Boring disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X.
A/n: I noticed that during this whole section of game Auron has all of two words. 'Where's Yuna?' So I added one small scene just so there would be more interaction, and so it wouldn't be as if he's just on the side watching it all. Hope you all don't mind!
The last time I awoke, I was cold and wet. This time I was hot and sticky. Something gritty rubbed against my face. I rolled onto my back and used my hand to rub my face. Pulling it away, I noticed how it shined. Sand. That could only mean one thing; Jecht had left us on Bikanel Island. Braska had told me many stories about this place.
I could only imagine what he was thinking. I glanced around me to see if any of my comrades were near. Seeing nothing, I began to walk. In the distance I could hear sounds of a struggle. Over the next sand dune I saw Tidus and Lulu fighting a Zu. I let out a humph, and joined the fight. Trouble seemed to follow the boy wherever he went.
When the fiend fell I began looking for Yuna once again. Hopefully we were all here. I could hear Lulu and Tidus talking behind me, but I was not worried about them. They could catch up. Not too far away, we met up with Wakka. He let out a curse about machina before getting up and joining us. Kimahri was the next one we found. He was attempting top climb up a sand dune, but would slid down before he was even half way up.
By now we had found all but two of our members. One of them we would need if we were where I thought we were. If memory served me correctly, then the Al Bhed home should be here. Rikku would be able to lead us there. We found her shortly after Kimahri.
"Hey guys. Where's Yunie?" She asked as soon as she saw us. Tidus was the one to answer. I heard Lulu say something in response, but I was more worried about getting out of here.
"There's something I want to tell you, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone." She glanced around the group and her eyes stopped on Wakka. "No glaring either. I know where we are. This is Bikanel Island. There's a place called home around here. Some Al Bhed must have rescued her."
"Don't you mean they kidnapped her?" Wakka, ever the Al Bhed hater.
"What does it matter? As long as Yuna is safe." Tidus attempted to defend the race he knew so little about.
"That's right! I'll take you there if you promise not to tell anyone. Especially not Yevonites. Who knows what they would do if they found out." I could see a hint of sadness in her face as she spoke. Something happened to her, I could tell.
"Just what are you accusing Yevon of?"
"Yevon did something really bad to us." She began but Wakka interrupted her.
"You must have deserved it."
Tidus growled from between them before shouting in frustration. "Can't you talk about this later? Wakka just promise. We'll never get to Yuna if you don't."
"Aaah, alright. Lead the way."
"Good follow me." She took off over the closest sand dune.
We traveled for close to a day and still we had not reached the Al Bhed home. I wondered, not for the first time, if Rikku really did know where we were. That night we found some old ruins and set up camp under them for protection. Tidus and Wakka took first watch.
I listened to them talk before closing my eye in weariness. Traveling in this heat took more out of me then I cared to admit. An hour later Tidus leaned over me wanting for me to take over his shift as agreed. I opened my eye and stood. He smiled and lay down with the rest of the group. Within moments I could hear his light snoring.
I walked to the edge of the ruin and stared out. No fiends in site, that was good. Turning back I saw Rikku stretching. Wakka must have woken her up.
"How much farther do we have to travel in the morning?" I asked her. I needed to know so we could be prepared.
She looked up from the weapon she began working on. "Huh? Oh, just another two or three miles I think."
"Hmm." I turned back to keep a lookout. Two or three miles. We could have done that today. All we were doing was wasting time. I glanced over my shoulder at the group. Maybe stopping was a good idea. Wakka had dried blood on his cheek from where a fiend had smashed into him. I could see Lulu favoring her left wrist, and even Kimahri was worn out. He was not used to this harsh heat with him being suited for the mountains of Gagazet. Yes, maybe it was good that we stopped. For who knew what would happen when we entered the Al Bhed home.
Rikku was up early the next morning eager to reach home. Within three hours we had come to the last dune. She ran over the side in excitement, but screamed in fear when she got to the top. I reached the top just as everyone else did. Fiends were attacking, as fire broke out from all ends of the structure.
We made it in time to see someone fall just after being attacked by a fiend. Rikku ran over to him and held his head in her lap. She spoke something in Al Bhed, and I barely managed to understand the words, Yevon and Guado.
"A war between Yevon and the Al Bhed?" Lulu asked.
A harsh voice was her answer, but only Rikku would be able to tell us what was said. He looked around at us after checking the body of the young man. "You Rikku's friends? Well don't just stand there. Let's go kick those Guado out of our home!"
So this was Cid. He certainly fit the description that Braska had given me about him. We followed Rikku who had run into a nearby door. If we were to get Yuna, We would have to trust her now more then ever. I glanced over to see if Wakka would have anything to say and was pleasantly surprised to see he was eager to follow her as well.
We ran in only to be greeted by a guado and three bombs. This couldn't possibly get any worse. I spoke too soon, for in the next area came Cid's voice over some sort of speaker.
"Oh no!" Rikku cried out.
"What'd he say?" Wakka asked.
"We have to get underground." She summed up.
