Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.
(Hermit No More)
"So, you just left the Calm Lands this morning?" Fereria leaned back in her seat, her brows disappearing into her bangs, "Woooo, you were on a mission, weren't you?"
Rayne shrugged, "I decided it was time to stop playing hermit for a bit and get to work on finding out what my mission is."
"Mission?" Nooj asked, blinking.
"My mission in life." Rayne said with a sardonic smile, spreading her hands out, palms up, "The mission bestowed upon me by forces greater than my own."
Nooj stared at her, then blinked and raised his cup of alcohol to his lips slowly.
"Where will you go now?" Fereria asked, "I mean, you left to find Michael and I, right? Will you stay here, with the Youth League?"
Rayne quirked a brow, "Did I stay in Bevelle simply because you two were there?"
Fereria smirked, "No, you didn't."
"Why not head to Luca?" Michael suggested, shrugging when everyone turned to him, "Luca is the central hub of all Spira; it's a large, densely populated area that holds no affiliation to anyone other than itself. People are making Luca either the final destination or a major stop in all of their journeys these days. If you're searching for your purpose, Luca is always a good place to start."
Rayne stared at him, then smiled, "There is no way in hell you're only two years old, or even ten, at that."
Michael smiled, "Fereria's told me my parents were wise people."
A jolt wracked Rayne's body and she was paralyzed, staring into the smiling face of her son.
"Yeah," She stood, thankful that her hat hid her face, "Personally, though, I'd say your father… out of the two of them, he was the wisest." She laughed hollowly, "Your mother was just impulsive."
Michael said nothing, staring at her with a smile on his face.
After a moment, Rayne nodded to Fereria, "Well, if you two are all right, then I guess I'll be going, now."
"Rayne, wait." Fereria turned to Nooj and nodded, "Meyvn, Rayne hasn't exactly… been out a lot in the past two years and still uses the old Sphere Grid system. Do we have any 'First Steps' Garment Grids we can spare?"
Nooj blinked, "Really?" He then glanced at Rayne for a moment before nodding, "I think we have one we can part with. I'll have one of my men get it while we head to the exit."
Rayne smiled, nodding her thanks to Nooj when no one else was looking. He apparently could tell she wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
At the door, a soldier handed Rayne a small stone plate, about half as large as her Sphere Grid but just as thick and of the same consistency. Fereria then pulled out her own Garment Grid and pulled out a sphere, handing it over.
"This is what is known as a 'Dressphere', a special sphere that, once it is placed and accessed on the Garment Grid, will allow you to use the abilities of the class of the sphere and gain 'Experience' for it. It also allows you to pick and chose what abilities you want to learn."
Rayne sighed, "Fereria, thank you, but this isn't necessary. I've already learned a majority of all of the Black Mage—"
Fereria held up a hand, "Rayne, do me a favor and use a level two or three black magic attack."
Sighing, Rayne turned and flicked her wrist, "Fir—" The spell stuck in her throat and her magic canceled out, reloading and recalibrating as a 'Fire' attack. Rayne gasped and grabbed her throat, disturbed by how much it burned, then turned to Fereria and rasped, "What?"
"When the fayth disappeared," Fereria began, shaking her head, "The Sphere Grids worked for a while longer, then, a little under a year ago, they just… stopped. We figure that, somehow, the fayth were tied to the workings of the Sphere Grids. Where before they were obsolete because there were no more spheres for them, now they're just… useless." Fereria shook the sphere in her hand, "This is my 'Black Mage' Dressphere. I don't use it because I have no magical affiliation whatsoever, so I want you to have it. Without it, all you can use is your first level magic, and you'll find that, in some areas, that won't be enough."
Rayne stared at the sphere, scowling. Then, with a sigh, she reached out and took it, pressing it into one of the nodes on her Garment Grid. The node lit immediately and the back began to shift under her fingers, and when Rayne turned it over she found herself staring at her stats.
"You're kidding…" She muttered, "I'm back to 45 magic and 12 strength?"
"Where were you before?" Fereria asked.
"113 magic and 57 strength." Rayne growled, "This is pathetic…"
"Well… at least you have something to do while you're on your way to Luca." Fereria said, smirking.
Rayne glared at her, "Shut it, Fer."
"You are very old-fashioned, aren't you?" Nooj asked, smiling amusedly.
