BIG NEWS! I've officially published the first chapter of my FFXII fanfic! I'm super excited, and I hope you are, too! Even if you've never played FFXII, I think you'll still enjoy it. You might enjoy it even more than those who have. If you're interested in reading, it's called FFXII: A Tale of Hidden Powers. You can get there easily from my profile.
Please come check it out!
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review!


Chapter Twenty-Four

The party made camp in Macalania Woods as soon as they left the spring. The next morning, they made it out of the woods to the real Macalania. Lulu had tried to explain it all to Tidus; the Macalania Woods surrounded the snowy lands of Macalania where the frozen Lake of Macalania resided. Tidus thought it would have been a lot simple to give the woods, the lands, and the lake three different names, but he knew better than to mention it. Getting on Lulu's bad side was unadvisable, especially so early in the morning.
After arriving in Macalania, the party passed the travel agency they'd seen in the sphere Jecht left. Tidus looked up at the sign and imagined Auron and his father standing beneath it ten years ago.
Just passed the travel agency, Tromell Guado, Seymour's assistant, met them on the path.
"Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you," Tromell said. "We were surprised you decided to come so soon. Pleasantly surprised, of course. Lord Seymour sends his apologies for having left without notice." Tromell gave Yuna a deep bow.
"It's quite alright," Yuna replied. "I have one question, if I may, sir."
"My Lady?" Tromell asked.
"I want to keep journeying, even if I marry," Yuna said resolutely. "Do you think Maester Seymour would let me?"
"But of course, my lady," Tromell said smoothly. "Lord Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure."
Yuna turned back to her guardians, smiling. It was that smile she used for them, not for herself.
"Goodbye," she said with a slight bow, then turned to follow Tromell.
Tidus sucked in a breath. Yuna…
"Well, we must follow Guado tradition," Tromell said hesitantly, turning to Yuna's guardians. "I'll have to ask you to wait here a little while longer. I'll send someone to escort you." Tromell turned and began to walk away down the path curving over the frozen lakes surface.
"I…" Yuna trailed off, looking dismayed.
There was a moment of silence, then Auron spoke.
"We're all with you," he said. "Do as you will."
"Thank you," Yuna said to her guardian, then took off after Tromell.
Auron looked over his shoulder at Tidus and said, "Sorry."
"Eh?" Tidus tilted his head, not understanding what Auron was apologizing for.
"That was your line," Auron explained. It Auron's high collar hadn't covered his mouth, Tidus was sure he'd have seen his lips curved in a smile of amusement. Tidus took a few steps past Auron after Yuna.
"Yuna!" he called out. The young summoner turned around, and Tidus blew out a shrill whistle. Yuna's face lit with a bright smile, a real, genuine smile, not made only for her companions' benefit.
"Yessir!" she called back, nodding. Then something came crashing down the snowy slopes, cutting off Tidus' view of Yuna.
"Oh, no!" Rikku cried. The vehicles that screamed down the snowbanks and surrounded Yuna and Tromell were like snowmobiles, each manned by strange people wearing goggles.
"Al Bhed!" Wakka shouted, his eyes narrowed and teeth clenched. The guardians didn't wait a moment longer; all six of them raced over the icy ground to Yuna's aid. They managed to find a gap in the circling Al Bhed sleds and surrounded the summoner.
"Stand back," Auron said firmly, holding out his katana.
"Thank you," Tromell answered. He grasped one of Yuna's hands and held it tightly. Yuna glared over at him as if she was being held hostage, then yanked her hand away, rushing up to join her guardians.
"Lady Yuna!" Tromell shouted. He looked very worried but didn't dive into the fray to retrieve the young summoner.
Tidus took a quick step towards Yuna, putting himself between her and the imminent danger.
"Yuna, what are you doing?" Tidus asked sharply, not taking his eyes off the circling Al Bhed. He'd draw his sword and held it out in one hand.
"I can't stand back and do nothing," Yuna answered calmly. Tidus let out a sigh and shook his head. Too late to argue now.
The Al Bhed sleds suddenly dispersed, scattering over the icy ground. A man stood at the top of the snowbank, wearing goggles like the rest of them. Alongside him appeared a massive machina weapon, like a giant tank. Tidus felt his eyes widen and tightened his grip on his sword, not that the weapon could do much against something like that.
The man beside the crawler shouted something in Al Bhed. Tidus had no idea what he was saying, but he thought he heard Rikku's name.
"Oh, no!" Rikku gasped.
"Translation?" Tidus asked quickly, allowing his gaze to snap over to the Al Bhed girl for a moment.
"He's gonna use an anti-magic field on us!" Rikku replied.
The man on the snowbank shouted again, and the crawler rolled down to meet them.

