Chapter 7
Rikku stared at the miles and miles of green flatland, then at the tall Gagazet mountains off in the distance. "Whoa!"
"The Calm Lands," Lulu said. "There are no towns, villages, or roads, so summoners lose their way here."
"Nothing?" Rikku asked. "But there are mountains over here. Can't they just go towards the mountains?"
"A lot of summoners believe that isn't the right way to go. Therefore, they get lost."
Yuna suddenly dropped to the ground and stared at the sky. "I always thought I knew where I was going. Now… I am not so sure."
"We'll find the way, Yunie" Rikku reassured her, and Yuna stood up.
The group went on down the hill, and Rikku said hello to an old priest that Tidus usually liked to stop and talk to. She knew that he didn't know much about Spira, so talking to that old man answered a lot of his questions. Tidus stopped and talked with him as the group went on. Rikku intentionally walked a little faster so she could walked side-by-side with Auron.
"So..." she began, "do summoners really get lost here? Did you, Lord Braska and Jeckt get lost?"
"No," he said, looking ahead, and Rikku noticed the wind blow his graying brown hair. "We knew where we were going."
"How did you know?"
"Previous guardians of summoners informed us before we left, and on the way."
"Hm, that's cool. Just follow the mountains, right?"
"Yes." He gave her a side glance. "You were correct on that."
She smiled with pride. "I guess I was."
They walked on and came close to a little travel agency. Rikku looked on at the green fields, and what looked like a cliff off in the distance. She asked, "What happened here? I mean, there are cliffs and stuff."
"Hundreds of years ago, summoners have fought the final battle with Sin in these planes. The force broke the ground, creating cliffs and crevices."
"Oh… you mean, people died on these planes? And Sin, too?"
"Yes, correct."
She shivered and instinctively stood closer to him. "That's kinda creepy."
He chuckled. "You don't like spirits and such, I recall."
"Are there spirits here?" she gasped. "Like unsents?"
"There may be a few."
"Oh!" She huddled more next to him as they walked, and he stopped and gave her a look. Her neck heated up immediately in embarrassment and she stood away. "Sorry, I just… I can fight huge beasts, but spirits and things scare me. I still feel sick at the thought of Maester Seymour."
"Hm."
A warm gust of wind blew Rikku's hair all over her face. She tried to fix it, but the wind blew it again. "Oh, geez, seriously, this wind. I couldn't find a…"
Auron held a little band in front of her line of vision. She gave him a questioning look. "You have a hair tie?"
"I used it to hang that blanket that you now have hooked to your back. I don't need it."
"Oh." She took the band and pulled up her hair and tied it into a ponytail. "Thank you."
She noticed him watch her as she finished off the ponytail. Her cheeks heated when she was finished and he still hadn't looked away.
"I think it looks better down," he said and started waking off to the little travel agency building. Rikku's mouth dropped open.
"Huh…?" she mumbled, but he was already too far away to hear anything. "Was that a… complement?"
A surge of happiness erupted inside of her and she giggled. She jumped up and down.
"What are you so happy about?"
Rikku immediately stopped her happy dance and stared at Lulu. "Oh, um… nothing."
Lulu looked over at Auron, then at her. "You two seem awfully close. I saw the two of you talking in the Macalania Forest."
Rikku gasped. "You saw that?"
"Yes. I saw him wipe tears from your face."
"Um…" What could she make up? "He just… reminds me of my dad. I feel really comfortable around him."
"That's strange, since a lot of people are weary of him."
"Well, I'm a strange person." Lulu laughed and Rikku nudged her arm. "Hey, you didn't have to agree with me right away."
Lulu laughed again, and in turn, Rikku did as well. How great it felt, to laugh when so much sadness from Yuna's death was looming.
"I just find it interesting," Lulu said, and they group reached the agency and Tidus went around talking to the group one by one.
"What's interesting?" Rikku asked Lulu.
"Auron seems rather protective of you. Back in Bevelle, when Seymour walked off with you, I have never seen him so angry. He is usually has a rather calm, yet intimidating demeanor."
"Auron was angry?" Rikku asked, surprised.
"Yes. After we fought off the guards and went to go find the temple, Auron ordered everyone to take Yuna to pray for the Final Aeon, while he and Tidus go and find you. I haven't seen that side of him before. I don't think any of us have."
Rikku needed to lean against the fence that held the chocobos in. "Auron was furious… because Seymour took me away?"
"Yes. I think he cares about you."
