Chapter 39 – On the Road Again
Night cast an unsavory shadow down the Mi'ihen Highroad. With the last remnants of the day gone, Rikku squinted her eyes to track a fiend up ahead of her. Not five minutes before had she and Gippal dispatched a cluster of four wolf-like fiends. Most of the Highroad had been well protected as of late, but it seemed Rin had been having difficulties with his machina. The machines that typically would protect travelers had run amok, and many of them were taken offline.
Away to attend Yuna's funeral, Rin had only arrived back in Mi'ihen earlier that day. Gippal had messaged him before they arrived at his travel agency. The Al Bhed businessman stood just outside of the entrance. Even in the nighttime, Rikku could make out the colorful decor adorning the round building.
"Welcome, Gippal. I never took you to be a night crawler," Rin joked, shaking Gippal's hand.
"Heh, yeah. Thanks for putting us up at such a late hour."
Rin waved his hand. "My pleasure. It's nice to see some warm faces again. Recently the days have been quite . . . dismal."
Rikku knew he referred to Yuna's funeral, which already seemed in the distant past to her. Rin's mentioning of it brought it back to the forefront of her mind; she realized it wasn't long ago at all. Walking up to her, Rin extended his hand to her.
He smiled curiously. "Hello, Rikku, it's nice to see you again. I'm surprised to see you off on an adventure again so soon."
Rikku flickered her eyebrows to display some of her own sense of surprise. "These things happen out of the blue, ya know."
He nodded, and finally got to greeting Nooj. The two men shook hands firmly. Rikku wondered how Nooj would react to Rin, but she was pleasantly surprised to see they had mutual respect for one another. Gippal wasn't joking when he apologized for coming late. Already past midnight when they arrived at the Travel Agency, Gippal and Nooj both yawned in unison, each man ready to hit the sack. Exhausted from Rikku's escapade all over Luca the day prior, Gippal immediately left to go to sleep. Nooj followed right behind him.
A tightness in her chest panged in her suddenly. The pain from the funeral resurfaced unexpectedly, and she desired to bury it again.
She began to converse with Rin. "Thank you for coming to Yuna's funeral. It meant a lot to me and Paine that you attended."
He nodded with a frown. "Of course. Lady Yuna had done so much for Spira and even myself. It would be wrong of me not to have attended."
She sighed, racking her brain for another subject to converse about. "Um, I think your machina are busted. What's going on with them?"
"Oh, that matter," he replied hesitantly. "I will have to investigate the cause of their disruption. Such sporadic behavior doesn't happen without a cause."
"Guess you need a mechanic," she giggled.
He laughed at her joke, drawing a wide smile on his face. "Indeed I do, but with the bad also has come some good. After the funeral, I departed to Bikanel."
"Bikanel? What was there to go see?" she asked, scratching her head.
"Ancient coins of course," he answered, with gil in his eyes. "To better market my wonderful creation of Sphere Break. These rare coins sell quite well to those who are enthusiastic about it."
"I played a ton of games when we were in Luca yesterday," Rikku said with more enthusiasm.
Rin continued to beam. "Wonderful! Please don't hesitate to tell others of your incredible victories."
She scrunched her face together. "I'm terrible at it! I didn't win at all, but it was so much fun to play."
"I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourself regardless of the outcome," he said before putting his hand up to his chin. "There was something else I wanted to mention to you."
Rikku gave him a curious glance. "What's that?"
He paused for a moment. "Ah, now I recall. Also most interesting in Bikanel, I met a woman who seemed very much like Lady Yuna."
"I don't understand. Like her how?" she asked.
He paused for a moment to collect his words. "Much like your dear friend, this woman had a completely unselfish manner to her. She seemed very cautious of herself, yet that mixed with quiet confidence. Lady Yuna had a certain air about her that I'd never encountered in another person until the other day. Maybe I'm not making any sense to you."
Rikku only looked at him in puzzlement. She understood what he meant, but wasn't sure of his examination of this person. Rin certainly described part of Yuna, but it wasn't fully her. Then again, trying to put her knowledge of Yuna against Rin's wasn't fair. He apologized for keeping her with his rambling and showed her to her room.
