14: Bevelle

"You know, you don't have to come with me." Tidus shrugged his shoulders, his wings exploding into existence from his back in a rain of golden feathers. Shaking them out, he crossed his arms. "I can handle myself."

"That was never in doubt," Auron replied. "But you aren't the only one who wants to see Yuna."

"Yeah," Rikku agreed, checking over her exosuit. She danced in place, her back wheel whirring eagerly. "I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her or Paine! I wanna see if she's okay too." She stopped hopping to track Jecht with her eyes. "So hurry it up already! Carbuncle will be fine without you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Jecht, who was kneeling by the tiny eidolon, gave it a final pat on the head. "You got this?" he asked it.

Carbuncle stood on its hind legs and yipped confidently.

Snorting, Jecht stood. "Damn showoff. That squirt actually thinks makin' the barrier is fun." He shook his head fondly. "Look, I promise I'll be back real soon. So you jus' wait here for me, okay? The spirits will keep ya company for now."

Sitting on its haunches, Carbuncle tilted its head obediently. A blue butterfly landed on its ear. Flicking the spirit off, Carbuncle emitted a deep rumble that worked its way out of its throat into a bright yap.

"Alright already! I'm goin'," Jecht said, waving at the eidolon. He turned and spotted Auron, and then broke out into a smug grin.

"What?" Auron's eye narrowed.

"Oh, nothin'. Jus' thinkin' 'bout how you're the only one o' us now who can't fly." He smirked. "Lucky you. Makes a great excuse for your girlfriend to get all handsy with ya."

"Jecht," Auron growled in warning.

At the same time Rikku shrugged. "Well, yeah." She made a point of giving Auron a solid smack on his butt.

Tidus groaned. "Just call your sword before they start making out again, will you dad?" He pointed a finger at Rikku. "And you! I don't have to put up with this when Yuna's waiting for me in Bevelle!" Crouching down, he leapt into the air, pumping his wings.

"I think we reached Tidus's tolerance limit two days ago," Rikku giggled. "Maybe you should ride with Jecht instead of me today," she told Auron.

Auron grunted reluctantly in reply.

"C'mon! I bet ridin' my sword will be almost as fun as ridin' Rikku!" Jecht crowed, lifting his arms. His sword, Sin's Fang, materialized and spun until it lay parallel to the ground, hovering like a surfboard. He hopped onto it, ignoring Auron's twitching eyebrow. "What? What'd I say? Get on here, ya stiff!"

Auron took a careful step onto the sword, grabbing on to Jecht to steady himself. He shifted his weight a few times, finding his balance.

"You'll be fine," Rikku said, the first inklings of misgiving niggling at her. Jecht's far-too-calm expression set off the warning bells in her head. "He'll be fine, right?"

"'Course! You good, Auron?"

"I'm regretting this decision alrea-" His words cut off in a whoosh as Jecht twisted his feet, sending the sword airborne over the treetops in a dizzying spiral. Overhead, she heard Auron's angry yell and Jecht's excited whoop.

Shaking her head, Rikku launched herself into the air after them.

.x.x.x.

"Wow! I didn't realize Bevelle had gotten so big!" Rikku gaped at the sprawling metropolis that glittered like a jewel on the coastline. Even under the cover of night, it was unmistakable; torches and machina lights alike mixed together to brightly illuminate the city. Its walls had slowly expanded outwards as the population burgeoned, pushing both forwards into the bay and back towards the mainland.

Despite being the former seat of the Church of Yevon, it was still a sight for sore eyes. It had taken them two days of hard travel to reach Bevelle. They'd flown over the bay rather than taking the well-traveled pathways from the forest into the city. Rikku knew she could have shortened their journey significantly by transporting everyone as Eden, but she was wary of transforming after the fiasco in Luca. It wouldn't matter if Eden was assumed to be a new Al Bhed airship or another ancient aeon returning to Spira; being spotted in her final form while the rest of the world was on high alert simply wasn't worth the risk. Her real goal was to reach Zanarkand with Auron and Jecht as quickly as possible, and getting caught up in messy rumors wouldn't help.

