Chapter 18 – Out of the Fire . . .
After taking nearly a month for rest and recovery, Yuna felt revitalized. Her shoulder wound had healed, leaving only a faint, pink scar in the end. It was time to leave the breezy-free life in Besaid behind. She hated to go; she had just become comfortable with the ease of island life again. As Lulu reminded her time and time again, life is full of constant change. Unlike Yuna, the rest of the Gullwings were ready to strike back into action.
Yuna's brush with death, however, gave them a greater appreciation for each other. It was agreed that going in with guns blazing wasn't always the best method. Yuna herself didn't share these sentiments. She felt no change from her nearly fatal battle—at least in respect to life and death. While she knew she should have been rocked to her core, she felt neither fear nor anguish. That mysterious voice she heard was the only thing she focused on. It played fuzzy in her mind, but she held it enough to realize its surrealistic importance.
"Don't give up yet. I love you . . ."
The voice, that of a woman, tormented her for the many days she had laid in bed rehabilitating. Even after she could leave her bed, the voice repeated itself relentlessly in her mind to Yuna's puzzlement. She knew she had heard that voice before. Belonging to someone so close, yet so distant. It made absolutely no sense to Yuna. What voice, especially that of a woman she had never met, could be as important as to tell her she loves her when she was about to die? Pushing it aside, she tried not to drive herself mad agonizing about solving this mystery. Combining it with her otherworldly dreams, she couldn't help but return to this puzzle again and again.
The hope of a new adventure eventually relieved her of dwelling on this unknown woman's words. The sea sparkled gorgeously the morning the Gullwings planned to embark on their next escapade. A cheery, warm sun protruded its bright rays of light upon the beach. The sand glistened, and the palm trees swayed in perfect tandem. The picturesque scene saddened Yuna.
"Don't you worry. Ol' Wakka's got everything under control now," bragged Wakka, waving goodbye.
"You still need to get in better shape," teased Rikku, walking up the platform to the Celsius.
"Yeah, only if you get a little smarter," he teased back, making a funny face mimicking Rikku's.
Lulu shook her head. "Some people never grow up."
"Well, sometimes that's a good thing," laughed Yuna to Lulu.
Lulu held Yuna on the shoulder. "Take care, Yuna. Try to keep yourself from suicide missions, or you'll end up worrying me and Wakka to death."
Yuna smiled. "I will."
"Hey, it was nice seeing you guys again." Wakka waved to Paine. "Come back any time ya hear!"
"We'll be sure to," answered Paine with a hint of a smile. "This place is cozy."
Wakka rumbled out a laugh as he watched Paine and Buddy enter the ship. Brother came bustling up with two suitcases in his hands. He nearly tripped and fell by stumbling up the platform. Lulu and Wakka glanced at each other, only flashing a smile at one another.
"Yes, very good Wakka and Lulu. I have quite enjoyed my stay here. See you all soon!" Brother bumbled, attempting to regain his posture.
Once Brother boarded, the Celsius launched up into the air. The ship's powerful engines roared, leaving a trail of sand in its wake. Rikku and Paine looked out of the bridge's windows, watching Lulu and Wakka turn to little specks in the distance. Shinra wasted no time checking out the sphere waves for a possible target. Yuna stood by the Sphere Oscillo-finder, gazing at the rest of her team focused on their next mission.
Jubilance radiated off from everyone's faces, except for hers. Try as she might, Yuna couldn't muster enough excitement to share in their joy. As she wrapped her arms around her body, she wished the woman whose voice she heard when she fell unconscious was with her. Even though Yuna believed her mind made it up, she wished the woman could give her a reassuring hug.
"This is a bust," he announced with his head down. "There's nothing on my map."
"No problem," said Buddy. "We'll just go investigating. We're bound to turn up something."
"Where do you wanna check?" asked Rikku, peering over Shinra's shoulder.
Everyone stood without an opinion and collectively shrugged their shoulders. Then in parallel, they all laughed at each other.