She recalled the moment he found her in that long hallway. "He was rather mad when I found him in the hallway as I was running from Seymour… he yelled at me. But that's because he cared?"
"I think so. If it was, say, me, I don't think he would have been nearly as angry."
Rikku thought about that a moment and glanced at Auron talking with Tidus. She shouldn't get her hopes up. She chuckled sadly. "Yeah… I think he sees me as a daughter, or something like that."
"Maybe."
Rikku stared after her in shock as she walked away. Maybe? "No way. There's no possible way that…"
"Lady Yuna!"
Everyone looked at the priest who addressed Yuna. He panted and said out of breath, "Lady Yuna, I came to inform you and your guardians that there is a decree out against you and your guardians."
"What sort of decree?" she asked.
"You and your guardians have been charged with the murder of Lord Kinoc, and those out searching for you have been ordered to kill on-site."
"What?!" Rikku shouted. "But we didn't do anything! It was that evil Maester Sey—"
Auron put up a hand to silence her, and she kept her mouth shut. Annoyance with Yevon elevated inside of her, making her want to punch something.
"You have been branded traitors to Yevon," the priest continued. "I wanted to warm you so you can be on your guard."
Yuna bowed. "Thank you so much for letting us know. We will be careful."
The man ran back up the hill and out of site. Rikku looked around at everyone in the group. Tidus looked like he was going to burst.
"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "It's not our fault!"
"It doesn't matter," Lulu said. "Lord Kinoc was killed, so they have to put the blame on someone. Maester Seymour's men probably placed the blame on us."
"That's nuts," Wakka said.
"Nothing can be done now," Auron said. "Let's move on."
The group walked on to a cliff's edge. A man was there, and told them how the crevice was created. As he was explaining a war with Sin, and how an attack caused the canyon, Rikku couldn't help but think that Seymour wanted this to happen. He probably planned it before they destroyed him—he probably wanted to get back at her from running away from him, and the sneaky way of doing that was to blame Lord Kinoc's murder on her and her friends.
"Jerk…" she muttered.
The group moved on and came to a bridge that crossed the crivice. Once over, they were met with a couple of Guado men. Rikku's heart dropped to her stomach, making her feel sick. "Oh, no…"
"Summons from Lord Seymour—come with us!" one of them called and Rikku wanted to scream. Seymour was still around?!
"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour," Yuna said in a firm voice.
"Yeah, so get out of our way!" Tidus ordered and all Yuna's guardians surrounded her.
"Lord Seymour's orders must be obeyed!" said the Guado. "You will come!"
"Not a chance!" Rikku shouted. "We want to have nothing more to do with that evil dead man!"
The Guado turned and looked directly at her, and her pulse rose. "Ah, the young lady who refused Lord Seymour. He informed us if you all refused to come, to take you, young lady, and leave your friends be."
Rikku gasped in shock. "What?"
Auron suddenly stood in front of her, his sword drawn. "She's not going anywhere," he said sternly. "You will leave us be."
"Lord Seymour suspected that you would say that. Very well. He doesn't need any of you alive."
Suddenly, the ground started to rumble and a large machina monster came out from inside the canyon. They group stood ready to fight, and eventually defeated the monster. Rikku slumped down in the grass, out of breath.
"I told you," Lulu said, and Rikku looked up at her.
"What?"
"I told you he was protective of you. And you seem to enjoy it."
She walked on to talk with Wakka and Tidus and Rikku stared after her. She gulped.
Lulu suspects something, definitely.
The group walked down into the valley and came across a cave. Rikku stood at the edge of it.
"It looks creepy in there," she said. "Do we have to go in?"
"Yes," Lulu said. "The fayth is in there."
"How do you know?"
Sadness came over Lulu's beautiful face. "I came here on my first pilgramage as a summoner. Yuna, let's go."
They all went into the cave lit by little pyreflies flying around everywhere. Rikku stood close to Auron, knowing what pyreflies meant.
"I don't see why you look to me as protection from spirits," he said to her as she was close enough to smell him.
"Why wouldn't I?"
He didn't answer, and the group walked deeper into the cave. Rikku hugged herself as she walked, hoping that no unsents or spirits jumped out at her. "Oh…" she whined. "What's a fayth doing in a place like this?"
"They say it was stolen from a temple long ago," Lulu said.
"What?" Tidus asked, bewildered.
"Without a fayth, summoners cannot train," Auron said. "Without training, they cannot call the Final Aeon. And without the Final Aeon, they cannot defeat Sin."
