Chapter 48 – The Aspects of Life
Walking along the shoreline, a warm breeze tickled Yuna's face. Besaid's shores held so much beauty in her eyes. The crystal blue water of the sea glistened much brighter than the bland textures of the desert. Merely days before, Yuna thought she would never see the oceans of Spira again. Gritty sand from Bikanel still adhered in between her fingernails. While she would be eternally grateful to Nhadala for taking in a lost soul like herself, the desert was too dry a home for someone who needed her heart rejuvenated.
Even though Yuna believed Tidus couldn't return to Spira, she would continue to live. Hiding would not dismiss her grief, nor would she turn her back on it any longer. A part of her heart would always remain empty, but she accepted that. If Yuna could do nothing else with her life, she resolved to carry Lenne's feelings to Shuyin. Unlike Yuna, Lenne had a chance to reunite with her love. Yuna intended to keep her promise, even if she made that promise in a dream.
Free from the dark spiral of destructive emotions, Yuna enjoyed the warm sunlight and the smell of sea salt in the air. She watched as a lone seagull flew overhead, calling to someone or something unseen. It had been too long since she could truly enjoy a simple pleasure. While Yuna didn't feel happy, she felt content with her new lease on life. With her friends by her side, she could continue to forge ahead on a new path.
When she arrived back in Besaid, the islanders greeted her with more enthusiasm than imaginable. The first to welcome her, to no surprise, was Lulu. Her plump belly made her squeezing hug all the more congested. Wakka and the Aurochs soon followed, who gave Yuna an enormous group hug. Even Beclem recognized Yuna to be a valiant warrior, her return a boon to Spira.
Overwhelmed by the feast held in her honor, Yuna walked in constant blush at the giant celebration her arrival brought. She felt like a queen with the abundance of food, music, and happy faces surrounding her. Amazed that she made such a huge impact on the lives of everyone on the little island, she bathed in happier sights. She of course realized Lulu and Wakka loved her so. They had shared and cherished each other since they were children. The entire village, her home, adored her. Even a few travelers from Luca were ecstatic to see Yuna whole and alive. When they left, they would be sure to spread the word of her return.
"We went to your funeral," remarked the woman.
Her husband nodded. "Ever since you helped us in the caves, we've been truly thankful. Especially afterward when we realized who you were."
Thinking back, Yuna remembered them. They were the quirky couple lost in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. She couldn't forget the constant bickering they had between each other on their botched second honeymoon.
"Without you, we would have been a pair of goners," his wife chuckled.
Yuna smiled, happy to have been of service. It amazed her just how small a world Spira could be, even for how vastly it sprawled. As she learned from the struggle between New Yevon and the Youth League, the people of Spira contended with themselves. Tensions between the factions spilled into the everyday lives of many Spirans. Much of the land had not settled from their transition to the new atmosphere left in the wake of Sin's demise.
In the back of her mind lingered the desire to set it all right. Yuna brought about the "Eternal Calm," and she felt responsible for seeing it remain intact. Though she possessed no answer to deducing a way to lift Spira out of its strife, her heart sparkled anew, and the present offered the best time to act.
The sun began to set across the vast ocean. Buddy walked down the plank of the Celsius. Pacing along, he peeked his head into the hovel where Yuna rested. She sat in a dimly lit corner, reading one of Lulu's books.
"Hey, Yuna," he whispered. "You got a sphere call."
She put the book down on her lap. "Oh, from who?"
"Rin."
She looked oddly up at Buddy but followed him back to the ship. Puzzled as to why Rin of all people would be calling her, she pondered to herself what the businessman needed. Buddy made the intuitive comment by asking how he knew she was back, considering he was a long way away from Bikanel or Besaid. On the ship, she sat down in Buddy's chair, activating the CommSphere.
"Hello?" she spoke.
"So it is true that you are alive," Rin greeted with deliberate glee. "Your soft voice is always distinguishable."
Yuna answered with a grin, "Thank you. Yes, it's true. I'm still here."
"Truly that is great news for Spira, as well as for me."
Yuna began to blush. "Please, you flatter me too much."
