AN: Hello everyone, in case you didn't know, I said I was going to rewrite this chapter since I did not like the last version at all. Well here it is. Seriously thought, I felt like I lost my mojo. Bleh, I hate it when that happens. Well, hopefully this version is A LOT better than the last one. I rewrote almost everything, but I kept a few scenes that I did like. Also I'd like to thank Imhotep Ardeth Bey for giving me input on my lousy chapter. I was not insulted, on the contrary, I'm happy that you took the time to tell me what you found...wrong I suppose is the word. So for helping, I wrote that romantic scene where Ryu gives Rikku his necklace. Okay so lets try this again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X-2 or Kingdom Hearts. I only own my characters previously mentioned.

Ch 14 Decisions

"A-Auron?" Ryu asked in awe.

The Legendary Guardian nodded. Ryu didn't know what else to say. It was kind of hard to think straight when your supposedly dead mentor/father figure was standing before you. Auron turned to the Spirans and asked them to wait outside a for a moment. They were hesitant since they too wanted to know what was going on. Karen assured them that they would explain once Ryu was taken care of. They agreed and walked out. Gippal told them to meet them in a meeting room down the hall. They could have a proper discussion there. Once Auron heard the door click, he turned back to Ryu.

"There's a perfectly good reason why I'm alive."

That was good to know because Ryu sure couldn't think of one. He couldn't wait to hear what it was.

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Meanwhile, the Spirans waited patiently in the meeting room. Well some of them waited patiently. Currently, a perky blonde Al Bhed was walking around the room impatiently.

"How about you sit down for a bit?" Tidus suggested."Your going to wear down the floor at that rate."

Rikku looked at everyone in the room with frustration. "How can you be so calm? Did you not notice Auron?"

"Yes, and?" Gippal asked.

"And? He's suppose to be dead. D-E-A-D, dead. As in not alive!" she answered.

"Getting all worked up about it isn't going to answer anything. Take a deep breath and relax." Gippal instructed.

Rikku took his advice and took a long calming breath before she sat down next to Yuna. The next hour or so seemed to drag on for ever. Rikku was about to explode again when the door opened. Auron stepped through followed by Cloud, Karen, Maya, Kai, and Yuri.

"Sorry guys." Karen said. "I hope we didn't make you wait to long."

Rikku was about to say something, but Paine covered her mouth. "It's fine." she said in return.

Karen smiled and sat down with Maya and Cloud. Auron and the boys opted for standing.

"So, Auron." Tidus began. "It's a surprise to see you ...alive."

Auron chuckled at that. "I suppose it is."

"Sir Auron, how did this happen?" Yuna asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

He took a deep breath before he began."There is a worlds were a being called Hades resides. He is the god of the Underworld in this particular world. The spirit of the deceased are sent here and he watches over them. It appears that he also had the ability to call forth spirits that had died on other worlds, regardless of what other gods or spiritual beings say on those worlds. To make a long story short, he called forth my spirit from the Farplane and ordered me to kill Yuri's father."

"Uh, did you do it?" Tidus asked him a little nervous.

"No." he answered gruffly.

"Good, you know just making sure." Tidus answered sheepishly.

"How did you meet Ryu's parents?" Rikku asked this time.

"Actually I just recently met them. It was a couple of days after Maya and Karen were sent here. Sora, Yuri's dad, asked if I could tell them more about this world. So I traveled to Traverse Town to meet with them. It was then they told me about their missing son. I found myself comparing Ryu to Cloud through most of their tale. It was after they told me about his necklace that I was able to confirm his identity. After all, how many people named Ryu could possibly have the same necklace."

They all seemed satisfied with what they were told. As far fetched as the story sounded, they couldn't say it was impossible. After all, they had seen their fair share of strange things. Like Tidus's appearance and disappearance, Shuyin, undead people roaming Spira ... you get the picture. Cloud cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. He faced the Al Bhed leader, Cid, who oddly enough had the same name as his friend Cid Highwind.

