Chapter III
A Little Change
I found myself alone in the Crusader's Lodge when I awoke the next morning. I wasn't surprised that Baralai had already woken up. He had always been an early riser.
I rolled onto my side and snuggled into the warm blankets, grateful that Baralai had taken the time to cover me last night. For a moment, I imagined that everything that had happened the night before had all been a horrible dream, nothing more than a nightmare that my mind had conjured up to fool me. I sighed heavily and rolled once again onto my back.
I scoffed. "Who am I kidding?" I asked the ceiling of the tent.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and tenderly rubbed my temples. I had an excruciating splitting headache along with a wonderful little migraine from the night before – proof that it had not been a dream or some strange hallucination – and regretted not asking Baralai to find some pain killers before I had nodded off. I groaned and fell back onto the bed, covering my face with my hands to block out the bright light streaming in through the window. I rubbed furiously at my eyes, trying to get the stars that were bursting in my vision to go away.
I rolled off the bed, determined to find something to kick this headache to the curb, and stumbled over to the counter in the front area of the Lodge. I rummaged around in the shelves and smiled triumphantly when I procured a Remedy from the gaggle of bottles. I quickly uncapped the bottle and chugged the solution down as quickly as I could and sighed as I felt the pressure behind my eyes start to go away. I tossed the empty bottle in the trash and trudged back into the living quarters.
"How did you get here?" I asked my overnight bag that had mysteriously appeared on a chair next to the bed I had slept in. I picked it up and tossed it onto the bed. "Baralai brought you in here, didn't he?"
My leather bag remained silent as I rummaged around inside it for my Garment Grids. I already had the beginning of a plan forming in my mind; a plan that everyone might not agree with. I didn't want any of my friends to be hurt because of my past. I didn't want Roland or any other member of The Invisible to come after my friends just to get at me. I simply wouldn't tolerate that. I searched through all my Grids, smiling when I found the dressphere that I sought. The Black Mage dressphere shone brightly, reflecting the light of the sun. I breathed in deeply and activated the sphere, patiently waiting for my clothes to change before setting the Grid back in my bag. I clenched my hands into fists and reveled in the feeling of the magic that was swirling through my body.
I extended my right hand, palm up, in front of me and called upon my power. Small tendrils of fire sprang from my fingertips and danced through the air like pyreflies, weaving around my body until I let it go and they disappeared. I removed the overly large hat from my head and placed it, along with my staff, on the bed behind my bag. I never needed the staff anyways; I just used it so Yuna and Rikku wouldn't suspect anything.
I took a deep breath and was getting ready to leave the Lodge when heavy footsteps approached from outside. I wasn't surprised when I saw Baralai pull back the flap and walk in. He smiled when he saw me. "Oh, I see you're awake. Good morning."
"Good morning, Baralai," I replied, walking past him out of the Lodge.
"Which dressphere is this?" He asked, gently caressing the material covering my arm. I'm glad it wasn't bare skin that he had touched or I probably would have gotten goose bumps.
"Black Mage," I replied, staring up into the bright morning sky. "I'm going to train." I paused and looked into the young Praetor's dark eyes. "Let everyone know that I have something to say when I get back."
He nodded and when I began to walk away he grabbed my wrist. "Let me tell them right now and I'll join you."
"Go ahead," I replied, setting off towards the village gate.
I had been waiting for about five minutes, standing next to the Traveler's Sphere idly tracing small circles on its shining surface, when I heard Baralai's footsteps coming towards me. He fell in step beside me and for a few moments the air around us was silent, save the sounds of nature that were ever present on the Island of Besaid. The fiends here were extremely shy so I was going to have to lure them out if I wanted to get any better at my magic. Instead of wearing a charm that would bring them to me I called out with my mind, challenging them to show themselves and fight.
I heard a rustling in the bushes to my left and flicked my wrist, igniting the air around the fiend and setting it ablaze. I saw Baralai jump out of the corner of my eye, not expecting to have the bushes next to me erupt in flames. "Relax, Baralai," I said, smirking at him.
"I am relaxed," he replied smoothly, straightening his Praetor robes. "I just wasn't expecting that."
One corner of my mouth curled up. "Yeah, not many people do."
