Disclaimer: Anything you recognize – be it character, location, idea or line – belongs to others; I may be playing with them but I make no profit from this.

When Worlds Collide

Safe and Wanted

So Harry's life on Spira had gone on happily.

When he stayed with Clasko, he took care of the chocobo, especially the fledglings, and studied the various herbs to heal them, strengthen them or develop their abilities, often getting mightily confused at the numerous varieties of Sylkis, Mimett and Pahsana Greens but trying his best nonetheless.

He helped with chores both in the ranch and at home, while Clasko concentrated on training his birds to be sent out to discover several hidden dungeons around Spira and bring back items for O'aka to trade, or worked in his lab to treat chocobo feathers for various uses – such as temporarily increasing the speed of the consumer.

In his free time, Harry and Sky Runner played together or ran around, generally having fun. Sometimes they joined the tourists at the settlement of the Calm Skies gaming company, where the managers were always willing to give him a few credits for the games if he assisted with their Publicity Campaigns, though Harry found that the funniest part was riding the hover from one attraction to another, rather than the games themselves; but he probably wouldn't have bothered dropping by so regularly if Sky Runner hadn't somehow learned how to get there without ever getting lost in the Calm Lands.

His chocobo friend was super smart! Harry had found himself chatting with him more and more often and Sky Runner always listened intently and offered comforting warbles or excited kwehs as needed. And speeding along with him was still the best way to enjoy free time!

Harry was also constantly on the look out, in case Lady Yuna and the Gullwings happened to pass by. True to his heroine-worship, Harry had quickly ferreted out all that Clasko knew about her and the gentle man had not only admitted to having met the High Summoner several times during her legendary pilgrimage, but also confessed that she dropped by his ranch from time to time. Harry kept hoping it would happen while he was there.

When it was O'aka's turn to take him away, they travelled here and there, wherever it stroke the vendor's fancy, and met loads of interesting people.

Several times they'd gone to the Moonflow, where Harry liked spending time with Tobli's Hypello assistants: the blue, frog-like lazybums were totally sweet and funny and always indulged him in his games. Too bad that after a while, catching a ride on their shoopufs became really boring, even at night when the pyreflies gathered on the surface of the river, making the water glow and sparkle and the moonlillies on the banks shine softly.

Twice they'd visited Kilika, where O'aka was always sure to find good customers. Harry was forever hoping they'd head there because the easiest way to reach the island was by boat and he simply adored sailing. He spent most of his time aboard climbing like a monkey up the masts, the lively wind ruffling his ever-untidy hair and leaving a faint taste of salt on his tanned skin.

Kilika itself had a tropical feel that reminded him of the advertising in Aunt Petunia's glossy magazines, with its cute little huts, wooden floating docks and all the palms. Beyond the small bustling port and village there was a large jungle, on the far side of which Kilika Temple was built, atop a fire mountain. The view from there was breathtaking, especially at sunset.

The people of the island eagerly bought or traded O'aka's merchandise, but they weren't as welcoming as elsewhere in Spira. Often they were too tense and worried to bother chatting with strangers: the town had been greatly affected by the political struggles of New Yevon and the Youth League - many families had been separated, friends split apart – and the wound was still too fresh.

Despite the almost discouraging atmosphere, Harry hadn't failed to make a detour to the famous (or infamous) Staircase, to watch the blitzballers training their endurance there. He'd even managed to obtain an autograph from Vuroja, the one-eyed Captain of the Kilika Beasts, and then he'd proceeded to lose it on the way to Luca, much to his dismay.

Luca… City of Hope… City of Fun… Naturally, they'd made their way there for the blitzball season!

O'aka wouldn't miss such a chance for making a name for himself in the second largest city in Spira; especially since, as he'd told Harry, "Durin' the tournament, the people here are so into the game, they don't even look at what they're buying. Gotta love blitz, eh?"

Harry couldn't agree more: he had been over the moon with the excitement at the idea of a true blitzball event.

He had been bouncing all the way as they approached, eagerly taking in all the elegant details of the city, with its interlocking circles of coloured cobblestones and flowing script-like ornaments on the buildings; but it had been the incredible blitzball stadium that had impressed him beyond words, rising as it did like a huge snow globe from the ground it was embedded in, at the centre of Luca's docks, and shimmering under the sun with swirling tones of deep blue, topped by the bright flame that capped it like a hook drawing it from the sea up towards the sky.

Just like it promised, Luca had been full of fun! Exciting Blitzball games and performances at the Sphere Theatre, flags everywhere, flapping merrily in the wind, and enormous balloons of every shape, parades on the streets and fireworks over the sea… every time was show time in Luca!