"Look! The Celsius is here. Yuna must be close!" Tidus pointed at the unmistakable red airship docked near the top of the palace.

"Yeah. Even if Paine didn't ask him, I'm sure Brother would've come running to rescue Yunie as soon as he heard about Luca." Rikku glanced at Tidus. "He's gonna stick to her like glue now, you know. He gets pretty clingy when he thinks he might lose someone he loves. Take it from somebody who's already experienced it."

"For once I'm actually grateful." Tidus's face fell. "I should've been the one who was there for her, though."

"You were, and as a result you were badly injured," Auron told him. "If you had been recognized as the aeon protecting Luca, you might have become a liability to Yuna." He scanned the city, pointing towards a darkened portion of it. "We can land there."

"Oy, ain't that where Braska's old haunt used to be? I'd recognize his rooftop anywhere!" At Auron's grunt of assent, Jecht took the lead. They drew closer to the ramshackle neighborhood. Unlike the rest of the city, the slum of Bevelle was much less well-lit. Opting for stealth, they landed as silently as possible on one of the more dilapidated buildings.

Once the sword, exosuit, and wings had vanished, Tidus circled around the edge of the derelict roof, scratching his head. "Yuna used to live here? It's so…"

Rikku made her way to the corroded roof access and began working on the lock, which was rusted shut. "Crummy?"

"Braska, Yuna and I lived in poverty for many years thanks to the tender mercies of the Church," Auron explained. "I would be surprised if anyone realized it today. This was yet another truth that became buried under the weight of myth."

"Oi! Look Auron, the spot where ya busted the floor tryin' ta off me is still there!" Jecht said triumphantly, pointing at a crack in the tiling.

Auron winced. "I wasn't trying to end your life—"

"Just make it miserable," Rikku chimed in from where she was still struggling with the lock. The tumblers wouldn't budge, and she gave up after a few more futile tries. "Forget it." Summoning her Godhand, she knocked the mangled excuse for a lock off of the door completely with a quick strike. Waving away her weapon, she reached in through the hole and unlatched it. "Here you go!"

"Thank you," Auron told her, making his way towards the door.

Jecht trailed after him eagerly. "'Ey, you think we can take a peek at Braska's old apartment?"

"No."

"Aww, c'mon Auron, what's the harm?"

"Apart from the harm breaking and entering in the middle of the night might do to the people who now live there?" Auron grumbled, continuing down the stairs.

Rikku shook her head and looked over her shoulder. "Hey, are you coming?" she asked Tidus.

Jogging over, Tidus took a look at the mangled door and raised his eyebrows. "Were you always this subtle back then, too? You must be pretty lucky. I'm surprised no one ever caught on to you!"

"Yeah." She laughed uncomfortably, thinking of Berrik and the cult he'd managed to build around the old sphere recordings he'd found of her time as Rikkma. "Maybe I'm not as lucky as you think."

Tidus frowned, but she waved him in and shut the door behind them. They crept down the stairs in silence; even with the relative inattention the slums drew, no one wanted to take their chances by waking the building's current residents. Exiting out to the street below, they took stock of their surroundings.

"Yuna really grew up in a place like this?" Tidus asked as they moved through the dark, litter-ridden streets. He sounded pained.

"It was not as bad as you think," Auron replied. "Before Braska fell from grace, he lived a life of comfortable abundance as one of Yevon's most successful missionaries. But he was not happy." One of Auron's rare smiles crossed his face. "Perhaps that is why he was able to find me. We were both on paths to wealth, power, and success… and yet neither of us was satisfied." He paused. "Raenn and then Yuna's arrival informed him of what he previously lacked."

"Kids?" Tidus asked.

Auron scoffed. "Family. Home was never a place for either of us. Yuna taught us that home is where those who care for you await for your return. No matter how decrepit that apartment was, Yuna filled it with love. That alone made it more welcoming than the wealthiest chambers in the Palace."

"I get it," Tidus said, nodding. "In that case… I wanna go home." He looked at the Palace rising above the city, a smile on his face. "I can feel her here."

"Well then what're we waitin' for?" Jecht slapped Tidus on the shoulder. "Go get your girl, son."

