Of wandering guardians and sphere hunters Chapter 3, a final fantasy x-2 fanfic

This is a fan fiction based on the ps2 game Final Fantasy X and X-2. I have no rights to this game, names or characters from the game. That right belongs to Square Enix. This story is based on the game and may differ slightly from the game play.

"Regular speech"

" VERY LOUD YELLING OR VERY LOUD SPEECH."

'thought'

"Song"

(A/N: my notes during the story. Stands for author's notes)

-- paragraph

When we got to the Youth League's head quarters, we were surprised. It looked like a parade in our honour.

"Huh?" was my respond.

"They are really pulling out all the stops." Rikku said, bouncing from excitement.

"I wonder why…" Yuna said.

"You are the high summoner, remember?" Paine asked before starting walking towards Nooj.

I followed, cautiously eyeing the league members.

We reached Nooj, and Brother cleared his throat, urging Yuna to give the sphere.

"We are here to give you the sphere that you were looking for." Yuna said before giving the sphere to Nooj.

"Now you can stop the fighting in Kilika." I said and Nooj nodded.

"How generous…and how sudden. Maybe you should have started with introducing yourselves, High Summoners." Nooj said.

"They are Yuna and Salmar, both Gullwings." Rikku said firmly.

"I see. Sphere hunters. In that case, I gratefully accept the sphere you have brought. On behalf of the Youth League, I thank you." Nooj said before turning to the League members behind us.

"Everyone, three cheers for the Gullwings." Nooj said.

"Yay! GullwingsGullwingsGullwingsGullwings…" the League members cheered.

After the cheering ended, we were invited by Nooj to his commanders room, where he sat down at a huge circular table.

"So, did you watch it?" he asked.

"Huh?" Rikku asked.

"The sphere." Nooj clarified and Rikku began to stammer and babble out incoherent excuses.

"Yes, we did." I cut in, and Rikku mumbled

"Oh boy!"

"Forget it." Nooj said but both Yuna and I shook our heads.

"Sorry." I said

"But we can't." Yuna continued.

"Yuna! Don't let him push you around." Paine half growled behind Yuna. Nooj looked at her for a bit, looking almost calculating before giving a short laugh.

"Some advice: That…thing… the colossus you saw is known as Vegnagun. It possesses overwhelming destructive power. It must not be touched! Yet those Yevon fools think they can control it. The Youth League will do whatever it takes to make sure they do not get a chance to try. Trust me, you don't want to get involved." Nooj said.

'Vegnagun? I don't like this. At all. Something huge is about to happen.' I thought, but was brought out of my thoughts by Yuna.

"Who…who was that man in the sphere?" she asked.

"I…cannot say." Nooj replied, and looked genuinely sorry for it.

"I see." Yuna said sadly.

"Tell me, just how strong is Vegnagun?" I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

Nooj looked at me before sighing.

"It is said to be strong enough to have been a challenge for Sin. But since it can't be controlled, it was never used against Sin. Please, stay away from it." he said and I nodded. Yuna looked at me curiously and was about to ask something when Buddy came running.

"Hey, we got a distress signal from the Celsius. Gullwings, we're leaving." He yelled

On the Celsius, we found that someone had broken in. Everyone helped search for anything missing.

After finding no sign of anything stolen in the cabin, I went down to the engine room, joining the others there.

"Its official. We've been burgled. The broken sphere from the Zanarkand Ruins is missing." Shinra said and Buddy help up a pink sphere.

"Looks like the thief left us a present." He said and activated it.

We saw Leblanc and her goons on the bridge, Leblanc boasting like usual.

'I wonder what'll happen if I use that fan to smack her over the head.' I wondered to myself.

"She got us." Paine said while crossing her arms, trying to stay calm.

"Wow, who knew she had the brains." I said

"Oh poopie." Yuna huffed and I had to suppress a chuckle.

"Yuna, don't talk like that." Rikku said.

"I'm just copying you." Yuna protested.

"That's nice. And?" Paine asked

"We're gonna take it back! No one messes with us." Yuna replied and I smiled.

'She's really enthusiastic about this.'

"And what about Vegnagun?" Paine asked. Instantly Yuna's mood dropped.

But she shrugged it off.

"Urgh, we're forgetting who we are. We are sphere hunters, the Gullwings." Yuna said fiercely.

I watched amused as the girls gave each others high fives and started laughing and cheering.

Then Brother came and joined in with another ridiculous dance.

"That's right. We steal back what is stolen. It is the law of the sphere hunter." He said and I rolled my eyes.

'Someone please teach him how to, and more importantly when to dance.'

"Now we go to Chateau Leblanc! We attack in the name of honour!" Brother said.