"When it comes to battle systems that have been working for a thousand years with no serious backlashes, yes." Rayne frowned, waving the Garment Grid, "This system allows any idiot with a grid and a sphere to fight, all they have to do is engage a difficult enemy, land a blow, then flee. At least with the old system you actually had to defeat an enemy to get spheres to make any actual advancements."
All the Youth Leagueians had in reply were a few laughs.
Sighing, Rayne smiled and waved to Fereria, "Well, I'd better be going, now. Luca's not far off, but I'd like to make it before nightfall."
"That shouldn't be too hard; Mi'ihen has been fully equipped with hovers." Fereria hugged Rayne, "Come see us again, alright."
"I will." Rayne then lowered her voice, "I know you wouldn't under most circumstances, but please don't let Michael do anything that involves fighting against Bevelle."
"I won't."
They pulled apart and Rayne smiled at Michael awkwardly, "I see you around, right kid?"
Michael smiled back, then walked to her and hugged her, "Be safe."
Rayne jerked, then shook her head and patted him awkwardly on the back, "Yeah, right, well…" She turned and bowed to Nooj, "It was an honor meeting you, Meyvn."
"Safe journey, Miss Rayne." He reached out and offered his hand, which Rayne took.
As soon as they touched, Rayne felt an odd jolt rush down her arm. Nooj's face blurred, then changed into someone else's.
"Tidus?"
"Excuse me?"
Rayne blinked, shaking her head, "Huh?"
Nooj frowned, "You said 'Tidus'."
"Ah." Rayne shook her head, again, "Sorry. It's nothing. Well, later." She turned sharply on her heel and took off down the path, wanting to be away from Youth League Headquarters as quickly as possible.
At the junction that ended Mushroom Rock road and started the Mi'ihen Highroad, Rayne met up with Boky.
"Kweh, kweh." The chocobo shook his head, throwing his saddlebags and stamping his feet nervously, "Wark!"
"What is it, Boky?"
"Is that a chocobo?!" Rayne turned, blinking at the people that had gathered and were staring at Boky in wonder. The man who had spoken pointed to the chocobo, "We haven't seen a chocobo on the Highroad in ages!"
Rayne smiled and laughed nervously, "Yeah, that's nice." She then inched closer to Boky and hissed, "Get outta here. I'll head down to Luca then swing back up later; wait for me at the Youth League Headquarters."
Boky tossed his head, then turned and bolted when people began to crowd in on him.
"Nooo!!" A man screamed, raising his arms over his head, "I am the Chocobo Prophet! I am here to heaaaaaaaaal youuuuu!"
Rayne watched this for a moment, more than mildly disturbed, then bolted, herself, grabbing the saddle bags Boky had tossed and jumping onto the first hover she came to.
"Step on it!" She screamed to the driver.
The hover screamed to life and shot down the path, green whizzing by and leaving Rayne with no view of the Highroad. Not that she needed it, though; she remembered the path as if she had walked down in only yesterday.
Rayne closed her eyes and immersed herself in images of Mi'ihen; the gentle sway of crisp green grass, the musty smelly and damp feel of the Oldroad, the towering cliffs that glowed with rosy light when the sun set, the harsh crashing and biting winds of the ocean, accompanied by the salty tang in the air and the light spraying mists. It was where she had first begun her journey with Lord Braska ten years ago, and three years ago it was where she had met up with Auron again. Yes, Mi'ihen was an old friend.
When the hover slowed and came to a stop in front of Rin's Travel Agency, the driver turned around, "Do you need any supplies, Ma'am? Or do you want to ride on through to Luca?"
"Luca, if you please." Rayne nodded, then looked out over the scenery as the hover took off again, though this time at a slower pace.
The closer they got to Luca, the more the ruins of the old Mi'ihen city from a thousand years ago grew in frequency; great hunks of steel, decorated with fading red paint, moss, and rust from the salty sea air.
Rayne could feel something tugging at her mind in a way she had come to recognize as the memories of the ruins attempting to speak to her, but she closed her eyes, trying to block it out.
A scream forced her to look, magic charging in the tips of her fingers. She instantly regretted her chivalry.
All around her, the great machina city burned.
Fiends ran abound, and the denizens fled in fear of their lives.