Being a true patron, he gave her a private room all to herself. Not that Rikku was one for lusty thoughts, Gippal notwithstanding, but Rin had thought it a preferable arrangement. She did too, as she knew Gippal snored like a Malboro. The quietness of her room stood in stark contrast to the noisy streets of Luca. A little peace relaxed Rikku's mind.
That peace only lasted for a few hours. Abruptly waken from sleep, Gippal stood beside her and shook her body. She cracked open her sleepy eyes, still not quite conscious. He shook her some more and ripped the sheets off the bed.
"Come on, we gotta go," announce Gippal suddenly. "Soldiers from Bevelle are coming!"
She looked at him with one eye open as he blasted on the lights. "Huh? Geez, what time is it?"
"Time to go to a dark prison underneath Bevelle if you don't hurry up! Nooj is already waiting to leave."
She nodded and stumbled out of bed. Rin stood at the end of the hallway with an unassuming leather backpack in his hand.
"Here, take this," he offered. "It is food and medicine for your long journey."
Rikku took the backpack from him. "Uh, thanks. But why—"
He interrupted her. "My machina might still be malfunctioning, but my security cameras are not. I've spotted a group of soldiers coming up the road. Nooj says they're searching for you."
"You've got to be kidding me. At this hour?" Rikku pouted angrily.
"Sorry kid, that's life," cracked Gippal.
Gippal grabbed a hold of Rikku's arm and drug her along with him. Nooj waited anxiously at the doorway. Rin had a trio of chocobos waiting for them. After strapping up, they were ready to leave posthaste.
"I'll stall the soldiers here for as long as I can," calmed Rin.
Gippal waved to him as they rode off. "Hey, thanks a lot man. I owe you one!"
Rin folded his arms together. "Just remember to leave my chocobos before you enter Mushroom Rock!"
Climbing on the chocobos, they rode with haste down the remainder of the Mi'ihen Highroad. Happy to be able to move with some speed, Nooj wished to thank Rin properly the next time they met. It took them less time than Rikku thought to come to the end of the Highroad. A sleepy Al Bhed attendant awaited them to reclaim Rin's chocobos. From there, Rikku knew it would be a long trek on foot.
From green and lush to brown and rocky, the scenery around her changed abruptly. The long, dusty road seemed perilously desolate ahead. Rikku spotted a fiend far off in the distance scuttling away into the shadows. Watching it intently, she tracked its movements until satisfied it posed no danger. With her left hand, she brushed against the smooth stone face of the cliff. This stretch of the Mushroom Rock Road, especially at twilight, conjured memories of the grim day the Crusaders attempted to destroy Sin. After only two years, the road had fallen quiet again, unlike during the failed Operation Mi'ihen. Visible remnants of that massacre still littered the sand and water.
Gippal and Nooj seemed unbothered by the murky surroundings, as they were focused on the mission to Bevelle. Their destination, and the sphere at it, was their only concern. Rikku understood this, but she also understood these places didn't hold the same symbolism to them as they did for her. Each locale held some precious memory of Yuna's pilgrimage or her adventures as a sphere hunter. It pained her to look down at the road before her and picture Yuna's footsteps. Whenever the hurt swelled too great for her to manage, she would turn her head and close her eyes.
Taking a minute for deep breaths, the anguish would recede like the tide drawn back out to sea, and she would continue on. What Rikku wouldn't allow herself to do is forget, even when life got entirely too hectic. She snickered to herself a little, thinking back to just a little over a week ago when she relaxed in Besaid.
Now she found herself marching through Mushroom Rock. From Kilika a week prior, they sailed to Luca. They had a near run-in with a pair of Bevelle agents. Rightfully paranoid, Nooj detoured them at the last second. Although they planned to pass right through Luca, they ended up staying an entire day to avert the New Yevonites.
