The vortex opened up around a balcony on top of a very familiar city, and Vera stepped out of it curiously. She looked beneath and all around where she stood since the majority of her surroundings were what caught her eye. It looked like a city, dark and filled with hundreds of thousands of skyscrapers. They all lit up a gold and yellow color and surrounding most of its barriers were giant streams and rivers of water. She recognized the city instantly after examining it for a while. She was on a balcony, sitting on top of the machina city, Zanarkand. She felt immediately as if she were back home. She looked in front of her to see a bigger area to step around, and a familiar face had his back to her, examining the city as much as she did. The same tan man with no shirt on and black shorts, his aura seeming to reach Vera from his spot. He lifted his head a little, as if were just taking a whiff himself.
"So you came." Jeckt said quietly. Vera felt a slight lump in her throat, knowing that he knew that she was standing there. He turned around with a black face, yet in his eyes there looked like surprise. "I've...been waiting for you." Vera started walking towards him, not knowing whether to frown from his disappearance or to rejoice to see him again. Jeckt's arms were folded but he let them drop to his sides.
"I thought that you had...completely faded by now." Vera replied. To her, it felt sort of like a deja vu moment, but she knew why it felt this way. It was when she was about to leave Spira; only she waited for Jeckt so that she could speak to him one last time before departing. Now it was the complete opposite.
"I can barely hear the hymn anymore."
"The Hymn of The Fayth?" Vera questioned. Jeckt nodded his head. He seemed focused on something else, but at the same time he looked as though he wanted to speak about something to Vera for some time now.
"I'm waiting for my son...and Remora." Jeckt then said. Vera blinked.
"You know where they are?"
"They're fighting me right now. Soon they'll find their way, soon they'll find me and end up destroying me." He knew that Vera wanted to say something to that, so he continued to speak. "Like I told you before, I'm Sin. And I've caused a great deal of grief to Spira already. It's best if they just end my life to save Spira's life."
"Are you in any pain?" Vera replied. He tilted his head to the side as if he were thinking, he shook his head no, but then glanced all over her body.
"Are you?" He asked then. Vera had forgotten all about her cuts and bruises from a couple of nights ago, but they didn't bother her at all, at least that's what she thought. She wasn't in any pain, but internally, something could be going wrong, but she never knew.
"No...I'm just fine. They've...healed." Vera said, knowing that he was wondering about her marks. "I had forgotten all about them before I came here."
"So you are healing...in thought as well." Jeckt stated. "You remember your past now?" Vera could only nod.
"Its no wonder now why you've been so worried about Remora lately."
"I'm the one that promised you that she'd be safe, and I don't want to break it."
"You'd promised that she and I would be safe, as most guardians would."
"And if you don't go back home right now, the promise could be broke." Jeckt replied.
"What?" Vera replied shocked.
"Once they arrive, it will no longer be safe for you to be around me. Home is the only safe place that I know of that you'll be protected. I won't risk losing you now."
"One more question," Vera interrupted. Jeckt tilted his head up. "Is Seymour still alive?"
Jeckt closed his eyes. "He's here too. Which is another reason why you can't stay here. He's harmed you enough." His eyes averted to her slightly open chest, and his eyes widened a little. What now? Vera thought to herself. She looked down and got caught in a bit of surprise herself. The mark that Seymour had traced on her chest was visible now. It was the sign of Yevon, and it looked like it was developed deep in her skin.
"When did this get here?!" She asked half to herself. Jeckt had then walked up to her and touched the mark, seeing if it was for real or not.
"Seymour did this?" He asked anxiously. Vera nodded.
"It never shown before though. Not until now. What does this mean?"
"It means that..." Jeckt managed to say. "Everyone in Spira is aware that you're here right now. This is what brought your memories back."
Vera sighed a little. "I was told that everyone remembered me now. Everyone and everything connected to me."
"Which could mean you're no longer safe anywhere in Spira. Even with me." Jeckt replied. "Remember that some of the Crusaders actually tried to kill you because of what you did? They'll remember, and then try again."
"I know...and its too late to apologize. But Yevon brought it on themselves."