If Kilika had been the start of Harry's unofficial (and quite scattered) crash course in politics, as O'aka had decided that he needed to have a clue about how and why the factions that had established themselves in the time since the coming of the Eternal Calm were clashing, Luca had been his chance of meeting and fooling around with kids his age.

Since the stadium had represented a fundamental symbol of hope for Spira during the awful times of Sin, its city had always been better protected than most other places: not only the Crusaders fought to defend it with all their strength, but the Chocobo Knights did too, as well as the Warrior Monks during the blitzball season, when Maesters of Yevon were known to visit. As a consequence, a lot more families had felt confident enough to raise their offspring there and Luca had quite a number of children around his age or a little younger with whom he could play - a rare thing on Spira.

Harry had been both shy and wary at first, remembering all too well his less-than-stellar record of aborted friendships back with the Dursleys, but luckily, blitzball was a wondrous ice-breaker. In no time at all, he'd been running around and shouting with a group of kids, playing and laughing and attempting to mimic their favourite blitzballers.

That wasn't to say all had gone perfectly smoothly: in fact, Harry had managed to end up with a split lip (though for once, he'd been able to return a black eye) in a brawl with a stupid kid who thought the Luca Goers were better than the great Gullwings. As if!

The Gullwings were Lady Yuna's team – and he didn't even know why he'd been surprised to find out, as clearly, she could do anything, so why not blitzball? – and therefore obviously the best ever!

Harry had pouted for an entire day when O'aka had reprimanded him, even while cleaning up the little wound solicitously. It's not like he couldn't take a beating, he'd had much worse from Dudley and his gang! And that kid was just asking for it…

But when he'd tried to tell O'aka so, the merchant had just shaken his head disapprovingly: "And what did ye get from it, hm? Ye oughta have sold that brat some Goers flags or somethin' and then used his gil to show yer support of the Gullwings! Now that's a Trader's way – none of this brawling business!"

A rather shell-shocked Harry had just stared at the disapproving vendor. Talk about a different way to look at things…! But, maybe he did have a point… this bore consideration…

By sheer chance, they had happened to be in Luca again about a year later, when the greatest leaders of their time, Nooj of the Youth League, Gippal of the Machina Faction, and Baralai of New Yevon, had given their instantly-celebrated speech, announcing the dissolution of their respective factions for the peace of the world.

Harry had watched with growing respect the three famous friends, impressed by their demeanour and actions.

Nooj had stood between the other two, clad in crimson red, doing nothing to hide the machina prosthetics he'd replaced his left arm and leg with after losing them during a battle against Sin: indeed, he displayed them proudly, despite how odd they looked, especially next to his extremely traditional but logic-defying hair-style, that had made Harry think of dry branches in a petrified forest, and the short mantle of white fur thrust over one of his shoulders, not to mention his smoky glasses and the surprisingly lilac boots and gauntlets.

The tall muscled form of the former Crusader, who'd survived his own attempt to seek a warrior's death, had easily captured everybody's eyes and his forceful charisma had held their attention effortlessly.

Baralai had been a calm presence at Nooj's side, stiffly handsome in traditional ceremonial attire, the light colours and sturdy fabrics lined with belts and bands and stripes elegantly inscribed with prayers: his high collar aided his mask of expressionless seriousness, while his posture screamed even from a distance his sense of duty and his reluctance to be swept away by the winds of change.

On Nooj's other side, the exuberant Gippal had sure cut a fine figure in his armour and practical clothes full of blues and purples, a cocky and self-assured grin stretching wide under his cool black eye-patch. His spiky blond hair and the peculiar spiral pupils of his green eyes had been the source of an unseemly amount of giggling on the part of what had to be the silliest bunch of girls Harry had ever had the misfortune of sitting next to.

If Nooj's was Spira's strength and determination and Baralai its faith and integrity, Gippal was its energy and resourcefulness. Even in that serious, significant moment, he had had a devil-may-care attitude, though he'd followed his friends' lead in his actions dutifully enough.

Together, they had made an inspiring picture. So strong and stubborn, so honourable and resolute, so determined to do the best for their world.

Some of their words had fallen right into Harry's soul and found a place there, to be remembered forever.

My friends and I dreamed of flying… We would sail a ship, with me as its captain… Others chose a different ship, a different captain… but... Somehow we forgot. There's a much larger ship out there. One we've been riding ever since we were born. That ship is Spira…

And more: There are some things you can't do alone. But they become easy with friends beside you.