A buzzing filled the air, and Tidus guessed that was the anti-magic field Rikku had mentioned. Yuna went straight into a summoning dance, but the lights on the ground flickered and faded away. Tidus met Yuna's eyes, and she shook her head.
Rats. Aeons are no good, either. Tidus glanced back towards the crawler; a light was beginning to form inside its long firing barrel. Oh, well. I guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way.
The whole party scattered as a beam of light and heat poured out of the crawler's nozzle. Tidus scrambled quickly back up to his feet, ignoring the snow that clung to his clothing. His first instinct was to find Yuna; Tidus quickly stanned the battlefield and spotted the young summoner. Yuna was still on the ground but pulling herself up quickly. Lulu, who couldn't use her magic, stood close by Yuna, ready to use herself as a human shield if necessary.
Trusting that Yuna was in safe hands, Tidus rushed to gather with Auron, Wakka, Kimahri and Rikku.
"What do we do against that thing?" Tidus asked, tense.
"Don't panic, and look out," Auron said, enviably calm. Tidus glanced back up at the crawler, which unleashed a volley of bullets. The group scattered to avoid them. One had grazed Tidus' arm, but adrenaline kept him from noticing.
"You guys draw its attention!" Rikku called out, pulling herself up from the snow. "I'll rig up something to blow it up!" She proceeded to pull several mechanical bits and pieces out of her pockets. Wakka's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head as he watched her.
"You heard her!" Tidus called out, since no one else was responding. "Let's distract this thing!"
The others complied. Tidus, Auron, Wakka, and Kimahri, dashed around all sides of the crawler, and it spun to keep up with them. The machina fired mercilessly into the snowy ground, and all four of them had to scramble to keep out of its fire. They dodged back and forth for several minutes, many times not getting fully clear in time. Tidus figured that when this was over, he'd find streaks of blood over his arms and legs and nicks all over his sword's shining blue blade.
"Ready! Stand back!" Rikku's announcement was a welcome sound to Tidus' ears. Without hesitation he dived out of the crawler's range, landing on his back on the snowy ground. A beeping sound filled the air, and in a few moments an explosion rocked the ground. When Tidus sat back up, the crawler was little more than a pile of smoking iron.

