Chapter 11: Luca

In the end, it was Tidus who discovered the trimaran. Rikku was so drained by the whole ordeal that she had little memory of Auron carrying her back to their lodge to sleep. Tidus, on the other hand, was an inexhaustible font of energy, most likely trying to burn off his frustration at the attempt to kidnap Yuna.

Berrik and the Pollendina were nowhere to be found, of course. It provided the Restorationists with a thin layer of plausible deniability. Or maybe it was that Berrik had overwhelming confidence that his mission would succeed regardless of what sort of a fight 'Aaron' could put up.

The latter thought made Rikku feel queasy; despite their numbers, most of the assassins Berrik had sent after Auron weren't anywhere near his level of skill. She could only assume Berrik had calculated that some of his men would die in the attempt – the real reason for sending so many after her and yet so few after Yuna.

Somehow, Lulu managed to work her magic – both literally and figuratively – in the Temple itself. The bodies were nowhere to be found, and the building was declared off-limits 'until the smell disappeared,' or so she claimed. Everyone in the village simply assumed Rikku had failed some sort of experiment again within the Temple grounds and didn't question Lulu's order, despite their grumbling. Only the five of them who'd witnessed the attacks knew the horrible truth behind her statement.

Now she and Auron stood on Besaid's pier, preparing to leave the island as quickly as possible.

"So," Rikku said as she surveyed the racing boat docked there. It was painfully Al Bhed in make, and much like the incident at the Temple, everyone simply assumed it belonged to her. She hadn't disabused anyone of the notion. "If this is my ship now, then I'm gonna sail it to Luca."

"You think he's there." Auron eyed the ship critically.

"That was where Dona and I told him to go. I wouldn't be surprised if he took my order literally and was parked there, waiting for this ship to bring me and Yunie to him."

Grunting his agreement, Auron faced her. "Can you sail this thing?"

"Weeeell… I know how to do it, but it'd be easier with some help. Technically, it takes at least two people to pilot it. Don't worry though. We'll get this thing to Luca one way or another!"

"Well good!" Tidus's cheerful voice interrupted them. "Because Yuna and I need a ride too." He and Yuna climbed up the pier, each carrying a large rucksack. "By the way, Lulu would've said goodbye, but she's passed out back home. She worked hard last night. Wakka's taking care of her. He said to give you this." Tidus passed her a tightly wrapped cloth package.

"Huh?" Peeking inside, Rikku wrinkled her nose. "Taro root pudding? Uhh… here, Auron!"

Auron took the package stoically. "Thank you." To his credit, he didn't immediately upend its contents into the ocean.

"Yunie…" She studied her cousin, curious about her change of heart. "Are you sure about this? I thought you said you were done with your public life."

"I wanted to be, but after last night…" Yuna clasped her hands together, her face falling. "All those people died. They were after both of us. I need to do something about it too." When she raised her head, a familiar determination was shining through, her mouth set in a firm line. "I can't keep avoiding people. You managed to gather the courage to leave Besaid on your own… and you got thrown into the circus that became your life while you weren't looking." She winced. "I know exactly what that's like. I should have been there for you. So the least I can do now is try to help you through it."

"You don't have to feel responsible for me, Yunie!" She didn't know what to say, other than to feel guilty. Maybe Berrik had been planning to kidnap Yuna all along, or maybe he hadn't. What she was sure of was that it wouldn't have been such an extreme assault if she and Auron hadn't provoked him in Kilika. "I'm sor—"

"No." Yuna's voice was firm. "It wasn't just you who was running away. New Yevon has been growing for months now. They've managed to gain this much popularity because I've been ignoring them. I have to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself." She took a deep breath. "Berrik is your fight. But New Yevon is mine. You know they're becoming more popular because Berrik is pushing so hard. People want to feel safe. They want the promise of Yevon's power without the threat of Sin, and Shelinda is telling them she can deliver it." She shook her head. "I need to go to Bevelle. Maybe we can find a way…. to stop this from escalating. Before it becomes a real war."

"Yeah!" Tidus pumped his fist. "And that means we're coming with you, at least to Luca." His smile faltered. "Uh, if you'll have us, I mean."

Auron chuckled. "Just like old times?"