"We get our hineys kicked in the name of honour." Shinra said, effectively bursting Brothers bubble.

"The kid's got a point" I said

"Maybe we can sneak in in disguise?" Yuna asked.

"That's it. Yuna, you're brilliant." Brother cheered and made to envelop Yuna in a hug, but stopped when he saw my glare.

"So, we fly around until we find Leblanc's gang…" Rikku began

"Beat them up and steal their uniforms. Four of them." Paine joined.

"Sounds easy enough. Let's do it." I finished.

"Stealing people's clothes. What a lame mission." Paine said and I chuckled.

"Yeah, but... it could be fun as well. Comical relief and what not. It gives us something to do at least." I said and Paine looked at me. She was about to say something, but shook her head instead.

"Whatever." She just said.

"So, where do we search first?" I asked.

"The Moonflow." Rikku suggested while jumping eagerly.

"I want to go to Besaid." Yuna said and before Paine could say anything, Brother appeared.

"Besaid it is." He said and ran over to the pilot seat.

"Um, okay…" I said and Paine rolled her eyes.

We arrived at the beach on Besaid and started walking towards the village. Not far from the village, we saw the Besaid Aurochs. They were running around.

"They're training." I stated as we walked over to them.

The Aurochs looked up when we approached and smiled at us.

"So you gave the sphere to the Youth League, ya?" Datto asked and we nodded.

"Ya, we knew you were on our side." Jassu joined.

"What do you mean?" Yuna asked.

"The Besaid Aurochs have all joined the Youth League." Datto said enthusiastically.

"Well, officially, at least. And, uh, Wakka hasn't joined up yet." Jassu said

"Can't blame him, ya? His kid's popping out any minute you know. Now's not the time for him to be fussing around with politics." Datto joined in.

"Sorry, but we aren't on anybody's side." I said and the Aurochs looked a bit down at that.

"Not on anybody's side, you say?" a unknown voice called and we all turned to the new comer.

It was a man wearing white shorts, blue shirt and red armour. He also had a bird mask on his face.

"Who's he?" Yuna asked the Aurochs. The man answered for himself.

"I am Beclem. I've been dispatched to Besaid by Youth League headquarters. I'm here to pound some fight into these pathetic slackers. " Beclem said while crossing his arms. I looked him over before whispering to Paine.

"He's strict, very military. Probably ex-Crusader." Paine nodded in agreement.

"He's a hundred times stricter than Wakka." Jassu complained.

"You must be awfully confident in your strength if you're skipping training just to be flap your lips like that." Beclem said and I suppressed a groan.

'Jeez, what's up with this guy?' I asked myself.

"So, I guess you won't mind showing me what you're really made of, then." Beclem said while walking towards us.

The Aurochs started mumbling excuses to not do what ever he was talking about.

'Why they look so nervous?' I thought while observing the Aurochs.

"Is no one among you man enough to break my record? You're pathetic." Beclem said with a laugh and I chose to ignore the pun towards my manhood.

"Okay, he's creeping me out." Rikku said and I had to agree with her. Yuna and Paine looked like they agreed as well.

"Seriously." Yeah, Yuna agreed. We started to walk away, not wanting to be around this creep anymore.

"See you later Yuna." Datto said and did the prayer but Beclem stopped him.

"Stop that at once!" he shouted and we froze in mid step. Rikku almost fell over.

"The age of temples and prayers is over. It's about time you let go of those musty old traditions. There's no need to bow down to summoners, either. Yes, summoners are a thing of the past." Beclem spat, his voice filled with venom when he said summoners.

"Hold it right there! Whose Calm do you think this is, buster?" Rikku asked and Beclem turned to her.

"There are no more aeons to summon. Summoners are worthless now." he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

I clenched my fists, anger raging inside me. I just managed to control myself and stop from launching huge elemental attacks on the bastard's ass. Yuna apparently weren't much different, although more vocal.

"You will take those words back." she growled and Beclem looked at her curiously.

"I will, if you can prove to me that you aren't worthless." He said and I turned to him. But before I could say anything he continued.

"Well, what do you say?"

"You're on, Beclem." Yuna responded. I looked at her and saw determination shine of her.

"The way you twaddle on before, you had best break my record. Now, begin!" Beclem said confidently.

His challenge was to run to the beach while gunning down any fiend in sight. Yuna would get points for how difficult the fiends she killed were.

"Good luck." I said and she smiled at me.

"This will be easy." She said and prepared for the challenge. Beclem, me, Rikku and Paine went to the beach to wait for her there.

"Are you sure you don't want to do this instead of sending your woman to do it?" Beclem asked me. I didn't respond.

After a while, we saw Yuna run towards us. She looked tired, but was grinning.