"But rejoice. Remora was able to go through the same situation, yet she lives right through this moment. And she'll be able to complete the mission as a summoner. Including Yuna."
"Yuna?" Vera asked, but then she beamed. "Oh, I remember you telling me about Yuna. She wasn't born yet when I was around though. How old is she?"
"A year younger than Remora. She has really grown, and they've made good friends with each other."
"Yuna's...a summoner too, I see..." Vera said quietly. Then there was a moment of silence. But then Jeckt looked back behind them both.
"They're about to arrive inside of here." He said emotionlessly.
"This place?"
"Not directly here. But now they're on their way to the Garden of Pain. They're not too close, but not too far. You need to leave now."
Vera nodded, she took a few steps toward where she came since the vortex had reappeared, but then she halted walking for a moment. She turned around to see that Jeckt was still in his same spot as before. "Jeckt." She called out. He lifted his head a little to look at her from the sound of his name being called. Vera closed her eyes and sighed a little before she managed to say "I love you." in a quiet tone. She stayed in her spot for a moment, but then quickly walked back over to where Jeckt stood, and pulled him into a sweet embrace. Despite the way she looked, she felt young again, and didn't want to leave Jeckt again, because this time he'd be gone for good. He'd be gone, yet everyone else would rejoice about Sin's destruction. She a pair of arms wrap around her waist as Jeckt moved his head from slightly leaning on her thick locks of blonde hair and placed his lips onto hers. The kiss was rough yet slow at the same time, and Vera cherished every moment of being with him. It was a moment of peace, but then Jeckt pushed her away, looking past her, but then he stared at her for a long moment, looking her in the eye.
"Take care of her." He said. Still looking Jeckt in the eye, Vera nodded.
"I promise." She was still facing him when she took her first three steps back, but then she turned around and began to walk back into the vortex whence she came, feeling confident that she has said her last goodbye.
There was a flurry of unusual images as everyone had passed by the inside of the entity of Sin. Outside, it was a beast, an ugly thing, but inside it was more of a delusional kingdom; and also the soul of Jeckt lives here. The ship landed at a path of clouds, waterways, and barriers while the rest of the group continued their journey on foot, seeing that the path was too narrow anyway, but they needed to continue this on their own. They also knew that Seymour was still alive. During their brief airship travel through Sin, a close-up of his face had suddenly shown through the image, and cause a bit of grief to the others. But Remora had a feeling that he'd be around, awaiting them. She was right though, they had reached the Garden of Pain, and at the point of climbing a couple of stairs, she had seen was looked like four giant glyphs in the air, and in front of them by a foot or two, facing the others, was Seymour. He looked more devious than before, as if he plotted to destroy anyone who would be in front of him, even someone he cared for. He cackled loudly as the group approached his spot.
"Don't you ever give up!?" Tidus yelled at him. Seymour's gaze was sharp towards everyone.
"Sin has chosen me." He said, almost whispered. "I am one with Sin, I am part of Sin, forever." There was a pause. "Immortal."
"Sin just absorbed you!" Tidus said back.
"I will learn to control it, from within...I have all the time in the world." At this point, an unusual fusion with Seymour's figure had shined through slowly. "Since you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunaleska, the means of saving Spira is forever gone. Now nothing can stop us!" Seymour said eagerly, with two tones in his voice at the same time.
"Well we can!" Tidus shouted. At this point, Seymour looked nothing like himself.
"By all means, try!" He urged. "You should be thanking me. Your death means your father's life!"
He stood frozen, as if he couldn't stand the shock of his life slipping away so quickly. He began to stumble backwards, same as what happened back at Macalania Temple from Remora's view, yet unable to keep his balance from the harm done to him, he fell struggling to his knees.
"No...!" He said in agony. Remora immediately knew he was at his weak point and there'd be no time left to waste if...
"Yuna! Send him now!" She shouted at Yuna who was at the other end of the group. Yuna nodded and stepped out in the middle of them and Seymour. Once Yuna began her ritual, Seymour had suddenly stopped struggling, being still on his knees as Yuna twirled her rod all around calmly.