Tidus leaped back up to his feet, still holding his sword. Everyone gathered around Yuna, who was apparently unharmed. He raced over to join them.
"Yuna, you okay?" Tidus asked. Yuna nodded.
"My Lady!" Tromell cried out, coming up to Yuna. He said a few quiet words Tidus couldn't hear before leading Yuna away. She glanced back towards her guardians with a look on her face of worry, frustration, and a hidden trace of fear. Tidus wanted to rush after her, but the Al Bhed man still standing up on the snowbank demanded attention. He shouted something in Al Bhed, sounding very angry. This time Tidus was certain he heard Rikku's name among the words.
Rikku called back up to him, speaking in Al Bhed as well. Tidus couldn't understand what she was saying, but he heard her say "Yuna."
The Al Bhed man shouted back once more before disappearing back over the ridge.
Rikku let out a nervous laugh.
"I told him I was a guardian," she explained, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, I guess I had to, really."
Wakka walked up to Rikku, eyes narrowed and face hard. He did not look happy.
"How come you speak Al Bhed? Why?" Wakka almost shouted. Tidus clenched his teeth. Oh, no…
Rikku let out a sigh and looked down at the ground. "Because I'm Al Bhed," she replied, not bothering to hide it. "And that… was my brother."
Wakka stared at Rikku. He must have been expecting this, but he still looked shocked. Rather than lashing out at Rikku, he rounded on the other.
"You know?" he asked, and Tidus and Lulu nodded. Auron didn't. Thanks for sharing the blame with us, Tidus thought with a scoff.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Wakka asked, still looking only dumbfounded. Tidus had expected him to be hopping mad.
"We knew you'd be upset," Lulu answered simply. The horrified shock on Wakka's face drained away, and his expression turned to one of anger and disgust.
"This is great," he said with a chuckle, turned back to Rikku. "I can't believe I've been traveling with an Al Bhed. A heathen!"
"You're wrong!" Rikku said defensively. Tidus could tell she was hurt. "We have nothing against Yevon!"
"But you Al Bhed use the forbidden machina! You know what that means?" Wakka shouted. His temper was really boiling over now. "Sin was born because people used machina!"
"You got proof? Show me proof!" Rikku shouted back.
"It's in Yevon's teachings!" Wakka folded his arms. "Not that you'd know!"
"That's not good enough!" Rikku continued to shout. "Yevon says this, Yevon says that. Can't you think for yourself?"
"Well, then you tell me!" Wakka bent over to look Rikku straight in the eyes. "Where did Sin come from, huh?"
"I…I…" Rikku faltered under Wakka's angry gaze. "I don't know!" she answered at last.
"Hmph!" Wakka straightened back up. "You bad-mouth Yevon and that's all you can come up with?"
Rikku sucked in a breath. Her eyes were glistening with dampness, but she shook it away.
"But… that doesn't mean you should do whatever they say without thinking!" Her voice was almost a plea. "Nothing will ever change that way!"
"Nothing has to change!" Wakka snapped.
"You want Sin to keep coming back?" Rikku asked, her plea growing angry again. "There might be a way to stop it, you know!"
"Sin will be gone when we atone for our past mistakes!" Wakka stated firmly.
"When? How?" Rikku simmered like a pot about to boil over.
"If we keep faith in Yevon's teachings it will be gone one day!" Wakka answered.
Rikku let out a sigh and looked down at the ground. "Why do I even bother?" she said with another sigh.
"Rikku!" Auron called out, breaking up her and Wakka's argument. Auron was crouching by one of the snowmobiles that the Al Bhed had left.
"Will this move?" Auron asked Rikku.
"Yes!" Rikku called back enthusiastically. She lifted her head and ran over to Auron. Tidus let out a breath. All the tension still hadn't gone out of the air, though. At least they didn't go to fisticuffs.
"We're not using that, are we?" Wakka asked, staring in disgust at the Al Bhed snowmobile. "Wait, Sir Auron isn't an Al Bhed too, is he?"
Tidus let out a sigh. "Come one, Wakka…"
"What?" Wakka snapped, turning to Tidus. Clearly, he hadn't cooled down fully yet.
"I mean, getting angry just 'cause you found out Rikku's an Al Bhed," Tidus sighed. "You guys got along fine till now, didn't you?"
"That's different, I mean…" Wakka trailed off, frustration still written all over his face.
"Well, I don't claim to know much about Spira," Tidus began, "and I probably know even less about the Al Bhed, but… I know Rikku's a good person. She's just Rikku!"
Tidus had thought his speech was pretty good, but Wakka appeared unmoved. Clearly his prejudice was a deep-rooted thing, not easily shaken.
"Lu?" Wakka turned to Lulu, hoping to get a different answer from his childhood friend.
"Just think of this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed," Lulu replied calmly.
"Ha!" Wakka let out a snort of laughter and stormed off as Auron and Rikku returned to the others. Tidus was about to follow him when Auron stopped him.
"Let him go," Auron said sternly. "Give him time to think."
Rikku, standing a little ways off, hung her head again. "I'm sorry," she said miserably.
"You've done nothing to apologize for," Lulu replied comfortingly.
"Alright! Let's ride!" Tidus called out jubilantly, hoping being cheerful would help clear the tension from the air. It always worked when Yuna did it. He moved over to one of the snowmobiles.
"You sure you know how to drive this?" Rikku asked, one eyebrow raised. Kimahri moved over to one that was lying upside down and flipped it over. He plopped down on the seat and took off, his course rather wobbly.
Tidus scoffed and turned back to Rikku. "Better than Kimahri does!"

There were only five sleds and six guardians, so Lulu and Rikku got on a sled together. They rod in pairs, Auron and the girls up front, Kimahri and Tidus in the middle, and Wakka slogging along dismally in the back. The snowmobiles weren't that hard to drive. Actually, working with vehicles like those again reminded Tidus of Zanarkand.
Worried that the silence would drive him to be homesick again, Tidus called out to Kimahri.
"Say, what do you think about Rikku being an Al Bhed?"
Kimahri was silent for a few seconds, but he did answer.
"Ronso are followers of Yevon," he said in his deep, rumbly voice. "Ronso dislike Al Bhed."
Tidus let out a sigh. "Oh, I get it," he said flatly.
"Not Kimahri," Kimahri clarified. "Al Bhed are Al Bhed. Rikku is Rikku. Rikku swore to protect Yuna, and Rikku is not liar. Kimahri can tell. So, she is friend."
Tidus stared over at Kimahri for a few moments. He kept his slanted yellow eyes fixed on the path ahead, and his leonine features reflected no emotion. A bump in the icy path forced Tidus to pull his attention back to driving.
"You know," Tidus continued, "you might want to tell her that later. I think she needs to know that we still want her with us."
"Kimahri is surprised," Kimahri said plainly.
"Why?" Tidus asked, looked over at the Ronso.
"Kimahri think you are kind," Kimahri answered.
Tidus nearly winced under Kimahri's praise.
"Uh, well, don't tell anyone, okay?" he said nervously.
Kimahri didn't answer.