"So, that night when we were alone in my tent," he began, choosing his words carefully. "you had these powers then?"
I nodded. "I did."
"Why did you never use your powers until last night?" He asked.
"I swore to myself the night I escaped The Invisible that I would never use them again until I absolutely needed to. That way I would save myself from suspicious and unneeded questions. I couldn't risk being exposed." I spotted another fiend crawling onto the path in front of me but it was a pile of ashes a second later. "Baralai?" I asked, contemplating telling him about what I was going to do.
"Hmm?" The young Praetor answered, turning his face towards me.
I sighed, wondering if I could confide in Baralai about my plan. I was always able to talk to him in confidence while we were in the Crimson Squad. Would I be able to trust him like I used to even though he's the Praetor of New Yevon? I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, knowing that he was waiting patiently for me to answer. I exhaled the breath I had been holding in.
"I...want to tell you something."
"Is it about your plan?" He inquired, the ghost of a smile lingering on his mouth.
I blinked and looked up at him, shocked that he had become so intuitive. "Wow, you're good."
"Well, it's my job," he replied, chuckling. "And I could tell from the second I looked at you this morning that you were planning something."
"You're right though," I said, setting another fiend ablaze. "It is about my plan."
"Am I going to like this plan?" He inquired, clasping his hands behind his back.
"Maybe, maybe not." I paused and took a deep breath, preparing myself to tell him. "I'm going to be leaving tonight and going into hiding until my nineteenth birthday. When my birthday comes, I'm turning myself over to them."
"What?" Baralai asked, shocked by what I had said.
"I'm turning myself over to them with the hopes that I can wipe them all out before they perform my rite. It's the safest way."
"Paine," he said, laying a restraining hand on my arm. "How is that the safest way?"
I sighed, looking away from his accusing stare. "That way The Invisible will stay away from everyone. They'll be too preoccupied with trying to find me that they'll leave all of you alone."
"Paine, have you ever thought that if you do that they will try to hurt one of us to make you show yourself?" He questioned, letting his hand travel slowly up my arm.
I snorted and shook my head in disbelief. "You know if you keep this up you're gonna make me look bad."
"Like I said, it's my job," he said, taking his hand away from my arm.
"Well, O Wise Praetor, what do you think I should do?" I asked as we continued walking.
"I'm leaving later this afternoon to go back to Bevelle. Come with me. I'll... The temples will keep you safe," he offered.
I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him. "Won't the other priests disagree?"
"I'll tell them I've made you my own personal secretary."
"Will those boneheads agree to that?" I asked, taking out a Lupine that had been following us.
"They definitely won't be happy about it but they'll get used to it."
A calm silence settled between us then as I continued killing the fiends that wandered blindly into my path. I could sense at least ten more that were making their way towards us. Taking the rest of them out would be good enough for today. As I walked I carefully considered Baralai's proposition, but the more I thought about it the more it seemed to make sense, more sense than my previous plan anyways. The Invisible would have their eye on me where ever I went but at least in Bevelle I would be around people and not by myself.
I have to admit, his plan is pretty smart. Maybe this will give us a chance to spend some time together before I'll never see him again.
"I'll have to think about it," I said, finally breaking the silence. I had pretty much already made up my mind though.
"You have until Brother gets here with the Celsius."
"Then I guess I have a lot of time to make up my mind," I replied, taking two more fiends out.
After I had exterminated the fiends that I had marked for death, Baralai and I headed back to the village. Rikku was running around the square in hysterics and fell all over herself when she saw Baralai and I coming down the jungle path.
"Thank Shiva!" She exclaimed, panting slightly as she skidded to a stop in front of us. "Breakfast has been ready for the last fifteen minutes. If you want any you better get your butt inside."
"Why thank you," I said, rolling my eyes at her dramatic overreaction. Knowing Lulu, she would make sure there was enough left for us so I wasn't worried in the least.
"So where have you two been all morning?" Gippal asked, bouncing his eyebrows at Baralai.
I narrowed my eyes and set a couple of hairs on the top of his head on fire. Gippal cried out and jumped up from his seat on the couch, slapping at his head.
"I was out practicing. Baralai offered to come with me. You obviously weren't awake when he told everyone else," I said, thanking Lulu for the plate of food she handed me.