...He would not forget.

Of course, rumours abounded before and after the speech and everyone and their pets seemed to have a different version of the Vegnagun crisis and how it had been dealt with.

Harry's heroine worship was nicely fuelled by the buzz about Lady Yuna having saved the world again, which seemed to be confirmed by the three leaders meeting with her just before delivering the famous speech. Of course, it might just have been respect for the High Summoner… or maybe there was some truth about Lady Yuna's friend Paine being in love with one of them… or all of them… or vice versa… but whatever. Harry loyally stuck with the idea that Lady Yuna had defeated Vegnagun, like she had Sin!

It was too bad that all he'd been able to see of her was her red airship streaking through the light blue sky, taking her to her next adventure.

After that, things had gone back to normal, or as normal as they could in a world that was still healing in the time after Sin, with O'aka dragging him here or there whenever he'd caught wind of a 'new market' or a 'special piece' from an inn or another traveller… Harry had never dreamed of objecting, naturally: wandering around was grand and he couldn't wait to see all of Spira's beauty.

Even after months of travelling, Harry was still amazed at how much colour there was everywhere in this world: bright yellows and shimmering blues, deep greens and warm browns, purples and reds and indigos… even the greys were intense. Sometimes Harry had the sensation that even the atmospheric effects, like mist, were multicoloured here: or maybe it was just the all too frequent will-o'-the-wisps, floating around off in the distance. Needless to say, he found it all fascinating.

The only bad note in his days, or rather his nights, had been the nightmares that plagued him at times.

In them, he felt trapped into the mind of a monster – a mind that was icy cold and slippery, like a deep cave where the sun cannot reach, but at the same time, as sharp and as deadly as a diamond knife. Sometimes he saw actual scenes: at first of a non-descript blobish thing… attacking a fiend voraciously, sucking up its blood and stealing its magic… greedily approaching a sickly looking round rock held up on an ugly claw-shaped pedestal, desire for power, ever more power, overwhelming every thought… watching the image of a tall pale teen, his appearance wildly crazed, reflected in a spring, a lurking presence filling his eyes with dark madness… later, it was almost always a weird settlement and men in grey clothes with odd headbands… men being hurt, beaten, burned, dying… men trapped in cages and tanks, or bound to walls… Harry was severely unnerved at how all those men were so openly terrified of him in those visions… and there were snakes, so many snakes, and they could talk… the most unsettling thing for him was the lust for pain, death and blood that filled him during the nightmares, leaving him sick and retching when he eventually managed to shake himself free of the horrid images…

And always, at some point or another, the nightmares would be filled with red eyes and a high-pitched, cackling laugh, then everything would be drowned in a sickly, green light.

Those awful nights weren't a common occurrence, for which he was unspeakably grateful, but it was unsettling enough that it made Harry almost physically ill to think of it. The carelessness with which the monster callously killed those who were helpless in his power… he didn't want to see or feel that!... why did he keep dreaming of that monster?

O'aka hadn't known how to help him. Nightmares were normal, everybody got them now and then: he couldn't seem to understand why Harry was so bothered by it. Harry couldn't explain it either. He just felt – or was that feared? – that those visions had a larger importance than was apparent.

However, the wrinkled old lady with a short fuse that held lessons for the kiddies in Luca had told him in a no-nonsense tone: "It's never smart to speculate about the meaning of dreams!" so he hadn't. Much.

Other than that, anyway, his life was great, and he'd been all set to continuing like this.

Until six months earlier, when everything had changed.

The day that would ultimately change Harry's destiny yet again had started off like any other, with him and O'aka packing up their tent after a healthy breakfast. They had been planning to tour the Mi'hen Highway until they reached the Moonflow, then pass into the Macalania Woods, which Harry greatly wished to see again, and visit with O'aka's brother before returning to Clasko's ranch for Harry's next period there.

They had been travelling slowly, partly because there were plenty of people milling about the Highroad now that most of the irritating fiends had been taken care of and so O'aka had been making some interesting business deals, and partly because Harry had been continually distracted by the amazing ruins scattered everywhere.

As it every so often happened, another group of travellers had camped nearby in the same clearing that night, a group of friends heading for Djose. They had traded a few words amicably while they all got ready to set off.