"It is much better than calling you the name of a long-forgotten spirit. So please accept all of my flattery."
"Of course—wait! You, um, knew?" she stuttered, shocked by his comment.
Rin cleared his throat. "I should get to the reason I called you in the first place. I'm having a bit of a problem here in the Highroad."
"Problem? What would that be, Rin?"
"You see, something unexplainable is happening to my machina. Mysteriously, for an unknown reason, they have been malfunctioning. Whoever or whatever the culprit is, it has been an elusive task to uncover. I only ask if you could travel to Mi'ihen and investigate for me."
Yuna paused for a moment, thinking to herself. "Well, let me ask everyone first. I don't see why we can't come and help though."
His voice bolstered in intensity. "Excellent! I happily await your arrival!"
"I said I'd ask—" she tried to interject, but the misunderstanding stood as he hung up on her.
Laughing softly to herself, she brushed off his urgency and proceeded to do exactly what she tried to tell him. Back in the village, Rikku and Paine discussed what they should do next. It had been decided earlier by the three of them that they should continue sphere hunting. Following Yuna's model, they sought to heal the ailing wounds of the people around them. Perhaps, if they were fortunate, they would bring peace between New Yevon and the Youth League.
"Hey guys," she greeted politely with a little wave. "What's up?"
"Hiya, Yunie! Not much," replied Rikku gleefully.
Paine smiled. "We were just talking about what might be next for us."
Yuna chuckled to herself. "Well, I think I have a suggestion."
Rikku raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I just talked with Rin. He called me about a problem he was having with his machina. So, he wants us to come and investigate." Yuna folded her hands together, smiling at her friends.
Rikku rolled her eyes. "He's still having trouble with them?"
She and Paine looked at each other for a moment. Paine smirked and nodded to Yuna. Rikku giggled and grabbed onto Yuna's arm. She spun herself around merrily, confusing Yuna greatly.
"Yeah! Let's do it, Yunie!" exclaimed Rikku.
Yuna laughed. "What's with you guys?"
"Oh don't worry about it," replied Paine, placing her hand on Yuna's shoulder. "We'll go help him out."
Rikku added, "Yeah, and I still owe him for bailing us out."
"Bailing us out?" asked Yuna.
"Oh yeah, did I forget to tell you? When I was with Gippal and Nooj, we were being chased by some Bevelle soldiers. He helped stall them for us while we vamoosed out the Highroad."
"Guess we better do him a favor then," Yuna replied.
That night, everyone gathered around their favorite summoner to say their goodbyes. A more joyful exuberance came from the islanders because these farewells were merely temporary. No caskets this time, just the smiling face of Yuna waving to them goodbye. For one inhabitant, that was not enough.
Near the waterfall, underneath the ancient machina from an age gone by which towered over their path, Lulu met with Yuna. The twilight skyline sparkled with tiny flecks of crystal. The shining, full moon graced them with a generous spotlight. Lulu sat down on a rock, her face muddled with relief and doubt. Yuna sat next to Lulu, perturbed as to what could be the matter.
"It's a beautiful night," spoke Yuna, trying to break the tension between Lulu and herself.
Lulu nodded, "Yes, it is. Yuna, I—"
Yuna placed her hand on top of Lulu's hand. "What is it? Tell me what's bothering you."
"Well," Lulu sighed, staring up at the starry sky. "It's just that after the whole surprise of your return, you're leaving us again so soon."
"I know, but I'll be back. I can promise you that." Yuna flashed a smile at her former guardian.
"Can you? The last time you left here, you told me you'd be okay."
Yuna glared at Lulu, taken aback by her sudden, harsh words. Lulu bowed her head, instantly expressing guilt from her sudden lashing.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Okay, I might as well get this off my chest . . ."
As she began, she talked about a multitude of thoughts stirring in her mind. From her baby, which was only a week or two away from entering the world, to how Wakka hadn't come up with a name yet for their child.
"I know he's a little slow Lulu, but he'll come through. You know Wakka, he always puts too much pressure on himself," Yuna said.
