Chapter 1 – Fly to Kilika
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy series is owned and copyrighted by Square-Enix.
Thanks to everyone who read this fic originally a long time ago. After 16 years, Beyond the Summoner is back and better than ever! Over the last few months, I've gone back and edited every chapter—with more editing in progress. Spelling, grammar, and voicing should all be a ton better this time around. There are also some new scenes, so past readers will have new stuff to look forward to.
Most importantly, the ending has been completely rewritten because, well, it's no longer the ending! After all this time, there's still much more story to tell. I'll be adding new chapters soon. The dream isn't over yet!
When I'm able, I'll also cross-post this fic on AO3. So if you see it on there, that's me as well!
Yuna awakened from sleep greeted by the sky's morning sunlight shining through the windows. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. The first conscious thought in her mind was that of her lost love, Tidus. It always was her first thought—no morning withstanding. Lying there, alone without him, always began her day with a knot in the pit of her stomach.
She knew she must arise and face the challenges of this new day. Yuna sighed quietly and sat up, turning around to glance out the window. A lone bird flew alongside the Celsius, its wings spread wide. Its silhouette gracefully crossed in front of the rising sun. A beautiful image such as this made Yuna smile, pushing aside the anxiety of memories. She proceeded to get out of bed fully and change from her pajamas. Walking down the stairs of the cabin, she spied a cheerful Bartender, the funny blue Hypello that lived on the ship with the Gullwings.
"Good morning Mish Yoona. How are yoo tooday?" Barkeep greeted, standing behind the counter while washing a glass.
"Oh, not too bad I guess. It is a pretty sunrise this morning," she replied while taking a seat on a barstool.
"What would yoo like too drink this morning?" he asked.
Yuna shrugged. "Give me some juice I suppose."
She rested her head on her hands, watching blankly as Barkeep poured a red juice into a tall crystalline glass. She retreated to her thoughts once more, although now focused on the present. Yesterday, Shinra discovered sphere signals emanating from a remote island off of Kilika Port. Perhaps it might present another clue as to where Tidus could be. She knew not to get her hopes up, as she's been led down this path many times before. Yuna hoped it would shed some light on the mystery behind the "Crimson Report" spheres they had been discovering.
Barkeep plopped the glass he was filling in front of Yuna, startling her out of her daze. She stared at her rose-tinted reflection in the juice.
"Are yoo feeling oo-kay, Mish Yoona?" Barkeep asked, noticing her lackluster mood.
"Yeah, I'm alright. I think a lot in this morning, you know."
He chuckled. "My mother yoosed too say that if a flower does not shine in the morning sun, it will wilt before it shoould."
Yuna laughed at Barkeep's peculiar but well-meaning advice. Finally picking up her glass, she drank some of the red juice. Its sweet taste aided in brightening up her mood.
"Let me ask you something." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "During the time Sin was alive, how should I put this . . . how did you live?"
Barkeep glanced at her in puzzlement. "What do you mean, Yoona?"
She sighed, and thought for a moment again, tapping her finger on the counter. Often she had difficulty explaining these emotional intricacies deep within her, especially recently.
Again she spoke, "What I mean is even with Spira in such peril, and your own life in constant danger, did you really want to continue living?"
"Of course," he replied smiling. "Even though I was afraid often, I told myself good days would come too me. The world is a shpooky place. But if yoo have hope, yoo can get passed yoor fears."
"Did you lose anyone close to you because of Sin?" Yuna asked.
Barkeep's mood dampened at the sound of her question. He paused wiping out the mug he was working on and placed it on the counter.
"Yes, I did Yoona. My beootiful wife, Moonta. I lost her too Sin's wrath, I did," he said with a somber expression.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried."
"It's ookay, Yoona. It was painful when she died, but the tale of the shummoners gave me hope. It was yoor story that helped me go on."