Quite by chance, one of the travellers had mentioned a scholar who was "showing off a scroll on breeding chocobo for combat". Harry had instantly perked up. This was something Clasko would love to know! So naturally, he'd charmed the man into telling him more and cajoled O'aka into scouting the supposed location of this scholar out…

They hadn't found him, but as an offset, they'd stumbled on a set of interconnected caves that had O'aka go from grumbling and pouting to raving in raptures in ten seconds flat, as they turned out to be filled with Dark Matter just lying around, ready to be picked up: it was an extremely sought after substance, that could deal major damage to groups of fiends, no matter how numerous, and therefore highly prized by all, but normally rare and difficult to procure. In front of the unexpected bounty, O'aka had gone into a frenzy, determined to collect it all.

Harry hadn't minded: exploring the tunnels to find the odd-smelling lumps of black stuff had been like a game for him… and that was how he'd eventually stumbled (more literally than he cared to admit) on the half-hidden chest that granted him his Rod.

He lowered his eyes to the graceful, deceptively light weapon, stroking it lovingly.

It was about half his height, slender, with a spiralling design that made it look ever-moving, ever-changing with the light, though its primary colour was a dull bronze with eerie but beautiful metallic tinges of blues and greys. Its lower end was a pointy tip, while on its top, a graceful elaborated knob curved in an intricate pattern vaguely spherical but with a soaring delicate wing or wave at one end.

The very moment he'd touched it, Harry had felt a rush of rightness; he had slowly lifted it from its case, barely registering that a bright glow had illuminated the cave strangely, emanating from the slender rod and his own hands, spreading suffused light all over him.

He was lost in sensations, in the rush of speed and the joyful fun of riding Sky Runner, in an inner tune that spoke of wind and sea and freedom, in the rare but craved warm glow of a friend's hug. It was the most amazing, wondrous feeling. His skin tingled pleasantly and all the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention, making him shiver with an unexplainable delight. The light seemed brighter, the room suddenly filled with sounds, the feel of the cool air on his face was intensified and he could see a faint shimmer all around the things he looked at...

When O'aka had found him, he'd been just standing there, his eyes glazed and a beatific smile on his face, lovingly stroking the precious Rod.

The merchant had been flabbergasted. And at first, almost terrified.

When Harry had tried to describe the hummed melody that he was hearing, so beautifully haunting, so eerily touching, the poor man had been on the verge of tears. He could hear nothing of the sort and he'd been terrified that his young companion had run afoul of a cursed Item.

Gradually, though, he'd calmed down. Harry hadn't seemed harmed or even too upset by the whole thing, and in fact, had appeared to gain some beneficial effect from it. Nevertheless, O'aka had grabbed the child and dragged him away at full speed: "To meet the one who's gonna know 'bout this kind of stuff!" he'd muttered, all too aware that he wasn't qualified to judge whether Harry was in danger from the Rod or not.

Harry had been still too far out of it after the warm tingling rush that had suffused him to say more than "Huh?"

O'aka had made an impatient noise at the boy's blank face and cried dramatically: "To Besaid!" before simply hauling the stunned Harry on his shoulders and starting to run.

By night-time Harry had recovered enough to be insanely curious about his finding and more and more excited at their destination.

Besaid was Lady Yuna's childhood home!

From the ship taking them to the small southern island, he had watched avidly the approaching large beach and seaport, as well as the landscape of luxurious woods with many clear waterfalls, and scattered ruins of the ancient Machina City it used to be before Sin destroyed it half-hidden throughout the forest.

The only village was famous for the fabrics and clothes it produced and many examples of brightly coloured and attractive geometrical patterns were proudly displayed on garments, tents and curtains.

It truly looked like a fine place to live.

Reactions to their arrival, and to O'aka's grand tale about Harry's odd-looking Rod, varied from disbelief to awe and from worry or even fear to joy and hope. Confused, Harry had reverted to being shy and quiet, nervously running his hands up and down the shaft. He couldn't understand what the big deal was, but somehow, everybody was wondering and discussing and conferring about it!

At least, everybody had agreed that High Summoner Yuna needed to know and she was quickly contacted via CommSphere. Her former Guardians, Lulu and Wakka, had invited O'aka and Harry in their home while they waited for the Celsius to make their way to Besaid.

Their small but well-furbished hut was cosy and snug, full of colourful cloths, blitzball paraphernalia and unsettling rows of dolls that Harry had eyed warily.

The family inhabiting it was a study in contrast. Harry just couldn't understand how those two had ended up together. They might both have grown up in Besaid, but that was about as much as they had in common!

Wakka was a typical inhabitant of that tropical island, from his cheerful brightness and boisterous vibrancy to his full accent, whose every syllable seemed to bounce into sunbeams before rolling to the listener; Lulu, dark and stoic and gothic, might as well have come from a different world.