"Score: 830 points!" I said proudly after we had counted Yuna's hunting game.

"Take that! You got thrashed." Rikku yelled, waving towards Beclem.

"Hm. Skill you may have, but I still find it hard to believe that you defeated Sin. You obviously had some help." Beclem replied and I once again found myself wanting to hurt the man.

"I did, from my friends. And my husband." Yuna said firmly and I smiled at her before giving her a hug.

"Our pilgrimage was successful because my friends and the aeons supported us along the way. And they still do. Memories of the time we spent together make me strong. I won't stand here and let you call that strength useless." Yuna continued.

"Must your kind always prattle on about your precious memories?" Beclem said and turned to leave. He didn't get far until I stepped in front of him.

"Watch you tone when you speak to my wife." I warned with a dangerous tone.

"Why? You're going to do something about it, high summoner?" Beclem asked sarcastically. I turned to Yuna.

"Honey, can I kill him?" I asked and still looking at her I grabbed Beclem and lifted him in the air, with one hand.

Yuna appeared to be thinking for a moment before she shook her head.

"No. That won't do any good." She said and I feigned disappointment. It wasn't hard. I turned to look at Beclem, who was trying to get out of my grasp. I tightened my grip, cutting of his air supply.

"Listen up, I'm going to let you walk now, but talk like you just did about summoners, aeons and most importantly my wife so I hear it, and you are going to understand why I was called a demon. Got that?" I asked while letting Beclem go. He snorted and walked past me while rubbing a distinct mark on his neck.

"He's got some nerve!" Rikku said after he went.

"Sore loser." Paine said

"Let's forget him and take the ship to Kilika." I suggested and the girls agreed.

We boarded the airship and headed for Kilika.

"What do you think will happen there?" Rikku asked and I shrugged.

"Have no idea. Depends…" I said.

"Depends on what?" Rikku asked

"Which point of view you take." Paine said.

"The Youth League or New Yevon." Yuna added.

"Oh…" Rikku replied.

When we arrived in Kilika, we were meet with a crowd of Youth League members. Most of them were clapping, however, their leader, Dona, stood in her usual pose with her hand on her hip. I inwardly groaned, not looking forward to this in the least.

"The Gullwings, was it not?" she asked before shaking her head.

"Sphere hunters who give back spheres. Don't you think that's a little odd?" She asked.

"What's strange about that?" I asked, not bothering trying to conceal how annoyed I was.

"Of course, we're glad you're on the Youth League's side, but still…" Dona replied.

"We do what we want with the spheres we find. Now let us trough." Paine said but Dona shook her head.

"Sorry, can't do that." She said.

"Why not?" Yuna asked curiously.

"We're having a little spat with New Yevon. Just what I need. You don't want to get involved, dear." Dona said and Yuna nodded.

"Alright, We'll come back later then." Rikku said cheerfully, with her ever present bounce.

"Well…you may want to keep your distance from the island for a little while. This could become nasty." Dona said.

"Oh well. Let's head to Luca then." I said and the girls nodded.

When we boarded the airship, Rikku and Yuna ran towards the bridge to tell Brother where to head for next, while I went to the cabin. Once there I sat down at the counter.

"Ish Lord Shalmar alrightsh?" Barkeep asked and I shook my head.

"Again, just Salmar will be alright. No Lord and all that. And I'm just fine." I said with a smile towards him.

"Alrights then." He replied.

"Are you sure master?" Paine, who had followed me, asked. Despite her unemotional voice, I knew she was concerned. I sighed and motioned for her to sit down next to me.

"I just wonder where this…rivalry between the Youth League and New Yevon will end." I said.

"Whatsh you meansh?" Barkeep asked.

"I think I know what you mean. You're worried that this might become a full blown war?" Paine asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, as it is now the possibility is definitely there. When Sin was around, the people of Spira had an enemy to focus on. Had something to fight, to use the natural aggression we all have, on. Now that isn't the case anymore, and even though fiends still are here, the people, especially the younger, more energetic ones, have to have something to do. Something they consider grand, exciting, which will let them go down in history. Fighting against the 'evil' other side is that something. At least for a lot of them." I said and Paine nodded.

"I shee. That'sh not good." Barkeep said, busy cleaning a glass with a towel.

"But what can be done about that?" Paine asked and I smirked at her.

"You quit before you heard it. There has been a lot of discussion on that between us senior wandering guardians. We figured that if Sin was beaten forever, then something like this would happen. Several propositions was made, but none were developed more than to simple ideas. That is something I will address at the gathering." I said and Paine was about to say something when Rikku came running in.

"Hey, we've arrived. Let's go!" she shouted before running off again.

I chuckled and I and Paine followed the energetic blonde.

