Hello out there! Time to welcome a new party member! Here's a piece of trivia for FFX geeks: most of you know that, after her role as Rikku in FFX, the actress Tara Strong went on to achieve fame as Twilight Sparkle's actress in My Little Pony. However, did you know that, before she played Rikku, Tara Strong played Presea in Tales of Symphonia, another of the greatest JRPGs in history?
Anyways, enjoy this chapter! I'd also greatly appreciate it if you left a review.
Chapter Nineteen
Aboard the shoopuf's back, the party set off over the Moonflow. The carriage where they rode was just big enough for all of them to sit down, with a roof to keep the sun off but no walls. Tidus felt a little uncomfortable without as much as a seatbelt to keep him inside, but soon his apprehension faded. Just one more completely new thing in Spira.
"Shoopuf launchin'!" the shoopuf driver called out merrily as the great beast waded down into the water, headed for the opposite bank. The party sat on the benches lining the four sides of the small carriage. It was more of a rectangle than a square, so two of the benches were longer. Yuna sat alone on one of the shorter benches near the shoopuf's head, and Tidus sat across from her. To his left, Auron sat, then Lulu, and Wakka and Kimahri sat on the other side, Kimahri making sure to stay close to the summoner.
"Hey." Wakka signaled to get Tidus' attention.
"Huh?" Tidus cocked his head, wondering what Wakka could want.
"Take a look," Wakka said, gesturing to the river below.
"What?" Confused, Tidus leaned over the back of his bench and stared into the river's silvery waters. What he saw made him jerk so much he nearly slipped over the railings.
"Whoa! A sunken city!"
Sure enough, down below the rippling waters of the Moonflow lay an ancient city, forever trapped in a watery tomb. The rising arches and soaring skyscrapers bore a sharp resemblance to Zanarkand.
"A machina city," Wakka explained. "A thousand years old! They built this city on top of bridges across the river."
"But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse," Lulu picked up the tale, "and it all sank to the bottom."
"Right," Wakka continued. "It's a good lesson."
"A lesson?" Tidus didn't get it.
"Yeah," Wakka said. "Why build a city over a river, ya?"
"Uh, well," Tidus wracked his brain. "It would be convenient with all that water there."
"Nope, that's not why," Wakka said, folding his arms. "They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature!"
"Hmmm?" Tidus couldn't help but think that Wakka was being unfair. "I'm not so sure about that."
"Yevon has taught us," Wakka continued, "when humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they go too far, ya?"
Tidus let out a sigh. Wakka's the one taking things too far.
"Yeah, but don't you use machina, too?" Tidus asked. "Like the stadium and stuff, right?"
"Yevon, it decides," Lulu explained, "which machina we may use, and which we may not."
Tidus felt his temper starting to rise. "So what kind of machina, 'may we not use,' then?"
"Remember Operation Mi'ihen?" Wakka said, also getting hot. "That kind."
Lulu looked down at the floor. "Or war will rage again."
Tidus' temper faded. "War?"
"More than a thousand years ago," Yuna began. "Mankind waged war using machina to kill."
"They kept building more and more powerful machina!" Wakka said, his voice rising.
"They made weapons so powerful," Lulu continued, "it was thought they could destroy the entire world."
"The people feared that Spira would be destroyed," Yuna said.
"But the war did not stop!" Wakka was almost shouting now.
"W-What happened then?" Tidus asked, eyes wide.
"Sin came," Yuna said gravely, "and it destroyed the cities and their machina."
"The war ended," Lulu sighed, "and our reward… was Sin."
Wakka nodded, seeming satisfied with the explanation.
"So," he concluded, "Sin's our punishment for lettin' things get out of hand, eh?"
"Man," Tidus rubbed the back of his head. "That's rough."
"Yeah, it is," Wakka agreed with a sad chuckle.
Tidus still wasn't ready to give up his point, though.
"But, it's not like the machina are bad," he insisted.
"Only as bad as their users," Lulu replied.
Wakka clenched his teeth. "It's because of people like the Al Bhed screwing everything up!"
Before Wakka could continued his rant, and loud rumbling noise rent the air, causing the shoopuf to quake.
"Whatsh could thatsh be?" the driver asked, looking around. Tidus could barely distinguish the blue man's words through his thick accent. Everybody jumped out of their seats, wondering what was causing the shaking. Auron suddenly turned to Yuna.
"Sit down!" he shouted.
Yuna looked at him with a puzzled expression, but it was too late. A man with goggles and spiky blond hair appeared over the railing and hooked one arm around Yuna's neck. She let out a yelp as the man dragged her over the railings and disappearing into the water. Everything happened so quickly that no guardian, even Kimahri, had time to react before it was too late.