"Some sphere hunters we are. We can't even decide on a place to look for clues. Man we got lazy sitting in Besaid for so long," giggled Rikku, smacking Yuna on the back.
Yuna let out a huff. "Whoa, easy there, Rikku."
"Oops! Sorry, Yunie," apologized Rikku with a toothy grin.
Paine rolled her eyes and poked Shinra on the head, asking him to turn on the monitor for Sphere broadcasts. Gladly complying, Shinra popped on the screen, finding a messy situation on another nearby island. As reported by the beloved Shelinda, chaos had erupted in Kilika.
"And now, more on the struggle between New Yevon and The Youth League," Shelinda proclaimed.
An overlay accompanied by overly dramatic music came on the screen with the words "Conflict in Kilika" and some cheesy special effects. Yuna sighed, not wanting to see more about either of those two factions. She turned away to focus on the map portrayed on Shinra's screen.
"Anarchy has descended on Kilika. Two days ago, another outbreak of fiends from the temple occurred. This time, it was much, much worse," Shelinda reported, her facial expression grim.
She continued, "For reasons unknown, yesterday the guards from New Yevon closed off access to the temple, trapping many residents of Kilika from the town. This has triggered a near riotous situation. Members of the Youth League are demanding answers, but none are being delivered. There could be a full-scale war in Kilika at any moment. More on this at five."
Shinra clicked off the sphere monitor. Buddy shook his head, and let out a frustrated grunt.
"Give me a break. What is with people nowadays?" he questioned over to the rest of the crew.
"What is it, Buddy?" Rikku asked with concern, walking over to her.
"It seems that New Yevon and The Youth League are about ready to pop. And get this—fiends are coming out of the Kilika Temple again."
Yuna's expression grew dark. "You're kidding. But we got rid of the fiends from there."
"Well, I guess there's more now."
It must be Kinoc's doing, thought Yuna to herself gravely.
Rikku fumbled over. "So, do you wanna help? I can only imagine what poor Barthello and Dona are going through."
Yuna nodded. "Since we are the 'Friendly Neighborhood Gullwings' now, I suppose we can lend a hand, especially for Dona and Barthello's sakes."
"Maybe it'll also shut this feud between New Yevon and The Youth League up for once," growled Paine under her breath.
The rest of the Gullwings agreed. Buddy got to calculating the fees while Brother set the course. Shinra tapped into the Sphere broadcasts again, trying to find out more about the situation. Yuna went over to the window, pondering what could be lurking in Kilika's temple. Many possibilities came to mind and all of them gave her the chills. She also wondered if Kinoc lurked in Kilika. This situation felt like his doing. For the long month the Gullwings stayed in Besaid, she hadn't spoken a word about what she witnessed in the Chamber of the Fayth. Every time she wanted to, something inside her held her back. Yuna kept Kinoc to herself, not wanting to alarm her friends. The Celsius touched down in Kilika's docks.
The Gullwings were greeted by as much chaos and anger as Shelinda reported. In the far distance, the girls could see a blistering crowd protesting in front of the town's main gate. The situation had fallen into the spiraling chaos they feared. Walking down the street and up towards the gate, they noticed numerous townspeople plastered with frustration on their faces. A menacing presence hung in the air. A child wearing a green headband ran up to the girls crying.
"I wanna see my sister," he whimpered with tears flooding his eyes.
Yuna knelt to comfort him. "What is happening?"
"They closed off the road to the temple. My sister was at the temple, and now she's trapped there," he continued, all the while sobbing profusely.
Yuna rubbed his head. "There, there now, don't worry. I'm sure you'll see your sister soon."
The little boy began to stop crying, peering up at Yuna's wholesome smile. He nodded and then darted away as quickly as he came. She rose, a melancholy frown appeared on her face, matching that of Rikku's. Paine had a look of detestation on herself.
"I can't believe the Yevonites are pulling a stunt like this," snarled Paine. "What are they thinking?"
