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I don't own FFX-2 or any of his characters.

Auron walked off in the direction Gippal had gone, leaving the three brothers to their thoughts. None of them moved until Pacce shook himself like a dog and started to follow the other guardians.

"Are you coming or not? I wanna meet the summoner!"

"Yes." Issaru shook his head slightly, much like Pacce did, before continuing. "Let's go." Pacce led the way up the small hill and through the vegetation. Issaru was not paying much attention to the surroundings. His mind was on the scene he had just witnessed. The chill look in Gippal's eyes disturbed him. A moment before he would have never thought it possible for the man to be anything but jovial. It was almost like a different person he had seen. "What could happen to a person for them to get that look, Maroda?"

"What, like Gippal? No idea. Must be bad though. I don't think he'd have batted an eyelash if he'd pulled that trigger."

"I agree. Yet, I don't think he's cold hearted. Do you?"

"I don't know...I think he's alright. But if he pulls a gun on you like that, he's dead. I don't care how much magic's in the bullet."

"Well, that certainly is reassuring. Unnecessary, but reassuring." Issaru smiled slightly, remembering all the times he had been the one rushing to avenge the wrongs done to his brother. "I still wonder though."

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to be the one to ask him. You want to know, YOU ask him. Just make sure you're out of gun range when you do it."

"I'll be sure to do just that, Maroda."

It was not far to their destination. The brief walk ended with a sudden and startlingly beautiful view of the ocean and the nearer lagoons, framed on either side by lush vegetation and trees. The light blue sky was dotted with white clouds and gulls drifting on the same gentle breezes. It was a place Issaru could only imagine existed. No matter that he and Pacce had seen it on the movie sphere the summoner had sent, it still took his breath away.

Three people were arranged near the edge of a cliff, two standing and one seated. Gippal and Auron were talking to one another, discussing something with the seated woman. Her back was to the forest, so Issaru did not see her face, but she was moving her arms about dramatically while speaking. Gippal looked up at them when they entered the clearing, the smirk on his face widening slightly as he winked. He then proceeded to say something that got the woman to her feet in anger, her hands in fists at her side. Another comment from Gippal and she kicked him rather hard on the shin.

"Abuse! Abuse! Save me from this mad-woman! Please!"

"You had that coming you big meanie! Don't try to get Auron to help you either, cause he won't when you're being stupid!"

"I was talking to THEM, not Sir Grouch over here."

Her head whipped around quickly towards them, the various braids flying over her shoulder with a clatter of beads as they collided with her earrings. Issaru knew her face from the sphere she had sent, but seeing it in person was just as shocking as seeing the island in person. Her blond hair, some of it braided with bright colored beads, was almost half way down her back. Her skirt was a brilliant red that changed into orange at the top and was tied at the side like a sarong. It was printed with a pattern of white flowers twining up the sides and along the bottom hem. The top, white with the same floral pattern going from red to orange, was strapless and of one piece in the front while the back was a criss-cross of white string that tied at the bottom. Well made black boots adorned her feet while leather bracers, dyed the red of her skirt bottom, were on her forearms. Two red and orange feather earrings fell just above her bare shoulders. She had no other jewelry.

It was not the usual clothing for a summoner. That usually involved a sari and elaborate hair styles for women. This woman's clothing was quite conservative compared to what most other summoners wore. It set her apart from any other summoner he had seen before. Even if she had been as outlandishly dressed as most others were, her eyes alone would set her apart. They were a brilliant green, almost too bright to be believed. Issaru thought they just might glow in the dark, they were so bright. Those eyes were upon him now, and he found himself unable to move or even breathe. Her eyes darted over to look at his brothers, then returned to his face.

"Hey! You're that summoner's party, the one Pacce wrote to me about, right?"

"Yes, Lady. My name is Issaru." Issaru bowed to her, as deeply and elegantly as possible. "These are my brothers and guardians, Maroda and Pacce." Maroda nodded at them, while Pacce jumped forward, eager to meet her in person.

"Wow, you're just as pretty as in the sphere you sent me, Lady Rikku! Don't you think, Issaru?" The question was asked in all innocence, yet Issaru had difficulty keeping the blush from his face. Rikku arched an eyebrow at him, a mischievous grin on her face. Gippal had a hand over his mouth, concealing a smile.

"Yeah, what DO you think, Issaru?" she asked, the smile still in place.

"I'd have to agree with him."

"Of course you would..." Rikku, thankfully, turned her attention back to Pacce before he said anything more. "Did you like the sphere? I tried to get all the neato things on it."

"Yeah! I want to see all those places, before we leave. And go swimming. Can we? Please, Lady Rikku?" Pacce was a master of giving the pleading look. Very few could resist it.

"I was going to show you even if you didn't ask! And you can't leave Besaid without going swimming! It's some kind of sacrilege or something."

"WOO HOO! Did you hear that? We get to go swimming! I've never been IN an ocean before. Is it fun?"

"It's the funnest! We'll go later on, ok? I've got to get back to the village right now. You can explore here more if you want to."

"We'll go back with you! I want to see the temple here! So does Issaru. I'm sure glad we got to see you first though."