The airship dropped us off at the stairs leading from Luca to the Mi-hen high road. We walked down the steps, taking our time. We weren't in a hurry, at least I wasn't. You could really never tell with Rikku, bouncing around as she was.

When we came down the steps, we saw a crowd assembled around someone familiar, namely Shelinda, holding a microphone and being filmed by a camera. We walked over, and listened to what she had to say.

"You think it's anything useful?" Paine asked and I let out a short laugh.

"Probably not. Just listen though." I said as Shelinda started.

"Hello and good afternoon Luca. This is Shelinda, bringing you the latest news from throughout Spira.

These days, everyone's talking about the main groups battling for control over the spheres in Spira.

One of these groups is the Youth League. Lead by a former Crusader, Meyvn Nooj, the group is made up of mostly former Crusaders. A young group, it has already gotten a notorious reputation throughout Spira.

Pairing up against them is none other than the New Yevon. All eyes were upon them after the chairman's sudden resignation. But their new leader, Praetor Baralai, has held them together with utmost finesse.

Another group getting a lot of attention is the Machine faction, an Al Bhed organisation. They have managed to distance themselves from the sphere race running throughout Spira, but their unmatched technological proves could very much be enough to dramatically shift the balance of power.

And let's not forget the Leblanc Syndicate, a gang with a style of its own. Headquarters at Guadosalam, its agents span the globe.

A recently formed group, the Fire Lord Searchers, are still searching for the man that can control the very elements themselves. No one knows just who this man is, and what will happen once he is found, but it is believed that he is destined to rule the entire Spira." Shelinda said and I almost choke on air, while Paine looked like she was about to burst out laughing. That didn't stop Shelinda though, as she just kept going.

"The oldest group in Spira is the Wandering Guardians. They continue their life of wandering, protecting the people of Spira from fiends. And here is today's first guest: Toby, a genuine wandering guardian." Shelinda said and turned to a man I instantly recognised.

Almost a head taller than Shelinda, Toby wore a dark cloak, covering his entire body. The only part of his body exposed was his head. Brown hair and brown eyes, his face ragged and rough from enduring many storms and hardships. I also knew what that cloak hid, namely a style of armour usually associated by Crusaders, although Toby's was pink. Paine chuckled, obviously recognising him as well. The man was famous for his unusual taste. The fact that he was gay, above thirty and liked men three times his age was enough to earn him a 'looney' reputation.

"Sir Toby, how long have you been a wandering guardian now?" Shelinda asked.

"Seven or eight years." Toby answered thoughtfully.

"Can you tell us why the wandering guardians aren't associated with the sphere struggle, or the power struggle in general." Shelinda asked.

"We don't exist to rule. We wander to protect. That is why, also we know our past, so there is no point to us chasing after spheres, when there is fiends to kill instead." Toby answered.

"Oh, but what of your leader, High Summoner Salmar? He has joined a sphere hunter group. What do you feel about that?" Shelinda asked. Toby coughed slightly before answering.

"Um…first he isn't our leader, since he quit being a wandering guardian when he chose to become a summoner. So I really can't say anything about how he spends his free time." Toby said.

"But I have heard that on the upcoming gathering for wandering guardians, that Lord Salmar will be there. I also heard that it is only for wandering guardians. Care to explain?" Shelinda asked.

"Lord Salmar isn't a active wandering guardian anymore, but we will never turn our backs to him. He has done things that no other wandering guardian can do, and I know that each and every one of us sees Lord Salmar with respect, and a lot of us want to learn from him. He is like a grandfather to us wandering guardians. He no longer actively participates in our activities, but we all listen to him and his advice. He is our retired matriarch, and will hopefully continue to guide us for many years to come." Toby said and I groaned.

"Now I feel old." I said and Paine chuckled.

"I see, thank you for coming, and I wish you good luck with the upcoming gathering." Shelinda said. Toby bowed and made his way to the bar, no doubt to get drunk or something.

"Now, there is one group we haven't mentioned yet. One that has gotten a lot of recent attention. That's right, the only group lead by two high summoners, the Gullwings. And here is today's second guest: High Summoner Yuna." Shelinda said.

"Huh?" came from Yuna. I and Paine smirked at each other and pushed her in Shelinda's direction.

"Break a leg" Paine said. Yuna gave us a look that almost pleaded us to save her, but we just waved and smiled at her. Slumping her shoulders in defeat, Yuna stopped next to Shelinda.

"Lady Yuna, your concert the other day was nothing short of spectacular." Shelinda said.

"Well, it was sort of me up there, but not exactly…." Yuna responded and Shelinda blinked in confusion.