"Yuna!" Tidus shouted, leaping towards the railing and leaning over.
"The Al Bhed!" Wakka hissed, his anger obvious.
"Come on, Wakka!" Tidus shouted. "We've gotta go after them!"
Wakka wasted no time replying and dived over the edge, Tidus following close behind.
Under the Moonflow, and massive machina waited among the ruins. The giant contraption had a sphere of energy on top, where Yuna was kept. She crouched inside, eyes bright with fear
We're coming Yuna! Tidus thought, pulling his sword from its sheath. Most fighters would be uncomfortable fighting under water, but not Tidus. He and Wakka were both trained blitzball players, capable of holding their breath for over an hour and quite adept at underwater combat. They couldn't speak underwater, but Tidus could understand Wakka's gestures well enough. The blitzball coach had a plan, and it seemed like a good one.
Wakka used his blitzball to distract the machine while Tidus went for Yuna. He swam around back, dodging and slicing at the tentacle-like parts that stood between him and the summoner. After a few moments, he made it over to her. Three spokes supplied power to the force field surrounding her, and Tidus quickly formulated a plan. If he could break those, then the force field would vanish. I guess it's a good thing I'm from Zanarkand and I know about these kinds of things.
That left only one problem; Yuna wasn't a blitzball player and she couldn't hold her breath very long, so Tidus would have to get her up to the surface quickly. That meant Wakka had to keep the machina's attention while they escaped. Tidus made a few gestures to Wakka, hoping he understood them. I guess I just have to trust him now.
Tidus made a few motions to Yuna to tell her to hold her breath. She nodded, so Tidus began hacking away at the energy rods. When the first one fell, the force field started flickering. However, before Tidus could set to work on the other two, the machina took notice of it and directed its tentacle towards him. Tidus jumped back, cutting two off with one sweep of his bright blue sword. Wakka rushed straight up to the machine, drawing away its attention again.
Tidus got right back to work. He thrust his sword into the base of the second spoke, and the energy sphere started to crackle. Yuna took in a deep breath as it vanished into scattered sparks.
Tidus grabbed Yuna's arm and dragged her away from the machina before it could get its act together. He swam straight towards the surface, still pulling the summoner with him. He risked a glance back to see Wakka following from a ways off.
Almost there…
They needed to get out of the water now. Tidus Hadn't really been thinking about this part when he dived overboard. How are we going to get back on that shoopuf?
He could see the thick legs of the elephant-like creature paddling through the water above. He'd figure out how to get back up there once he'd gotten Yuna back to air.
Tidus sucked in a deep, refreshing breath as he breached the surface of the Moonflow. He still kept a firm grip on Yuna's arm to keep her afloat. Tidus could hear the young summoner coughing up water and taking in sharp, frantic breaths.
Wakka's head burst from the water beside the two of them, also sucking in air.
"We made it!" he said with a relieved chuckle. "Yuna, you alright?"
Yuna just nodded, still breathing hard.
"Hey! Guys!" Tidus shouted up at the shoopuf. The heads of the three guardians left behind appeared over the railings.
"We could use a hand down here!" Tidus shouted again. Auron's head pulled back and reappeared after a few seconds with a long rope. The rope dropped over the railing and dangled just over Tidus' head. He let out a sigh and grabbed on to it, heaving himself up. Wakka helped Yuna on after him and followed. After a quick climb, the three of them scrambled back into the shoopuf's carriage.
"Are you hurt?" Lulu asked as Yuna plopped back into her seat, soaking wet.
"No, I'm fine," Yuna panted, still trying to get her breath back. Her wet brown hair clung to her cheeks as she sucked in air.
"Grrah!" Wakka sat down in his seat again, grinding his teeth in frustration. "Those Al Bhed!"
"Ish ebullibody okay?" the driver called from his perch in front. It took Tidus a few moments to decipher what he was trying to say.
"I'm sorry! We're all okay now!" Yuna stood up and addressed the driver.
"Yuna!" Auron said sharply, and the summoner quickly sat down again.
"Shoopuf full shpeed aheads!" the driver called out, and the great elephantine creature began to move again.
"What do those Al Bhed what from us?" Wakka fumed, smashing one fist into his bench. "Could it have something to do whit Luca? What are they after Yuna for? Wait! They're mad they lost the tournament! Or, wait! They're mad about Operation Mi'ihen!"
Tidus tried not to sigh at Wakka's scatter-brained rant.
"I wonder…" Lulu said, suspicion in her voice. "Didn't Kimahri's clansman say something about summoners disappearing?"
"Ah!" Wakka nearly jumped out of his seat. "So the Al Bhed are behind that! Those sand-blasted grease monkeys!"