They made quick time through the nearly-empty streets, which grew progressively better-lit as they approached the heart of the city. The closer they came to the Palace, the more heavily armed guards they saw stationed at street corners. The first guard who attempted to stop them, however, faltered when he recognized Tidus.

"Oh, sorry! Excuse me sir!" He stepped back and gave Tidus a respectful nod.

"Uh… yeah. Sure?" Giving the man an uncertain smile and a wave, he led them past the two guards who were now ignoring them. As soon as they were out of earshot, he turned around. "What was that all about?"

"Yeah! I don't remember Bevelle being this heavy-handed since Yunie's Pilgrimage," Rikku whispered.

"Obviously this is their response to the attack on Luca," Auron murmured. "We're lucky that Tidus is with us."

"Yeah! You're famous!" Jecht looked proud. "Takin' after your old man, ain't ya?"

Irritably, Tidus shrugged off Jecht's regard. "I retired from blitzball two years ago. I'm not that famous anymore!"

"It's because of Yuna."

Rikku glanced at Auron.

"You're her husband," he continued. "And she is once again a High Summoner."

Tidus's face fell. "That's not the kind of fame I was hoping for," he muttered, worry pinching at his face. "Let's get to the Palace. I hope Yuna's okay."

They made quick time to the Highbridge, pushed by Tidus's newfound urgency. There they were stopped once again – not by any guard, but by a teenaged girl with short black hair and large brown eyes. She was dressed in a long white robe that appeared to have been hastily donned; little wonder, considering how late the hour was. She performed the Yevon bow to them, straightening with a star-struck smile.

"Greetings, Sir Tidus, Lady Rikku. I was informed by the guards of your arrival." She took in Jecht's appearance, lingering on his still-white beard and hair, and her eyes widened. "And… Sir Jecht?" A bright blush suffused her face. "You're still alive?"

Rikku stared in surprise. The girl couldn't have been more than 16 years old. "You know about Jecht?"

"Of course! He was one of High Summoner Braska's legendary Guardians!" She performed another bow. "Not all of us have forgotten how much the summoners and guardians sacrificed to make the world safe again. I'm a huge fan of Sir Jecht, Sir Tidus, and Sir Wakka! Seeing two of you here together is like a dream come true!"

"Big blitzball fan, are ya?" At her nod, Jecht proudly thumbed his chest. "Well you're in luck, 'cause here I am, in the flesh!"

Tidus groaned. "C'mon, dad."

"No! It's alright! I'm honored!" she gushed, prompting another eye roll from Tidus and loud laughter from Jecht. The girl performed another quick bow and then looked at Auron with mild curiosity, rather than the same dazzled awe she'd displayed for the others. "And you are…?"

Auron shifted uncomfortably. "Aaron."

"He's with me!" Rikku said, stepping in front of Auron. "He's my personal bodyguard, assigned to me from the Guardians."

"Ah, yes, of course. Captain Paine always was very thorough!" The girl smiled brightly. "Welcome to Bevelle! I'm Sender Garnet. The Palace is currently closed to visitors, but… considering your special relation to High Summoner Yuna, I could escort you to her if you wanted."

"Heck yeah I want!" Tidus said impatiently. He gestured at the rest of them. "We're all here for Yuna."

"That, umm…" Garnet flushed slightly. "I'm not supposed to let anyone but you in," she whispered loudly to Tidus.

Crossing his arms, Tidus leaned back and glared down his nose at her. Rikku wondered if he realized he'd copied the pose from Auron. "We're family. We all have a right to be here and see Yuna."

"Well… I mean, Sir Jecht is your father and Lady Rikku is the High Summoner's cousin…" Garnet's eyes lingered on Auron, and Tidus frowned. "Look. We're not leaving anyone behind. I'll take responsibility for this."

Garnet nodded, still marveling in the presence of two of her apparent idols. "Oh, in that case… this way please!" Eagerly she led them down the long bridge that would take them to the entrance of the tower.

"So," Rikku asked, making her way to the girl's side. "You're a Sender, right? That means you're like a priestess of Yevon now, doesn't it?" At Garnet's uncertain nod, Rikku scrunched her eyebrows together. "Okay, so how come you're not freaking out about me being here?"