"I know that what my son has done in the past has hurt you greatly, however, I ask that you forgive him for his actions."

Cid folded his hands on the table and looked seriously at Cloud. "You're asking a lot from me."

"I know."

Cid sighed. "Well from what I've heard and been told, he wasn't completely responsible. Those Yevon Maesters turned him into their tool. Can't really put all the blame on the kid, but I also can't forgive him on behalf of my people. Each one can decide on their own when the time comes, however, I'm willing to give the kid a second chance."

"So would I." Gippal said.

"And me too!" Rikku chirped in.

Cloud smiled. "Thank you."

"There is one more thing Cid." Auron stated.

"What is it?"

"We want you to terminate Ryu's bodyguard contract."

Rikku felt her chest tighten at those words, but didn't know what she could do. Brother watched her from the corner of his eyes. Buddy's words kept running through his mind. 'Why don't you be a good older brother for once and help Rikku.' Perhaps it was time to do so.

Cid looked at them questioningly. "What for?"

"We decided to take Ryu on a little training trip. In his current state, he cannot defeat Sephiroth." Auron answered.

"You think he's still alive?" Yuri asked. "There's no way he could have survived Karen's attack. It was a direct hit!"

"Sephiroth is a tough bastard to defeat. I should know." Cloud said.

"That's why we need to train Ryu. Unfortunately, age is catching up with Cloud as well as me." Auron explained. "Sephiroth on the other hand, seems to have found a way to stop aging. It might have something to do with the darkness he's immersed himself in."

"We'd also like to ask you to offer your airship services to us." Cloud continued. "It would make traveling easier."

"Hmm, well I suppose I could do both."

"Great." Cloud then turned to the Gullwings. "I'm also going to ask for your assistance. The keyhole to this world needs to be sealed. This way, Ansem can't continue to bring Heartless into the world. I ask that you help Maya, Karen, Kai, and Yuri with this task. You know this world better than they do. It would make it easier to search with your help."

Yuna nodded. "You can count on us. We want to protect our world too and we'll whatever it takes."

"It's good to see that somethings about you haven't changed." Auron said to Yuna.

She in turn smiled shyly. They continued to discuss travel arrangements until Aerith arrived.

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Ryu was uncomfortable to say the least. No matter how he looked at it, it was still strange to have someone fussing over him so much. After his father and sisters left with Kai and Yuri, his mother had taken to showering him with affection. It was really unnerving ...for him. At least now he had a moment to himself. His mother had gone to get him some new clothes since his old ones were no longer wearable. It was at that moment that the door creaked open. Aerith stepped in with a bundle in her hands.

"I hope you'll like your new clothes. I tried to find you something similar to your old ones."

"Anything is fine."

Aerith smiled. She handed him his clothes and told him that she would check on him again in the morning.

"Are you really going to help Yuri and the others?" he asked out of the blue.

"Of course, they need all the help they can get."

Ryu frowned. He was worried she might get hurt. Ansem and Sephiroth were both psychotic, in his opinion anyway.

Seeing his frown, she gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"That doesn't mean I can't worry about you." he answered.

She kissed his forehead in an effort to reassure him. Ryu blushed in embarrassment. Definitely too much affection. He did his best to regained his composure, but Aerith though it was cute. So she hugged him. This had to be one of the happiest days of her life. She had her son back and not only that, but he was worrying about her even if he didn't know her that long! Ryu on the other hand was trying to adjust to being hugged. Before it was a rare occurrence, but now it was becoming an every day event. Aerith pulled back and looked at her sons uncomfortable face. She though it was adorable and hugged him again. Mothers.