She was usually dressed in an outlandish fur-lined black dress with an incredibly odd collection of interlaced belts below the waist, and wore her hair tied up in a knot at the top with long braids dangling from it, tied with glossy beads. It was poles apart from Wakka's chocobo-yellow trousers and electric blue headband, but also completely different from the attire of the other residents of Besaid.

She was also highly intelligent and questioned the world around her and everybody in it, herself included, with analytical precision, as well as being often stern and scathing (particularly to her husband); Wakka on the other hand was kind, but very dependent on others' judgement and rigid in his opinions and ideas of what should and should not be done.

Most of all, Lulu was intimidating, since she was an accomplished black mage – which was impressively scary.

Harry had been completely flabbergasted when O'aka had muttered an explanation about the collection of puppets that watched him glassy-eyed and forbidding from the walls of the hut, disquietly harmonious amidst the cheerfully bright cloths: apparently, Lulu used the various Mog, Cait Sith, Moomba, Cactuar, and PuPu dolls to help cast powerful spells. It was mind-boggling.

And intriguing, of course. No one, not even Wakka, knew how she controlled them and she'd gone all mysterious when Harry'd tried to ask.

Despite his feeling unnerved by her dolls, he'd found watching her fight the odd fiend bold enough to attack the paths an absolutely mesmerizing experience.

It was as if she was scooping up something invisible – some energy maybe – and bringing 'it' close to her dolls to be shaped, before imperiously releasing it on the incautious fiend who dared attack her, with sharp slashing gestures that somehow provoked devastating fire explosions, or lightning bolts spearing the ground, or a cone of ice sprouting from the earth to impale her foe…

When he concentrated real hard, Harry could see flickering green tinged wakes trailing her wide sweeping gestures, or simply circling her rapidly, that he supposed were the 'magic' she gathered and used. It was fascinating. Scary, but fascinating.

Still, it was yet another thing that seemed to separate her from the down-to-earth, far less powerful and more importantly far less mysterious Wakka!

However, there could be no doubt that they were in love. It was evident in the look that softened their eyes when they caught sight of each other, in the quiet encouraging faith in her husband Lulu showed in countless little moments, in the determined devotion with which Wakka took care of his wife.

And in little Vidina, the adorable baby with his father's red hair and his mother's black eyes.

Harry and O'aka had been welcomed with generosity by the two former Guardians, though when the merchant had started on Wakka with: "Say, man, you wouldn't have a bit o' Gil to lend?" Lulu's wrathful glare had invested the poor vendor in full, turning the man into a pitiful whimpering whiner, who interspersed his mutterings of 'Should've expected as much' and 'What's an O'aka to do, I ask ye!' with scared peeks at the scowling woman.

Harry had had less trouble fitting in. Lulu's stern and elegant seriousness had rather intimidated him at first, so he had been unfailingly polite and subdued around her; while playing with her baby under her watchful gaze, however, he had quickly realized that even if she didn't smile much, deep down Lulu was truly a very caring person.

Baby Vidina was about as big as his mother's dolls but much more fun to play with. He seemed to be fascinated with Harry's glasses and would squeal loudly and grab them with his little pudgy hands and immediately stuff them in his little ruby mouth, grinning toothlessly and adorably like only a newborn could. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or despair.

He usually retaliated pulling the red pom-pom on his carrying cloth and letting it go abruptly to make it bounce back and forth. The baby would always goggle and roll his eyes wildly to follow it and bat at it with his little hands like a mischievous kitten, trying to grab the bright little cloth-ball and never quite managing!

Lulu would regard Harry softly when he played with her baby and Harry had managed to realize that she did, indeed, have a hidden bit of gentleness underneath her stoic demeanour. He had also figured out quickly that if he stayed quiet and didn't do anything dangerous she'd mellow and be less harsh to him: most of the time, she only berated him out of protectiveness. She was also the best to give patient and uncomplicated explanations, especially after Wakka had managed to confuse him with some befuddling comment or other. And she was very attentive to the state of his clothes, and how much he was eating, and made sure he knew the proper way to behave in every situation and… really… it was a bit like the mums he'd seen during his travels or earlier, before the Magic…

When he'd realized it, he'd been startled. Badly. A… mum? Sorta? He just didn't know how to take it. It was fabulous and astonishing and what he'd always dreamed of back in his cupboard, but also confusing, tiring, frustrating, and simply overwhelming.

Luckily, he had soon been too distracted to ponder his own mystifying feelings, because the airship Celsius had arrived and finally, he'd met the Gullwings – and Lady Yuna herself!

His heroine was everything he'd imagined her to be.