"This is ridiculous! They don't have the right to block off the temple from the town!" added Rikku angrily.
Yuna remained silent, still dispirited in expression. She wholeheartedly agreed with Paine and Rikku, although she wasn't sure how to approach a situation like this. Certainly barging through the gate wouldn't work. An idea popped into her mind.
"I think we ought to find Dona," she suggested concisely.
Paine nodded. "I think so too. She can at least give us a better idea of what New Yevon is up to."
The Gullwings kept moving through the town, and over to Dona's house. They climbed the stairs, listening to the nearby hollering and cursing happening by the gate. With a knock, they stood in front of Dona's entry door. She came to the door and sighed immediately at the sight of the girls.
"Well, well, what brings you to town at a time like this?" she remarked sarcastically.
"I think you very much know why," Yuna replied, with a direct tone of her own.
"Besides, aren't you worried about Barthello?" questioned Rikku bluntly, putting her arms over her head.
"That idiot wants to side with New Yevon, let him be stuck in the temple. If he would have been a good boy and listened to me, he would have been fine." belted Dona.
"You mean you're not the least bit worried?" poked Yuna, not buying Dona's dramatics.
"Huh? Right, whatever. Besides, there's nothing you guys can do about this mess."
"Not necessarily," argued Paine. "If we could get to the temple—"
Dona shook her head hard. "Nope, no way you can do that. New Yevon has blocked all passage to and from the temple. Only New Yevon members can pass."
"Aw, c'mon," pleaded Rikku with big, puppy dog eyes. "Can't you do something?"
With a sigh, Dona thought to herself for a moment. "There might be a chance. Listen here, there are two guards at the gate. I can distract the one with my good charm. The other one will be periodically letting New Yevon members through. At the right time, dart past the gate as fast as you can. You'll only get one chance."
The girls shrugged and conceded to the plan. Dona left the house first, but not before fixing herself up beforehand. The girls went to the other side of the gate entrance and hid behind some large crates. Primping herself well, Dona sauntered up to the guard on the left. The girls watched on as they marveled at Dona working her magic.
Not before long, a New Yevon soldier came from the town. The guard saluted and ordered for the gate to be opened. Knowing this was their opportunity, the girls readied themselves for a sprint. A wrinkle in their plan unfolded, as the other guard still had his eyes peeled at the angry mob instead of at Dona. Tapping her foot, she groaned and again tried to regain the guard's attention. She began flirting intensely with him, giving the guard a wink and a smile. For a brief moment, his eyebrows raised and he eyed up Dona.
By now the gate had opened and the path was clear. Paine shouted for them to run and the girls raced for the gate. Even though the guard in the tower noticed them, the girls were able to squeeze through before the gate slammed shut behind them.
"Screw it!" bellowed Rikku, as the girls hauled non-stop from the gate into the forest.
Once comfortably surrounded by the thick trees in the woods, the girls stopped their marathon run. Each one bent over huffing and puffing. Paine wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Remind me . . ." panted Rikku. "To never do that . . . again."
After regaining their breath, the girls wove in and out of the underbrush of Kilika Woods, dodging the frequent patrols sent throughout the forest. Cleverly they hid amongst the trees, even climbing up or through some of the verdant foliage. The hard part, pointed out by Yuna, would be getting up the stairs to the temple. In one of the bushes they buried themselves in, they overheard two of the guards communicating.
"Look here, son. For the last time, here's the password system," grilled a sergeant to a fresh recruit.
"Yes, sir! I won't forget this time!" he replied grievously with a sloppy salute.
The sergeant continued, "I expect not. If there are an even number of guards posted, use the password 'craven monkey.' And if there are an odd number of guards, use the password 'carved monkey.' You got that, son?"
"Monkeys?" he whimpered, scratching his head.
Rikku swiftly muffled the giggling outburst she released; Paine swatted her on the back of the head. Motioning for her friends to follow her, Yuna slashed through thickets of trees and brush. She snuck her way to the temple steps. Immediately a pair of guards halter her entry.