Aerith finally let go and told him to get some rest. Ryu nodded and waited for her to leave. Once the door had closed, he got up and decided he was in serious need of a bath. A warm shower was just what he needed. After his bath he inspected his new clothes. Everything was similar to his old outfit except for one piece of clothing. It was a sleeveless black shirt with a zipper and collar. He put it on and zipped it up to just below his neck. The new trench coat Aerith got was also similar to his old, but on the back was an outline of a wolfs head. He placed it on a near by chair since he wasn't going to wear it yet. Then dropped to his bed like a sack of potatoes. His though drifted to what his father and Auron told him. They were going to take him on a training trip so he could take on Sephiroth again. Ryu couldn't argue with that. He had known for a while he needed to do so. While he trained with his father and Auron, Yuri and Kai would begin their search of the keyhole to the world. They needed to lock it to keep Ansem from flooding the world with more Heartless. Maya and Karen would continue to journey with them as well as the Gullwings and his mother. He rolled over and laid on his back. For a few moments, he just simply stared at the ceiling. He couldn't believe he was back in Bevelle. It was the last place he wanted to be, but the situation lead them there.

'I wonder how Rikku is doing?'

He hoped she took his resignation well, but at the same time, he hoped she tried to keep him with her. He had to admit to himself that he would miss her. She had become an important person in his life, maybe even more. That kiss on the airship was enough to confirm it, but ...did it mean anything to her? He growled and got up from his bed. Maybe looking for a new weapon would help him clear his mind. With that he grabbed his coat and left the room.

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Aerith entered the meeting room and informed them that Ryu was completely healed. All he needed now was a good nights rest. They were relieved to get some good news after all the bad things that had happened. As Aerith sat next to Cloud, Yuna decided it was a good time to ask how she was able to heal Ryu when she could not. Aerith explained to Yuna that her healing magic was enhanced because she was the last of a race of people called Cetra. On the original world she was born on, she had been killed by Sephiroth, however, she somehow ended up going to Hollow Bastion after her death. It was much later that she was reunited with her friends, Yuffie Kisaragi and Cid Highwind. Squall Leonhart arrived later. They lived there for awhile until the Heartless attacked. They ended up in Traverse Town and decided to help protect the world from the Heartless since they failed to do so in Hollow Bastion. Sora eventually arrived and was revealed to be the Keyblade master. Once he had beaten Malificent, they were able to return to Hollow Bastion to rebuilt it. After Sora beat Ansem, she was also reunited with Cloud, her long lost love. The girls, minus Paine, sighed dreamingly.

"That is so romantic." Rikku told Aerith.

She in turn giggled. "Oh, I don't know about that..."

"But it is!" She insisted. "Love that transcends time and space. It's like Yunie and Tidus!"

After Yuna explained to Aerith what Rikku was talking about, the girls agreed. The guys decided not to add their two cents about romance since they would most likely get shot down. They talked long into the night until Paine decided she needed some rest, everyone else soon followed suit. They parted ways and went to their respective rooms. Soon everyone was asleep minus a few people. One of those people was Brother. He was taking a walk around the temple halls. After considering the idea of helping Rikku during the meeting, he finally decided to do something about it. With his mind made up, he went to look for his father. He found him also walking around the temple.

"Vydran, E haat du dymg du oui. (Father, I need to talk to you.)"

Cid looked at his son strangely. He never wanted to talk about anything before. What brought on this change?

"I'm listening."

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Maya was walking through the temple halls with Gippal. Originally, she just wanted to take a nice quite stroll to clear her mind, but a nice quite stroll was not what she got. She had run into the Al Bhed after only five minutes of wandering. The Machina Faction leader said it looked like she could use some company and invited himself to join her. At first she was okay with it since it was late and she didn't know what kind of weirdo's lived around there. Now she was willing to take her chances with the weirdo's. His constant flirting was starting to get on her nerves. She normally wouldn't mind that a hot guy was hitting on her, but this particular guy was engaged. She did not mess with guys that had a commitment, however he didn't seem to care.

"So ...are you seeing anyone?"

She finally had enough and stopped walking. "Why does it matter to you?"

