"

Ah, Cid . . . he's so much fun to write for. Haha.

Well, that about does it for now. I hope the chpater wasn't too harsh on you . . . it's buildup for what's to come. And since I've made it into such a big deal, I'm going to have to make sure you're getting what you promise.Ah . . . this may take awhile . . .

As per usual, please, please, please click the review button. Feedback of any sort is much appreciated, and spurs me to write more chapters faster.

That does it for me. Take it easy now, and I'll come back next time with the Inauguration Ceremony for you. Have a good one.

SirGecko>