"Even better!" Rikku threw herself at Yuna and gave her a hug. "Thank you," she whispered into the other girl's ear, blinking back her tears.

Yuna gave a similarly wet laugh and returned the embrace. "We'll be okay."

They separated, and Rikku swayed back and forth, bouncing with anticipation. "This is so exciting! All of us together again! But the boat won't sail itself, right? All aboard!"

"So what's the name of this thing?" Tidus asked, hopping onto the trimaran and holding out his hand for Yuna.

Rikku paused, putting her hand on the hull of the ship. Closing her eyes, she thought about it. Then she opened them and looked at Auron. "Her name is the Aspiration."

"Ever the optimist," he replied.

"That's why you love me," she teased. She squeaked when his arm snaked around her and pulled her flush against him.

"For more reasons than merely that." He leaned down and she reddened, hyper-aware of Tidus and Yuna's eyes on them. Auron refused to let her escape. Instead, he tilted his head and kissed her deeply. "I love you enough to have returned," he murmured when they finally broke apart. "And I won't let Berrik hurt you regardless of the cost."

Her fingers tightened around his jacket. "And I won't let you become a fiend." She did finally manage to lean back enough to glare at him. "I'm not compromising on this one, Auron. When we find Berrik, I want you to step back. I can handle him better than you can handle yourself." She swallowed, reaching up to run her fingers through the hair at his temple. "Stay human for me. That's all I'm asking you for."

"Hnn. I give you no promises… but I will try." He gave her cheek a final stroke with the back of his fingers before releasing her and boarding the boat.

Rikku held her face for a moment, willing her blush to die down, and then followed him on board. She stopped by Yuna, who'd covered her mouth. "Uhh… sorry. Was that too gross for you?"

Yuna's hands dropped to reveal a tiny smile. "Oh, no no! It's just that I've never seen Auron with that expression before. He really does love you. It's… cute."

"Oh! Don't let him hear you say that," she whispered back.

"Y'hear that? The girls think you're cute!" Tidus yelled. "Aww, Auron! You're such a cutie-wootie-pootie-AAAH!"

Auron leaned forward, looking over the railing he'd just tossed Tidus over. "Do you remember how I told you to make mistakes?" he asked when Tidus surfaced with a splash.

Tidus spluttered, treading water.

"I'd like you to reconsider that advice. You're not young anymore." He looked up, squinting at Rikku. "Let's go. He can swim."

Yuna shared a knowing look with her, and they both erupted into giggles.

.x.x.x.

To observe that Luca was crowded would be like saying the Al Bhed enjoyed dabbling in machinery. Rikku barely managed to find a place to dock the Aspiration amongst all the other ships; the crush of people invading the city for tournament season was at an all-time high. She was a little bit frustrated at being unable to scan for the Pollendina in her human form, but the harbor was so packed with boats that it would have been dangerous to reveal her true form regardless.

Still, that didn't stop the four of them from running through each dock, looking for traces of the Al Bhed salvage ship. It was nowhere to be found. Feeling uneasy about the whole thing, Rikku suggested they meet up with Paine. The Guardians were providing security for the tournament, and she was hoping Paine had access to more resources than they would have on foot.

Which was how Paine ended up sitting with them at a small café, her iced double mocha latte forgotten. The whipped foam started to dribble down the side of her glass while she stared in disbelief at the four of them, her mouth agape.

"So you're telling me he actually sent assassins after you?" she repeated, her red eyes wide.

"Yeppers! Twenty of 'em." Rikku squirmed in her seat, trying to hide her discomfort. "Though technically Aaron and I only got sixteen."

"Only sixteen." Paine leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "And you say he's coming to Luca now? You think he's going to be a threat to the tournament?"

"Well, umm… I don't think he was actually trying to assassinate either of us," Yuna interrupted. "From the way they were talking, I think they were just trying to bring us back to him."

"Yeah. No room for boyfriends on that trip though," Tidus said sourly, kicking the table. Paine's coffee spilled a little more, and she glared at him while snatching up her drink.

"Well, he didn't succeed. And if he figures out that the four of you are here now, I'm going to need this." She threw back her head and downed the coffee in a few long gulps. Slamming the glass back on the table, she stood up. "Come on. We need to get to the Guardian headquarters and assign you a security detail."