"Just curious." he added with a dashing smile.

"Look Gippal, I'm flattered that you find me attractive enough to hit on, but you are engaged. I don't mess with those types of guys."

Gippal got in front of her. "So, would you treat me differently if I wasn't engaged?"

Maya eyed him. "Maybe."

"Are you going to answer my first question?"

"No."

"Okay I get the hint." he put his hands up in defeat. "You know, I don't really want to get married."

Maya looked at him skeptically. "Then why did you agree?"

"Well I expected Rikku to disagree, but when Cid told me she agreed I just went with it. I know it's for the good of our people, but that doesn't mean I like it. I just put up a front for Rikku."

At that moment, Brother rounded a corner and grabbed Gippal's collar. He began to drag him away.

"Hey what's going on?" Gippal asked a little annoyed.

"Shut up and follow me!" Brother responded.

Gippal looked back at Maya. "I'll talk to you later!"

Maya looked on in amusement as the Al Bheds disappeared around a corner. At least she was rid of her annoying companion. She turned and continued her night stroll.

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Rikku laid in her bed, unable to sleep. After tossing and turning for a few minutes, she got up and walked out into the hallway. She wandered around aimlessly, lost in her own thoughts. Well, mostly thoughts about Ryu. She tried to picture her life without out him. It was actually a lot more difficult than it seemed. He had become a major part of her life without realizing it. And that kiss...

Her cheeks burned at the thought, however, she didn't regret what had happened. In fact she rather enjoyed it. Something about him always made her heart skip a beat. Even just thinking about him gave her butterflies in her stomach. She felt safe when he was around and whenever he wasn't she would feel anxious and vulnerable. She couldn't bare to be away from him. Her eyes widened. Yuna had told her that love was when you couldn't stand to be apart from that person. She smiled. Yes, she was in love and maybe he felt something for her too. He may have said they shouldn't, but he kissed her back! He was special to her and she was sure of what she felt. She was about to walk to his room when Brother appeared out of nowhere with Gippal

"Hey." Gippal greeted.

"Hi, what's going on?"

"Father wants to speak to you." Brother said seriously.

She was taken aback by his strange behavior. She looked to Gippal for an explanation, but he only shrugged. After a few seconds she nodded and followed Brother and Gippal back to the meeting room.

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Ryu's patience was slowly starting to deteriorate. He had been going to all the old rooms where he use to train or keep his weapons, but found them all locked or boarded up. Like they were trying to keep something evil from coming out ...or going in. His eyes narrowed as he passed a room where prisoners would await their execution, normally by him. He quickened his pace, not wanting to remember what he had done. Finally he reached the last room on his list. It was at the end of a hallway with no lights. At first he couldn't move. The darkness unnerved him, however, if he couldn't face this now then how could he hope to defeat Sephiroth? He took a deep breath and slowly made his way. This hallway was never lit and had no other rooms except for the one at the very end. Soon he found himself at the door to the room ...his old room. However, he was disappointed to find that he could not get in. Unlike the other rooms, this one needed two spheres to open. The only person who could possibly know where the spheres were would be Baralai. He walked away and though about what to do next. It was late and he didn't want to bother him. Perhaps he could ask him about it in the morning before he left. With a sigh, he walked towards the gardens. It had been a long time since he was last there.

Rikku had just gotten out of the meeting room. She was stunned at what had happened. Her father had just broken the engagement. Gippal didn't even protest and what was more stunning was that Brother was the one who set this up! There was one thing she knew she had to do now. She was about to run to Ryu's room when a noise got her attention. It sounded like someone was walking in her general direction. She stood her ground and waited to see who it was. Ryu walked past with a frustrated look. He had his hands in his pockets and his gaze burned into the ground. Rikku decided to see what was up and with the stealth of a thief, followed her unsuspecting prey.