Lulu gave Yuna a sidelong glance. "Reminds me of someone else I know."
Yuna laughed and shook her head. "Perhaps, but I don't have to be like that anymore. I may have my pains, but I'm no longer weighed down by them now."
"I'm glad to hear that. I can see from your expression that it's true. After your funeral, I couldn't help but cry—that was the only thing I did for days! There were so many things I wanted to tell you, and I thought I'd never have the chance to. I realized how much I took for granted. You'd think I would've learned that lesson during your pilgrimage."
Yuna smiled, and a slight tear formed in the corner of her glistening, green eye. Leaning over, she hugged Lulu. They embraced for a long time, with only the mellow rustling of the trees casting a hushed hum around them. During that moment, underneath the stars, Yuna realized the preciousness of her connections to her friends. Getting up from her seat, Yuna helped Lulu to her feet.
"You have a baby to care for," said Yuna. "That's all you need to focus on now. Everything else will fall into place."
While the islanders ate their breakfasts, the Celsius set sail for the Mi'ihen Highroad. Brother and Buddy manned their stations with an extra jolt of energy. Shinra, even though he usually was quite motivated, rested soundly in his laboratory. Unsurprisingly to the rest of the Gullwings, Rikku snored away in the cabin. Yuna and Paine enjoyed some breakfast at the bar courtesy of Barkeep.
"So what exactly is Rin having trouble with again?" Paine asked while playing with her food.
Yuna sat down with her hot cup of tea. "Something about his machina. Apparently, they're on the fritz, and he wants us to find out why."
Paine leaned back, folding her arms. "Outside of Rikku and Shinra, what do we know about that stuff?"
"He thinks it's some person or thing causing his machina to break. So, I guess we'll have to do some investigative work."
"Or become mercenaries," Paine huffed.
A sudden thud sounded above them. The two girls laughed as Rikku stumbled out of bed. Her hair stood up straight on end. She yawned as she climbed down the stairs and stumbled over to a barstool. Curling her head up in her arms, she desperately tried to go back to sleep. The laughter commencing beside her interrupted her rest.
"What are you guys so cheery about this early in the morning?" she growled, her eyes half shut.
"Oh nothing, sleepyhead," joked Paine, nudging her half-asleep friend in the side.
"Yeah whatever . . ." Rikku yawned.
A buzzing sounded over the intercom."Hey guys, we are about to land in Mi'ihen. Rin said he'll be waiting for us."
Yuna giggled at Rikku's dilapidated state. "I suggest you wake up and fix yourself up. Rin will think we don't take care of you."
Rikku stuck her tongue out and headed up the stairs to brush her hair. Paine and Yuna proceeded to wait for their landing. Once touched down, Buddy released the hatch and they walked down the ramp. Rikku scuttled up behind them, her hair still partially damp. Marching up to his travel agency, Rin barged out of the door. With a big smile, he shook Yuna's hand.
"In the flesh!" Rin exclaimed, although in quite a strange manner. "It is good to see you're more than a lovely voice!"
Yuna looked down at her feet. "Oh, uh, thank you. It's nice to see you on better terms as well. Cooler, too!"
Rikku glanced around the building, sticking her neck out beyond the edge of the wall. "So, Rin, just what exactly are we here for?"
"My machina are still going haywire," he answered while rubbing his head. "Someone or something has been tampering with their parts to sabotage them."
Paine rubbed her chin. "Who would do something like that?"
"Well, that's why I've called you here," responded Rin, gesturing to them with his hands.
Yuna looked puzzled at him. "So, you think we can help?"
He shook his head profusely. "Yes of course! Your resourcefulness has been my envy in the past. I am positive you are the sleuths for the job."
Yuna chuckled to herself. "Such flattery! I guess we'll try our best, Rin."
A beaming smile formed across Yuna's lips. Even though Rin's detective mission didn't exactly excite her, returning into action with the Gullwings showered her with joy. Paine only sighed, seeing things had quickly reverted to normal. Any slight grievances aside, the girls began searching for clues.