Garnet giggled. "Lady Rikku! Everyone knows that High Summoner Yuna is half Al Bhed herself. Besides, Mister Gippal has been here for over a week now, negotiating with the Grand Maester on behalf of the Machine Faction. Despite what happened in Luca, we followers of New Yevon are trying to keep an open mind."

"So you don't think all Al Bhed are bad? Even after that attack?"

Garnet stared at her fingertips, which were pushing together nervously. "I know I can't speak for every priest and priestess within the order, but… I don't see why anyone should think that. The Al Bhed helped us defeat Sin once and for all. How could they all be bad? They're just people, like the rest of us." She blew out an uncertain huff of breath. "And… I don't think anybody here really wants to start a new war."

Rikku grinned. "Thanks. I mean it! So, where's Gippal right now anyhow? I kinda need to talk to him too."

The girl pointed upwards towards the ceiling. "When he's not in meetings with the Grand Maester or the High Summoner, he spends his time on that airship."

Auron stepped in close to them as they boarded an elevator; he'd been listening in on their conversation. "And who are the Maesters now?"

Garnet smiled. "Grand Maester Shelinda is our leader. So far, only Maester Isaaru and Maester Baralai have been appointed as her direct subordinates. The Grand Maester has been petitioning High Summoner Yuna to fill the position as our third Maester, but so far she hasn't agreed to anything."

"Hnn. They cleaned house." There was a note of approval in Auron's voice.

"Look," Jecht said loudly. "That's interestin' an all, but when do we get to see Yuna? I wanna meet my daughter-in-law already!"

"Actually," Garnet said as the elevator came to a stop, "We're right here—" She was cut off by Tidus, who rushed past her.

There was a clatter as a pair of doors flew open and Yuna tumbled out of them. She was dressed in a long, breezy nightgown, and her hair was mussed as if she'd just gotten out of bed. A flush dusted her cheeks as she looked up and down the corridor frantically. "Tidus?!"

"Yuna, wait!" Paine skidded into the hall after her charge. She stopped, grimacing in mortification as she spotted the rest of the group standing on the elevator platform. Rikku beamed and gave her a thumbs up, approving of her skimpy black tonberry-decorated silk jammies. "Kill me now," Paine muttered as she sidestepped out of the way of a speeding Tidus.

"You know a man's in love when he can shove a babe like Paine out of the way without even noticing she was there," Rikku snorted into her hand.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted, grabbing onto Yuna and spinning her around.

"You're back," Yuna cried, burying her face into his shoulder. Her eyes squeezed shut and her knuckles whitened. "You came back."

"I'll never leave you," Tidus murmured to her.

The moment felt intensely private. Rikku's face heated as she watched the two lovebirds turn to kiss one another, equal parts of relief and desperation. It was like watching two halves coming together to make a whole. Behind them, Paine crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Then, as the initial euphoria wore off, Tidus dipped Yuna backwards and made good on his promise to make out with her in full view of them as Paine stalked back inside the room.

"Oh my," Garnet said, flushing bright red.

"Ugh," Jecht moaned, covering his face. "I'm never gonna look at lil' Yuna the same way again."

Auron only sighed. "I suppose we had this coming," he muttered, turning his back to them and averting his eye.

Rikku smirked and whistled a catcall. "Good technique!" she shouted at them. "Yunie, go for his butt next!"
Paine chose that moment to reappear, this time wearing a robe cinched shut by her Garment Grid and carrying her sword. Clearing her throat, she tapped Yuna on the shoulder, separating the couple. "Alright you two. Take it inside."

"Don't wait up for us," Tidus grinned as Paine all but shoved the pair behind the double doors and slammed them shut. As she took a guarding stance outside, she leaned on her sword and called out to them. "Hey Rikku. I'm on duty. Do yourselves a favor and get to the Celsius before Shelinda finds you."

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Jecht protested, scowling. "The canoodlin' can wait, we got business—"

"Grab Jecht," Rikku whispered to Auron, slamming the button on the elevator controls. She saluted Paine as the platform began its descent.