"So it is you, after all, who will send me." He said as if he just realized what the intentions of the group were. Yuna didn't hold back, and continued the sending. Seymour rose a little so he would no longer be leaning with his hands to the ground and he was now on his knees staring up ahead. "But even after I am gone...Spira's sorrow will prevail." His expression remained the same as he began to look transparent and pyreflies began to swirl around him. Remora remember seeing him looking up before she saw the last bit of him vanish, as if he saw the Farplane as heaven, though she doubted it. With Seymour gone, that was one problem behind their backs, and she was glad that he was gone for good.
"Sin will be right behind you."
It was only three rings before the other end of the phone picked up.
"Hello?" Rouge's voice called through. Vera was silent for a moment, but the fact that she was on the phone then woke her up a little.
"Rouge. It's me."
"Vera? I thought you were at the hospital! Where are you?"
"They released me yesterday. The bruises and scars healed quicker than the doctors expected and they figured it was okay for me to leave. They didn't see anything internally wrong with me, but they're wrong."
"They're wrong? What do you mean?"
"Well, technically, they're right, but they're wrong because they don't know about my connection with Spira. I have a totally different pair of genes that came from there rather than here, and if they found them, they'd probably think that there's something entirely wrong with me."
"Oh; that's what you meant. Either way, I don't think anything is wrong with you." Rouge said in a high pitched tone. Vera would have to give her the benefit of the doubt.
"Either way, I called to let you know that it shouldn't be long before Jeckt is forever gone."
"But how?"
"Sin is Jeckt, and by the time Remora and her little group arrives, they'll probably have a face off, but Jeckt wants to die for the safety of Spira, so Remora might win."
"Will win, Vera. She will win."
"Ah. Pardon me. I'm still having a little doubt inside me."
"Then throw it away. A mother of a child with a special gift has no right to question his or her abilities. Yes, including Fang."
"Oh wow, I almost forgot about Fang." Vera said in pity. "Anyway, I also wanted to say that once Sin is destroyed, Remora and Fang will probably be coming home."
"I'm sure they'll have quite a story to tell."
"I'm sure they will too." There was a pause, but then Vera heard Rouge inhale.
"Wait, Vera. Just a thought, but when does school start again for the two of them?"
"Remora graduated high school already, so she'll be in college by the time vacation's over. Fang will be a senior, but either way, I think they both start two weeks from now."
"Then they'd better get home soon, don't you think? If they were to arrive at school late, you'd only have one real excuse, and yet no one's going to believe her, will they?"
"Probably not." Vera chuckled. Luckily she was taught well in her days before becoming a summoner. She wondered if she still had the power to summon or send. It was probably too late to figure out now. "But either way, Rouge. I'm going to sleep now. I had a tough time today."
"I understand. When Remora and Fang gets home, tell them I said hello, or send them to my library whenever they'd like to."
"I'll consider your offer."
"Goodnight, Vera."
"Night, Rouge." Vera pressed 'end' on her cell phone to stop the call. She set it on her desk and then sat on her bed to pull her hair back in a ponytail, but then a sudden chill and dark feeling had rushed through her so suddenly. She dropped the band out of her hand and looked around her room frantically. The feeling had suddenly gone away, and it was relieving too. Vera placed her hand on where she could feel her heart beat. It was a fast pace beating against her chest, but then after a few seconds it began to slow down, slower and slower. Something seemed...different. She's felt that dark sense before, but it was only when Seymour was about to appear in her thoughts; but the feeling went away after a minute, and Seymour didn't show a sign or phase of his arrival.
"Remora...is Seymour...finally gone?" Vera asked herself. She stayed frozen in her bed, but then a smile formed on her face without her even realizing. "You can save Spira. I know you can."
There was an unusual chill going through Remora's veins as everyone found themselves on what looked like a giant filled in screw-driver shaped platform. So far, them and whatever they were standing on was all they saw when they weren't facing their body's direction, but then they faced front to see someone's back to them, and Remora's heart instantly skipped a beat when she found out whom it was. She felt a light tap on her back, and she turned to her side to see that Auron was gesturing her to go forward. Luckily for her, she didn't approach Jeckt alone. She, Auron, and Tidus were going to face him a little closer than the others, since the three of them had a stronger connection; as the son, the guardian, and close friend's daughter. They stopped walking forward when they were about 4 feet away from him, and Jeckt didn't turn when he first spoke.