"Well...so?" Gippal retorted, not being able to think of a witty comeback.
"Exactly," I replied, sitting down at the table next to Yuna and Rikku, making idle chit chat with them while I ate.
Rikku was going to be accompanying Gippal to Djose when Brother arrived to help out with the Machine Faction. Yuna and Tidus were coming along, but would be going straight to Luca once everyone had been dropped off so Tidus could do a little practicing on his Blitzball technique and get ready for an upcoming tournament. He was going to keep on playing for the Aurochs because Yuna said that Wakka would kill him if he didn't help his team out, even though he had retired over two years ago.
"So when are you two gonna get married?" I asked the petite ex-Summoner, popping a piece of fruit into my mouth.
Yuna's face became beat red when I mentioned marriage. "Oh, I don't know. Tidus wants to get married but I'm not sure if we should just yet."
"And why is that?" I asked, not sounding impressed.
"Well, I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment yet. Plus it costs a lot of gil to hold a full blown ceremony."
"Yuna, listen to me," I said, turning fully towards her and jabbing a piece of bacon at her like it was a stick. "The three of us made so much gil while we were sphere hunting that I think we're more wealthy than all the noblemen in Bevelle put together. Plus, you won't have to hire anyone to officiate. You have the Praetor of New Yevon sitting right here in Wakka's living room. And every catering company in all of Spira would fall all over themselves and grovel at your feet to have the chance to provide the food for your reception. The only thing you'll have to worry about paying for is your dress, Tidus' tuxedo, dresses for your bridesmaids and tuxedos for Tidus' groomsmen and anything else your heart desires."
Yuna sat there with wide eyes after I had finished pointing out the obvious, which I think weren't so obvious to her. "Wow, Paine, you're right. I didn't even think about all of that." She paused and her bi-colored eyes clouded over in thought. "But what if neither of us are ready? Don't you think we should wait until we're older?"
"Yunie," Rikku interjected, reaching across the table and taking one of her cousin's hands. "You love him, don't you?"
"Of course I do," she said, another blush creeping onto her face as her eyes found Tidus.
"Well then that's all you need. It'll all work out if you love each other enough. You finally found him after searching for him for so long. That's gotta mean something, right?" Rikku encouraged, smiling at her.
Yuna smiled back and patted her cousin's hand. "You're both right." She looked back at where Tidus was sitting and a calm, loving expression graced her features. "I'll talk to him about it later."
"You better," Rikku said, pointing an accusing finger at her cousin. "'Cause if you don't I'm coming all the way from Djose and doing it for you."
Yuna giggled at the funny face that Rikku was making. "You won't have to do that, Rikku. I will."
"Now that that's settled. What are you going to do, Paine? Thought of anything yet," Rikku asked, turning his attention to me.
I groaned inwardly as the conversation turned towards me. "I have thought of something." I got up from the table and cleared my throat loud enough for everyone in the room to turn their attention to me. "I'm sure you're probably all wondering what I'm going to be doing before I turn nineteen." I paused and laid my eyes on Baralai. "I'm going to Bevelle with Baralai."
"What are ya gonna do there?" Wakka asked in his thick Besaid accent.
"Train."
"Keep in touch," Lulu spoke up from the back of the room where she was nursing Vidina. "We're all here to help you, Paine."
I smiled, grateful for their support. "Thank you."
I almost sighed with relief when Brother chose that particular moment to come screeching over Rikku's communicator, alerting her that he was waiting for everyone at the beach and to hurry it up. Rikku said a few choice words to him in Al Bhed before turning her communicator off.
"Oh, he can be so annoying! Sometimes he acts so much like Pops that it's scary," she said, getting up from the table. "I guess we shouldn't keep him waiting for too long. Whoever needs a lift on the Celsius better go and get ready."
Fifteen minutes later everyone was packed onto the Celsius. As everyone was bustling about, I heard Brother complain about suddenly becoming a taxi service in Al Bhed.
"Brother ec cilr y pypo," Shinra remarked from his station, quietly enough that Brother wouldn't hear it.
I snickered, having overheard Shinra's comment. "Yes, he is." Shinra looked back at me from over his chair and snickered.