The few Bevellians present tried, in vain, to defeat the rampaging fiends with machina, but their ranks were slowly decreasing.
For Rayne, everything seemed to move in slow motion as, nearby, a mother fell to her knees, clutching her baby to her chest. The woman looked Rayne right in the eye, pleading, "Please, Magistrix! Save us!"
Body numb, Rayne could only watch as a Behemoth rose on its hind legs behind the woman, beheading her with one swipe of its paw.
"You weren't there to help them." A voice hissed in her ear, "Because, by this time, you had already left Bevelle."
Rayne took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, "Had I not, Spira would have been far worse off than it is now."
"Excuses do not atone for what you did, Magistrix." The voice spat before it faded, the scene before Rayne leaving with it.
Shutting her eyes, Rayne took a deep breath before opening them again, heaving a sigh of relief. The hovercraft had stopped at the top of the steps to Luca and the driver was calmly waiting for her to get off.
She slung her saddlebags over her shoulder and jumped off of the bed of the machina, brushing her hand across the Save Sphere before briskly walking to the steps, wanting to be off of the Highroad as quickly as possible.
The sights and smells of Luca had not changed in two years, the view still vibrant and the air heady with the scents of rich foods and sea air. As she walked further into town, Rayne noticed that people were either all heading towards the docks or crowding around viewing spheres.
"Hurry!" Someone shouted, "Lady Yuna's concert is about to begin!"
Rayne faltered at this, then clutched the saddle bags tighter and ran, heading straight for the sphere pool.
'Yuna.'
The docks were completely silent, but the sounds of shouting just on the other side of the walls that surrounded the sphere pool suggested that everyone was already inside; people where cheering, clapping, and screaming with excitement.
Guards stood sentry at the doors, gulls sang, and, above the roof, the dome of the sphere pool began rotating.
Rayne calmly walked up the steps by the reception counter, glancing at the guards before the main entrance before walking down into the locker rooms, tossing her saddlebags into the Auroch's room before walking up to the blitzer entrance of the sphere pool.
Several electric guitars began to play on the other side as she pressed the palms of her hands against the door, unleashing a 'Thunder' and overloading the machina. The door shuddered, then fell loose on its tracks, letting Rayne push it upwards enough for her to slip under.
"What can I do for you?"
Lights flashed on and Rayne looked up, her heartstrings tightening when she saw Yuna standing before her not thirty feet away.
The girl lifted her head and walked forward, raising her arms over her head. Her traditional summoner clothes turned to ribbons, raising over her and dancing in a sphere formation.
"What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?"
Yuna began to glow and new clothes, a flowing blue garment with a side skirt, formed on her and a microphone descended, which Yuna reached up and grabbed, starting to dance.
"I can hear you.
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?"
Yuna smiled at the crowd, then began to sing.
"Far beyond the hazy borders of my heart,
I could see a place.
It's something like this.
Every now and then I don't know what to do,
Still, I know that I can never go back.
And all the things I've seen in those hazy dreams
Can't compare to what I'm seeing now.
Everything's so different that it brings me to my knees!"
"Hey, you!"
Rayne turned, tilting her head and smirking at the guard, "Yes?"
"And though I know the world of real Emotion has surrounded me,
I won't give into it.
Now I know that forward is the only way my heart can go.
I hear your voice calling out to me,
'You'll never be alone.'"
"Let's go." The guard said gruffly, reaching out and taking Rayne by the elbow. Though Rayne wasn't really up for confrontation at the moment, the man was standing between her and her surrogate daughter, and that wouldn't do.
"What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?"
"I can hear you." Yuna sang as Rayne reached out, pressing her hand against the guard's forehead and sending a surge of 'Thunder' to his brain.
The man fell, unconscious and suffering from a mild concussion.
"And when I find, the world of real emotion has surrounded me,
And I can't go on, and you are there.
The moment that I close my eyes, you comfort me.
We are connected for all of time,
I'll never be..."
Rayne turned around, getting past the looks of 'Yuna' and listening to the voice.
"And though I know the world of real Emotion has surrounded me,
I won't give into it.
Now I know that forward is the only way my heart can go.
I hear your voice calling out to me,
'You'll never be alone.'"
'That's not Yuna.' Rayne thought as the final chorus repeat began.
"What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?"