She was brave and determined, polite in every situation, generally soft-spoken and very driven, but also quite playful, vivacious and open-minded; she was always ready to lend a hand to whoever appealed to her, but she could be quite stern and even intimidating if someone provoked her. She was generous, but strong minded, she cared for her friends deeply and was respectful of their opinions and wishes, but had no fear expressing her own thoughts and desires.

Everything from her unusual bi-coloured eyes to her lively clothes - a halter-neck top with a pink hood in the back, yellow armbands over her biceps and denim boyshorts – invited trust and camaraderie, while the little touches she, like everyone in Spira, used to make her outfit unique – the red braid that stretched down to her ankles and the ankle-length blue and white sash – showed playfulness and friendliness. Harry certainly wasn't the only one who couldn't help responding in kind whenever she smiled.

Upon arriving, she'd vaulted down from the rooftop of the Celsius with an acrobatic move that had torn an admiring shout from Harry, immediately followed by a perky blonde in a yellow string bikini and an olive green mini-skirt, demanding to know what "Disasteriffic mess" they were needed for, and a tall and serious young woman with short, silver hair, shaking her head at their antics.

Harry had known instantly that they were Lady Yuna's best friend – Paine – and favourite cousin – Rikku: the three of them had made quite a name for themselves all over Spira, what with their willingness to rush to anybody's aid, be it by fighting monsters or selling tickets, solving disputes or finding hidden treasures…

In short, they were awesome.

Harry thought that the way they lived, always travelling around, seeing amazing things, helping others, was totally amazing!

Maybe he'd do the same when he grew up.

The Gullwings had greeted O'aka merrily and the merchant had wasted no time in introducing his young friend and explaining the situation.

To Harry's delight and embarrassment at the same time, Lady Yuna had been very interested in his Rod and very, very surprised at the reaction it had to him – and to her.

She'd asked him to explain in detail how he'd come to have it; Harry had done so… mostly… but had hesitated a bit before confessing about the melodious hum that no-one else seemed to hear, worried that she might mock him or think him crazy.

To his great surprise, Lady Yuna could hear it too, and moreover, she'd been able to explain why most people couldn't.

"Harry…" she'd told him with a gentle smile: "You're a Summoner!"

She'd laughed kindly at his wide, disbelieving eyes: "I suppose I should say that you have the potential to be a Summoner. It is an innate talent… I was like you." She'd held out her hand: "Will you let me take your Rod for a moment?"

"Uh… yeah… sure, of course…" he'd blushed and handed it over.

She had taken it gently and to his surprise, she'd got the same effect from it – a sweet, eerie hum. Then she'd swung it around and around in a fluid pattern and it had worked magic.

Light purple wisps of smoke had appeared beside her and swirled in a spiral around the Rod, then she'd lifted it high, calling out: "Armour of light, halt physical might!"

The purple smoke had turned into a ray and shot towards Rikku, who'd smiled, and it had sprung upwards in front of her, shaping into a membrane that looked a bit like a beehive.

Then it had disappeared, but Paine had said quietly: "Watch!" and she'd attacked her friend with her huge red sword.

Harry had cried out, but the weapon hadn't harmed the cheerful girl: Lady Yuna's protection had flared into existence at the last instant, deviating the blow. Rikku had just laughed gaily while Harry gaped, completely awed.

"Right, then!" had declared Lady Yuna decisively: "We're staying here for a while! That way I'll be able to teach Harry about his powers!"

Naturally, such a declaration had resulted in everybody on the Celsius demanding to meet him. For his part, Harry had been insanely curious. It had been the first time he got into close contact with actual Al-Bheds, as O'aka still tried his best to avoid them at every turn…

They were… huh... loud. Disconcerting. And unbelievably straightforward. Harry had been dumbfounded at how open and expressive they were: whenever they talked they gesticulated wildly and regularly made faces to put across their emotions. They weren't the most rational people around either.

Brother had towered over him inflating his chest and shadow-boxing ridiculously while shouting at him in the Al Bhed language. Harry had stared at him wide-eyed, completely bewildered and at a loss to understand him.

Given his looks, the wild and violent body-language was even more nerve-shattering: Brother's blond hair was shaved on the sides, leaving only a strip running down the middle in a stiff crest and his ears were adorned with multiple earrings, which along with the impressive tattoos on his bare chest and arms all contributed to make him look dangerously unreliable.

Brother wasn't the only one on board that might be classified as eccentric, however, if Rikku's reaction to his shenanigans was anything to go by: she'd jumped up and down in a show of fury, making her braids bounce like crazy off her shoulders and her incredibly long scarf flap madly. Then she'd screamed irately: "Leave him alone, you big meanie! Or I'm gonna kick you in the spleen!"