"That must've been what the thief was thinking," Wakka said. "They wanted to stop the summoners, just like the Al Bhed wanted to stop them by kidnapping them."
"Then the summoner won't die!" Rikku added with glee.
"Precisely," Auron agreed.
"I don't blame that thief," Tidus said.
"I know," said Rikku. "I don't want any more summoners to die."
She felt something hit her shoulder and turned to see Auron walking away with the rest of the group following him. She smiled, glad that he gave her just a small bit of comfort with that pat on the shoulder.
More into the gave, the group stopped and Rikku gasped in horror. "Wh-what is that?"
"Another Guado fiend?" Wakka asked, ready to attack.
"No, an unsent," Kimari said, and Rikku screamed. She stood close to Auron again and he smirked.
"Lady Ginnem," Lulu said and walked up to the unsent woman. "I… I was so young. I am so sorry I couldn't protect you."
Yuna came up and started to dance in order to send Lady Ginnem off, but the unsent rose her hand and sent a force that nearly knocked Rikku to the ground. She grabbed Auron's arm so she wouldn't fall.
"There's no human left in you… is there?" Lulu asked sadly and the unsent woman scowled at her. "Very well. Let me do my last duty to you as your gaurdian."
Lulu ran up to her, as did the rest of the group, ready for battle. Rikku stayed put, and still had a hold on Auron's arm. He tried to go, but her hold kept him back. He looked back at her.
"Let go," he ordered.
"But…"
He stood before her and looked her in the face fiercely. "Rikku, there is no need to fear. You can fight her. She is nothing compared to the monsters you have already fought. Why are you so afraid?"
She stared at his brown eye through his shaded glasses. "I… they just scare me. They always have. And after Seymour, they terrify me."
"Well he's not here. This one will not harm you as long as you're with me and the rest of us, understand?"
She gripped his arm tightly and bit her bottom lip. She nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay!"
They went into battle and Rikku remained next to Auron the whole of it. When the battle was through, she exhaled, and about passed out from the exertion. She leaned against a rock, panting, as she looked over at Auron resting his sword over his shoulder. She smiled. She wanted to remain by his side throughout the rest of the journey.
Rikku shivered and held the blanket tightly around her. They have reached Mt. Gagazet, and the air dropped twenty degrees within an hour. They all stopped at the arch leading into the snowy mountains, and the Ronsos were waiting.
"Summoner Yuna and guardians shall not pass," said one of the more bulky Ronso people.
"Why not? We have to get through!" Tidus exclaimed.
"We will let you pass if Kimari shows his strength."
Kimari had to fight his way though, and eventually, the group was able to make it through all the Ronso. They started singing The Hymn of the Fayth as Yuna and the group passed.
The Ronsos finished their singing, and the group walked more up the mountain. Rikku wrapped the blanket around her tighter, if that were possible. Maybe she should've brought a change of clothes before she left the Al Bhed back before she even became a guardian. It was a good thing she wore boots, because the snow was getting pretty close to the top rims.
"Hey, Rikku, you have any more of those blankets?" Tidus asked as she hugged himself, shivering.
"Um…" She looked over at Auron who was walking more away from the group. "I don't have another one of these. Maybe Auron can lend you one of his?"
"Thanks, I'll ask."
She watched as Tidus went over to Auron, and Auron looked over at her with a crease in his brow. Was she not supposed to tell people about his blankets?
"Touchy," she mumbled, and reveled in the warmth of the blanket. Tidus walked on next to Yuna, blanket-less. Auron didn't give him the blanket… yet he let her use two of his?
They trudged on in the snow, and the snow came down in large flakes. She had never been in so much snow before this, so this was rather new. The snow in Macalania was just a dusting.
A cliff came into view, and the group stopped at a bunch of boulders placed together right at the edge. Lulu knelt down and bowed her head. She explained, "This is a grave for those who were not able to survive through this point."
"You mean, past summoners?" Wakka asked.
"Yes."
"That's too bad, not making it when they were so close."
"Not many are able to survive through this mountain pass," Auron said, and everyone looked at him. "Due to the quantity of snow, and the low temperatures at night, many freeze."
"Hold on," Tidus said, "so if they just die here, and no one sends them…"
"They eventually become fiends," Lulu finished. "We should be on the look-out."
"You mean… the spirits of the dead are in these mountains as fiends?" Rikku asked, and shivered, but not from the cold.
"Yes. We have been lucky by not coming across any of them."
"So far," Wakka added, and Rikku glared at him.
"Don't say that!"