Shinra, the pint sized genius, had just recently abandoned his Al Bhed jumpsuit allowing everyone, even Brother and Buddy, to see what he looked like for the first time. Shinra's hair was jet black, which was a shocking surprise since Al Bhed's typically had light colored hair. His eyes were a startling icy blue, accompanied with the traditional swirls for irises. He looked so much different than what I thought that I was stunned into silence when I first laid eyes on him.
Baralai chose that point in time to surprise me even further. "Cu E dyga ed Brother lusbmyehc y mud?" He asked me.
I snapped my head over to look at him, still wondering if it had been him that had spoken Al Bhed or if it had been my imagination playing tricks on me. I cleared my throat. "Well, he did a lot more than complain. He drove us all nuts with his infatuation over Yuna. The fact that they're cousins didn't seem to bother him."
"Oh, so that's why he's glaring at Tidus," Baralai replied, looking in Brother's direction.
I followed his gaze and, sure enough, Brother was giving Tidus' back a glare that could curdle milk. Yuna, who was standing in front of Tidus, glared right back at him in the discreetest way possible so the young, blonde haired blitzer in front of her wouldn't notice. Try as she might though Tidus saw the look on Yuna's face and when he turned around to figure out why she was wearing such a sour expression, Brother flew back around in his pilot's chair like he had been paying attention to where he was going the whole time. Tidus looked back at Yuna with a confused look plastered on his face but she waved her hand in the air, telling him not to worry about it. I had to cover my mouth with my hand to prevent a laugh from escaping. I guess I did feel a little sorry for him but that's what he gets for trying to commit incest.
"When did you learn to speak Al Bhed?" I asked, after Nooj had been dropped off at Youth League HQ.
"Well, being a world leader and all, I decided to learn it for diplomatic reasons," he replied, running a hand through his powder white hair. "I haven't been able to use it as of yet though."
"I'd just love to see the heads roll when all the priests find out you can speak the 'heathen's language'." I chuckled, knowing full well that some of the old Yevon followers still called the Al Bheds that.
Baralai chuckled. "It would be pretty entertaining."
I felt the airship rock beneath my feet as Brother landed it on the shores of Djose. Rikku bounced over to me and flung her arms around my neck.
"Bye, Painey! I'll see you soon. Don't get yourself kidnapped!" She said, squeezing me so tightly that I couldn't breathe until she released me.
"See you later, Rikku," I said, returning the hug, albeit much more gently, and gently patting her on the back a few times.
"Hey, Dr. P," Gippal said, coming up and giving me a high five. "If you get into any trouble don't hesitate to call us."
"Thanks, Gippal." I gave him a brief one armed hug then watched him and Rikku exit the bridge. A few moments later I saw them walking up the shore towards the temple, hand in hand.
"Next stop, Bevelle!" Brother announced, launching the Celsius into the air.
I spent the rest of the voyage in the cabin, sipping at a cup of coffee and chatting with Barkeep and Darling. I had developed a small headache, nothing more than a minor pounding behind the eyes, from my exercises in the jungle and the coffee was doing a miraculous job at making it go away. I had handed my empty cup back to Barkeep when Brother announced over the intercom that we were approaching Bevelle. I met Baralai out in the hallway.
"Enjoy your coffee?" He asked as we stepped onto the lift.
"Yes, I did. That headache I had is nonexistent now." I pressed the button for the bridge and leaned against the railing. "So where am I going to be living?"
"Well, you have two choices," he began. "You can either have a room inside the temple that's all to yourself or...you can live with me."
I quirked an eyebrow at the last choice. "And is living with you a way to keep me safe?" I inquired, taking a few steps towards him. I was suddenly feeling a little bit daring and, even though such an attitude change wasn't normal for me, I didn't care.
"I guess you could say that," he said, closing the gap between us even further.
I smirked and couldn't stop the extremely brave comment that had just popped into my head from escaping my mouth. "Is there more than one bed where you live?" I whispered. A smile began to creep its way onto the young Praetor's face but before our risky little conversation could continue the lift stopped and the doors slid open. I snickered at how tense Baralai looked. "Relax," I said, patting his shoulder before sauntering off the lift. "You're way too tense."
"I wonder why," I heard Baralai mumble as he stepped off the lift to follow me.
I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from laughing.