"You're late, Auron." He said, a little coldly. Auron only nodded, despite that Jeckt didn't turn to look yet.
"I know." Auron replied. Remora glanced at him for a moment, seeing that his expression was blank. Then she turned back to where Jeckt stood, who was turning around then to face everyone; yet his eyes darted to Remora instantly.
"Remora..." He started. She could see a smile curl on his lips. "Only you could have made it this far in one piece."
She took it as a compliment, and her feeling of stiffness loosened only a little. "I see."
"I spoke to Vera." He replied. Remora raised her head a little to see him more clearly, since it was so dark around the area.
"She was here?"
"Not too long ago. She wanted to see me one last time, despite that at some times she may have gotten...angry at me. But it too was also the point where everyone, including her, now remembers her past."
"The past as in...when she lived in Spira?" Remora asked slightly dully.
"Yes. She knew that she and I were close friends, but not completely until now. Right now, she's a wonder. And apparently I won't be able to see her...or you again after this."
Remora sighed a little, but she was glad to know that her mother was safe. But now she knew what her past was like, and she especially wondered if life afterwards would change in any way because of that. Jeckt slowly turned his eyes to Tidus, who was staring back uneasily.
"Hey." Jeckt waved at him. It was almost as though he were meeting a new person.
"Hi." Tidus said back casually. Jeckt chuckled a little.
"Ha! You've gotten tall, but you're all bones. You eating right, boy?" Jeckt teased. Tidus didn't reply, only stared back at him. Jeckt glanced at him and then back at Remora and cackled silently. "You've both really grown."
Tidus blinked. "Yeah, but you're still bigger."
"Yeah well, I am Sin, you know." Jeckt joked. Tidus felt his head lower a bit.
"That's not funny..."
"Well then...I mean...you know. Let's end this."
"Dad?" Tidus asked, voice a tiny bit cracked.
"Yeah?" Jeckt responded. Tidus's face turned into a grimace.
"I hate you."
"I know, I know." Jeckt chuckled. "You know what you have to do."
"Yeah."
"I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin. Completely." Jeckt started. He then looked at Tidus and Remora at the same time again. "I'm glad you're both here now. One thing, though... When it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry."
Tidus cracked. "That's enough! Let's finish this, okay!?"
"You're right. Well then...let's go." Jeckt smirked. Suddenly large energy rays had replaced his hands and tension filled the entire area. Jeckt backed up slowly until he was at the edge of the platform, then Tidus had gotten second thoughts. He had then lunged forward to try and grab Jeckt, making the entire party gasp, yet Tidus started a little late. The beams had then scattered into many as Jeckt then fell backwards off of the platform, and the rays then flew all around the area to show that everyone was standing right on top of the old Zanarkand; Machina city Zanarkand. Remora caught her breath a little, since it was exactly how it looked in her dream; giant skyscrapers, golden lights, clear waters. All became silent for a moment, but then the platform shook. A giant flamed hand had grabbed onto the edge, pulling something large and heavy upward. The party soon got a view of the entire thing, Tidus mainly, to see that Jeckt had become a giant beast covered mostly in flames and white hairs. Jeckt at this point seemed no longer human. Remora wasn't sure if it were for real if she were fighting a Jeckt on crack, or Braska's Final Aeon. It could possibly be both, but either way, she couldn't believe she and the rest of the party were about to go and destroy him. Tidus drew out his sword.
"I promise this'll be quick! Hit me with everything you've got, Dad!"
When the Final Aeon was at its end, a black fluttery blob had floated out of its back with a Yevon symbol over its head, Remora immediately knew it was Yu Yevon. As it roamed about, the form of the Final Aeon had vanished slowly, and Jeckt's regular form appeared, looking beat. Jeckt nearly fell to the ground but Tidus immediately ran up to him and kneeled down beside him and used his arms to break his fall. He stared down at him, looking horrified. Jeckt, however, looked as if he had heard a good joke.