"Let's move on," Auron said. "We should find a place to camp, and then we will make it to Zanarkand by nightfall tomorrow. It is dangerous to travel these mountains at night."
"But you just said about the temperatures…"
"We will be alright."
She nodded, and the group started to walk through a rocky pass. Rikku noticed Tidus linger behind at the grave for the summoners and others who have died. He knelt down and touched one of the rocks. Something gripped Rikku's throat at that scene. So many people have lost their lives trying to defeat Sin, when there was really no point to it since there was no way Sin could be defeated anyway.
Rikku looked to the front again and trudged on with the others. A few minutes passed when all of them heard Tidus shout, "GUYS!"
They all came running to where the ledge was and Rikku screamed. Standing near the ledge was none other than Maester Seymour.
"Yikes, can't this guy die?!" Wakka shouted, and Seymour chuckled.
"We all meet again," he said in an icy voice. "It was a little troublesome back through the pass since the Ronso did not seem to want to let me through. I had to take care of them one by one. Not to worry, though. It was quick."
Kimari growled in anguish, and tears gathered in Rikku's eyes. Seymour killed all of Kimari's people!
Seymour's gaze shifted to Rikku and she wanted to bolt out of sight. "You all seemed to ignore my request when you last met my men earlier. I will give you one final chance. Rikku—come with me and I will spare the lives of your friends, and I will not bother them again."
Irritation rose inside of her and she said in the most intimidating voice she could muster, "You're an idiot if you think I'll agree to that!"
He took a few steps closer to her, and her group was about ready to pounce. "Oh, Rikku… I don't understand. You responded to me so passionately in Bevelle when we were alone in that room."
Her breath hitched in horror and her whole face flamed. She frantically looked around at her group, who were staring at her with wide and unbelieving eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere!" she belted out. "Especially not with an evil man like you!"
He shook his head. "Such a pity. Will you really risk your friends' lives in such a way? All you have to do is come with me and I will never show myself in front of them again."
A tear fell down her cheek, and she shook. Her heart filled with the desire to have her friends safe and out of the evil clutches of Seymour. She took one step, but someone passed her in that very second.
"If she said that she doesn't want to go, she means it," Auron said hotly as he came and stood in between Rikku and Seymour. She stared at Auron, shocked.
Seymour chuckled evilly and cocked his head at Auron. "So brave. Very well. Maybe I will just take her with me by force."
Auron suddenly pulled out his massive sword and angled it near Seymour's neck. "No, you won't," he said darkly.
The two men glared at one another, and the whole group waited in thick silence. The snowfall became heavier.
"I see," Seymour finally said. "You want to duel me for her? Very well. If you defeat me, she is yours."
"Shouldn't be difficult," Auron said, and rose his sword to strike, but Seymour pulled out his own sword, repelling his, and nearly sliced his face.
"Auron!" Rikku screamed, as did Tidus and Yuna.
"You care for Rikku so much that you are willing to risk the remaining life that you do have?" Seymour asked him as he swung his sword again, and Auron repelled it. Their swords clanked together loudly, and their faces came inches from one another. Auron said menacingly,
"She is worth every life that any person could live."
Rikku covered her mouth in shock at that profound statement, and her friends ran passed her.
"Let's get in there and kill that crazy-haired lunatic!" Wakka shouted, and the whole group joined the battle. Rikku threw off her blanket and joined in as well. The battle proved tremendously difficult since Seymour changed his form again into a massive monster hovering in the air off the ledge of the cliff.
"You still have one last chance, Rikku," Seymour said in a gravely voice due to the monstrous form he was in. "Save your friends and come with me!"
Rikku stood firm and shouted with all her might, "No way! Die, you evil psychopath!"
He chuckled. "Very well."
His fiendish hand rose and shot a lightning attack on Auron, and Auron fell down motionless. Rikku wailed.
"NO!"
Yuna summoned one of her Aeons—Ixon—and the rest of the group stood back as the unicorn beast fought Seymour. Rikku went to Auron's side, and her body stung painfully as she knelt in the cold snow, and the flakes fell onto her hair and all over Auron.
"Auron, no! Please! Lulu, anyone! Do any of you have a healing potion?!"
"I have one!" Lulu said, and came up to Auron and poured the blue liquid into his mouth. He coughed.
"Oh, thank heavens!" Rikku shouted, and a loud boom filled the air. Yuna's Ixon made its final attack on Seymour, and he disintegrated into the air. The mountain suddenly became eerily quiet as the snow continued to fall heavily.
