Chapter 50 – It is Time

Helping Yuna to her feet, Paine stared at her, unsure of what to say. As the final tears and raindrops rolled down her face, she stood up fully. All the feelings pent up inside of her were unleashed in one, gigantic burst. Holding on to her other arm, Rikku helped her cousin back inside the airship.

Paine began to whisper. "Yuna, are you going to be alright?"

"We're here for you," Rikku added.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine now. The tears have passed," replied Yuna with a smile.

Paine nodded her head in reply, as did Rikku. They both embraced Yuna, holding her tight. True to her word, Yuna did not shed tears anymore. To the bridge of the Celsius, they proceeded, greeted by astounding applause from Brother, Buddy, and Shinra.

"Oh, Yuna you were fantastic! I've never been so moved!" shouted Brother, running over to cheer her.

"It was breathtaking!" exclaimed Brother, "But are you okay? That looked pretty traumatic."

She nodded, already feeling more energized than just a few minutes ago. Shinra punched away at the keys on his console. During the brief pauses, he mumbled something to himself. Paine walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Any idea of what happened? I take it you didn't plan that kind of lights show."

He swiveled around in his chair. "Not at all. I wish I could take credit though."

"Alright, so if that wasn't you . . ." Rikku continued, trailing off in thought. "Then what was all that?"

Shinra raised his pointer finger into the air. "It seems that the soul infused in the dressphere conjured up those images. The dressphere reacted to my sphere screen, and the images burned into it from the consciousness in the dressphere were projected."

"That's crazy!" screamed Rikku.

Yuna calmly interjected. "No, it's Lenne."

Rikku scratched her cheek. "Wait, Lenne?"

Paine smacked her fist into her other hand, "Of course, that must have been Lenne. And those images were her memories."

"Indeed, they provided such a magnificent backdrop to an eloquent song," a voice from behind spoke. "I applaud such an uplifting performance, Lady Yuna."

Everyone turned around to see who the mysterious voice belonged. The ancient scholar, Maechen, stepped down the stairs to the lower level of the bridge. He waved his hand in greeting.

"I am truly amazed at just how little things have changed since those many centuries ago," he stated, smiling at everyone.

"What'cha mean?" Rikku asked.

"If you know something about more Lenne," urged Yuna. "Then please tell us."

"Of course, I'd be happy to. I explained much of this at your funeral. Although that was a dark day, and I would understand if my words were not well retained."

Yuna looked around. "Um, I wasn't there."

Maechen blushed, laughing heartily to himself. "No of course not! As I had said at your funeral, Lady Yuna, Lenne lived during a terrible time. There was a war raging between Bevelle and Zanarkand—fought with terrifying machina on both sides. These were not the cities as you know them today, but I digress. Sent out by Zanarkand to fight, Lenne followed her orders and braved a certain death to defend her home. She, an astute songstress and summoner, was prepared for these consequences. However, her lover was not."

Paine huffed. "You mean Shuyin?"

"I'm afraid I don't know his name. It has been lost to history. But I do know this—he stormed into Bevelle and attempted to take its secret weapon. He hoped, with his newfound power, that he could save Lenne from an unfair fate."

Rikku nodded. "Vegnagun. So all this time, it hasn't really been about world domination."

"Whatever his mind may have been thinking, trying such a foolish task did him no good. The lovers met a tragic end, their deaths memorialized in those otherworldly images we have all just witnessed during the performance."

Yuna sighed. "All this time those feelings burned inside of me. It was the pain swelling from Lenne, her heart shattered by their deaths. All she wanted, all either of them wanted, was to love each other and live happily together. She and I have a lot in common."

Maechen agreed, bowing his head to the saddening fact. "A cold, hard truth. As close as that man was to achieving his goal, in the end, he did nothing. Sad it is . . ."

A tear formed in Yuna's eye. "All she wanted to tell Shuyin was how much she loved him. He was the only man in the world she loved."

The SphereComm began to buzz. Buddy answered, listening closely to the voice on the other end. After a few sentences, he motioned for the girls to come over. Putting it on the speakerphone, they heard an all too familiar voice.