Sitting across from him, Tidus could see a look of pain cross Yuna's face. Wakka's got no idea that Yuna is partly one of those "sand-blasted grease monkeys." Still, I can see how it'd make her uncomfortable…
"Hey, Wakka," Tidus spoke up. "It's no use complaining about the Al Bhed now, right? We'll protect Yuna from anyone, anywhere. It's that easy. That's all we need to know!"
"Well… I guess so…" Wakka said with a bit of a frown.
"You're right," Lulu agreed.
From the bench across from him, Yuna mouthed the words "thank you." Tidus grinned and gave her a slight nod in return. But, honestly, what would Wakka do if he found out that Yuna, the summoner he guards, is half Al Bhed?
The party gathered on the dock on the other side of the Moonflow, having made it there with no further issues.
"We should keep going," Auron said, his gaze on the sky. "At this rate, we won't make it to Guadosalam before dark."
"You mean we're gonna camp… outside?" Tidus asked nervously. He'd never slept without a roof over his head before.
"Is that a problem?" Auron asked, leveling his gaze at Tidus. Tidus knew that voice; it was the voice that meant disagreeing would be unwise.
"No, it's not a problem," Tidus sighed.
"Enough talking! Let's move!" Wakka called out, his voice bright. The bad mood that had descended on him after the Al Bhed attack had vanished.
"But we need to keep our guard up," Lulu added. "The Al Bhed may try to take Yuna again."
"Right," Wakka said with a nod, a shadow crossing his bright expression at the thought of the Al Bhed.
"Come on, everyone!" Yuna stepped to the front of the group. "This way!"
Tidus fell into the rear as usual, watching Yuna's bright smile. It was just like after Operation Mi'ihen. Everyone was on edge after Yuna's near-kidnapping, and Yuna was smiling cheerful to disperse that tension. Tidus admired the strength it took to be that happy when things were dark.
Yuna really is something else.
…
The group carried on under the shadows of the thick forests surrounding the Moonflow. The trail followed the river for quite a while, and the shimmering silvery waters were just visible through the trees. The party carried on quickly, but the sun was setting, and it became clear that they wouldn't make it to their destination by sundown. Tidus wasn't looking forward to sleeping outside.
Ahead, the pathway veered off into the woods. Just behind them, a wide beach bordered the path, waves from the Moonflow licking over it. Tidus glanced back at the river, wishing that, if they had to camp here, it would have been close enough to the river to watch the nighttime spectacle.
Wait, what's that…?
Tidus spotted something crumbled up on the riverbank, wet and glistening in the late afternoon sunlight. He was in back of the group, so no one noticed when he broke off to investigate.
To Tidus' surprise, lying there on the small beach was a girl in a wetsuit, seemingly unconscious. Her wild, yellow-blond hair was tied up in a ponytail on top of her head, and goggles covered her eyes. Tidus couldn't help but think she looked familiar…
Before he could called out to her, the girl shifted and started to stand up. She staggered up to her feet and looked at Tidus, though he still couldn't see her eyes.
Who is this, and why do I recognize her?
Tidus was just about to ask his questions when the girl started to peel off her wetsuit, revealing her orange shirt and green shorts. She kicked off her boots then yanked off her goggles. Her eyes were green, and Tidus noticed the swirls in them.
Wait, like that monk said… She's an Al Bhed?
When she spoke, Tidus instantly recognized her voice.
"I thought I was done for back there!" the girl panted, shaking water droplets from her hair.
"Rikku!" Tidus shouted as she dropped to her hands and knees. "You're Rikku!"
Tidus couldn't believe his eyes. The last he'd seen of the friendly Al Bhed who saved him in the ruins was when Sin attacked. For all he knew, they'd all been killed.
"Hey! You're okay!" Tidus exclaimed, bending over Rikku. "How you been?"
"Terrible!" Rikku replied, shaking her head.
"Uh, yeah, you don't look so good," Tidus said, rubbing the back of his head. "What happened?"
"You beat me up, remember?" Rikku shook a figure in Tidus' face.
Tidus was puzzled for a moment. Then he thought about the machina that had captured Yuna. Oh, yeah. Those were Al Bhed, and I guess that thing had to have a driver…
"That machina…?" Tidus asked, still shocked. "That was you?"
"Mm-hm." Rikku nodded, still looking indignant. "That really hurt, you know, you big meanie!"
"W-Wait!" Tidus stammered. "You attacked us!"
"Nuh-uh." Rikku pushed back and sat up. "It's not exactly what you think."
That was just puzzling. Tidus had no idea what to think.
"Yo! Friend of yours?"