"Puzzling words to be sure. And speaking of puzzling, why the sudden carrier change to sphere hunting? Word has it you caused quite a stir in Besaid with that disappearing act you pulled." Shelinda said.

"And I'm really sorry about that." Yuna replied.

"Rumour has it you left to look for clues about a certain young man. Anything you can share with us?" Shelinda asked.

"That's partly true. I, my friends and my husband are looking for a good friend of us that has been missing for two years now." Yuna replied.

"Husband? Who's the lucky guy?" Shelinda asked.

"That's a secret." Yuna said with a smile that told that she wasn't about to tell.

"So, can you tell us how your friend disappeared?" Shelinda asked.

"It's a long story." Yuna said and Shelinda smiled.

"I'm sure it is. One can only imagine the fascinating tales that lead to you becoming the leader of the Gullwings." Shelinda said.

"Hold it right there." A voice said and Brother stepped into the camera's view.

"I'm the leader. Me. Gullwings, we rock you!" he said and Buddy joined.

"Whoa. This thing on?" He asked.

"It's taping two morons right now." Shinra said before popping up in front of the lens.

"And that makes them three." I whispered at Paine, who chuckled.

"This is just a toy compared to the things I've invented." Shinra bragged and I rolled my eyes.

"Tell us, is it true that the Gullwings has thrown their support behind the Youth League?" Shelinda asked. Brother started waving his hands around.

"That statement is…kinda true, but not really. No!" he said.

'Buddy to the rescue' I thought and sure enough:

"We don't want to get caught up in other people's problems." He said.

"Too late." Paine said and I shook my head.

"Well, I'm sure the viewers would love to hear more answers, but we are running out of time. A big thanks to our guests Toby of the wandering guardians, High Summoner Yuna and the Gullwings." Shelinda said and the camera was turned off. Brother, Buddy and Shinra walked away to do what ever they wanted while I, Rikku and Paine walked over to Yuna, who had walked over to a few stairs close to a sitting arrangement.

"Had a fun time honey?" I asked while smiling at Yuna.

"You should have joined in too." She replied.

"It was more fun watching." Paine said and I nodded in agreement.

Just then, Shelinda, who had been talking about something with her cameraman, came running over.

"Lady Yuna, great interview. Thanks for helping me out. This isn't much, but consider this a token of my gratitude." Shelinda said and handed Yuna a garment grid.

"So, how long have you been doing this?" Rikku asked.

"Well after the Calm came, the temples were in decline. At first, I thought the best thing I could do would be to help the temple get back on their feet. But everyone just ordered me around. I got tired of it." Shelinda said while shaking her head.

"You just couldn't tell them 'no'?" Yuna asked.

"That's the part of me I wanted to change. I made up my mind to come here to Luca. They needed people for this and asked me to help. So, here I am." Shelinda said in a cheerful tone.

"Another job you were 'asked' to do?" Paine wondered and Shelinda smiled while closing her eyes.

"I suppose nothing about me has changed after all. Oh, I gotta run. My next assignment is about to start. See you later Lady Yuna." Shelinda said, waved and ran off.

"She complains, but you can tell she enjoys it." Paine said and Rikku grinned.

"Sounds a bit like Yunie. Don't you think?" she asked.

"Yeah." I agreed and Yuna turned to look at me.

"Really?" she asked. Paine and Rikku shook their heads before running into the booth next to us.

"Doctor P, care to give us your opinion." Rikku asked, trying to imitate a reporter. Paine looked thoughtful for a minute before answering in a very professional manner.

"The hardest person to know is yourself."

"Hey, cut that out." Yuna said and I laughed.

"Feeling hit Yuna?" I asked and she half glared at me.

"What about you? You 'know' yourself enough?" she asked while leaning towards me, as if she was studying my face.

"Nope." I simply answered with a grin, making Yuna sigh.

"Okay, now what?" Rikku asked.

"I have no idea. The Mi-hen highroad?" I asked and the girls nodded.

The first thing that met us was the sight of some sentry machina running around. Then it was a huge hover machina with some clerk standing in front of and finally a man that came walking over to us. He apparently noticed the looks we had.

"So, your first time on the high road after the Calm started?" He asked and we nodded.

"Well, the Highroad has really changed a lot since the Calm. The travelling agency rents out hovers that take you to your destination safely and swiftly. That has gradually turned Chokobos into a rare sight here. Also sentry machina are posted around on the Highroad, and will take care of the fiends." The man said. I looked at him before nudging Yuna and pointing upwards. She looked up and gasped.

"Is that so?" I said and Yuna and I drew our guns in sync, and fired a volley of shots at the giant bird fiend that came towards us. It started falling towards us and just before it hit the ground, Rikku and Paine attacked with their blades, Paine almost cutting of one of the wings. Yuna and I then used our fire to make barbeque of the bird.