Rikku took it upon herself to turn over every stone she came across, to the agitation of Paine. Soon they uncovered a serious clue directly behind the travel agency. While Yuna glanced at the back of the building, she noticed a shadowy figure dart off. As she ran to check it out, she noticed a small machina buzzing and sputtering. She stepped back when clusters of sparks shot out from it. She called for Rikku and Paine to come, but also garnered Rin's attention from the inside. All three of them made their way to Yuna.
"I saw something run away from this one," Yuna explained, pointing to the sparking machine.
Rin scratched his head, crouching down to examine it. "It appears as if something has obstructed this machina's functions."
After some extended considerations, he determined that there wasn't enough evidence to clearly indicate any one person or thing. Since Yuna never looked at the culprit well, they would have to continue their detective work. This time, he gave them a little handheld device for them to contact him if they should uncloak further clues.
Moving beyond the travel agency, they walked down the Mi'ihen Highroad. Over the rocky walls of the cliff they passed. Rikku loved the majestic view. Being so high up, she zoomed around the path with her arms extended like an airship. Paine rolled her eyes when Rikku made noises like a gun firing at her. Stopping just long enough to extend herself over the railing, she spotted a terrifying-looking creature chasing around a chocobo below. She squeaked at its gruesome appearance and hid behind Yuna, jerking her around in a circle.
Rikku stuttered, "Look!"
Her finger shakily pointed to the fiend still engaged with the frightened chocobo. Yuna darted down the Highroad as fast as her legs would take her. Paine reached out to stop her but missed. With a grunt, Paine raced off behind Yuna down the road.
Still standing like a scaredy-cat, Rikku stomped her foot on the ground. "Hey, wait for me!"
After taking a bend, they ran about two-thirds of the way to the crossroads. The chocobo and fiend were out of sight by now. The girls hoped there was still time to come to its rescue. In the middle of the road sparked a machina, frantically jumping around. A man near the edge of the cliff wobbled, inches from falling off. With fear in his eyes. he jabbed at the frantic piece of metal parading in front of him with a stick.
"Help me!" he called out. "It's gonna eat me!"
Paine drew her sword but Yuna's hand stayed her attack. She instead took out the communicator Rin gave to her. Turning it on, it clicked a couple of times. Rin answered, and his face appeared on a little screen.
"Yes, Yuna? Have you found something?" he asked.
She shook her head rapidly. "Take a look at this!"
She pointed the miniature camera mounted on the communicator at the machina. His immediate vulgar outburst in Al Bhed conveyed his distaste. He told Yuna to move in closer. She complied, carefully creeping toward the uncontrolled machine. Taking just a few steps forward, the machina sensed her presence and darted at her. A spray of lightning-yellow sparks rained over Yuna. Before its mechanical arm could strike Yuna, Paine stepped in front of her, swinging downward with her sword. Cleaving it in half, the fiend chirped and fizzled before exploding. Rin gasped and even began to whimper at the sight of his creation's destruction.
"Uh, sorry Rin. I kinda had no choice," apologized Paine with a nervous smile.
"I understand. But my poor baby—"
"Oh don't forget," interjected Rikku suddenly. "About that fiend!"
Paine nodded. "Yeah! Rin, some fiend was chasing a chocobo around in the old part of Mi'ihen just a few minutes ago. You know anything about it?"
"No I don't, but I'm about to find out. Continue your search. I'll catch up to you!"
With that, he disconnected, leaving the girls wondering what to do. Figuring it was the only thing they could do, Yuna kept the team on the path. At the crossroads, she talked to two guards, who just finished fighting off some out-of-control machina themselves.
Paine pointed to the piles of smoldering metal. "It seems you guys are having problems here, too."
"You ain't kiddin'," scoffed one of the guards.
The other guard kicked a pile of metal remains. "These things are nuts! I don't know what's going on anymore. We should have just kept the chocobos here!"
"Yeah, at least they don't try to kill me!" his companion agreed.
Yuna sighed, brushing back her hair. "Speaking of chocobos, did you see a fiend chasing one around here by chance?"
"Uh, you mean like that?"