Trading glances, they all sprung to their feet and trailed after Paine, who was parting the crowds blocking the street with the force of her glare.

"Do you think she could be related to you?" Rikku whispered to Auron.

"I'd be honored," he replied distractedly. She realized he was surveilling the crowd as they passed, his guard up.

She moved closer to him. "You don't actually think Berrik would try something in here in the middle of the street, do you?"

"A crowd is the perfect cover for an assassination attempt." He paused to glance down at her. "It's what I would do."

Chilled by the thought of Auron losing control of himself in the crush of tourists all around them, Rikku hurried to catch up to Paine.

"Hey. So, do Aaron and I really need a security detail if we're not planning to stick around Luca?"

Paine sighed. "You're already here. Take the extra security. I need to put out a warning for the Guardians to be on the lookout for Berrik anyway."

There was a shout and a mild disturbance somewhere further from them. "Umm, Paine?" Yuna jogged up to join them. "Maybe you should wait a moment!"

"Why?" As they stopped, it became clear.

"Capt'n!" A rough voice carried over the buzz of the crowd. When the owner pushed through, Rikku recognized the long, lavender hair of the man working the Comm Sphere. "It's an emergency!"

"Faris?" Paine's eyes narrowed. "What's happening?"

Faris stopped before Paine, leaning forward on his knees and huffing. "It's the game! The stadium's being overrun by machina!"

Everyone whirled to look at the sphere dome, which was currently activated. The players in the water were fighting one another, and not just in a friendly competition. The Psyches were on the field and they were going all-out against the Glories, trying to knock the other blitzball players completely free of the water. In the stadium, Rikku could see flashes of light – gunfire – and screams beginning to sound over the roar of the crowd.

"Oh hell naw," Tidus said, his fists clenching. "Tell me they aren't messing with blitzball now!"

"We think the Psyches smuggled parts into the locker room an' built 'em on the fly," Faris wheezed. "Plus the machina were carrying weapons that got dispersed into plants mixed in with the crowd. We were infiltrated by those bastards!"

"Damn." Paine abruptly changed course. "Come on!"

Everyone picked up into a run towards the stadium. As they got closer, the sounds of fighting became clear. The Guardians were doing their job, but no-one had been expecting an attack. The security forces were busy trying to defend and evacuate the panicked crowd. On top of that, it looked like the largest machina were concentrated near the exits. It was almost like they were trying to keep everyone inside.

"Wait…"

Auron eyed her sharply. "What is it?"

Rikku's eyes traveled up to the watery sphere. The Psyches and the Glories were still fighting. "If Berrik was counting on losing some of his men when he attacked us…" she mumbled, turning to watch the machina pushing back the Guardians trying to free the main exit. "Berrik isn't here!" she shouted.

"We have bigger problems," Paine growled, activating her Garment Grid. Black ichor bubbled around her as she donned her Dark Knight costume, her expression dangerous. Yuna had activated her belt as well, now dressed as a Gun Mage.

"No, we don't! They're trying to keep people in!" she shouted, looking away from the dome and out over the crowd.

"The salvage ship," Auron said. "He's planning something with that ship."

Rikku felt sick. "He must have repaired it and put it back… and he's gonna use it! On the stadium!"

"Repaired what?" Paine shouted.

"The rail gun! The one that was on the Fahrenheit!"

Everyone else realized what she meant at the same time.

"Just like at Mushroom Rock…" Yuna breathed, paling. For a moment, shocked silence descended over them. "How can we even stop that without aeons?"

Tidus stiffened and looked at her.

Paine growled. "I need to get that exit clear. We have to evacuate these people right now!" She didn't wait for a response, flinging herself into the fight.

Grabbing Auron, Rikku shoved him after Paine. "You and Yunie go help her!"

Auron froze and looked at her, but she met his fierce stare with one of her own. "Remember what I asked you?"

His mouth tightened, but he turned away from her and grabbed Yuna, dragging her with him.

"Tidus?" Yuna cried out, struggling against Auron's grip. She broke free and stared at Tidus with wide, panicked eyes. "Don't leave! Promise me that you won't leave again!"