"Some sentry machina." Paine said and I snorted.

"Come on, lets go. We can handle a few fiends." I said and the others nodded. The man sat on the ground, shaking. I leaned in towards Yuna.

"Why don't you go say 'boo' to him. I'm sure that would be funny." I whispered. Yuna looked behind to see the man and sent me a stern look.

"No, he's scared enough. Although it would probably be funny." She responded. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her.

"Oh well, next time then." I said. Yuna didn't respond.

"Oy, get a room." Rikku shouted at us from ahead on the trail, before she spun around and continued running.

"Paine, Yuna, please promise me never to give that girl sugar." I said.

Laughter was my answer.

"Sentry machina my foot. How many fiends does that make?" I asked angrily after crushing a wolfs head.

"Twenty." Came Paine's calm answer.

"This seriously isn't fun anymore." Rikku complained.

"Oh hush. We're almost to the travel agency. At least we can rest there." Yuna said, although I could see in her eyes that she was annoyed as well. The way her fire flicker told me all I needed to know.

"I can't wait to get there and have a nice relaxing bath. Care to join me, my dear?" I asked Yuna in a falsely wondering tone. She visibly brightened up, while Rikku and Paine shook their heads at us.

Just then, another wolf came jumping out of some bushes and straight towards Yuna. It got incinerated, shocked, drowned and frozen solid before hitting the ground. I blinked a little, while Yuna, Rikku and Paine looked from the now frozen and very dead fiend, to me. I chuckled a bit before scratching my head.

"Um…it was going for Yuna." I said and Paine rolled her eyes while Rikku snickered.

"Wow, overprotective, are we?" she asked and I blushed slightly.

"That was a bit much, you know?" Yuna said, but again her eyes spoke and told me she wasn't very displeased with me.

"Let's just get to the travel agency. Before I blow the next fiend into orbit." I said, making the others chuckle at me.

"Fiinnaallyy" Rikku moaned as we reached the travel agency.

"Let's get inside and book some rooms so I and Yuna can have some quality time." I said, receiving a bonk to the head.

"Is that all you think about?" Rikku yelled in my ear while pulling me into a choke hold, neither of us noticing the very noticeable blush on Yuna's face.

"What? I want to give my wife a massage. What's so wrong with that?" I asked and Rikku blinked at me a few times before letting me go.

"Never mind." She mumbled and headed into the travel agency.

"I wonder why Rikku thinks of sex all the time." Paine asked loudly, forcing me and Yuna to try and stifle our laughter.

"I heard that." Rikku yelled and we couldn't hold back anymore. I and Yuna broke down laughing, while Paine just snickered.

Rikku didn't talk to us that night.

I and Yuna laid in bed, just enjoying the silence. Until finally Yuna asked me something she had been wondering for a while.

"What do you think about those Fire Lord Searchers?" she asked and I looked into her eyes, feeling myself getting lost in their endless depths, until I realised I had to answer.

"I don't know. One thing is for sure though, I am not destined to rule Spira. That is one thing I do not want. It's bad enough to be High Summoners and have lots of people looking up us, but that? No way." I said and Yuna smiled a happy smile, which always warmed my heart. She laid her head on my chest, sighing.

"I'm glad. I don't think I could have taken that. Oh, by the way." she said and rose up on her elbows, giving me a nice view of her body. She ignored my look and continued with what she was going to say.

"Why did you ask how strong Vegnagun is?" she asked and I instantly sobered up.

"Didn't you notice? It looked huge, and very strong, no to mention old. The sphere was old too, that's why the recording was a little bad." I said and Yuna nodded, laying back down. I started running my fingers trough her hair, getting what sounded like a purr in response.

"That still doesn't answer my question." She complained.

"I asked because I was curious. And I wanted to know if I could destroy it, should someone try to use it." I said and Yuna looked up to me.

"Do you think you can?" she asked and I thought for a while.

"Don't know. Probably, I mean, we did defeat Sin and Yu Yevon. But I'm not sure. Better cross that bridge when we get there." I said and Yuna nodded in agreement.

"Let's just go to sleep for now. Okay?" I asked. My response was Yuna wrapping her arms around me. I smiled and held her as well, both of us falling asleep quickly.

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was something missing. It didn't take long to figure out that it was Yuna, especially not when I heard the shower running. Smiling to my self, I walked into the bathroom that accompanied the room. Sure enough, Yuna was standing in the shower. Getting a idea, I used some of my power and made the water get very cold. The shock made Yuna jump and shriek. She turned and glared at me, while I could barely contain my laughter.