"Hello loves, long time to see—or hear I suppose."

"Leblanc!" shouted the girls in unison.

"It seems you Dullwings still remember me. I have something very important to ask you from my Noojie."

"Nooj? Are he and Gippal alright?" Rikku immediately asked.

"Yes, they are both still alive in the Farplane . . . somewhere."

Yuna blew out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. But, how did you hear from them?"

"Well, I have my ways. I can always find my Noojie-Woojie!"

Paine rolled her eyes. "So then, what did he say?"

"Noojie said that they were close to finding Vegnagun, which would have been a few days ago now. I say if they're that close, we should help!"

Yuna pumped her fist. "I agree! Any ideas, Leblanc?"

She chuckled across the comm. "Uh, well, that's what I was calling you about."

The girls huddled up to think amongst themselves, attempting to conjure up any ideas that they could employ. Trying to help as best he could, Brother injected some unhelpful ideas of his own. Then, a bold plan popped into Yuna's mind.

"Of course! I know how we can find them—down the holes!"

"Holes?" barked Rikku. "Uh, what holes are you talking about, Yunie?"

Yuna explained, "Remember in Kilika and Djose, those large holes in the temples where we fought Kinoc? They had pyreflies spiraling out of them. Those holes lead to the Farplane."

Paine smirked. "So, that's where you ended up when you fell in Djose."

"So love, you think that's our ticket to finding them? Well then, which one of them should we hop down in?" asked Leblanc.

Yuna answered, "Besaid if you don't mind. I do hazily remember one being there."

"Excellent! Then it's decided. Off to Besaid! Ormi, Logos, start packing!" Leblanc's muffled command could be heard across the comm.

Before anyone could speak another word, the CommSphere shut off. The girls looked at each other, unsure if they were prepared to take on Shuyin and Vegnagun in the Farplane.

Yuna shrugged. "When Leblanc makes a decision, nobody can change her mind."

"Are you sure we should tag along?" Paine questioned, folding her arms together. "The last time we faced Shuyin in the Farplane, his angry fiend almost made us permanent residents. We could face a hell of a worse fight this time."

"What choice do we have?" posed Rikku.

"We always have a choice," Yuna declared. "But when have we ever shied away from a challenge? Maybe we can finally put an end to all this."

Rikku jumped with her arm up into the air. "Right on, Yunie!"

"When you put it that way, how could we lose?" said Paine with a smile.

"I see you are about to depart," stated Maechen. "Then I will take my leave. Farewell Lady Yuna, and do not forget the courage that makes you so strong."

He waved gallantly to the Gullwings as he left the bridge. The girls, fortified by the spirit of all that just transpired, set course for Besaid. Yuna took the break to undress out of her songstress costume. She stood at the window by her bed in the cabin, gazing at her reflection. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she felt proud of what she saw. In her heart, Yuna believed that the time to carry Lenne's feelings to Shuyin drew nearer.

Unlike the impossible sunlight shining on the Thunder Plains, a grey curtain of motionless clouds hung over Besaid. By the time the Celsius landed by Besaid Village, a light mist of rain moistened the ground. Yuna grimaced at the sky when she exited the airship, her spirit dampened by the dreary mood over the island. She trotted ahead of everyone else, wanting to spend time with Lulu and Wakka before their trek into the Farplane.

Taking a minute to greet the Aurochs, who happened to be practicing on the outskirts of the village, she continued down the hill. Walking up to her friends' home, Yuna knocked, hoping Lulu and Wakka were inside. After a moment, Wakka stuck his head out.

"Ain't you a sight for sore eyes!" he exclaimed. "Hey, Lu! Guess who's here for a visit."

Lying down inside, Lulu sat up upon seeing Yuna enter their home. "Yuna? I didn't expect to see you here."

"To be honest, neither did I. But our latest adventure led us here, to start with at least," she explained.

"You must be tired from your concert. Why don't you sit down and rest." Lulu started to stand up, but Wakka quickly rushed over to keep her on the bed.

"You gotta rest your feet. I can take care of Yuna," Wakka ordered.

Lulu blew out some air as she laid back down. "I know. Carrying a baby all day is a lot more exasperating than you might expect."