In Luca, Rikku got to enjoy many great Sphere Break games. She wished she had the opportunity to tell Rin more about how she played. Even though she lost all the games she played, the cheering and jawing of the city reinvigorated her spirit. Nooj thought it a bad idea to be openly out in public, but Rikku's persistent whining eventually won out. Although adamant against it on the outside, Gippal didn't mind watching Rikku embarrass herself as a change of pace.
Rikku knew Yuna held many fond memories from her journey through Luca during her pilgrimage—something Yuna often remarked about to Rikku over the past two years. She also recalled the story Lulu told her about the Al Bhed kidnapping Yuna during the game when the Aurochs faced off against the Psyches. During the night of her stay in Luca, Rikku walked to the ledge where Yuna had told her Tidus taught her how to whistle.
While at the time she didn't understand why this meant so much to Yuna, she now understood with profound clarity. Rikku always wished she could have been a part of all the crazy things that must have happened to her cousin in Luca. All the stories made her wish she joined her cousin earlier in her pilgrimage. Rikku would never let the memories Yuna shared with her fade away; she would keep a little piece of her friend alive for as long as she walked in Spira.
Her legs ached from all the travel, and her mind felt fuzzy from lack of sleep. Rikku wished they had bypassed the bleak road by catching a ride on a hover, but none were available during the night. As they drudged along, they soon arrived at the crossroads. One way led to Djose Temple, and the other to the Moonflow. The obvious choice was to go to the Moonflow, and on to Guadosalam beyond that.
The knot in Rikku's chest reformed, conjured by dark memories from the Moonflow. She knew this was where Kinoc had deceived Yuna through a fayth. Although how the fayth duped her cousin will always remain sketchy in her mind, Rikku could remember Kinoc's boast. Whatever he did, he made Yuna believe Tidus could be brought back to life by some magic. She could only but imagine the stake thrust into Yuna's heart when that whim proved to be a lie.
Regardless of Rikku's trepidation, the Moonflow remained the same as ever. The tranquil atmosphere, along with the dusky grey sky, gave off a warm and comforting feeling. A couple of pyreflies, perhaps awakened by dawn, swirled around the river's edge. No simulacrum of Yuna's hardship could be witnessed on the surface, but shouts from behind them could. Rikku darted her head around just in time to see a squad of soldiers yelling at them.
"Damn, they found us!" hollered Gippal.
"Come on! We need to get to the shoopuf station!" order Nooj, who limped on as fast as his legs could take him.
The three sprinted down the path through the Moonflow, their pursuers trailing not far behind them. One of the Bevelle soldiers fired a shot, causing the few people milling around to duck for cover. The bullet blasted a chunk of wood out of a bench the Rikku ran by, the ricochet nearly hitting an innocent bystander.
"Are they out of their minds?" growled Rikku. "They could kill somebody!"
Gippal answered loudly, "I think that's their point!"
Rikku wouldn't let herself be captured by Bevelle—Baralai wouldn't be there to help her this time. She twisted herself around and chucked a lead-colored grenade at the soldiers. They halted their advance and leaped out of its path. Instead of the expected explosion, a stream of thick gas spurted from its top. As they hurried away, Rikku could hear a multitude of heavy coughs.
"Nice, Rikku! You really pack a wallop with you," Gippal cheered.
Rikku winked at him. "A girl never knows when she'll need to make an escape."
The smoke dissipated not long after the grenade burst, quickly ending their banter. The three arrived at the shoopuf station before that and demanded a lift. The Hypello managing the station sprung behind a stack of crates.
"Why all the shouting and exploshions? What ish going on?" he clamored at Nooj.
He wasn't in any mood to chat. "Look, we are in a tremendous hurry and need to ride this shoopuf."
"You want to ride ze shoopuf?" asked the Hypello while grasping his head. "Not when there ish boomsh and bangsh all over the placsh."
Never possessing a refined sense of manners, Gippal took matters into his own hands. In his urgency, he grabbed the little Hypello and threw him over his shoulder. Followed by Nooj and Rikku, he hustled over to the shoopuf lift and hopped aboard. He shoved the Hypello into the driver's seat.