Brother had switched to English, apparently without even noticing: "Rikku! How dare you speak to your leader like that!"

"Ooh! Shut up, already!" had retorted the spitfire, narrowing her eyes and waving her fists threateningly.

Exasperated, Brother had started shouting back: "Who is the leader? I am! I give orders around here!" As far as attempts to maintain order went, that had been pretty comical, since his effort to loom over her, hands on his hips and looking down on the much shorter girl, had had no effect but to have Rikku mirroring the pose looking up just as furiously.

Brother had then tried gesticulating and yelling something indecipherable in Al Bhed, but the only effect had been a deepening of Rikku's scowl and a very sound kick in the man's shin from the indomitable girl.

Yuna, as always the pacifier, had tried to apologize to Harry, saying that Brother had always been overprotective of her: "He… he doesn't mean harm, you know? It's just… I'm afraid Brother sometimes acts without thinking…" She'd smiled with embarrassment at a bewildered Harry.

"Most times!" had interjected Rikky with a belligerent shout.

"That no true!" had bellowed Brother back.

"What about that time you hit me with the Thunder spell!" the tiny blonde shrieked, "I was terrified of lightning for years!"

"I was trying to save you! Hunt that fiend away!"

"I had to camp out in the Thunder Plains for a week before I stopped collapsing in helpless terror every time they struck near me!"

"Yes… poor Rikku was severely traumatized by that event…" added Yuna uneasily.

"Yuna!" had cried Brother, looking stricken, dismayed and dejected all at once.

Yuna, alarmed at the idea of having offended a friend, had hurriedly added: "But, I know you were trying to save her! And, and… reacting promptly is a good thing! It means you're always ready for anything!"

Brother had perked up instantly, showing off his muscles ridiculously and looking as if she'd given him a medal and a new house to store it in.

Paine had sighed exasperatedly and shaken her head, muttering about 'hopelessly soft-hearted girls and foolish smitten morons'.

Harry, too bewildered for words, had just nodded warily and dubbed the whole thing 'grown-up craziness'. He'd done his best to steer clear of the wild and somewhat obsessive man with the tattoos, though. No need to catch whatever had gone to his head!

His meeting with Shinra had gone about as well.

All Al Bhed had a keen interest in Spira's technological past, even going so far as to organize salvage operations and excavations of and for ancient machina, but Shinra took it on a whole other level. His passion for technology… obsession might be the better word for it!

At any rate, the young Al Bhed boy was a technical prodigy and unfortunately, he knew it. It's not that Harry wasn't impressed by the fact that a kid his age had practically invented something as unbelievably complicated and remarkable as the Garment Grid system, not to mention the CommSphere communicators, but his annoying way of stating repeatedly: "I know...everything" in a rather arrogant tone wasn't very endearing. Especially since he refused to give Harry the time of day after he realized the other boy hadn't even used a computer before. It's not like it was Harry's fault! He'd never been allowed one – or had a chance, here in Spira!

He got away with making Harry feel stupid for not keeping up with his genius yet as soon as things got tough and his knowledge was no longer enough, he shrugged any request for help off with a dismissive: "I'm just a kid." It was beyond irritating.

At least Barkeep was nice. Boring, but nice.

But it was Buddy who'd wormed his way into Harry's personal list of Very Favourite People.

A close friend of Brother and co-founder of the Gullwings (Harry had laughed himself silly when Rikku had told him that they were named in honour of the unfortunate gull that had led Brother and Buddy to the Celsius during their journey to Spira's freezing north, and got eaten for the trouble when they finished all their food!) Buddy was the navigator of the Celsius and, basically, a more focused and level-headed counterpart to the erratic Brother.

Even his outfit was a more sensible version of Brother's own, without any weird tattoos and with sensible jeans and a matching vest, but still cool - very al-bhedish, from his hard-wearing, waterproof boots to the goggles that made him look more eccentric and mysterious.

When they'd met, Buddy had frowned at Harry's battered glasses and snatched them away, ignoring Harry's indignant protests. "Oh-oh!... these won't do at all!" he'd stated. With that, he'd disappeared somewhere in the bowels of the airship, while the others distracted Harry.

When he'd reappeared, Buddy had handed him a pair of thick, orange goggles with a smug grin.

Harry had stared at it.

"They're for you," had explained Buddy, looking very proud of himself. "I used your lenses but put them in a sturdier frame. Plus, I tweaked the lenses a bit."