Pointing his finger down the old road, the sight of a chocobo rampantly running towards them, with an ugly fiend in hot pursuit, burst into view. The girls all drew out their weapons. Lining up her pistol, Yuna aimed her shot to cripple the beast. With her finger curling on the trigger, a sudden yelp sounded from the fiend. Rin and a group of assistants came into view behind the monster. With long stunning rods in hand, they began to shock the fiend into submission. Although it tried to attack back, the repeated shocks stunned its movement, and it collapsed to the ground. While in its weakened state, Rin lowered a cage around the fiend and carted it back to the travel agency.
Rin stood up close to it, not fazed by its snarling. "So this is the monster tampering with my machina. This, my dear, is a chocobo eater. A fiend that feeds off of chocobos. Yes, I see a hunger in its eye. Amazing!"
"What's so amazing?" asked Rikku for an elaboration.
"You see, this fiend went to great lengths just to get its food source back. With the machina replacing the chocobos on Mi'ihen, it lost its supply of sustenance. And without food, it knew it couldn't survive. Somehow, it managed to learn how to work the control panel of the machina and make it go haywire. Such a tenacious and cunning creature. I'm truly astonished."
"Well, it seems the chocobo is happy to see it caged up," said Yuna, noting the chocobo fluttering away joyfully.
Rin nodded to himself, then turned to the girls and smiled. "Yes, I see the error of my ways. Because of this fiend's tenacity, I will do everything in my power to return the chocobos to the Highroad."
"Sounds like a plan," said Paine.
Rikku turned to Rin and whispered, "So, what are you gonna do with the creepy fiend?"
In a whisper, he replied, "Oui yna paddan uvv hud ghufehk."
"Oh. You're probably right."
The girls accompanied Rin back to the travel agency, the grouchy fiend in tow. For their good work, he rewarded them with a lavish dinner. Yuna curiously examined the picture sitting on the table. It was of Rin and Nhadala, together at Home. She wondered when it was taken.
"I see you are interested in that picture," Rin said, startling Yuna.
"I, um, sorry if you think I'm nosy. It's just, it's a nice picture. Although I didn't think you and Nhadala—"
He raised his hand. "We were quite close in the past. It's something most people don't know. But, the two of us are entrepreneurial people. She ended up going her way, and I mine."
Yuna looked at him sternly. "Don't let what happened in the past stop you from pursuing a future. It's a hard mistake to take back."
"I know, you're right," he agreed to her surprise. "I won't make that mistake. Once things around Spira settle down, I plan to ask her to be my wife."
Yuna's jaw dropped. His honest and stark remark stunned her. Such a bomb as marriage seemed like a risk Rin wouldn't normally gamble on. She couldn't help but smile for him, as even love can make a smart man dumb sometimes.
"When do you think you'll ask?" questioned Yuna with increasing wonder.
Rin smirked, looking Yuna right in the eye. "I don't know, but I think it'll be soon. Since I was a little boy, I promised myself that if I got married, I wanted a perfect wedding. And while that may never happen quite to my standard of perfection, I'll take anything close after what has transpired over the last two years."
Yuna closed her eyes and smiled. Such words rang beautifully in her ear. She understood his sentiment of a perfect wedding, as she played one out a million times in her mind. Not with Seymour, but with Tidus. While hers will never happen, knowing that at least someone else could have their happy ending was enough for her. As the sun began to hide over the horizon, she turned to go to the room Rin arranged for her. She stopped herself and turned to ask one more question.
"Rin, who would be your best man?" she asked.
Bowing his head, he thought for a moment. "My best man would be Gippal. That is if he doesn't get himself killed first. And if he does, perhaps I would ask your uncle. If not, I'd want you to be."
Yuna burst a hearty laugh, bringing her hand up to her mouth. Rin joined in her belly laughter. Then they waved each other good night. Yuna plopped down on her bed, still giggling at Rin's outlandish joke. Thinking back, the only wedding she attended churned her stomach. The mere thought of a wedding driven by duty sickened her. Thinking back harder, she realized Seymour never even had a best man. With such haphazard planning, Seymour shouldn't have wondered why she leaped off the palace. The little joke she created made her chuckle. The laughter felt good.