"Look buddy, we need to scram and fast! Make this shoopuf go!" he commanded, eying the impending onslaught of soldiers emerging out of the gas cloud.
All three of them, with fierce looks in their eyes, convinced the Hypello to launch an emergency shoopuf ride. He yelped at the shoopuf, and it trotted into the river with as much swiftness as a shoopuf could muster. The guards closed in but were too late to catch them. The three of them knelt to take a shot. Rikku ducked to the floor of the tiny cabin. No bangs sounded; the captain ordered her men to stand down.
"I wonder if they'll come across the river a different way?" Gippal sighed worriedly.
"Perhaps, but they'll never beat us across. So we have to move once we hit land," replied Nooj, his arms folded looking past the water.
Still huffing and puffing from their marathon escape, Rikku panted on the floor of the cabin. Once she felt they were \clear, she sat down and peered around, glancing at all the elegant pyreflies swarming along the river. There were so many of them—an innumerable amount more than at the southern part of the Moonflow. She remembered this little trek over the water was where she originally tried to kidnap Yuna.
During this little hiatus from action, she recollected her meeting here with Yuna. This was where she joined her cousin's pilgrimage as a guardian. Rikku laughed as she thought about her big conference with her cousin and Lulu. It was the first time she'd ever done something that serious before. It felt awkward, especially way back then, but it was the best thing she had ever done in her life up to that point in retrospect.
Slumping back into her chair in the cabin, Rikku sat silently, admiring the litany of pyreflies sweeping across the river. Closing her eyes, she focused on the trill the pyreflies made while floating aimlessly around. Her heart slowed and her body relaxed.
After a short trip, the shoopuf reached the northern end of the Moonflow. Rikku spotted no guards in sight, but Nooj didn't want to leave any room for error. He stood, cane in hand, ready to leave before the shoopuf settle into the dock. They scuttled off of the shoopuf without a word and headed in the direction of Guadosalam. Nooj suggested taking an adjacent route to the North Bank Road through the forest.
"Man it's hot," Gippal commented while wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Guadosalam isn't far," explained Nooj, who even in the heat remained completely composed. "Don't sweat to death on us."
Gippal laughed a little as he wiped the stinging sweat out of his eye. "Did you just make a joke, buddy?"
"Even I need some escape from this heat," he cracked, as he hinted at a smile.
"All I know is," pouted Rikku, who was drenched in sweat. "That I need a fan!"
The march took much longer than simply walking the road, but Rikku found sanctuary in Guadosalam once they arrived. The underground cavern proved much cooler there than outside underneath the wretched sun. Rikku could immediately feel the emptiness that replaced the once-bustling city. No Guado lived here anymore. Only some shady sphere hunters, and of course, the LeBlanc Syndicate headquarters remained in use. What used to be Seymour's villa had now become Leblanc's château. Rikku couldn't imagine anything quite so weird even if she tried.
Nooj and Gippal had no interest in resting for long in Guadosalam and pressed on to the Thunder Plains. Unlike two years ago, Rikku no longer feared the barrage of lightning strikes thrust down from the dark heavens above. After she spent two straight weeks in the Thunder Plains to overcome that phobia, she no longer cowered in fear at the sound of thunder. She still jumped on the inside whenever a big bolt cracked down nearby her, even if she would never admit to it.
The voice of a man called from behind them. "Rammu! Ruf yna oui?"
Purely out of an unconscious reaction, Gippal spun around and dove at the unknown figure. When he realized he tackled an Al Bhed man, he got up immediately, helping the man to his feet. Gippal smiled embarrassedly at him. Nooj gave a peevish look to his partner.
"Hey, sorry man," apologized Gippal. "I'm a bit jumpy."
The man picked up some of the tools that had been attached to his belt. "It's alright. The lightning around here will do that to you."
Nooj jumped in. "He's under a bit of stress. We're avoiding some particulars from Bevelle."
The man waved his hand at them. "Say no more, I understand. Just keep following the path. If I were you, I'd stay at the inn for the night. Lightning gets pretty bad around this time."
"Thanks," said Gippal as they continued onward.