"'Ey! Leggo o' me!" Jecht grumbled as Auron held him back against the railing. His struggles were only half-hearted, though. "No fair. I haven't seen Yuna in years!"

"And whose fault is that?" Auron's tone was clipped. "Settle down and let Tidus have a moment with his wife."

"Oh wow," Garnet gasped, still reeling from surprise. She clasped her hands under her chin. "That was so romantic!"

"I know, right?" Rikku bubbled, sharing a look with Garnet and giggling. "Uh, but can you take us to the Celsius for now? Maybe on a different elevator?"

Blushing, Garnet nodded and led them down another corridor. "Honestly, the Grand Maester wants to meet with you, Lady Rikku. But…"

Wincing, Rikku nodded. "I know. But I'm not a Restorationist! And well… I really need to talk to my brother and Gippal first." She paused. "You know, for a Sender, you're nothing at all like what I expected."

"Well… for a Pollendina, you're nothing like I expected either," Garnet replied with a bright smile. She stopped at another elevator and gestured. "This one will take you all the way up to the central platform outside. I, umm… probably shouldn't be seen escorting you there."

"You've been a huge help! I'll put in a good word for you with Shelinda when I see her!" Rikku waved eagerly at the girl, and then, after a moment of consideration, copied her Yevonite bow.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Auron told Garnet, softening the usual sternness in his voice. "Stay the course in your training. This world could use more Senders like yourself."

"Thanks," Garnet said, smiling prettily but not looking nearly as impressed as she did when Jecht stopped by her side.

"Say, you want an autograph?" Garnet's eyes widened. She fumbled for a few seconds in her pocket to pull out a thick pen, and then simply held up the hem of her robe. Grinning, Jecht signed his name with a flourish and drew something that Rikku guessed was supposed to be a smiling blitzball. "There ya go!"

Garnet carefully held up the corner of her robe, her face going pink. "I'm never washing this robe again!"

Jecht ruffled her hair and then sauntered onto the platform smugly. "Still got it," he boasted, leaning against the railing.

Auron twitched and Rikku peered up at him from under her lashes. He was scowling at Garnet, whose sparkling eyes were trained on Jecht. Rikku activated the controls for the elevator and then elbowed Auron as soon as they were out of the girl's sight.

"Jealous much?"

"Of Jecht? Hardly," he scoffed.

"Oi! So what if you're not famous anymore? That's yer own damn fault anyhow." Jecht shrugged. "Nobody knows ya kicked the bucket, right? Just turn yer hair frosty like mine an' you'd be almost as big a superstar as me! Legendary Guardian Auron, back in action!"

Auron's brows lowered. "I hardly want to compare myself to you," he growled, looking even more put out.

Jecht shrugged. "Suit yourself. Not everybody got what it takes to be a celebrity." He smirked.

Hiding her laugh, Rikku stepped in front of a fuming Auron and leaned in, demanding his attention. "You already cut all your hair off! Don't you dare do anything else to it! Or your face," she added for good measure. "You get enough attention as it is without being famous."

"Hnn." One of Auron's eyebrows inched upwards. "From being your paramour?"

Pressing herself against him, Rikku draped her arms around Auron's broad shoulders and stood on her tiptoes. "From being a total snack. You know, I wouldn't mind getting your autograph right now…" She trailed off suggestively.

Auron's hands fell heavily on her hips and slid lower as the corners of his lips rose. "And just where would you like me to sign?" he rumbled, pulling her closer.

"Damn. You two drank all that water in Macalania and you're still thirsty?" Jecht whistled lowly.

Rikku dropped her head with a laugh and stepped away from Auron, who grumbled in discontent and only grudgingly released her. "We're almost on the roof anyhow, and I don't wanna give Brother an aneurysm if he spots us." She pinched the edge of Auron's hip appreciatively and winked at him. "I'll take a rain check on that signature."

As they stepped out onto the central platform, Rikku looked up, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.

"Woo! An airship, huh? I never been on one o' those before!" Jecht sauntered onto the platform.

"Well, you're in for a real trip when the sun comes out. The Celsius is Brother and Buddy's custom rigged model," Rikku boasted proudly. "It's the fastest airship in Spira!"

