Strange Spirits
Chapter 9
After the singing competition Yuna and her friends went shopping for supplies for their journey. Yuna was interested in getting a weapon since she wasn't a summoner anymore, but she had a hard time deciding which weapon to pick. She could get daggers like Rikku or a ball like Wakka or maybe even a sword. Then she would be just like Tidus or Squall.
Yuna eyed Tidus' sword. It was transparent and blue like water. It was made from a special material and was finely crafted to suit his skill, but Squall's sword shimmered like light. The gun-blade was more crude and the barrel on the revolver had a certain appeal. Yuna liked the fact that the gun-blade was made for fighting enemies both far and near. Yet the talisman of Griever dangling off the end of the chain on the gun-blade reminded Yuna of power she had lost. She wasn't a summoner anymore. It was about time she chose something else to defend herself with.
Experimentally, she picked up a plain sword from the display rake and nearly toppled over. She knocked over a stake of shields and Tidus and Rikku rushed over to help her. Tidus grabbed her arm and helped her up, while Rikku and Lulu bent down to clear the mess and apologize to the owner.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Yuna.
She flushed in embarrassment and Tidus smiled. "It's ok, Yuna. It was an accident."
"Yeah! An accident," stated Rikku to the nervous shop owner.
"Well, if you break it than you buy it!" retorted the owner.
Squall then bent down and picked up the sword that Yuna had dropped onto the ground. He glanced at it up and down and gave it a sharp skilled swing to test it. He narrowed his brow and turned his gaze at towards the former-summoner.
"It's too heavy. You can't handle it."
Yuna felt irked and humiliated. Squall didn't have to say it like that, even if he was right. "Yes, but I still need a weapon. I need something I can handle."
Tidus smiled and said, "You don't need a weapon, Yuna. I can protect you."
"Yes, but I want to fight. I'm not a summoner anymore. I need to be able to defend myself if we're going up against Sin. I don't want to be a burden."
Lulu stepped forward and said, "Well, you could always do magic."
Yuna thought it over and stated, "Yes, but I need something else."
Squall sighed. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, "I understand. Maybe you should try a whip or maybe—"
"Or maybe she doesn't need a weapon," interrupted Tidus in annoyance. He approached Squall and glared at him. He didn't like the idea of Yuna getting in a situation were she could get hurt.
"Hey! No fighting!" yelled Rikku. "We're all friends here. And I agree with Yunie. She needs a weapon. We're going to fight Sin, not going on a picnic."
"Whatever…"
"Whatever."
Yuna looked up and saw that Paine and Squall said the same thing at the same time. She started to laugh and then slowly everyone else began to join in. She had no idea that they were so similar, but now that she thought about it they were both quiet. Though, a moment later Yuna saw what she wanted and picked up a pair of guns. They had a good grip and felt right in her hands.
And with a smile, she turned to the shop owner said, "I'll take these."
-0-0-0-
Location: Thunder Plains
It took some traveling, but eventually Yuna and gang managed to leave Luca and hit the open road. Yuna had plenty of time to practice her new weapon on some fiends and she managed to get some pointers on shooting from Squall, but she also noticed that Tidus seemed unhappy. He kept glaring at the scarred-swordsman and always keep him and Yuna in his sights all the time.
It wasn't until they made it to the Thunder Plains that he took her to the side to speak in private. In a soft voice, he said, "Yuna, I don't think you should be so close to that guy."
Yuna tilted her head in confusion. "Guy? You mean Squall? Why?"
"Because I don't trust him. He's keeping secrets. I just know it. It's too suspicious that some summoner still has an aeon. He might be working with Sin."
The former-summoner shook her head. "No, Squall isn't bad. He hasn't done anything wrong. And he isn't keeping secrets. He said he can't remember."
Exasperated, he said, "Yeah, but he could just be lying, Yuna. Please, just be careful when you're around him."
Yuna made a face and replied, "No, Tidus. Squall hasn't done anything. He wants to help us defeat Sin. He wants to help us."
"He doesn't belong here, Yuna."
"And how do you know?"
Tidus made a sound of frustration. He felt like he couldn't get through to Yuna. He didn't understand. Why did she believe Squall and not him? He was obviously a stranger. Tidus knew that even though Squall didn't remember his past, he still didn't belong on Spira because what he could remember didn't make any sense. Yuna told him that Squall was some kind of fighter and that he belonged to something called Seed. Tidus had never heard of anything like that—even when he was living in Zanarkand. Plus, Tidus had never seen a gun-glade before until he saw Squall's.
Though, suddenly Wakka spotted something in the distance in the middle of the Thunder Plains. He pointed it out and said, "Hey, look at that! It's a castle. Where did that come from?"