Ryu reached the garden and looked around. It seemed like the garden had turned into a small forest. The trees weren't that big, but they were definitely big enough for a grown person to hide behind. A few were even big enough to climb. He made his way through some bushes and found a clearing. He walked into the middle and laid down. The stars were twinkling brightly in the cloudless sky. Looking at the stars made him wonder about his real home. Could he really leave Spira? It had been his home for most of his life and now he had friends that he really didn't want to abandon. He placed his arm over his eyes. His family would most likely return to their home. If he didn't go, would he be able to still see them? All these questions were beginning to give him a head ache.

"Should I stay or go?" he asked out loud.

"I'd be really sad if you left." someone responded.

Ryu sat up immediately and looked behind him. There was no one there. Hearing voices was not a good sign of his mental health. He shook his head and turned away only to find Rikku kneeling in front of him. He was surprised she was able to sneak up on him like that. In fact, he didn't even hear her movements on the grass. She was good.

"Would you really leave?" she asked sadly.

Ryu frowned when he saw her sad face. The urge to make her happy came back. "I told you once that I don't like to see you sad. If it means that I need to stay to keep you happy then I would."

Rikku smiled again and threw her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. Ryu was surprised again by her actions.

"What are you..."

"I want to know how you feel about me." She said.

Ryu clutched the grass. "It doesn't matter. You're already taken."

Rikku shook her head. "Not anymore. Pops broke the engagement."

"What?" That was another shocker for Ryu. Why would Cid do that?

"Now tell me." Rikku said firmly. "I need to know before you go on your trip."

"I... don't know what call this feeling I have, but I do know one thing." He hugged her closer to him. "I want to make you happy. I want to keep you safe, but most of all I don't want to be apart from you."

Rikku could feel her cheeks begin to burn. How was it that he made her feel like this? She pulled back and looked into his eyes. She looked for any signs that he might be lying, but found nothing. Only two blue orbs that looked at her with care, adoration, and...

"It's called love silly."

Ryu tilted his head to one side in question. Rikku giggled at how cute he looked.

'Love? Is that what it was called.' He smirked and leaned closer to her.

"What about you... Rikku."

The way he said her name made her feel like she had butterflies in her stomach. She could feel the heat was starting to spread to her neck. "How do you do that?" she asked with a pout.

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

He chuckled. "I do, but I like to mess with you." he said before he pressed his lips against hers.

Her eyes widened, but then she slowly closed them and kissed him back. Nothing could ruin this moment ...except for a noise coming from the bushes. The two love birds separated and looked at each other questioningly.

"Did you hear that?" Ryu asked.

Rikku nodded. He hoped it had been his imagination, but it looked like he was wrong. "Alright, come out whoever you are!"

They were both surprised to see Yuna, Tidus and Paine stand up from the bushes behind them. Yuna looked embarrassed while Tidus was giving Ryu a thumbs up. Paine just smirked at them and continued to record this precious blackmai ...I mean precious moment.

"Way to go Ryu!" Tidus cheered. "I bet you were going to go all the way if we hadn't interrupted."

Yuna smacked Tidus's head. "Don't be so vulgar!"

"Go all the way!" came a shout from a tree. Four people jumped down and walked into the clearing. It was Yuri, Kai, Maya, and Karen. Yuri looked at Ryu with awe.

"Dude," Yuri began. "You are my hero!"

"Thanks ...I think." Ryu responded.

"You weren't going to take advantage of Rikku ...were you Ryu?" his sisters looked at him sternly.

"No one is taking advantage of my little girl!" Cid screamed while jumping out of a different bush. "You and me are gonna have a little talk after this." he said menacingly.

"POPS! He was not going to take advantage of me!" Rikku said turning even more red.

"Who else is here?" Ryu asked exasperated.

Cloud, Aerith, Baralai, and Gippal came out into the clearing. Ryu groaned and hung his head. Rikku covered her face with her hands. Didn't they ever hear of something called privacy! Ryu, with much effort, looked at his parents. Aerith looked at apologetically and Cloud was trying to get Cid to calm down.