"There are only two airships in Spira right now," Auron pointed out.

"And it's the fastest!" she repeated, preening. Peering upwards, she waved. "Heeeey! You guys! I'm back!"

There was a crackle of static, and then Buddy's sleepy voice sounded overhead. "Rikku? Is that yo—ow, hey, wait a second! Just hang o-"

More static, and then an ear-piercing whine which unfortunately was not from the reverberation of the speakers. No, Rikku thought as she covered her ears. I'd know my brother's voice anywhere.

"RIIIIIIIIIKKUUUU! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? GET UP HERE RIGHT NOW! NO MORE VACATIONS FOR YOU! FOREVER! " The whine started again, this time punctuated by a few loud sobs.

Static crackled, and Buddy came back onto the speakers. "Sorry about that. Paine told him you were in Luca too. I'm really glad you're okay, but I'll be even gladder when you can get Brother to calm the heck down. I'm dropping the ladder, so come on up."

"Sheesh," she grumbled as a hatch on the bottom of the ship opened up. "Well… all aboard!"

.x.x.x.

The doors to the bridge swooshed opened and the first thing Rikku heard was Buddy's shout.

"Rikku! Look out!"

"Huh?" was all she was able to say before being immediately assaulted by a pair of arms that wrapped around her in an overly-tight grip. She heard Auron grunt as Brother performed a classic wither tackle to shoulder-check him away from her side. "Whoa!" Her voice was muffled against Brother's chest as she struggled to return the hug, beating him on the back a few times until he let her go.

"Yuna said you were in Luca." He pushed her back. "Why did you not come with her to Bevelle?"

"Well," she hedged. She thought about Lulu's request to leave Besaid out of the conflict, and started fabricating a believable lie. "We kinda ran into Berrik and his goons in Kilika and just maybe pissed them off a little when we didn't cooperate… so I think maybe he followed us to Luca to get his revenge?"

"What we?" Brother turned his bright-eyed glare onto Auron, his nostrils flaring as he switched to Spiran. "Was it you? You were the one who put my little sister and my cousin in danger? And who is that?" he asked, transferring his glare to Jecht.

"First of all, back off of my friends! Au— Aaron was protecting me!" Rikku said indignantly. "Second of all, I can't believe you don't recognize Jecht. Sir Jecht! One of uncle Braska's guardians, remember?"

Jecht frowned. "Man, I think I liked it better in the palace. Least I had fans there."

Brother pushed his face into Jecht's, squinting. "You do not look like an old man." He frowned, suspicious. "How do I know you are who you say you are?"

Jecht crossed his arms and entered the squinting contest with confidence. "Look here, kid. You know what they say 'bout me?" He switched to Al Bhed. "Superstars like Jecht always look perfect."

" Kid? You are the same age as me!" Brother squinted even more. "And that does not even rhyme in our language. How do I know you are telling the truth?"

"Uh… you can see he's got the tattoo, right?" she heard Buddy call out from his seat at the controls.

Jecht smirked. "Right on! Besides, you won't take Rie-Rie's word for it? Why don'cha just ask my son Tidus then. Or my daughter-in-law, huh?"

Brother reeled away from Jecht. "Rie-Rie? You let this guy call you Rie-Rie?" He looked at her, eyes filling with tears, and then hung his head and swayed from side to side in despair. "You do not even let me call you Rie-Rie! Not since Keyakku died!"

Even though his reaction was, as per usual, over-the-top, Rikku couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Especially when Jecht glanced at her with surprise on his face.

"Oh, hey, uh, look man, I didn't mean ta make ya cry," he fumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Blondie! he mouthed furiously at her.

"Y-you… can call me that too," she said after a moment. She looked away from Brother, feigning nonchalance. "You're my only brother, after all."

" RIE-RIE! " he shouted, latching onto her with another bruising hug.

"Enough already! I have more important things to talk about than our happy little family reunion!" Rikku stomped on his foot and he let her go. She took a deep breath to continue complaining, but hesitated at the sound of the door sliding open.

Gippal strode onto the bridge, missing his usual colorful outfit and cocky smile. He, like everyone else with the exception of Buddy, looked like he had just rolled out of his bed, dressed in plain pajama pants and an open shirt.