"Tweaked?" had breathed Harry, hardly believing his eyes.

"See here, on the left side? If you turn this small wheel, it will allow you to zoom, like a Sphere recorder."

Harry had stared, confused: "Zoom?"

"Like binoculars! All lenses have something called a focal length, which is the distance from the optical centre of the lens to the focal point of what you can see. Normally, this is fixed as the lens never change position. Here, though, I – well, Shinra and I to be honest – we've made it so that the position of the lens can change as you zoom in and out. As you zoom in the focal length increases. As you zoom out the focal length decreases. That way you can see things closer or farther away as you need! Aaand… we added a sonar, too!"

"Sonar?" Harry had asked, obviously unfamiliar with the term and rather dazed.

"It's something we copied from the Thunder Imps, who send out high-pitch sound waves that bounce off their surroundings and come back to their sensitive ears, determining location and movements of their surroundings. You just have to push this little button here on the right and… it should be like seeing in the dark. Sorta." Buddy had grinned widely: "Much better than normal goggles, huh?"

Harry had gaped at the Al Bhed for a moment, and then pounced on him and clutched him in a squeezing hug, struck mute by gratitude!

As for the so-called 'YRP', they were three amazing young women and everybody seemed to adore them. Although Paine remained aloof and mysterious, which apparently intimidated a few of the inhabitants of Besaid, and Rikku was so loud and hyperactive several people were fondly exasperated around her, Yuna was beloved by all and it was clear that the villagers felt better knowing she was home.

Lulu and Wakka were no exception, in their own peculiar ways. The three 'girls' had been instantly invited to stay at their place and Harry had accidentally overheard a question and answers session about Yuna's lifestyle and her recent adventures that showed Lulu's care and concern in every nuance of her words.

He hadn't wanted to pry and had tried to tactfully retreat without being spotted, but something Lulu had let slip had stayed with him.

Over the next few days, even as he'd thrown himself into so many new things with enthusiasm, the puzzling words had been nagging at the back of his mind. Eventually, he'd gathered the the courage to ask her about it: "The- the other day… I… kinda overheard…" he'd smiled sheepishly at her raised eyebrow, but soldiered on: "You said Yuna was your little sister. That you didn't want to see her hurt."

He'd looked at the imposing woman intently. This was important.

"Of course I don't want to see her hurt," had replied Lulu very calmly, but Harry had shaken his head in frustration.

"No, that's not… I mean…" he'd taken a deep breath, clearing his thoughts: "Why did you say Yuna is your sister? You don't belong to the same family… or do you? I mean, someone would have said something…" he'd blundered a bit, but after all, Lady Yuna, the High Summoner who defeated Sin, was a celebrity. People knew everything about her!... or, so he'd thought…

"Child," Lulu had haughtily explained, "family has little to do with blood. It is love that makes a family. Thus Yuna is my little sister, because we love each other like sisters. Simple as that."

Harry had stared at her in open-mouthed wonder, while she'd turned to rock Vidina to sleep.

His marvel hadn't abated over the next days, until he'd had a chance to think it all over again. And come to some conclusions.

A couple days later, a very proud and moved O'aka had been promoted to Uncle, and after needling Buddy into taking him to the Ranch, Clasko had found himself with an unofficial little brother – not that he minded!

Harry's smile upon returning had been so big Wakka had teased him about splitting his face in two.

"It's just… well… Lulu was right, is all!"

Wakka had laughed. "She's always right. Better get used to it, ya?"

All this aside, anyway, most of Harry's time on Besaid Island had been dedicated to his training, for Lady Yuna had wasted no time in starting Harry's 'lessons'.

Gentle but strong, she had soon explained to him that when she had decided to follow in her father's footsteps and become a Summoner, she'd had to complete strenuous physical and mental training: "But that won't be necessary for you, I think. There is no Sin to defeat, nor any looming threat. I guess… you can take your time gathering strength and learn things a little bit at a time! I'll just get you started on the right path."

Harry had nodded fervently, not really knowing what to make of her declaration, but more than determined not to let her down.

"Right then! We'll start with some White Magic… that should help you learn how to focus and how to draw form your energy reserves… which I'd better teach you to compute in terms of Magic Points, as that's the easiest and most common way to do it…"

She'd trailed off a moment, then nodded firmly: "Yes! That's what we'll do."

Rikku had cheered encouragingly, and they'd begun.

A/N: This is growing beyond expectations... I thought I'd be done with Harry's time in Spira in one chapter, and here I'm about to write the third... oh, well. Let me know what you think! Luna