Taken aback by the Hypello's response, Yuna stumbled to react to his words. Perhaps she has been too selfish, she thought to herself. So many people had depended on her, both then and now, to help them through their despairs. The guilt of turning her back on the people of Spira raged throughout her head. It had been percolating now for a while. In the beginning, this path seemed clear. It would be time for her to do something important for her own life. But now, she's accomplished nothing of value. She believed if she would have stayed put, she could have prevented the feud between New Yevon and the Youth League. The Gullwings seemed like an act of self-indulgence.
The intercom signal beeped, and Brother's voice rambled out from the speakers. "We are approaching Kilika Port. Better get to the bridge, Yuna!"
"Ok Brother, I'm on my way!" she replied and got up from her barstool.
"Shtay safe," said Barkeep, waving to Yuna.
Yuna smiled at him. "Thanks for talking with me. I gotta go!"
"No problem, Miss Yoona. Talk with me any time." He smiled and went back to washing out the mug.
Yuna marched down the corridor and entered the lift. It had been a while since they'd been to Kilika. At first, the feud between New Yevon and the Youth League threw the town into dismay. Once the Gullwings dispatched all the fiends that poured out from the temples, things had been calming down.
She thought back to the first time she and Tidus entered Kilika. Most of it had been ravaged by Sin, and the people were scared and desperate. It was also the place where she bonded to Ifrit, her second aeon. Now a thriving town, bustling full of people and trade, Kilika stood stronger than ever.
The doors of the lift opened, and Yuna proceeded to the bridge. Rikku and Paine both stood next to Shinra, who was explaining something to them. Brother and Buddy prepared to land the Celsius.
"Hey Yunie, it's about time you got up here!" Rikku laughed, giving her cousin a wink.
Yuna walked over to her friends huddled around the boy. "Sorry. So, what's up Shinra?"
Shinra began typing fiercely on his console. He brought up a map of Kilika Port and the surrounding area. His finger pointed to a blinking red dot on the screen.
"This is where we'll be going. A small island about five clicks northeast of Kilika. Somewhere on this island is where I'm picking up these mysterious sphere readings," he explained.
"Wonder what this sphere contains?" Paine questioned. "I hope this one is more exciting than some of the other ones we've found recently."
"Maybe we'll find a buried treasure map!" Rikku blurted out.
"Sure we will, Rikku," Paine said sarcastically while rolling her eyes.
"Aw, c'mon, it's possible. Don't you want it to be something really neat?"
Yuna laughed at the two, especially Rikku. She was always a ball of laughs, noting in her mind that she was always jealous of her constant chipperness. Yuna hoped as much as Paine that they find a sphere worth uncovering.
"What's on this island, Shinra?" Paine asked.
"Hmm . . ." Shinra went back to typing on his console. "There are a few fiends, nothing too dangerous. Besides that, a couple of old stone buildings—ruins perhaps."
"I wonder if those ruins hold any secrets?" Yuna thought out loud.
"I doubt it, " Shinra replied dully. "But then again, no one has investigated them as far as I'm aware. I suppose it's worth a shot to see them as well."
"Yeah! That's the spirit!" bellowed Rikku in excitement.
"You better hope we don't run into trouble," Paine interjected, souring Rikku's enthusiasm.
"Bah, we can handle a few lousy fiends. How 'bout it, Yunie?" Rikku rebutted, nudging Yuna in the ribs.
"Well I guess—" started Yuna.
"Are you sure? All we need is to get into more trouble," Buddy proceeded to ask from across the bridge.
"Don't be such a worry wort. I mean, how much trouble could be on a small island like that?" Rikku smugly answered.
"Well, why not. Although I usually don't agree with Rikku, I'm with her on this one," somberly agreed Paine.
"Yeah, that's—hey!" Rikku yelled, sticking her tongue out at Paine.
Two beeps came from Brother's console. "Hold tight Gullwings, we are gonna land soon."
"We'll land in Kilika, and you can use a boat to go to the island, " Buddy explained. "So be back by dusk. We'll have accommodations set up by then."
Yuna nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be fine."
"Yeah! Let's get going girls. It's time for the Gullwings to swing into action!" Rikku shouted, launching her hand into the air in a sign of battle.
Paine shook her head in disappointment and Yuna laughed. It was time for the Gullwings to go sphere hunting once more!