The group turned to look and casually Lulu stated, "Well, you don't see that everyday."
Eagerly, Rikku said, "Maybe it has something to do with Sin. I just talked to the shopkeeper at the Plain and they said that castle just popped out of nowhere."
"It's worth a look," said Tidus. "Come on."
-0-0-0-
It didn't take long for Yuna and gang to reach the castle in the Thunder Plain, but the stony structure looked scary and creepy in the flashing lightening. It cast strange shadows over the landscape and the front door was damaged and hanged off its hinges. Tentatively, Tidus examined the door, but boldly Squall sighed and shook his head before confidently walking in.
He narrowed his brow at former-blitz player and said, "Stay close and be prepared. If this is the work of Sin then we need to be ready for a fight."
Irked, Tidus said, "Hey, some of us actually faced Sin. You're not the leader, Squall."
The scarred-swordsman paused in the lobby of the wrecked castle. Tidus watched as his cape dragged across the dusty floor. He turned his head and looked at Tidus from across his shoulder. He had a sad look on his face. He seemed really serious and it was oddly unnerving.
Though, surprisingly Squall gave him a half smile and replied, "Then, maybe I'm a lion" before walking up a set of stairs.
Tidus didn't understand. What did being a lion have to do with anything? Of course, Squall wasn't a lion. He was just being mysterious. Though, he train of thought was broken when the other finally came in. Rikku squealed and Paine huffed while Lulu and Wakka lagged behind with Yuna.
The former-summoner was awed by the ruined castle and wondered how it came to be. It hadn't been in the Thunder Plain before when they journeyed to fight Sin, but it was clearly old. Yet, without warning Squall groaned and clutched his head.
"Squall!" shouted the former-summoner.
Yuna rushed to his side and tried to hold him steady. She wrapped her arm round his waist and Wakka came to give them a hand.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Wakka.
"I don't know. Squall, what happened?"
The scarred-swordsman pulled away and had a frightful look on his face. He pulled away from Yuna and Wakka and looked somewhere beyond the stairs. Yuna had never seen such grief in Squall's stormy blue eyes.
"I—I remember! No! Rinoa! I have to save Rinoa!"
Squall then made a mad dash up the stairs. Yuna called after him, but he wouldn't stop. She followed him through the dark castle and the lightening outside flashed light briefly though the creepy dark halls.
"Squall! Wait!" she called.
Wakka followed them and the others weren't far behind. The old castle was like a maze. It had many rooms and halls, but Squall seemed to know where he was going. He ran though the corridors like he knew the castle well. He didn't stop until they reached a long spiral staircase that climbed a high tower.
"Squall! Stop!"
However, the swordsman kept going. Squall kept running until he reached the top and then crossed a long bride to another tower at the other end. He was standing in front of a set of doors and slowly placed his hand over the surface of the wood.
"Hey!" cried Rikku. "What's the rush?"
"Rinoa…"
"Rinoa? Who's Rinoa?" asked Tidus. "You have to explain yourself or we're not going to understand."
Solemnly, Squall turned to face his new friends and replied, "I remember Rinoa. I remember that I came here to save her from the longhaired swordsman. He took her here. He wanted her to perform Time-Compression so he could come to Spira."
Wakka narrowed his brow in confusion and asked, "Why?"
Squall turned to face the two closed doors and said, "He saved he wanted to save his mother. He said he wanted to bring her back to life."
The scarred-swordsman then through opened the doors and pulled out his sword. Yuna didn't know what to expect in the inside the chamber, but oddly all she saw was a young woman dressed in blue. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was walking towards them strangely like a puppet on a string.
"S…Squall….?"
"Rinoa…I'm sorry."
"K…Killll…"
Squall looked pained by her speech. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew that in witch-mode she was unpredictable and erratic. Rinoa long ago told him that if she ever became an evil witch then it would be all right for him to kill her. She said it would be ok as long as it was his sword piercing her heart, but Squall never thought that day would come.
"D…Die….."
Rinoa then raised her hand and cast ultima. The blast from the spell engulfed them whole and Yuna shielded her eyes against the attack. It was such a strong spell. She didn't know if she could withstand the attack. She just hoped they'd make it out alive.
-0-0-0-
TBC
-0-0-0-
Yeah, back from the dead again and its a cliffhanger! Read next time and see how Yuna and gang take on witch crazed Rinoa. Will Squall's heart stay true to his Angel? Or will his feelings turn to love for Yuna?
Also thank you for your kind reviews. I'm not really on top of this story, but your positive feed back got me motivated to write this new chapter. I appreciate your support.
Please review. Thank you.