"I'm sorry son, we heard from you sister that Rikku was going to confess her undying love for you and I just had to see."

Ryu glanced at Maya and Karen. "Where did you two hear this?"

Maya laughed nervously. "Well, I heard it from Gippal, then told Karen and we told mom and dad and also had to tell the boys. Yuri then told Tidus who told Yuna and Paine who..."

"Okay, I get the picture." he sighed. "Can I please get some privacy?"

"Of course." Aerith said. She walked over to her daughters and the boys and gently pushed them towards the temple.

"Don't do anything naughty!" his sisters yelled.

Ryu mumbled something, but nodded just to make them leave. Cloud took care of Cid, who was reluctant to leave his daughter alone. Yuna mouthed congrats to Rikku and pulled Tidus and Paine away. Rikku and Ryu sighed. They were finally alone... so why didn't it feel like it?

"Do you really think they're gone?" Rikku asked.

"I doubt it."

"So much for privacy." Rikku sighed.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to do something about that." Ryu said with a smile.

He summoned his wing and wrapped it around them. Rikku looked at him with concern.

"What happened to your other wing?"

Ryu didn't really want to tell her. It would make her worry even more if she knew. However, he doubted she'd let him worm his way out of that question.

"Sephiroth tore my other wing off." He said as he looked at the grass like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Are you going to be okay fighting him next time?" she asked as she played with his necklace.

"I'm not going to say I'll come out completely unscathed, but with the training Auron and my father give me, I should be able to beat him."

"With out dying?" she asked hopefully.

"With out dying." he confirmed.

Rikku cupped his face in her hands and lifted his head. "Promise me you'll come back to me."

Ryu smiled and reached for his necklace. After he unhooked it, he carefully placed it around Rikku's neck. He then gently grabbed her hands and held them in his own.

"I promise I'll come back and until I do I want you to keep that necklace safe for me. Okay?"

Rikku nodded and leaned closer to seal the promise. In the bushes, the others had not left.

"Can you see anything?" Yuri asked.

Paine shook her head. "No, seems like Ryu knows how to get privacy when he wants it."

The others 'awed' in disappointment. With nothing else to do, they decided to get some sleep. On the way, Aerith asked for a copy of the sphere. Paine gladly agreed to supply her with more memorable sphere's she'd been collecting.

Gippal looked at Brother, who was standing by the entrance to the temple. He stayed behind with him until the others had gone in. He looked at his fellow Al Bhed with a smirk.

"So, why did you want the engagement broken?"

Brother hmped. "Neggi tacanjac du pa fedr cusauha fru sygac ran rybbo. (Rikku deserves to be with someone who makes her happy.)"

"And I didn't?"

"Oui pnuga ran raynd... aq-puto kiynt. Yht syopa dryd'c dra naycuh E teth'd mega Noi vnus dra pakehhehk. E teth'd fyhd yhudran nabayd (You broke her heart... ex-body guard. And maybe that's the reason I didn't like Ryu from the beginning. I didn't want another repeat.)"

"You never did forgive me for that." Gippal said sheepishly. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I think you made the right decision." He concluded and patted Brother's back.

Brother said no more and walked into the temple. He needed a good nights rest.

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The next morning, everyone was awoken by the sound of Cid's screams. Apparently, he found Rikku had spent the night in Ryu's room. Although, both were vehemently denying that they did anything but sleep, Cid didn't buy it and dragged his daughter out of the room. Cid promised Ryu they'd have plenty of time to have a 'nice' talk later. Soon he was joined by his parents and sisters. He explained to them that Rikku wanted to spend as much time with him as possible and some how convinced him to let her sleep with him. He assured them that was all they did. Cloud tried to make him feel better and told him that everything would be alright. He could understand why Cid was overprotective of his little girl. After all, he was the father to two. Ryu was left alone to get ready for the rest of the day. He took a shower and then went looking for Baralai. He needed a weapon and the only one he wanted to use was in his old room. He asked the monks where he could find Baralai and was directed to his office. Since he was the Praetor, he was a busy man, so Ryu waited until he was ushered into the office. Baralai confirmed that he indeed had the spheres, but he wanted to know what he was taking out of the room.