Tidus turned around to see Wakka approaching, along with the others. They must have realized he wasn't with them.
"Uh, you could say that," Tidus answered.
"Pleased to meet you!" Rikku said cheerfully, jumping up to her feet. "I'm Rikku!"
"Yuna, Lulu." Tidus turned to the two. "I told you about her, remember? She was the one who helped me before I was washed up on Besaid! She's an Al Bhe… bhe…" Tidus trailed off with a nervous laugh as he remembered who else was listening. He could see by the surprise on Yuna and Lulu's faces that they had understood, but Wakka didn't seem to notice. That's a relief…
"Wow, so you, like, owe her your life!" Wakka grinned. "What luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon!"
Tidus could see Rikku looking a bit dubious at that, but she didn't say anything.
"So, Rikku," Wakka began. "You look a little beat up! You okay?"
Before Rikku could answer, Lulu stepped between the two of them.
"Uh, Wakka…" she started.
"Huh? What?" Wakka asked.
"There's something we need to discuss," Yuna said. Tidus could see she was uncomfortable.
"Oh, go ahead." Wakka sat back and folded his arms.
"Girls only! Boys please wait over there!" Rikku said gesturing towards where Auron and Kimahri stood farther down the trail.
"Right," Lulu agreed. "Sorry, Wakka."
Wakka looked baffled, but Tidus understood. Yuna needed to talk with Rikku about why she was here without Wakka finding out she was an Al Bhed. That would only ruffle feathers. However, that meant Tidus didn't get to hear Rikku's explanation, either.
Oh, well…
"Come on." Tidus guided Wakka over to the others.
"What's that about?" Wakka asked, still looking puzzle.
"Who knows?" Tidus said quickly. He hoped he wasn't being too obvious.
Wakka quit complaining, and Auron was sullenly silent and Kimahri his usual quiet self. After a few minutes, Yuna, Lulu, and Rikku rejoined the others.
"Sir Auron," Yuna turned to her guardian. "I would like to ask Rikku to be my guardian."
Tidus was shocked but didn't say anything. Yeah, she saved me, and I trust her and all, but Yuna wants to make her a guardian now? Didn't they just meet?
Auron walked up to Rikku, his face as stern as ever.
"Show me your face," he said. "Look at me."
"Oh, okay." Rikku tentatively raised her face to Auron, keeping her eyes closed. Auron hadn't heard Tidus' slip-up, so he was trying to see if Rikku was an Al Bhed or not.
"Open your eyes," Auron said, not impatiently. Rikku let out a small sigh and opened one eye.
"As I thought." Auron stepped back, not saying anything else.
"So… No good?" Rikku asked nervously.
"Are you certain?" Auron asked, his voice carrying a level of weight.
"A hundred percent!" Rikku exclaimed, hope appearing in her green eyes. "So, anyway… Can I?"
"If Yuna wishes it," Auron replied.
"Yes, I do," Yuna said with a smile. Wakka nodded slowly.
"Rikku's a good girl!" Tidus spoke up. "She helped me a bunch."
Rikku nodded vigorously.
"I'm for it!" Wakka exclaimed. "The more, the merrier!"
"Righto!" Rikku said, a wide grin on her face and her eyes glowing. "Then I'll just have to be the merriest!"
Tidus watched the two cheery souls' exchange and thought that it was strange. Even though Wakka had always hated the Al Bhed, he didn't realize Rikku was one of them. And there they were, chatting like old friends, the Al Bhed-hater and the Al Bhed…
…
When night fell, the party had to camp in the forest. It wasn't so terribly uncomfortable as Tidus had imagined. The dense, ancient trees all around shielded the night sky from view, and the only light came from the fire they had lit. Watching Rikku and Wakka fuss over lighting it had reminded Tidus of back when he first met Rikku, in those damp ruins. He'd searched for ever for that flint and tinder to light his small fire. Now, he sat in the woods in front of a hearty blaze, surrounded by friends. Spira, thought still strange, seemed a lot nicer than it had that night in the ruins.
How long ago was that? It feels like a lifetime…
Tidus sat, warming his hands by the fire, thinking of how far he'd come. Sin's attack on Zanarkand, his rescue by the Al Bhed, meeting Wakka on Besaid beach, rushing into the Cloister of Trials to find Yuna, the attack on Kilika, the tournament in Luca, Operation Mi'ihen- it all seemed like a dream on this warm night in the woods by the Moonflow. Somehow, Tidus had made it this far, and he had a purpose in this strange world. He was Yuna's guardian, and it was his duty to protect her.
Tidus looked through the dancing flames of the campfire blaze to where Yuna sat, talking with her newest guardian, Rikku. Certainly, this young summoner was worth protecting.