"You'll cry. You're gonna cry. You always cry. See? You're cryin'." Jeckt said as if what happened a moment ago never happened. But he was right. Remora got a closer look to see clear shining droplets running down Tidus's hurt face, as he himself were choking back a few sobs.
"I hate you, dad..." He said quietly. It sort of hurt Remora too, having to see that Tidus had to harm his own father in order to bring peace back to Spira, let alone the entire party having to attempt to kill him.
"Save it for later." Jeckt replied.
"Right..." Tidus said quietly. Remora then stepped it.
"We have something we have to do anyway, don't we?" She asked.
"Good. That's right." Jeckt agreed. He looked back at Tidus. "You are my son, after all."
"You know, for the first time, I'm glad...to have you as my father." Tidus replied.
Jeckt did a half laugh in reply, but Remora noticed that Yu Yevon was still revolving around the group in conspiracy.
"Jeckt-" She started, but Yuna spoke at the same time.
"Maybe...we should..."
"No, you both, there's no time!" Jeckt replied. Yu Yevon buzzed by the father and son, probably looking for something or someone to attack.
"You stay away!" Tidus yelled at it. Jeckt attempted to sit up by an inch to look Yuna and Remora in the eye.
"Yuna, Remora, you know what to do. The aeons..." He started. The same fayth that Remora and Yuna saw at Bevelle had appeared behind them suddenly.
"We aeons"
"Call them!" Jeckt then said, the fayth then appearing in front of him and Tidus.
"Call us!"
At that point, Jeckt had then dissolved into the air as hundreds of pyreflies, and Tidus ran back with the rest of the party. Remora glanced over to Yuna, who stood next to her, to see if she knew what to do as well as she knew. They both nodded at each other's curiosity and looked at Jeckt's spot.
"Yes." They both said at the same time.
Lulu gasped as she looked up above everything else. "It comes!" The entire setting where the party stood had suddenly warped into a blank dimension for a couple of seconds, and then the world came into view once again. Only this time, everyone was on a giant sword, floating on top of an abyss. There was nothing humane about where they were currently. Somehow Remora and Yuna woke up standing in the middle of the sword, and the rest of the party was back around the edge. Yu Yevon appeared once again, floating around threateningly close. Tidus and Fang shouted their centered loved ones' names at the same time and the two summoners looked at each other again.
"Ready?" Remora asked, pulling her staff out. Yuna smiled back at her, holding out her own as well.
"Ready."
It was sunset when Vera decided that she needed some fresh air. She remembered the day that Remora had vanished without warning, and how desperately she acted to try and find her. The only thing that she could find of her was the hair clip she wore that day and a strand of her hair that clung to it. It was still sitting on the car cup holder, since back then, Vera nearly sworn that it was all she had left of her beloved daughter. Now she knew where she was, and what was going on, and what not to worry about. Vera's hair seemed curlier than usual, and she wore a light pink sundress to walk around the beach in. She knew it was the last place Remora stood before she disappeared, and Vera suspected that if she returned, this would be the exact spot she would land in. Either that or in the ocean, close to shore. She was glad that she was alone, because she wanted the time once again to think to herself, to rethink a few things incase something ironically happened.
She remembered when she just arrived at Earth, as a complete immigrant to the average humans, it didn't take too long for people to notice her. She was young, only 21 at the time when she was still pregnant, but for some reason a few selected people could tell that she wasn't from Siren City, let alone America. Some people guessed that she was from Italy, England, and even Australia, but she had to lie to them all to cover her real birth place; even if she did tell, they wouldn't believe her. Vera didn't have much contact with Jeckt by the time she reached Earth either. At that time, Jeckt was going with the pilgrimage with Braska, and she didn't discover her power yet to talk through minds, though it grew with time. She remembered that once her baby was finally born, and when she talked to her for the first time saying that she would be known as Remora, her entire memory of living in Spira just vanished. She forgotten how, when, where, and even why she was born in Spira, all the semi-friends she had made, and why she left. But she never forgot the teachings. In fact, she'd go to the library everyday to see if there were any books to help her refresh her memory. She wasn't sure if people from Earth actually made them, or if they were sent down with her from Spira, but it did help her knowledge increase.