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that." Yuna half growled, her eyes blazing wildly. I looked up just in time to see lots of water being hurled at me, curtsey of a bucket. It was filled with ice cold water, obviously intended to wake me up later. But being who I am, the water didn't affect me other than make me drenched.

"Oh, wake up call." I chuckled and walked over to a slightly shivering Yuna. I felt a little bad, so I made my fire cover us both, warming her right up.

"You know, I could have done that." She said and I nodded.

"Yeah, but think of it as my apology for a bad prank." I said and Yuna huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, I'm not talking to you." She said and I had to stop myself from chuckling. Standing behind her, after removing my drenched bed clothes, I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her stomach, kissing a special spot on her neck. A spot that never failed to turn Yuna into putty in my hands. To her credit, she kept her façade of angry wife up for a while, before sighing and leaning into my touch.

"Why are you so good with that?" she asked, and this time I did chuckle.

When we finally stepped out of the shower, we were both feeling very refreshed, although slightly tired as well. We dried each other off before dressing and exiting the room, where we found Paine and Rikku, both looking impatient.

"Finally. Did you really have to take so long?" Rikku asked and I smiled at her.

"We aren't in any hurry, so why stress? Slow down a little Rikku, it'd do you good." I said and Rikku huffed. We then walked out of the hallway and into the reception area of the travel agency. It was mostly empty, except a little girl that was asking the clerk for something.

"I'm sorry, but you won't be able to go Chokobo riding." The clerk said and the girl looked depressed.

"I see. Sorry to bother you." She said dejected, and walked out.

Paine walked over to the clerk to check us out, while I looked after the little girl.

"She seemed familiar somehow." I said and Yuna nodded.

"Wonder who she is." Rikku asked. When Paine was done, we went outside and saw the girl standing at the edge of the cliffs, looking out at the sea.

"Let's go talk to her." Rikku said and bounced off.

"There she goes." Paine said. Yuna smiled before dragging me along with her.

Rikku and Yuna walked up to the girl, while I and Paine hung back a little, neither of us feeling very talkative.

The girl looked at Yuna and looked excited.

"You aren't Lady Yuna, by any chance?" she asked and Yuna nodded.

"That's me." She said with a smile and the girls face practically lit up.

"I don't suppose you remember me, do you?" She asked cheerfully.

"Um, you look familiar, but I can't place you." Yuna said apologetically.

"That's okay. It's me, Calli." Calli said and both Yuna and I gasped.

"Little Calli that looked so forward to the Calm? She's grown." I said and Paine looked at me.

"We meet her here on the Highroad two years ago." I explained and she nodded.

"I came to ride a Chokobo. I've wanted to ride one for as long as I can remember." Calli responded to Yuna's question.

Rikku looked a little thoughtful.

"Hmm, you don't see too many chokobos these days. Everyone rides hovers." She said and Calli looked sad.

"Yeah…on top of that, they say there is a chokobo hunting fiend around. Not very good times for poor chokobos." Calli responded.

"Maybe they're gone for good?" Rikku wondered.

"Nah, probably not." I said and Calli gasped.

'Huh? What?' I thought.

"Cho…" Rikku said.

"Cho!" Yuna mirrored.

"Cho…?" Paine asked.

"It's a chokobo." Calli yelled. Paine and I turned and true enough, behind us a chokobo stood. It looked at us before starting to run away.

"Oh no, it ran away." Calli said, feeling distressed.

"Oh no." I said and Paine looked at me.

"Three, two, one…" I counted down and…

"Let's go capture it." Rikku suggested.

"Bingo." I said, slumping my shoulders.

"Yeah, let's." Yuna joined in and she and Rikku ran after the chokobo, forcing me and Paine to follow.

"You knew they would do this, didn't you?" Paine asked and I nodded.

"Yeah. Now we have to run after a damn bird. Hey babe, can I roast it?" I yelled after Yuna, who nearly stumbled in surprise when she heard that.

"No, you can't. We're going to capture it." she scolded, turning a serious expression to me.

I sighed and nodded.

"Alright." I replied. Yuna beamed at me and continued running.

"She's got you whipped." Paine said and I nodded.

"I just can't say no to her. Not unless I really have to." I said, but I wasn't very unhappy about that.

We ran after Rikku, who took point, and occasionally shouted: "Ohh! There it is!" or "It went this way"

After running the whole highroad in zigzags, I started getting annoyed.

"Honey, can't I at least freeze it?" I asked.

"NO" Yuna and Rikku yelled back.

"Grumpy." Paine mumbled.

And so the chase continued.

We finally spotted it, standing between two narrow points in the highroad.

"I'll watch the far end. No chokobo will get out that way." Rikku said.

"I've got this end." Paine said.

