FFX-2: Ties That Bind Fanfic

Chapter 8: Mandatory Exposition

"Who are you, why are you doing this!" Yuna found herself secured to some strange table, attached to even stranger Machina, "What do you want with me?"

The man moved over to her, clasping a strange ring around her neck, "You my dear? Nothing. Your just another enemy agent here to destroy what is left of my home. But I won't let your kind or the monsters win, I'll purify the land and bring glory once more to Libera. You are merely a means to the end."

Beyond the blast doors Machina and Fiend fraught, Yuna's eyes went wide, "You have to let me go, the Fiends!"

"Are precisely why you are here, now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, I will get the secrets of your transformation system one way or another."

The Machina behind Yuna began to hum as it came to life, "M...My Garment Grid?"

The man huffed, "Garment Grid? You have a weapon more powerful then the S-I-N Engine and you call it a Garment Grid? Who would ever entrust such a weapon to such immature girls to disgrace such a..."

Yuna was quick to cut him off, struggling fruitlessly to pull her arms free of the shackles, "Job System?"

The man stopped, looking to Yuna curiously, "Now that is a name for a proper weapon systems such as yours."

Pyreflies began to hover around Yuna's head, she swallowed hard as she saw them gathering, "W-What are you doing! A Fiend..."

"...Is only one such use for these amazing creatures," he interrupted, "Now tell me more about this Job system."

A heavy crash against the door forced Yuna's hand, it would not hold much longer, but maybe if she cooperated they would both survive this. "It's in my pouch, you just activate the nodes and..."

The man acted quickly, removing the device from Yuna's hip pouch, looking down at it curiously, "These are Memory Spheres."

"Similar, yes," Yuna said quickly, "Each Dresssphere."

The man cast a cutting glance at her, "Excuse me?"

"S-Skill Sphere," she corrected. "Is created from the memory of a previous figure from history. Shinra..."

"Who?"

"He created the system, if you release me I can get us both out of here and show you how it works."

The door began to buckle, bulging inward as claws scrapped at the exposed edges.

"We need to get out of here!" Yuna urged.

"Nonsense, this command center must be defended at all costs, if it falls all the Machina in Libera fall, and the Machina are the only think keeping those beasts at bay as much as they are. You think it's bad now, if we loose the Machina it will be ten, no a hundred times worse. Where do you think most of the pyre-flies go since all our Summoners were killed."

Yuna gasped.

"Now tell me how this Job System works."

"Just touch the target node you want," Yuna said quickly without thinking.

"Like this," The man said reaching for one of them nodes.

"No! Don't! Stop!" Yuna pleaded as a light enveloped the man, but as it faded Yuna only saw...herself. As a thief.

Thief-Yuna looked curiously down at herself then to the still bound Gunner-Yuna, "What is the meaning of this?"

Gunner-Yuna sighed, "While Dress..." again her other half cast a dagger glance, "SKILL spheres can be shared among your party their growth and development is tied to the personal Garment...JOB Grid of it's owner."

"So in other words," Theif-Yuna said with a smirk, "I have all of your strength and skill instead of having to earn it myself. This could be useful." she said moving to a rear door, "I'll be back shortly."

"You can't just leave me here!" Gunner-Yuna protested, "The Fiends..."

"Are Exactly what I'm going to take care of right now." Theif-Yuna cut off her counterpart as she slipped away.

The entry way bulged again as a leather arm reached in, trying vainly to claw at something on the other side, Gunner-Yuna swallowed hard as the Pyreflies continued to gather overhead.