Enough was enough. I was losing my patience. "Where's Yuna?" I asked strait out. No more running around.
"In the summoner's sanctum. This way."
This was more like it. Down another hall and through the only working door, inside a chimera waited for us.
After taking care of the fiend Wakka looked around and realized just what the Al Bhed went through. "This place is done for."
"You're right, Wakka. We Al Bhed weren't always like this. Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live. Because of that we were scattered all over Spira. But then my dad brought us together again. We worked hard and had a home again, but then, then… Why did things have to turn out this way?" She leaned into Wakka and I could see tears running down her cheeks.
"Damn those Guado. Just what are they thinking?" Wakka cursed.
"Rikku?" Lulu began. "What is the commoner's sanctum?"
"It's where we keep the summoners. We keep them safe there." Rikku answered.
"You kidnapped them."
"I know it's against the teachings and all, but."
"I get why you did it." Wakka interrupted.
Tidus stood by watching the exchange, but I could see he had something to say now. I was right as I saw him stepping down the stairs to add his own thoughts.
"Well I don't get it. Summoners might get hurt on their pilgrimages, so you kidnap them? I know you're worried about them, but that's what guardians are for. If we do our job then there's nothing to worry about, right?" He glanced around when no one answered. "Right!" He repeated.
There was silence in the room as no one wanted to be the one to answer his questions. Kimahri broke the silence first. "It's quiet. Kimahri goes now." Then he turned and walked away.
Taking his hint the rest of us followed leaving the boy to join us on his own. When I walked in the door it was complete madness. Pyerflies flew around the room from fiends and humans alike. More Al Bhed lay scattered around, dead and dying. I took a place in the corner of the room, I knew if the summoners were here like Rikku thought, then I would have to stay back.
Kimahri and Rikku both ran into the room pleading that she would be in there. A seductive alto voice answered instead. It was Lady Dona who they had met back at the Kilika Temple.
"She's not here. Hello, we meet again. Please wait there while we perform the sending."
A man finished her thoughts. "They died protecting us. The least we can do is give them a proper sending."
Tidus stood in shock in the middle of the room before a little kid came running up to him. He had a question. "What's sacrificed? The Al Bhed said that summoners were being sacrificed and that they shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage."
I could see anger flash across the blonds face before he exploded. I watched to see how this would play out. Yuna still had not told him what would happen if she were to receive the final aeon. She was willing to die, and he had no idea.
"The Al Bhed had no right stopping the pilgrimages! Who will defeat sin if the summoners don't?"
"The pilgrimages have to stop! If they don't, and Yunie. And Yunie gets to Zanarkand, she could get the final aeon and defeat sin. But then, then." Tears began to pour down Rikku's face freely now. I could see how much it hurt for her to say this. "Then the final aeons gonna kill her! Yunie told you, didn't she?" She finished her thought and fell to the ground crying.
"Was I the only one? The only one who didn't know?" He dropped in front of the girl and roughly shook he to get answers. "Why did you hide it? Why didn't I know?"
"We weren't hiding it.." Wakka began to say from next to him.
"It was, just to hard to say." Lulu finished.
Tidus began to pound the floor in frustration. To tell the truth it was almost how I felt when I found out about what would happen to Jecht. I closed my eye lost in my own thoughts about my own travels with Braska and Jecht. I could still hear the cries of Rikku and Tidus as aeons were summoned around us.
Tidus' next words broke me from my trance. "I won't let her die! I will find her!"
Rikku led us all into the next area. Cid and another Al Bhed were running around shouting things out. In their panicked state, they spoke a mixture of Spiran and Al Bhed.
"Where's Yuna?" Tidus shouted as soon as he saw them. They ignored the blond and continued on in their panicked rush. Not liking being ignored, Tidus stormed over to Cid and turned him around so he could stare strait at him. "I said where is she?" Anger overcame him and he picked the man up by the front of his suit. "Answer me damn you!" He shouted in his face.
Calmer then I would have thought possible, Cid asked him a simple question. "What are you gonna do when you find her?"
Much to everyone's relief Tidus put him back down. "I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything. And I said all those things to her without even knowing. I have to tell her I'm sorry."
"That's it? You have to tell her you're sorry?" Cid mocked. "And then you drag her off to Zanarkand and make her fight sin. You're all the same. Let the summoner die so we can all live in peace!" He grabbed the front of Tidus' clothes and threw him over his head.
I was a bit shocked, but the boy shook it off and continued to argue. "No! I'm not going to let Yuna die!"
"Words boy. Show me some action!"
"I'm telling you, she won't die!"
"Don't you forget that boy. Because if she does… I will make you regret it."
He picked himself off the floor and walked over to the older man. "I won't. So do you know where she is?"
"'Coarse not! That's why we're gonna look using this airship." This was the man I remembered. Brash and rough speaking.
I let out a silent chuckle at Wakka's reaction to using an airship.
We managed to escape using machina to blow up the Al Bhed home. Not that I was surprised. Cid always was a man known for going overboard. After out near escape I made my way off the bridge. I had my own thoughts to worry about and wanted to think in silence.