"Auron, are you completely nuts?" Tidus demanded as everyone stood around Auron and Rikku. "What was that all about, huh? And Rikku—what was Seymour talking about? What happened between the two of you in Bevelle?"
"From what Seymour said, it sounded pretty steamy," Wakka surmised, and Rikku flushed furiously.
"Nevermind," she said and stood up, as did Auron. "Let's just find somewhere to camp and rest."
She stood up and walked away from the group. The black blanket lay in the snow near those grave rocks, and she went and fetched it, then wrapped herself in it. She sighed at the warmth that overcame her.
The group started walking through the pass in silence. Rikku glanced at Auron, wondering why he suddenly stood in between her and Seymour. She recalled Lulu mentioning how protective Auron seemed to be with her.
She shook her head. She shouldn't think of it and get her hopes up.
"He will become Sin with my help," Yuna suddenly said, and everyone turned to her. "If he becomes Sin, then Sir Jeckt will be saved."
"Lies, Yuna," Auron said. "Forget it."
"You know something, don't you?" she demanded, and walked up to Tidus. "Tell me!"
Tidus bit his bottom lip and remained silent for a moment. The snow fell as everyone waited for Tidus to reveal what Yuna was demanding to know. He finally confessed,
"Sin… is my old man."
"What? You hit your head or somethin'?" Wakka asked.
"Yes, Sin is my old man. I don't know how he became Sin or why, but… I just know. I felt him. I know it's true." He gulped down emotion. "My old man is Spira's suffering."
"But you know that Yunie must…" Rikku began.
"Yeah," he said, knowing what she meant. "And… I think we should go on as we're supposed to. Have Yuna do what she needs to do."
"You would fight your own father?" Lulu asked in disbelief.
"Yes, whatever it takes. Spira needs peace, as do I. And the only way to do that is to battle my old man."
Silence fell upon the group, and Rikku noticed tears in Tidus's eyes. Yuna came over and put a hand his shoulder, and the two smiled weakly at one another.
"I'm so confused…" Wakka said. "Maybe I'll just pretend I didn't hear nothin'."
"We will learn more once we get to Zanarkand," Auron said. "Come on."
They walked on and eventually found a place to camp. As Rikku sat at the fire, staring at the orange and yellow flames, with the warm blanket around her, she inwardly pleaded for a miracle that could save not only Yuna, but Tidus's father as well. In any way.
"You seem deep in thought," she heard a gruff voice say, but she didn't look over to see who sat by her on the rock.
"I guess I am."
"What's on your mind?"
"A lot of stuff, the most heavy one being the fact that Sin is Tidus's dad. How is that possible? Did Lord Braska choose him when you guys fought Sin back then?"
He remained silent for a moment as the fire popped. She eyed him, waiting for an answer.
"You ask too many questions," he finally said.
"I know I do. Do you have an answer?"
"Not now."
She pouted. "Alright, then… how about this one—Have you thought of any way we can defeat Sin without Yunie dying? And what about Jeckt? Can he be saved, too?"
"I'm afraid not."
Sadness squeezed her heart, and her lip trembled. She shook her head, swishing her bangs. "There has to be a way. And I know I've said it a thousand times, but... I don't want Yunie to die."
"We all don't want her to die, but that is how it works. Summoners and guardians make sacrifices. You should know that very well by now, considering your past actions in attempting to save all of us."
She stared at him incredulously, knowing what he was referring to. "I didn't want any of you to die."
"Yes, but giving yourself up a second time to that monster wouldn't have done anything."
"I never gave myself up a second time," she quipped.
"You almost did. You almost accepted Seymour."
"But it's as you said—we all have to make sacrifices." She eyed his features twisted with anger. "Why are you so mad? Any one of us would have done the same thing. I mean, you died out there trying to protect your summoner, which is what you're supposed to do. I had the same desire to protect my summoner and my friends, so I—"
He suddenly took hold of her arm and she gasped in alarm. He pulled her close to him and whispered in a low and halting tone,
"I wasn't trying to protect Yuna, I was trying to protect you, you foolish girl."
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him in disbelief, not able to utter a word due to the shock of his revelation.
Auron let her arm go and he stood up. "Go to sleep. Tomorrow we will arrive in Zanarkand and the fight begins."
He left and Rikku stared at the fire, her heart hammering inside of her. Emotion caught her throat, and she didn't know whether to feel exuberantly happy or extremely sad. The man she cares about admitted to caring about her, but… the fight they all were waiting for—what all of Spira was waiting for—was looming, and Yuna may die… as well as everyone else.