For a while, she watched the sun converge into the sea from her window. The stars twinkled in the sky, and the hazy grey clouds hung low in the sky like wide strokes from a brush. Stretching her arms out while yawning, she pulled the covers back from her bed. Curling under them, she closed her eyes to drift off to sleep.
On the beach, Yuna sat with her feet splashing in the crystal blue water. The coolness of the sparkling waves splashing between her toes tickled her. The refreshing feeling perfectly complemented the warm sunshine cast upon her face. Colored a bright blue hue with bunches of puffy white clouds floating freely above, the sky seemed vast and unfettered.
Beside Yuna sat Lenne, her chin resting on her knees. Unlike Yuna, her expression shone not bright like the sky or the sea. Her frown cast a bleakness no longer felt by Yuna. She closed her eyes, and tried to remember better days, but could not.
"Please don't be sad Lenne," spoke Yuna to her with a smile.
"I can't, but I see that you can. You truly are strong."
Yuna closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. Alone, I'm weak. But with my friends—then I'm strong."
Lenne opened her eyes. "I'm glad you could free yourself from my pain. I'm so sorry I did this to you. You never deserved to share in my agony."
"It wasn't just your pain I felt," responded Yuna. "I had so much of my own."
"So, what will you do now?"
Yuna paused, watching a solemn seagull fly far in the distance. "Exactly what I promised to do. I'll bring you to Shuyin."
Looking away from Yuna, Lenne bit her lip. "You don't have to. After what he's done, I don't think he has room for love in his heart anymore."
Yuna curled her right hand into a fist, grains of sand gritting against her skin. She held it against her heart. Did she have room in her heart for love either? Those words echoed in her mind.
"Having a void in your heart is different than having pain in your heart," she said to Lenne, still clutching at her chest. "Shuyin has drowned in turmoil for a thousand years. Instead of your love, his heart is filled with anger and hatred."
"What really is the difference?" Lenne questioned, shedding a single tear.
"His heart is filled with bad things," answered Yuna without hesitation. "My heart is filled with nothing."
Her eyes wide, Lenne looked over at Yuna. "But you spread so much love to everyone around you."
Yuna sighed. "I know. I try to spread joy. You know, I've always felt obligated to stand tall and bear the pain. It was my duty—and it was a mistake. Tidus showed me that, even if that wasn't his intention."
"My mistake was with duty as well. I sang for the people of Zanarkand. I marched into battle against our foes. If only I had listened to Shuyin . . ."
Rising to her feet, Lenne began to walk away, but Yuna stretched out to grab her ankle. Lenne stopped, and turned her head back around, glimpsing down into Yuna's striking eyes. In silence, the waves continued to gently roll over the sand, and the seagulls called far on the distant horizon. The two spoke not a word until Yuna broke the silence.
"You can never run from it. No matter how far you think you are from the pain and anguish, it will always be right next to you. Those are the words you said to me. If you quit now, you'll never be able to save him. He is still here to be loved."
Shocked by Yuna's words, Lenne couldn't open her mouth to answer. Her hands trembled and her lips quivered. While Yuna knew she could never have Tidus back, she still fought and struggled. Shuyin, in some form, persisted. He could still be reached.
Lenne blew out a long, deep sigh before sitting down next to Yuna again. The two remained on the beach, listening to the waves lap against the shore. Tranquility and peace, even if it was only in a dream, felt too good to run away from. While Lenne stared off into the distance, her chin resting against her knees once more, Yuna peeked over at her from time to time. The pain ate at her heart, Yuna knew. She could recognize it in Lenne's eyes.
Yuna quietly suffered for two years, and it nearly overwhelmed her. Enduring that much pain for a thousand years was unfathomable. While devoid of the overwhelming sorrow Lenne inadvertently shared with Yuna, she pondered on the lack of anything to replace it. What was the difference between the pain Shuyin felt and the emptiness she felt? That question continued to burn at her until the dream faded into nothing.