Wind blew through Vera's hair as she then thought about Remora's first 2 or 3 years as an infant. She'd enjoy the things that Vera talked to her about whether if it was her old lifestyle or just plain old fairytales that most children would be entertained by, and she also recalled Remora's very first question she's ever asked:
"Mommy, will I ever get to go to Spira?"
How long it's been since Vera promised her that she would one day, and how long she had to keep it. And then she was 4; the age where she finally went to school. A few kids seemed to like her, but not all of them appreciated her company. The only true friend that she made seemed to stick by Remora's side, and she introduced herself as Fang when she visited Vera's home one day. It didn't take too long before Remora's knowledge grew about their tradition and her education, yet many people thought she focused way too much on her tradition, to always study a world that no one's ever been on, let alone heard of. For some reason, she got beat up often by a group of misunderstanding kids in middle school, and Vera would always have to call the principle to let him or her know that she wouldn't tolerate kids doing unreasonable actions because someone was different. It was finally when she reached high school that other teens respected her for what she believed, even if it seemed out of the ordinary. It was the time when kids had to learn to be mature, and Remora had mastered that some time ago- as well as Fang. It was by the time that she turned 16 that she took her knowledge of Spira more seriously. She had Vera's charm, going to the library everyday for at least an hour or two to study about outside worlds on her own, yet she still had Vera read to her around past times.
And when Remora turned 18, unexplainable things happened. It was the day when she and Fang had the entire night to themselves to go wherever they pleased, and Vera was left home reading quietly. It was also the time when she encountered Jeckt for the first time on Earth. He explained that his pilgrimage with Braska was over, as well as something else. He didn't explain, but he did say that Remora's life would end up the way that Vera's did if she were to gather too much information about Spira too soon. Vera didn't exactly know what he was talking about, but she did think that Remora was old enough to explore things on her own, and she remembered Jeckt saying that it was how she was when she was 18 as well. She thought that she could study the entire world if she wanted too, but it wasn't easy, and could be dangerous if it were rushed. Vera could never forget Jeckt. He was her guardian back in Spira times, but also a close friend, but they may have been closer without realizing it. She remembered how she explained to him that she couldn't remember anything about her previous life in Spira, but she did remember that she loved Jeckt very much. And then they had made love, after a few minutes of pouring their heart out for each other, who wouldn't make love after such a conversation? It was lucky that when Remora got home, she never found out that Vera had sex with a guy Remora didn't know until the next day.
The sun's last bit of light vanished as she thought about her deja vu moment back when she saw Jeckt for the last time. More heartful explanations to each other, the rush hour, the danger, the everything in between them. Vera sat in the sand with her toes in the water, wishing that it hadn't been goodbye yet- goodbye ever. But she had someone else to worry about more than Jeckt at this time. Vera would be sitting right there, to await her return.
Yu Yevon was finally defeated. Now everyone stood back in the old Zanarkand, Remora and Yuna working together to perform a long lasting sending. All of the Aeons, and Sin, would be put to rest, but so was someone else. Yuna had then halted her ritual as well as Remora after a couple of seconds to see that pyreflies were floating around Auron. He stared back at them, seeing their surprise.
"Don't stop." He said urgently.
"But...I." Remora tried to say more, but she was shocked to see what was happening.
"It's alright." Auron replied. He began to slowly stride through the party that stared at him in awe. He lightly tapped Kimahri in the chest as he walked by. As he got closer to the other side of where he stood, he looked down at Fang, who stared back at him blankly.
"Take care of her." He said quietly to her. She nodded her head 'yes' reluctantly and he began to walk by once more he then walked to where he was facing Remora, seeing disappointment in her eyes. He may have been fading away by the second for all Remora imagined, but when he bent down to kiss her lightly on the lips, it still felt as though he existed. His shades hung low, showing his eyes staring sharply into hers.