Yuna giggled. "I can only imagine."

Lulu closed her eyes. "You're going to leave soon, aren't you?"

Yuna stopped laughing, taken back by her sudden question. She was unsure of how to answer, as Lulu's tone was cold and stark. She put down the picture of the three of them she had been looking at and sighed.

"Yes. Do you know the big hole in the temple?"

Lulu rolled over, glaring oddly at her. "The one with the pyreflies flying in and out? No one wants to go near it."

"Well, we're going to be venturing into it," Yuna said, giving Lulu a mischievous look.

Shocked by her word, Lulu sat up sharply. "What are you talking about? You can't—"

"Lulu!" Yuna's voice raised, almost to the point of shouting. "Lulu . . . we must."

For a moment, Lulu wanted to yell a thousand things at Yuna. Her face turned beet red, and her teeth clenched tightly together. Staring into Yuna's eyes for a moment, she sighed and laid back down.

"It's that important?" Lulu finally asked.

"It is. This may be our chance to face Shuyin and finally remove the threat he poses to Spira," replied Yuna in a hushed tone.

Lulu brushed the bangs of her black hair away from her face. "You know, you've already saved the world once from pervasive evil."

"She's right ya know," Wakka interjected. "Usually heroes retire after that, ya?"

Yuna smiled and look over at Lulu's round belly. "I know, but I have to protect the ones I love from danger. Even those not with us just yet."

Resting her eyes, Lulu spoke, "I may not understand exactly why you're doing this, but just promise me one thing."

Yuna glanced up at her. "What's that?"

"Just come back alive."

Yuna bowed her head and folded her hands together in front of her. "I will. Believe in that, Lulu. I will."

Walking over to Lulu, Yuna hugged her. Rubbing Lulu's belly, she promised to be around in her newborn child's life. Before she left their hovel, she hugged Wakka and told him to take care of himself as much as Lulu. From outside the hovel, she spied Rikku and Paine waiting near the entrance of the temple up ahead.

In front of the temple, Rikku tapped her foot on the stone steps impatiently. "Man, where is Leblanc at?"

Paine grumbled, "I say we go now. We can't wait forever for her."

"Yeah, you're right," sighed Yuna. "We can't let Nooj and Gippal wander the Farplane alone. Let's go."

The temple air hung dry and frigid, a stark difference from the warm, moist air outside. No priests or fiends lurked here anymore, nor did the chant of the Hymn of the Fayth reverberate in the halls. In their wake, emptiness and silence inhabited the temple. Once a refuge offering peace and solidarity, the temple stood with no meaning. Unabated through the Cloister of Trials, they arrived in the Chamber of the Fayth. Its only inhabitants were the few pyreflies gliding in and out of the hole. Rikku peeked her head down it, seeing nothing but endless darkness.

"Testing! Testing!" roared Brother's voice over the CommSphere clipped to Yuna.

Rikku shrieked at the sudden outburst and nearly fell into the hole if it wasn't for Paine, who grabbed her by the arm before she slipped into the hole. Rikku slumped down to the ground next to the hole, wiping the nervous sweat from her forehead.

"Yeah we hear you!" yelled Paine angrily.

"Okay, just checking. If you need any assistance, we will be standing by."

"Gotcha, Brother. Thanks!" Yuna replied.

"Good luck!"

With that, the girls readied themselves for the unknown. All of them swallowed hard when they gazed down into the void in front of them. None of them wanted to go first. They had no idea what they were jumping into. Even though Yuna had been to the Farplane more times now than any living person should, its form revealed itself anew with each visit.

"So, who brought rope?" laughed Rikku, her stomach fluttering.

"I don't think that'll help," Yuna giggled, although she was just as nervous. "We'll just have to take a leap of faith."

"It's not like it'll be the first time we've fallen into the Farplane," said Paine while shrugging. "I guess it's now or never then. Ready? One, two, three!"

Altogether, the girls synchronized their leap into the hole, all the while Yuna had her eyes clamped shut. For only a second or two, to her it seemed, she fell through the air. When she reopened her eyes, she found herself in a remarkably different place than she thought they would be. Not quite the Farplane she recalled, this purgatory proved just as mystical somewhere in between.