"You, what is the password?" the one guard asked, listening with absolute intent.
"Um, er, it's craven monkey?" eked out Yuna meekly.
"Correct! Carry on," the other one answered, stepping aside to allow them passage.
Relieved, the girls happily darted up the steps. Yuna blew out a sigh of relief, brushing away some of the bits of grass and twigs stuck to her halter top.
"Nice job, Yunie!" Rikku cheered, nudging her cousin in the side.
Yuna put her finger up to her mouth, shushing her cousin. She pointed farther up the stairs, where another contingent of New Yevon soldiers stood watch. Rikku grimaced and hid behind Yuna.
"Hold please, state the password," ordered the first guard of the next group when Yuna approached.
Yuna began to count, but then two more guards walked up with the current group. Paine tapped her foot while Yuna counted guards. When Yuna lost count, she growled and bolted out in front of Yuna.
"It's 'carved' okay? Now stop monkeying around and get the hell out of our way!" she blasted, frightening the entire troupe.
"Yes, of course, ma'am!" one of the terrified guards uttered feebly, moving out of the way with haste.
She glared at him. "That's better."
Paine shoved past the intimidated guards and the girls continued to the temple's entrance, finding many panicking bystanders in amongst a handful of guards. Many of them appeared to be not New Yevon soldiers, but regular people caught up in the disorder. The girls attempted to enter the temple. One of the guards stepped out in front of them.
"You can't enter, it's too dangerous in there," he commanded, holding his hand out in front of him.
"What in Spira is going on?" desperately asked Yuna.
The guard sighed. "A few days ago, fiends spilled out from the temple again. But this time, it was like an invasion force. There were so many! Many of us barely escaped from inside. Not all of my comrades were lucky enough to do that."
"Then I assume you're shorthanded?" questioned Paine.
"Unfortunately by a lot. Since these fiends are so difficult, we had to block access, which diverted more troops to the town."
"Then we'll go in. Leave it to us!" declared Yuna, as she, Rikku, and Paine leaped into the temple.
Upon entering, they found many wounded soldiers laying on the floor. Those less injured were tending to their needs. The stench of blood filled the air. Into the next room, they noticed a pair of partially rusted machina weapons. Tiny mechanical bits lay strewn around unused weaponry. They kept moving, trying to keep the images of bloody bodies out of their minds. In the next room fidgeted Barthello, standing alongside some more machina weapons.
"Barthello!" exclaimed Rikku.
He jumped and quickly turned to face the girls. "Rikku? Oh, Yuna and Paine! Why are you here?" he asked half-startled.
"To find out what's going on in Kilika. And to find you," Paine conveyed, motioning to Barthello.
"Right! Dona's worried about you, even if she doesn't come out and say it," said Rikku.
"I really disappointed Dona. She and I haven't seen eye to eye in such a long time. I hope she'll forgive me!" cried Barthello, holding his hands over his face.
"I'm sure she will," answered Yuna. "But we need to get through the temple right now. Please, stay here and let us handle this mess."
Barthello bobbed his head. "Thank you so much. Good luck!"
The girls continued their trek through the temple. Soon after they left Barthello behind, numerous fiends plunged from the shadows. Much to their dismay and confusion, many of the fiends weren't even indigenous to Kilika. Yuna's bullets and Paine's sword didn't discriminate. Hacking their way through the droves of fiends, they approached the Chamber of the Fayth.
Yuna's muscles tensed up and her heart raced. A sickly feeling rumbled in her stomach, burning its way up into her throat. She knew, whatever lurked in the Chamber of the Fayth was causing the fiend outbreak. Images of Valefor zipped through her mind. She couldn't stomach the thought of encountering another of her former aeons. Her hands quivered at the possibility.
She gripped the handle of the door and ripped it open. A blast of heat burst out of the doorway. Yuna's eyes reflected the fiery red flames igniting off the beast before them. She clenched her pistols and prepared for a battle she desperately wished not to face.