"It's been long enough." He said. Remora could only nod, since from what she learned, he's been unsent for 3 years now, and it would all change at the very moment. He then walked past the two summoners until he reached the other end of the platform.
"This...is your world now." He then knelt down as he finally begun to dissolve with the pyreflies flying around him, and later on vanishing themselves.
The sending rituals continued as everyone then stood on the deck of their airship. Each and every aeon that was claimed by the two summoners were far out in a giant circle, disappearing as a couple of pyreflies one by one. Sin, too, has made its final attempt to live, and permanently failed. Remora imagined the people on the lands below watching Sin slowly disappear in great awe. After a minute, it had burst, nothing more than a giant orange cloud and pyreflies, and all of the anxiety and sorrow that was held tight in a ball called Spira was finally released and Remora could have sworn that she had felt the other people's joy once they saw Sin's destruction. The sending was complete, and the mission of being the summoner was accomplished. Remora glanced at Yuna, seeing that she was staring at Tidus, who's expression was uneasy once he felt her stare. Yuna shook her head in denial.
"No..."
"Yuna...I have to go. I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand." Tidus said. He then began to walk away at the front of the airship. "Goodbye!"
"Hey!" Wakka shouted at him from afar.
"Do you have to?!" Fang asked loudly at him. Tidus nodded 'yes' as a response to Fang's question, yet the anxiety only increased.
"We're gonna see you again...?" Rikku then asked. Yuna couldn't take much more of the moment passing. She had began running towards Tidus, catching everyone by surprise.
"Yuna!" Kimahri called after her. She didn't stop running, and to everyone's surprise, Yuna had ran right through Tidus and thudded against the deck floor. Remora heard herself gasp, hoping that Yuna didn't hurt herself. But she was immediately relieved once Yuna got back on her feet. Tidus walked up to her from behind as she lowered her head a little as she whispered something to him. Remora couldn't hear what she said, but she'd read people's mouths more than enough times to tell what she said.
"I love you."
Tidus had then embraced her from behind, leaving the two of them in a long lasting silence before Tidus had to depart. After a minute or two, Tidus had then walked through her so that he could take a running leap off of the airship into nowhere.
It was Remora's second time in Luca. She awaited Yuna's arrival along with the rest of the party in the stadium where a lot of other people, about the same amount as there were in the Blitzball competition, also waited for her. It wasn't long of a wait. She eventually returned with Lulu walking back up to the podium with the rest of the group. Yuna then walked up to the podium to make a very important announcement.
"Everyone...everyone has lost something precious. Everyone here has lost homes, dreams, and friends. Everybody... Now, Sin is finally dead. Now, Spira is ours again." At this, the entire crowd of people cheered, and Remora felt herself smiling. "Working together... Now we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams. Although I know the journey will be hard, we have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild Spira. The road is ahead of us, so let's start out today. Just, one more thing... The people and the friends that we have lost, or the dreams that have faded..." There was a silence, as if Yuna let the people take their time to think their memories over. Remora knew she had to, right from the start when she was born and saw Vera for the very first time, to the time when she left Siren City to accomplish her dream, to realize Seymour's betrayal, her love for Auron, Fang's deep feelings to her, seeing her mother after a long wait, a lot of things, many things she couldn't describe, it all flashed back into her mind. After a while, Yuna finally finished her point.
"Never forget them."
The crowd cheered reluctantly at her finish, and Yuna walked back to the party so that they could depart the stadium and reach one of the docks, where a rather large vortex awaited them. Wakka's mouth went agape once he saw it for the first time hanging above their heads.
"What is that?" He asked, sounding amazed.
"emoh kcab tekcit ruo." Fang said.
"Aww, man. You know I don't I don't know Al Bhed!" Wakka whined. Fang could only cackle very loudly.
"Its not Al Bhed." She replied. Everyone blinked, confused. "I said...our ticket back home...backwards."
Yuna gasped. "No way...you have to leave now?"
"Unfortunately...home is waiting for me." Remora replied.
"Will you be back?" Rikku asked, sorrow in her voice.