"Finally. The voice of reason!" she cheered, holding Brother away from her at arm's length. "Can you talk some sense into hi-" She choked off as Gippal didn't stop walking until he was right in front of her. Without pause or warning, he encased her in an embrace that was only slightly less constricting than Brother's. "Gippal?" she squeaked, flapping her arms at her sides. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up and let me hug you," he said curtly. After a moment he released her, grabbing her shoulders instead and giving her a solid shake. "Thank machina Yuna was there to protect you and Paine! And everybody else." He slapped a hand on his forehead, closing his eye. "Damn it, Rikku. Everybody thought you might have died. Again. You could have at least dropped us a line on the CommSphere!"

"It is Rikku. Why would she do that? She has only air between those ears of hers!" Brother interjected, glaring at her.

"I… well, I mean, I…"

"You're really gonna let that guy get away with puttin' his mitts all over your girl?" she heard Jecht saying to Auron.

"They're friends. Let them be," Auron replied, and when she glanced at him, he shrugged. "I can't say I'm happy. But he does seem to have a point." He spared a brief glance for Gippal, who was studying him with pursed lips. "Besides. I don't feel threatened by boys Rikku has no interest in."

"Ouch." Gippal winced at that and put his hands up. "Fine. Tell us again what you were doing in Luca at the wrong place and the wrong time, will you?" He paused. "And isn't that Sir Jecht? Where did you pick him up?" he asked, nodding at the man in question.

Trading a glance with Auron and Jecht, Rikku launched into another story. "Um… well, you know, after all that stuff happened in Luca, Tidus and I decided we might need a little help and went to bring his dad out of retirement. We came back here as fast as we could, promise!"

Gippal was staring at Jecht now. " Retirement, huh? And here the whole world thought he was dead."

Jecht looked away uneasily. "Naw, man. I just, uh… I injured my funny bone, is all!"

Auron gave Jecht a not-so-subtle elbow to the gut and the larger man stopped talking with a pained wheeze.

"Riiiight." Gippal looked back at Rikku, a wry smile on his face. "Got any other surprises you're gonna pull out of your bag next? Are you communing with your uncle Braska, too?"

"Eh heh-heh!" Rikku laughed, scratching her cheek, and Gippal's eyelid twitched.

"You know what? Never mind. We need to talk. We got a call from Cid a few days ago."

That sobered her immediately. "What? What did Pops want now? Was he calling to surrender since Berrik's ship sunk?"

"Father told me he left the faction." Brother scowled and crossed his arms. "I would say better late than never, but it is more like too little, too late."

Gippal nodded. "Cid hasn't been seen since before the attack on Luca. Actually, we thought he'd been the one piloting the salvage ship that sunk, right up until he gave us a call."

"No way, Berrik was the captain of that whole operation. He went down with his ship!" She stopped as she noticed the looks on Brother and Gippal's faces. "Right? Isn't Berrik dead?"

"What? No. Actually, that's why Cid called. Berrik is in Djose and took control of the Fahrenheit. He might have lost the battle in Luca, but nothing's stopping that nutjob from going after his original goal, which was always Bevelle." Gippal gave her a side-eye. "You can't tell me you didn't notice all the security in the streets on the way here."

Rikku barely processed it. Instead, she thought about Berrik's body, sliding into the ocean. His eyes had been open wide in ecstasy even as he died. She shuddered, and felt Auron's hand land on her shoulder.

"You know what this means," she heard him say softly.

"Sounds like this Berrik guy's a hard man to kill," Jecht added, crossing his arms.

"Don't worry! We have a plan," Brother cut in, waving his hands.

A half-smile crossed Gippal's face. "Yeah. Decided to take your advice after all. Paine and Shelinda have been working out the details on the ground. The Guardians and New Yevon are gonna strike Djose at the same time from both sides. And the Machine Faction's supporting them. Our troops are already on the march, so it's lucky that you got here in time for all the action. We'll reach the Restorationist camp in three days."

"But what of Bevelle?" Auron asked. "If you've already moved your troops out, who will be left to defend this city?"