They saw in the distance the inn. Everyone felt dead tired from the craziness of the past few days. They happily lumbered into the inn, and Nooj approached the clerk. He wasn't about to let Gippal spring attack her as he did the mechanic outside.
"Good evening. We need two rooms," he requested, pointing to Rikku and Gippal.
The clerk nodded and removed two keys that hung on the wall. "Your rooms are in the back. Have a good rest."
Gippal brushed his hair back. "Man, it's really that late? I can't tell here."
Rikku walked back into the corridor and entered the room on the left. It was the same room, she remembered, which Yuna stayed in when they pilgrimaged through the Thunder Plains. If memory served her correctly, this was where she watched the plea of Seymour's father, Lord Jyscal. The unsent Guado had given her a sphere depicting his murder by his maniacal son. This is also where Yuna decided to marry Seymour. At least, she led everyone to believe that to be her intent.
Laying down on the surprisingly soft and cushy bed, Rikku hoped that she could actually attain a full night's rest, and not be woken again to run away from gun-toting soldiers. The lure of rest proved strong than her anxious worries. Rikku dozed off to sleep.
The smell of decent food enticed her out from under the covers long after morning had broken. While she appreciated the backpack full of goodies Rin offered her, it wasn't the finest of delicacies. In the lobby, Nooj and Gippal stood around eating and discussing the rest of their journey.
"Mornin' kid," greeted Gippal cheerfully.
"You're finally up," teased Nooj mutedly. "We thought food would get you out of bed."
Rikku scoffed fiercely. "Hey! Are you saying I'm getting fat or something?"
Gippal laughed and nearly choked on his breakfast. Even Nooj smirked at his partner's idiocy. Rikku giggled and sat down on the floor next to him, stealing a piece of his food. He stuck out his greasy tongue, trying to lick her with it. Nooj rolled his eyes.
"Enough flirting you guys. It's time to get down to business," he sneered, half in jest.
Rikku blushed, and they both snapped into a more appropriate position. They hashed over the remaining path in front of them. Nooj wanted to get to Macalania and then Bevelle before nightfall if possible. Navigating the woods would be easy, but getting into Bevelle itself would be a difficult task. Rikku thought back to the first two times the Gullwings infiltrated Bevelle. Memories of Yuna's funeral still haunted the borders of her mind. Just a short time ago, Rikku walked through its streets, greeting mourners from across Spira. Now she would have to sneak in under cover of disguise.
Finishing his food, Nooj pondered their next move. "If we make good enough time, we'll be at the path to Bevelle by this afternoon. Let's pray it isn't heavily patrolled."
"Do you think we can sneak our way in?" questioned Rikku.
"Maybe for a time, but any guards will be on high alert for us," Nooj answered. "We won't have any room for error."
Rikku itched her cheek for a moment. "Well, we can try to steal some uniforms and disguise herself. I'm a pro at it now!"
"An interesting idea, but that would require us to engage the soldiers. I'm not keen on our odds," said Nooj.
Rikku frowned. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Screw the planning," blurted Gippal, defying Nooj's calculated personality. "If we can get past the guards in Macalania, then we'll just blend in once we enter Bevelle. They'll never expect us to be in the city."
Nooj adjusted his glasses and sighed. Rikku wiped the crumbs from her mouth and smirked. As much as Nooj didn't want to admit it, she knew Gippal had the best plan of attack. Slipping by the guard patrols in Macalania still stood as an obstacle. Beyond that, they shouldn't need to worry about being captured in the city. She agreed with Gippal—those guards would never think they'd be so foolish as to enter Bevelle.
Once satisfactorily nourished, the three continued through the rest of the Thunder Plains. They passed the mechanic Gippal jumped the day prior. He waved at Gippal to stop them before walking over.
"Just a word of advice," he warned. "Be careful in Bevelle. A friend of mine living there says they've boosted security in and around the city."
Nooj frowned. "Well, it isn't as if we wouldn't expect it. Thanks for the tip."