The party continued on to the temple. The Macalania Temple actually lay beneath the lake. Lulu explained that there was some space between the frozen lake surface and the frigid waters below. That didn't make much sense, but Tidus believed it when he saw it. A curling pathway of ice led from the cave-like entrance to the temple, which was itself set upon a pillar of rock that held it over the water. The group of guardians made their way to the temple doors, where they were stopped by a monk.
"Halt!" the man dressed in heavy robes shouted. He pointed an accusing finger at Rikku. "The likes of her are not welcome in this hallowed place!"
"She is a guardian," Auron said calmly, facing down the monk.
"An Al Bhed guardian?" The monk snorted. "Preposterous!"
"I've decided to be Yuna's guardian now, and that's all I want," Rikku said quietly, her voice steady.
"And that's all one needs to be a guardian," Auron finished.
The monk hesitated for a moment before relenting.
"Very well," he sighed. "I will hold you personally responsible if anything happens."

Inside the temple, the party was immediately met by Shelinda, the acolyte.
"Ah! There you are!" she called out brightly. "So, Lady Yuna is getting married." She rounded on Tidus. "You shouldn't kid around about these things."
"Yeah, I guess so," Tidus said, unable to keep the dismal tones out of his voice. For some reason, thinking about Yuna marrying Seymour didn't put him in the best mood.
"You're not happy?" Shelinda asked, frowning.
"Nah, it's complicated," Tidus replied, shaking his head. "Say, do you know where Yuna is?"
Shelinda nodded. "I believe she's gone to the Cloister of Trials with Maester Seymour."
Tidus frowned. She didn't wait for us? She went with that Seymour instead?
"Thank you," Auron said, stepping past her towards the Cloister entrance, a tall stairway like in the other temples. "Come on, let's go."
Everyone nodded, and they were about to leave when a nun came racing out of the nun's quarters. She dropped to her knees, thick blue robes flying everywhere.
"Lord Jyscal!" she exclaimed. "A sphere, in Lady Yuna's belongings…"
Tidus sucked in a breath. That sphere… Jyscal's will?
The guardians didn't wait. They rushed past the nun on the floor, towards Yuna's room.

Inside, a small sphere sat on the desk, round and blue.
"This may well answer a few questions," Auron said, and there was a dark tone to his voice. Tidus knew how he felt; as much as he wanted to know what was going on, he knew it wouldn't be pleasant. Not waiting for anything else, Tidus grabbed the sphere off the desk and switched it on.
An image of an old Guado with windswept green hair fuzzed into existence. He looked old and tired, deep worry painted over his face. Tidus could only guess that this was Maester Jyscal. Jyscal took a deep breath, then spoke.
"What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth," he said, static edging his words. "I swear it on my honor as a Guado. Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour."
Tidus drew in a breath. Not good news.
Jyscal continued. "His mind is closed even to me, a maester of Yevon. But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado, even the summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring destruction and chaos to Spira. I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son. But I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered, and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds. But whoever is watching this… I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son…"

The video ended, and the light inside the sphere faded away. Tidus clenched his teeth. Yuna knew this… Why didn't she just tell us? Why couldn't she ask for help? Now she's in the Cloister of Trials all alone with that Seymour!
"Wonderful," Auron sighed.
"Will Yuna be alright?" Rikku asked. Her eyes were wide with worry.
"Without us, no," Auron replied. He quickly exited the nun's chamber, Rikku and Kimahri tailing him closely. Tidus turned to follow, but Wakka called out.
"Where you goin'?" he asked. His face was a mix of hard emotions.
"You saw, didn't you?" Tidus snapped back. "Seymour's bad news!" We've got to go get Yuna! Why are we still here?
"But he's a maester!" Wakka protested, his face still conflicted.
"Fine! Stay here if you want!" Tidus took a few more antsy steps towards the door. Every second we spend here is a second Yuna is in trouble!
"Come on, Wakka," Lulu said calmly. "Let's at least hear him out."
Wakka raised a hand to his forehead. "This can't be happening," he moaned.

Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu caught up with Auron and Rikku just inside the Cloister of Trials. Yuna and Seymour had already solved the puzzles, so getting through would be easy.
"Kimahri's up ahead," Auron said, nodding towards the icy tunnels. "Go."
"Right!" Tidus answered. He had no problem with hurrying. We're coming, Yuna!"
Auron turned to Wakka, his face cold. "We will protect Yuna from anyone," he said firmly. "Even a maester." If the situation hadn't been so dire, Tidus would have been glad to see someone else getting a lecture from Auron for a change.
Wakka let out a sound somewhere between a moan and a nervous laugh and raised a hand to his head. "This can't be happening."
"If he is truly at fault, it must be done," Lulu said in her cool voice that seemed to help calm Wakka.
Tidus' patience gave. "Come on, guys!" he snapped. "Let's go already! Who knows what kind of trouble Yuna's in?"
"Right," Auron nodded. "We leave."