Even while he faced her with a smile, Tidus's suit of armor was climbing over his body. "Don't worry. This time, I'll protect you." He turned his head and looked at Rikku. "I've got this. You're the one who has to find him." That was the last thing he could say as his visor dropped down over his face and glowing wings sprouted from his back.

"Yeah." Rikku backed away, pulling her exosuit up as she moved. Taking a cue from him, she let the plating slide over her head, completely masking her face and hair before launching into the air.

Looking down after gaining some altitude, she saw that Tidus hadn't stopped transforming. He'd planted his hands and feet into the ground, growing larger and larger. As his humanity fell away into his full aeon form, she caught a glimpse of Yuna watching, her mouth open wide and tears in her eyes. Tidus's new body was massive, even larger than Eden. He looked more like a walking fortress than a human being. Feathered wings jutted from his back and extended before the dome, eating up her view of the sky.

Alexander. Just as he'd first recognized her as Eden, somehow, Rikku innately understood what he'd become.

Tearing herself away from the sight, she scanned the seas, searching for some sign of the Pollendina. A glint of light caught her attention. It grew in size, crackling and flashing. She dove towards it, but it was much too far away for her to reach it in time. Rikku could only watch in horror as a wide beam of energy shot out from it, racing towards the stadium. She barrel rolled out of the way, feeling the blast singe her back. The crackling energy lanced unerringly towards the sphere dome.

It never hit; Alexander's enormous wings folded down into a physical shield to augment the magical one that formed before him. The ray of light slammed against him, shattering the magic shield almost instantly. His wings shook, the pure white feathers charring and turning black as they burned away, but he held fast, metal groaning and shrieking under the pressure of the attack. When the smoke cleared, though, she could see that the Dome itself was still intact behind the aeon's blackened body.

Alexander can't take another hit like that. Turning, she leaned forward, speeding towards the ship on the open sea. It was a race against time; she had to reach the Pollendina before Berrik could recharge the laser. She ducked her head lower, pushing her limits.

I can be faster!

Her body adjusted with her thoughts, the rotating wheel on her back folding in on itself and glowing. With a flare of the additional jet it morphed into she rocketed towards the salvage ship, the wind screaming past her ears. She could see it more clearly through her visor now; several Al Bhed were re-aiming the gun. And there at the hull she spotted Berrik, his lips turned up into a sneer at the sight of Alexander blocking his target.

She adjusted her speech to project across the water. "Stop!"

There was momentary confusion as the crew scrabbled to identify the source of the noise. Berrik tracked her approach, his eyes going wide. Then he whirled and yelled something to the others, throwing his hand out.

To her dismay, they worked even more quickly to recharge the laser. She grit her teeth, thinking of the people in the dome. The screams and the gunfire she'd already seen. Of Yuna's expression when Tidus revealed his true form. Auron's back to her as he stood alone in a temple painted with blood.

"I won't let you off," she promised, angling herself lower. Soon, she was close to the surface of the ocean, blasting a spray of water behind herself as she twisted into a rotation. The newly-formed jetpack detached from her back, its segments reforming before her head into a wicked drill. She slammed into the hull of the salvage ship at full speed, metal screeching as she tore through it like paper. Banking her flight abruptly when she broke through the other side, she rose into the air and turned to watch the destruction unfold.

She'd blown a hole through the entire ship from bow to stern. The Pollendina took on water rapidly, listing as it sank. The railgun bolted to the deck was unable to stop charging and fired as it came loose from its moorings, blasting a harmless explosion into the water near the shore of the city. Crewmembers scrambled for purchase, screaming and yelling in panic. A few were attempting to repair the doomed ship. Rikku didn't care about any of them; her eyes were focused solely on Berrik. He pressed himself against the wall of the cabin, watching her with a mixture of confusion and calculation.

He thinks I'm some kind of advanced machina? Anger overtook her; she wanted him to know exactly who she was. Clenching her teeth, she folded back her helmet and landed on the deck with a thud. The Godhand formed around her wrist as she pointed at him. "Berrik!"