"I can hear you…"
Yuna did one final dance, then raised her hand.
"I can hear you."
Her hand fell and, beneath her, the stage sent off a small explosion of light, at which point one of the performance hovers descended onto the glowing platform, two girls jumping off, one noticeably being—
"Rikku." Rayne muttered, smiling in relief, "You stayed with her." 'Though the 'her' onstage isn't Yuna.'
'Yuna' began dancing, practically glaring at the two young women in front of her.
"Hey!" Rikku shouted, the microphone in 'Yuna's' hand amplifying the sound, "Give it back already!" The Al Bhed whipped out two red daggers with odd, circular hilts.
'Yuna' scoffed, "Boys?" Behind her, two males in green uniforms flipped up, and 'Yuna' went on, "Want in on this number? Then show me your moves!"
The silver-haired young woman with Rikku pulled out a greatsword, "Think you can keep up?"
The battle that ensued was quick, and the crowds cheered as the five fought, thinking it was part of the show.
When it was over, 'Yuna' lost, and the silver-haired young woman twirled her sword over her head, "I could have danced all night."
'Yuna' shrugged, calling out in an obnoxious voice, "Sooooory! No time for an encore!"
Rayne winced as the three girls ran out, turning and going back into the locker rooms, herself, 'That is definitely not Yuna.'
She walked around the docks, looking for where the girls had gone.
At dock three she saw them, Rikku and the other girl battling two familiar men in blue, but one figure caught her eye. Rayne fell back and watched as a giant moogle shed its polyester/cotton blend skin, revealing another Yuna, though this one the real one.
She shot at Logos and Ormi, then ran forward and vaulted off of Ormi's shield, flipping around and continuing to shoot at the two men.
'Oh, yes,' Rayne smirked as the three girls struck a pose, 'This is the real Yuna.'
The three girls defeated Logos and Ormi once, at which point 'Yuna' walked up, snapping at the two men. Though, by now, Rayne knew this wasn't just any Yuna imposter.
'Leblanc.' Rayne sneered as the older woman threw Yuna's Garment Grid back to her, transforming into her default 'Lady Luck'.
Rayne sat back and watched as Yuna, Rikku, and the other girl, who the former two had addressed as 'Paine', fought Leblanc, Logos and Ormi, defeating them easily.
Leblanc, Logos, and Ormi ran off, but Rayne froze their feet before they got too far. She stopped and watched as Yuna, Rikku, and Paine boarded an airship and took off before she went to address the three.
"Ugh, who did this?!" Leblanc screeched, "I demand you show yourself at once!"
Smirking, Rayne walked passed the three and turned around, tipping her hat back a bit so the three could get a better look of her face and crossing her arms, "Yo."
Logos and Ormi froze, and Leblanc began laughing nervously, "Ah, hehehee, Miss Rayne!" Leblanc struggled against the ice at her feet, trying to be discreet but failing, "What a… nice surprise."
"Shut it," Rayne snapped, uncrossing her arms and holding out her hand, "My spheres."
"Gone!" Leblanc squeaked, no longer bothering to hide her struggling, "All either traded, bartered, or sold!"
"You admit it so freely." Rayne blinked, silently raging behind her calm façade.
Leblanc shrugged and smiled nervously, "You seem like the kind of person who believes in honesty being the best policy."
"Leblanc…" Rayne sighed and laughed, shaking her head.
Thinking she was off the hook, Leblanc began to laugh with her, Logos and Ormi starting after a moment.
Rayne then abruptly stopped laughing and raised one hand, scowling, "You don't know me at all."
On the other side of the railing, some of the ocean rose up and washed over Leblanc and her men, dragging them over and into the water. Rayne then walked to the edge and snapped her fingers, a 'Thunder' striking the water and shocking the three soundly.
"A lot of things have changed in two years, but it's refreshing to know that 'Water' is still the best conduit for 'Thunder'!" Rayne called, laughing. She then looked to the sky, watching as the red airship circled Luca for a bit, then turned and took off northward.
'Two years… it's been so long, yet it feels like time has hardly passed… Yuna's grown so much, and now she's taken flight and traveling Spira on her own.'
Rayne sighed, stepping away from the railing and walking back to the second dock, deciding on the spot to board the Winno and go to Besaid.
'I guess I can't avoid it forever… right?'