The mechanic nodded and went back to his work. The thundering, jagged plains faded into a mystical, serene forest. Carefully searching for Bevelle soldiers and unsavory fiends, they walked over and under the enormous branches of the trees. As the desolation continued to progress in the dying forest, the unnatural calm gave Rikku the chills. During the pilgrimage, Macalania provided their last refugee before entering the bastille that was Bevelle. She also recalled the dive she took with Paine and Yuna into the lake nearby. The sting of a missed opportunity to help Yuna lingered in her thoughts.
Nearing the crossroads to Bevelle, they came across some Guado that had been living in the shadows of the woods. No Guado walked without a sad and depressed expression on their face. The emptiness of the remaining Guado ate at Rikku's heart more than the soundlessness of the woods. Images of Yuna pleading with Garik to spare the Guado flooded Rikku's thoughts. Here they sat, drowning in a pool of sorrow. She wanted to say something but knew it would do no good.
The mission came before everything else. As they reached the outskirts of the forest, numerous guard patrols marched the paths. Nooj knew it would be tricky for them to slip by. Gippal suggested a commando-like sneak attack on a group of guards. Nooj disagreed, commenting that even as a death seeker this was not the end he desired.
"Then why don't I throw down some more smoke grenades and we'll run like crazy until we enter the city," chimed in Rikku.
The two men merely glared at her, then at each other, and nodded. Hiding in a thicket of trees just outside the road to Bevelle, Rikku sped to a narrow clearing leading to the heart of Spira. Nooj kept count of the guard groupings. Gippal and Rikku, armed with grenades in hand, readied for their opportunity to strike. A pair of guards walked uncomfortably close to Nooj, who cleverly hid inside a prickly bush. Rikku watched on at Nooj's unflinching stance, his eyes sharply focused on the marching soldiers. After many long seconds, he noticed most of the guards had returned to the city.
"Go!" he commanded.
Rikku and Gippal bounded out from their hiding spot and lobbed the grenades around the feet of the guards. In seconds, the guards succumbed to the blinding cloud of smoke, immobilized into a coughing fit. Rikku and Gippal sprinted by them to catch up with Nooj, who puttered on with his bum leg. Gippal grabbed him by the arm and dragged him along.
Rushing down the path, they bypassed the guards who were alerted to the situation. The closer they approached Bevelle, the larger the throngs of people flowing in and out of the city grew. Slipping in with a large group of merchants from the south, Gippal mouthed to Rikku and Nooj to act cool. After a few minutes, they snuck into the city undetected.
"That was fun," huffed Gippal. "And a whole lot easier than I expected."
Nooj leaned heavily on his cane. "We made it. That's the only thing that matters."
After taking a moment to celebrate their little victory, they waltzed into the square of Bevelle. Slinking into a dark alley, Rikku dressed herself up like a peddler, per their discussion in Kilika. She felt funny in her, as Gippal put it, cute little shyster outfit. The sun fell in the sky overhead, painting hues of orange and yellow across the homes and shops of the cityscape.
"So, are we sure Leblanc will still be looking for us?" Rikku asked while itching at her woolen costume.
"She will be," Nooj responded. "Leblanc is many things. Thankfully persistent is one of them."
"Especially for her Noojie-woojie," joked Gippal.
Rikku rolled her eyes. "And how exactly is she going to find us?"
"Easy. I told her to look for a Gullwing she recognized, who would be wearing a peddler's outfit," answered Nooj.
With a shrug, Rikku left to search around the bustling city, hoping to spot either LeBlanc or one of her goofy associates. Meanwhile, Nooj and Gippal stood by a tavern, watching her mill around the market square.
"This better be worth it, Nooj," barked Gippal.
Nooj smirked at his friend. "After all this exercise, we'd better get our sphere."
"About that," suddenly spoke a voice from behind them. "That is exactly what we wanted to discuss with you."
The two men spun around to find a group of soldiers standing behind them, guns pointed at their heads. Gippal gave them a vicious look, ready to pounce. Nooj extended his cane out in front of Gippal to halt his advance.
One of the guards motioned at them with his gun. "Come with us, gentlemen. We have a room waiting for you."