"And that leaves us to catch it." Yuna said to me, while I suppressed a groan.

And so we began to chase the damn bird down, blocking it's path with our bodies. While not particularly difficult, it was extremely annoying. And useless, since the chokobo managed to jump straight over Rikku, and we had to continue the chase.

"Maybe it's just me…but this is starting to chap my hide!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Believe me Rikku, it's not just you." I commented, before we started running again.

"Come back here, birdbrain." Rikku yelled

Now Rikku had lost sight of the damn bird, so we had to search. Rikku climbed several high places, looking for the bird.

"For such scrawny legs, it sure can run." Paine growled.

"Well, to look at the bright side, we are getting good exercise from this." I commented, getting dirty looks from the silver and blonde haired girls.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! That way, that way!" Rikku yelled while pointing to where she saw the bird.

"Let's go." Yuna called and we started to run, leaving Rikku on top of a high ruin.

"Hey, wait for me." Rikku yelled, before falling down from the ruin.

"Owie….hey, wait!" she moaned before jumping up and running again.

We caught up to the bird, only to have it outrun us again. Rikku plumped down on the ground.

"There's got to be a better way than this." she moaned.

"We won't get him like this. We have to think of something else." Paine said and I nodded.

"Any ideas?" Yuna asked me. I nodded and walked over to the lady with the hovers.

"Excuse me, but could you help us with something?" I asked.

We found the chokobo again, and Rikku scared it into running again, but Paine blocked its way. It turned and started running in the opposite direction.

But there Yuna stood, looking really proud of herself, posing with her hands on her hips and all.

But the bird just jumped over her, just like we planned.

Me and the lady with the hover came driving towards the chokobo, making it run again.

The hover drove in front of the chokobo, blocking its path. I jumped off and got a rope around it's neck.

"Gotcha, birdbrain." Rikku yelled and the bird slumped, either in defeat or exhaustion. I don't know.

Then some dude came running up to us.

"Hey, your friend is in hot water." He said. As we began running back, he told us that Calli had been able to get a chokobo ride, and that the chokobo had tossed her of on top of some ruin in the old road, and that a chokobo eater was after her.

"Time to pick up some speed girls." I said and they nodded.

It took us some time to get to where Calli was. Thankfully, Clasko and some chokobos had kept the fiend occupied. I turned to the girls.

"Grab hold" I said and they complied. We vanished in a burst of elements and reappeared next to Clasko, who nearly jumped out of his own skin.

"Okay, here's the plan. I and Paine go and fight that thing, while you two get Calli." I said to Yuna and Rikku, both who nodded in understanding.

"Come on, ugly!" I called to the fiend, who jumped towards me and Paine.

"It'll be nice fighting alongside you again, master." Paine said and brandished her sword.

"What do you mean, we have fought alongside each other. We did yesterday, remember?" I said and Paine shook her head.

"But now it's just you and me." she said.

"Oh." I responded, but before I could say anything else, the fiend tried to grab me.

But before it could, Paine tired to chop of its arm. Her attack didn't go far into its arm, but the fiend was obviously in pain. Getting my sword into its back couldn't have helped either. I and Paine continued what we had dubbed our 'dance of parallel swords', which consisted of attacking at the same time on two different spots on our enemy. The fiend didn't know which way to guard or counter, and soon it fell and dissolved into pyre flies.

I looked at Paine while trying to calm my breath.

"You know, I think I have to restart your training. You seem out of shape." I said and Paine half glared at me.

"We won, didn't we?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yes, but it took much longer than it should. Besides, don't you want to be stronger?" I asked with a grin, already knowing the answer. Paine sighed, still pretending to be unwilling.

"As you wish, master." She responded.

In the end, all the running was worth it when Calli rode the chokobo we had captured. She looked so happy.

We went back to the travel agency, and was about to board the Celsius, when Calli came riding up to us.

"Hey, thanks for the help." She called.

"No problem." Yuna said, her bright smile showing she was happy, and that made me happy.

"Um, can I ask you for something else?" Calli asked, while scraping the ground with her foot.

"Sure, what is it?" Rikku asked.

"Could you…um…let me and my chokobo on your airship? We want to see all of Spira." Calli said and we turned to Rikku.

"Um…okay." She said happily and Calli squealed.

"Thank you." She said and we went aboard.

Once back on the airship, I went and talked to Brother.

"Can you land us far out at sea?" I asked. He looked at me, wondering why I wanted that.

"We have just run all over the highroad after a chokobo. The girls and I are tired. So I thought we take the rest of the day off, and out at sea is peaceful and nice." I explained, even before he asked any questions.

After thinking for a bit, he nodded.
"Sure. Out at sea it is." He said and I smiled.

"Thanks."