Yuna swayed on a floating platform of stone. Rikku yelped and clung to her cousin's arm. Searching around in all directions, Paine braved a look downward. Noticing her eyes widening, Yuna gazed off the edge of the platform herself. Below her sprawled clusters of textured, stone branches, all magically hovering in the air. She also noticed, at certain intervals, that a burst of flame would spout out of the ground. At the bottom of it all sat a giant, rocky platform. She cringed at the task that lay ahead. This wasn't her idea of what their adventure would be.

"So, who wants to go first?" tittered Rikku anxiously, who hid behind Yuna.

Gritting her teeth, Yuna glanced over to Paine. "Would you care to lead the way?"

"And here I thought you were our fearless leader," replied Paine, giving her a wink.

Pausing for a moment, Paine surveyed below for a potential path. She motioned for Yuna and Rikku to follow her. Mimicking her lead, Yuna hopped a short distance to another flat bar of floating stone. From there, she glided down a wide, twisting stone branch, eventually landing on a round, floating stone. While leaping off the stone branch, Rikku barely dodged a shot of fire. Coming up right in front of her, she yelped as she stumbled backward. Grasping her hand, Yuna prevented her from tipping off the stone.

"Ouchies," Rikku whimpered.

"Oh my, Rikku are you—"

Before she completed her sentence, a bolt of bright orange fire whizzed by Yuna's face. In fright, she nearly fell backward, but herself saved by both her friends. Paine apologized right away, forgetting that she should have warned them ahead of time. Rikku snorted and quickly darted over the gap where the fire burst from.

Another cluster of stone limbs acted as stairs, eventually leading down to the stone platform. A black void surrounded the stretched-out, ovular platform, with only an undiscernible light source above providing any illumination. Yuna walked ahead of Paine and Rikku a few steps, glimpsing if there was anything else around the platform. She felt a rough, bumpy texture on the stone beneath her feet. Crouching down, she examined carvings written repeatedly on the platform. She gasped when she realized the writing spelled out the Hymn of the Fayth.

She stood up and turned to call out to her companions, but a gust of wind rushed across her, nearly knocking her over. She dropped to a knee and shrouded her eyes with her hand. The sourceless illumination dimmed, as a gigantic figure hovered overhead. When the darkness receded, Yuna saw in front of her a familiar creature. Yuna covered her mouth as she let out a terrifying cry. Her once faithful guardian, Bahamut roared down from the black void above. Along with him, a multitude of glowing pyreflies spiraled around him.

Yuna's body trembled. "No, how can this be?"

Paine drew out her sword; afraid for Yuna, Rikku sprinted over to her. Picking her up off the ground, Rikku shifted themselves behind Paine. Glaring with rage at the beast, Paine narrowed her eyes, focused solely on the aeon.

"I thought we already killed this thing?" she questioned, extending the blade of her sword straight out.

Yuna shook her head. "I won't let him suffer!"

Readying her pistols, Yuna stepped forward to stand next to Paine. Flying up in the air, Bahamut flung his massive body to the ground in the middle of the group. Though Yuna had slid herself out of the way of her aeon's thick pillar of a leg, the violent quake his stomp created knocked her off her feet. Paine responded by taking a swipe at his legs but sliced nothing but air. The aeon twirled himself into the air effortlessly, hovering above the stone platform.

Swooping downward again, Bahamut rushed forth, this time targeting Yuna alone. She didn't know about Bahamut's previous encounter with Rikku and Paine. While the hideous, blackened shadow of her former aeon loomed over her, she could only see the small boy, the fayth, who had aided her so many times on her pilgrimage. She ducked under his repeated swipes and fired a barrage of bullets into his chest.

The two tangled together, with Yuna jumping onto his back. Screaming at her cousin, Rikku dashed behind her to help. Leaping onto the aeon's back, she sliced away at the upper scales of his tail. With the two of them holding on for dear life, Bahaumt whirled his body around in the air.

"Dammit! What are you doing? Hold on!" bellowed Paine.