"My swords." Ryu answered simply.

"The ones that you use too..."

"Yeah." he quickly replied.

"You've changed a lot since the day I met you."

"So have you. You know I owe you a lot."

"I didn't help you so you could owe me, I did it because I wanted to."

"That may be the case, but it seems no matter what I do, I can't pay you back. I guess that's one reason I avoided this place. I didn't want to be reminded of what I did or what I owe."

Baralai opened a drawer and pulled out a key. Then he stood and walked over to a cabinet. He opened it and revealed several spheres. He grabbed two and motioned for Ryu to follow him. They walked to Ryu's old room and stopped. Baralai turned to him with a serious face.

"If you want to pay me back, then you can do it by beating Sephiroth." he placed the spheres into their respective slots. The door opened. "Just come back alive."

As he walked away, he heard Ryu say a thank you to him. Baralai smiled and continued on his way. He really was happy Ryu had lightened up. The day he helped him escape from Bevelle, Ryu had threatened to kill him if he ever revealed his past. Back then, he had no doubt he would carry out his threat, but this new Ryu didn't seem like he would kill him for that. Ryu watched him leave for a moment before he walked into the room. He stood at the door way and looked around. Dust covered everything. It seemed like no one had entered since the day he left. He scanned the room for what he was looking for. There on the wall over the bed, two swords were hung in an X-shape. He smirked and walked over to the swords. He carefully got them down and blew some of the dust off. These were the perfect weapons to fight Sephiroth with, however, there was a modification he wanted to make. That could be done later though. Satisfied, he walked out of the room, this time, never to return.

In just a few hours, he was making his way to Cid's airship. He was a little disappointed since he hadn't seen Rikku since that mornings incident. They hadn't even been together for a day and Cid was already making this hard. He arrived outside and was promptly embraced by Rikku. She gave him a kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his chest.

"Sorry my dad was being..."

"Overprotective?" he offered as he hugged her back.

"Well I was going to say old fashioned, but that works too."

Ryu chuckled. He really wished he could spend more time with her. However, he needed to go.

"I have to go." he stated.

"I know." She answered quietly.

"Stay safe and I'll try to keep in touch."

Rikku looked up at him. "You be careful too. I want you back in one piece."

Ryu leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "I will."

They both reluctantly let go of each other. Ryu stopped for a second to say good bye to his mother and sister.

"Look after them." Ryu told Kai and Yuri.

"You can count on us!" Yuri said.

"Don't worry, we will." Kai assured him.

Ryu nodded and walked to Cloud and Auron. They waved one last time before climbing into the airship.

"You better not cheat on me!" Rikku yelled after Ryu.

"We'll make sure he doesn't." Cloud waved to Rikku.

That actually made Rikku feel a lot more comfortable. Once the airship was gone, The Gullwings and the others decided they too needed to get moving. Shinra wanted to help again to pay back Ryu for rescuing him. They were more than happy to welcome him back. They gathered some supplies and headed off. On the airship Rikku was happily playing with her new accessory. Yuna looked at her cousin and smiled. She was glad Rikku was finally happy.

"Okay guys, we need to find this keyhole. Any idea's of where we should look?" Yuri asked.

"How about Zanarkand?" Tidus suggested.

"It seems fitting for the place to hold the keyhole to another world." Paine agreed.

Yuri pumped his fist into the air. "Alright then, it's off to Zanarkand we go!"

AN: I think that turned out better and I even made it longer! If you already reviewed, thank you, but if you haven't then you can if you want or are able to. Just no flames. My next update should be soon since I'm done with school so look out for it, until then, later!