"Of course we will. I would never be able to go to Spira just once!" Remora replied, smiling widely.
"We will await your return." Lulu then said. "You'll never be forgotten. You'll be just like your mother."
"My moth-" Remora started, a little surprised that Lulu knew who she was, but then she remembered Jeckt telling her that it wasn't too long ago that everyone suddenly remembered who Vera was. "Oh...right. Everyone says I have her charm."
"But you do." Kimahri said then. "Remora has a great charm."
"I will...miss you." Yuna said then. Remora was very sad that she had to leave, despite how long and perilous her stay was, but it was like a second home to her. She walked up to Yuna and gave her a big hug that lasted awhile.
"We'll be back. I promise." Remora said. The embrace then parted.
"Promise?" Rikku asked eagerly. The two best friends were about to step underneath the portal until Fang turned around.
"Promise." Everyone waved farewell to the two girls and they waved back (and Fang blew a kiss for extra) as they stepped underneath the vortex. Their hands held together as their other spare reached out towards the empty hole to guide them to their next destination, and then they vanished.
A sudden gust had ripped through the beach as Vera got up on her two feet as she suspected something would happen. She had fell asleep from her long wait, but she realized that it was only midnight when she woke back up. An area in the sky had darkened a little, in a circle shape, as if something was opening up, but then Vera suddenly realized what was happening. Two bodies had suddenly shined through and dropped into the ocean waters, not too far from the shore. Remora and Fang poked their heads out of the seawater and blinked. They looked afar to see that the city lights were lit golden and bright, others in neon colors. They then looked straighter to see that they were back at the beach, and there was a standing figure on the sands, staring back at them, mouth slightly agape. Remora gasped as she saw her mother wave at them to swim forward. Remora and Fang both squealed eagerly as they swam towards shore. As soon as the water was low enough to let the start walking towards it, Vera started to run towards them as well. The three of them clashed into a group hug and giggles and brief sobs.
"We're home! We're finally home!" Fang shouted joyfully.
"Mom." Remora said, looking through her wet blonde stands of hair. "We did it. We defeated Sin; for good!"
"Oh my God, you really did it!" Vera shouted. The embrace had gotten tighter as Remora let out the news.
"You'll never believe the journey we had!" Fang then said, laughing a little.
"You'd be surprised." Vera replied, still smiling. Remora was too, and it nearly hurt. "Let's get you both home." The three of them began to walk out of the water and back onto the shore.
"Can I stay at your house for a few nights?" Fang asked.
"Sure." Vera said. They all got into Vera's car, and they eventually began to drive back to Remora's house. Remora had gasped as she noticed that she was wearing the same clothes as the day she left Siren City. Same halter and shorts, same everything. The only difference was that she was wet, and her Yevon charm looked a thousand years old. She had forgotten she had it on, yet she was relieved she still had it.
"How did that happen?!" She heard Fang whisper over to her.
"I don't know..." Remora replied. The drive to home was very short, but it wasn't a surprise since Remora and Fang would usually walk their way to the beach nowadays. The three of them stepped out of the car and Vera grabbed two towels to wrap around them.
"So...you girls...I bet you will have quite a story to tell me tomorrow."
"Do we have to start tomorrow?" Fang asked.
"Oh?" Vera replied.
"Its a really good story! We want to start tonight." Remora then told her mom. Vera chuckled.
"If it's that great, I'll see how long I'll be able to stay up."
"You'll have to stay up long." Remora said as Vera put in the keys to unlock the front door. The door unlocked and opened and they immediately began to step through. "This is a story more amazing than anything you've read."
~fin~
I just want to say thank you to all who put their time to reading this whole fanfic, and to those that have attempted. Hehe, but the sequel to Illusion to Reality will be made somewhere around mid 2011. I'm sorry, it is a long wait, but you will enjoy the other fanfics I will be working on in the meantime. By the way, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. I will start working on my next fanfic next week, but it won't be submitted on that week, so I will wish you all a Happy New Year as well. Once again, thank you for reading Illusion To Reality, and I hope you've all enjoyed this as much as I did!
- C A L A M I T Y XXX