Looking back at her cousin, Yuna saw the regret on Rikku's face as she gripped Bahamut's tail, swinging back and forth in the air. As the aeon flew higher above the large platform, Rikku's hands slipped off the smooth scales. Yuna stretched out to try to grab ahold of her, but she could only brush Rikku with the tips of her fingers. Plummeting down in a freefall, Rikku shrieked, clamping her eyes shut. Dropping her sword, Paine scrambled underneath the aeon's shadow sliding across the uneven stone to catch Rikku out of the air.

Yuna blew out a brief sigh of relief. Anger boiled in her blood. She clenched her fingers firmly around her pistol and fired three shots directly into the back of Bahamut's neck. The aeon roared in pain, spiraling out of the air before crashing to the stone platform below. The violence of the impact sent Yuna flying off of his back. She landed with a stinging thud on her backside. Rikku and Paine rushed over to her.

"Nice shooting!" cheered Rikku, helping Yuna to her feet.

Yuna grimaced. "Thanks. Now, what do we do?"

"Keep wearing him down," answered Paine with a gritty look. "That's what we did last time."

Although not pleasured by the archaic plan, Yuna nonetheless agreed to go along with it. They reformed their battle stances and immediately went on the offensive. Paine led off this time, landing an echoing strike with her sword, loosening the scales on the aeon's chest. With each hit, a clump of pyreflies swarmed from his gashes. Although apprehensive, Yuna still fired her pistols as rapidly as she could.

During her reload, she looked into the tormented eyes of her former aeon. They seethed with a desire she knew all too well. Befallen by hopelessness, he wanted to be put to rest. With each impact, his roaring became even louder and more distraught. Her chest burning and her eyes watering, Yuna felt powerless to release her aeon from his torment.

Getting up to his tail again, Rikku swirled herself in circles hacking and slashing at the aeon. With each progressive wound, Bahamut fought back less and less. The coordinated attack by all three had dropped the mighty aeon down to one knee. His mighty roars had dulled to agitated cries. Merely feet in front of her, Yuna aimed her pistol directly at his head. For a moment, her finger curled around the trigger, her eyes narrowed to focus on her kill shot.

With her hand trembling, she put her gun away and walked up to her aeon. Putting her hand softly on his face, the beast suddenly melted into a docile state. He laid down, curling himself up. Yuna whispered into his ear. Paine and Rikku watched as Bahamut transformed into a mass of pyreflies. The girls, gasping at Yuna's surprising quelling, hesitated to move. The cloud of pyreflies broke apart, with each cluster ascending into the void. The girls looked up until they disappeared into the lightless void above.

Her eyes wide, Rikku scampered up beside Yuna. "Whoa! Hey, what did you say to do that?"

Turning around, Yuna looked her cousin right in the eye. Instead of speaking, she merely nodded her head and smiled. Still confused, Paine looked at Rikku and shrugged. Before Rikku could ask a second question, a loud tearing sound reverberated behind her. A swirl of blue and white light glowed behind where they stood.

"Whoa, that's different," comment Rikku, ducking behind Yuna.

Paine laughed. "I think that's our ticket to the Farplane."

"You think?"

Yuna didn't need to think, as she instinctively walked into the light. In a flash, she was ushered away from the black void and stony platforms. Greeted by a crystalline world, Yuna knew this was the Farplane. The shades of faded colors were just as beautiful as the last time she embarked here, fighting underneath the desert. At least this time, she could stand and enjoy the picturesque view. From behind followed Rikku and Paine.

Yuna lay down in the flowers, spreading herself out, watching the purplish hue on the bottom of silvery clouds floating above. A lone pyrefly floated around her hand as she reached out to capture it. She closed her eyes, imagining it close to nighttime back home in Spira.

"Wanna set up a camp here to rest?" asked Paine.

Yuna had already fallen asleep, looking peaceful among the flowers. A somber breeze rustled her hair. Rikku sat down next to her cousin, glancing up to give Paine a goofy smile. Paine smirked and drove her sword into the ground before taking a seat next to her friends.

"Rest up, Yuna. There's peace tonight," whispered Paine. "But tomorrow will be Vegnagun."