"Us of course!" Brother said, waving his hands in the air again and swaying from side to side. "The Gullwings are here to save the day!"

"You and what army?"

Brother stopped dancing to glare at Auron. "Do not underestimate us!"

"Naw, it's a fair question." Gippal raised his arms placatingly. "Some of the older Warrior-Monks who rejoined the ranks are staying here as guards. You've seen them on the streets already. They might be getting older now, but I still wouldn't wanna face one of them in a fair fight. After all, they were trained by Sir Auron himself." His smirk spoke volumes.

"Hnn," Auron replied, unable to come up with a reply without giving himself away.

"Besides, Yuna is here too!" Brother added with a huff. "I believe in the High Summoner!"

Rikku snorted. "Are you even listening to yourself? You're an Al Bhed! Yevon hasn't come back all of a sudden!"

"Does it matter? It is Yuna! She makes miracles happen!" Brother replied fervently.

Biting her lip, Rikku fell silent. It was no wonder Paine stuck around; she knew the truth about Alexander's 'summoning'. If people really were placing their blind faith in Yuna's ability as a High Summoner, just like Brother was, then the city was in more need of protection that anyone realized. "I think maybe I need to talk to Yuna about all this."

"There is one other thing. A small detail." Brother coughed nervously.

"It's not small!" Buddy called out from the cockpit. "You gotta tell her, man."

"Tell me what?" She put her hands on her hips and glared at Brother. "Spit it out!"

"So… you remember how you gave me your Garment Grid, yes? 'I do not want to use this anymore,' you said. So you must promise not to get too mad at me, because you threw it away first." Brother paced around nervously and Rikku narrowed her eyes.

"What happened to my Conflagration Grid?"

"I may have been wearing it when I was kidnapped," Brother managed to say, not meeting her eyes. "And maybe it was slightly… stolen."

"Only just slightly?" Auron repeated incredulously.

Brother's ears turned red. "Okay, maybe a little more than slightly. Perhaps more like… completely."

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed the news. Jecht soon broke it.

"Well, shit."

"Are you telling me Berrik has my Conflagration Grid?" Rikku spat out. "The Restorationists got their hands on one of Shinra's original Garment Grids?" She glanced at Gippal. "Did you know about this?"

Gippal sighed. "Yeah. There's something else too. Berrik might have lost the rail gun during the attack on Luca, but that wasn't the only thing he was relying on. The Restorationists have been sabotaging the machina patrolling the roads for fiends. They've turned them hostile. I've got the Machine Faction on it, but we're still having skirmishes with them wherever we try to go."

"You're making it sound like Berrik took control of the roads between here and Luca." Rikku chewed her lip. "What about Guadosalam, then? They're the biggest settlement right in the middle of everything!"

"That's the weird thing." Gippal beckoned them over to the center of the cockpit and pulled up the global map. Spinning it, he pointed out Guadosalam. Portions of the road leading to and from it flickered to life in varying shades of blue and red. The city itself was still bright green. "The Restorationists are staying away from Guadosalam like it's cursed. I mean, no surprises there, right? We're all Al Bhed. But in the week that they started attacking the roads, it's become a refuge for people trying to escape from the danger. Bevelle's forces managed to clear a path from here through to the Thunder Plains, but south of Guadosalam it's a little hairy." He clucked his tongue. "Hopefully the Machine Faction will be able to clean it all up by the time the Guardians and New Yevon are ready to make their move."

Rikku turned around and looked at Auron. He was studying the map, but met her eyes. They both knew perfectly well why Berrik wasn't eager to invade Guadosalam. Sighing, she shut the map down and stepped back. "This has been a lot. You think you can put us up for the night?" she asked Brother.

"No problem. As long as you are not sharing a bed with that one." He crossed his arms and glared at Auron. "You all camp out in the communal room! No funny business!"

"Nothing about this business is funny," Auron replied.

A/N: Brother is 29 and Jecht looks like he's 27 years old, though he did whiten his hair and beard.

Italicized dialogue is probably in Al Bhed, as you might have guessed.

Wither Tackle 2 is actually one of Brother's key blitzball techniques!