His eyes went wide when he recognized her. A few of the Al Bhed who'd noticed her arrival rushed to his aid and attacked. She ducked out of the way of one and punched another, sending her target flying into the cabin Berrik was propped against with her augmented strength. Even more crewmembers gathered around her, trying to stop her forward march. Each of them was wielding a gun. They were focused on protecting Berrik; they'd sold themselves completely to his cause.

Her back wheel split into many segments, glittering as they whirled around her into a living shield, blocking the shots being fired.

"You sorry sack of scum!" she yelled. Her moving shield of floating metal shards abruptly coalesced into two cannons that hovered over each of her shoulders.

A few bullets strafed her during the transformation, but she hardly felt them. These people… they tried to kill Auron. Fury clouded her thoughts; the cannons on her sides rotated rapidly, charging just like the rail gun had. The hum of building energy echoed her chaotic feelings. She hardly thought about what she was doing as she strafed the deck, not slowing her forward march while she attacked. The zealots trying to shield Berrik collapsed into heaps of smoking flesh; even the metal of the salvage ship behind them was sliced apart. She closed on her target.

"You're responsible for this. All these peoples' deaths," she hissed, slamming her arm under Berrik's chin in a chokehold. He didn't resist the attack, his shocked green eyes still trained on her face. "And you tried to kill everyone in Luca, too!" She thought of Auron, his expression fiendish, losing his humanity. "This… everything… it's all your fault!"

She didn't know what she was expecting – for Berrik to beg for mercy, perhaps, or to fight back. What he did was far worse, though – he grabbed onto her weapon. Blood spurted from his fingertips as he clutched the sharp end of the Godhand's blades tightly. And on his lips, a crazed smile formed.

"It's true. It's all true! I thought I was making it up, but I was right! By the sands, I was right all along!"

She recoiled enough for him to push away. He didn't struggle, though; instead, he fell to his knees, his face shining with feverish madness.

"It was you on the spheres! You are Rikkma! Ageless, timeless, all-powerful! You are the god of the Al Bhed!"

The ship lurched and Rikku scooted away from him, shaken. "You're insane!"

"My goddess!" he cried, catching his balance and running towards her. She leapt to meet him, her arm pulled back. When he tried to close around her for an embrace, she made sure her fist went through his chest.

He smiled, grabbing onto her, blood bubbling out of his mouth. "You… chose… me," he crooned.

She pulled away with a wet squelch, unease filling her. "Sicko," she growled, kicking him off and rising into the air. "You can't hurt anyone else anymore!"

He collapsed onto the deck, his expression going slack as he bled out. His body slid into the water with a soft plip alongside the rest of the ship, his lifeless eyes still trained on her until the end.

.x.x.x.

Luca was in chaos when Rikku returned. She dropped her exosuit and tried her best to blend in with the panicked crowds. Despite her attempts to meld in, though, the people who saw her gave her a wide clearance. A few might have recognized her, but most of them regarded her with shell-shocked looks of fear and distrust. She soon realized why.

Along the way, signs of fighting littered the streets. Rogue machina lay ruined and smoking everywhere; apparently Berrik had released his army along the docks, not just inside the stadium. Alongside the ruined machinery lay the occasional humanoid corpse, just as broken. Guardians were already moving through the streets, carrying the bodies back towards the stadium. Unsurprisingly, the worst of the street fighting seemed to have taken place between the Al Bhed themselves. The blond, green-eyed residents of Luca were possibly the ones most motivated to stop Berrik's Al Bhed incursion, and the casualties among them were also the greatest. Her heart ached as she passed them by.

The closer she got to the dome the more the crowd swelled, rather than thinning. It was soon apparent why. Yuna stood in the middle of the plaza, dancing a Sending. Many of the living watching her had fallen to their knees, their faces shining with hope and performing the symbol of Yevon as they bowed. Paine and a handful of her Guardians were nearby, monitoring Yuna and her audience. It looked like things were once again under control in the stadium. Unsurprisingly, Auron and Tidus were nowhere to be found.

Easing her way to Paine's side, she leaned in. "What's going on?"

"Yuna made history again," Paine told her under her breath. "She summoned the aeon that saved our bacon. Any news on Berrik?"

"I saw it with my own eyes," she said truthfully. "He was gonna fire on the stadium again, but the gun came lose and hit his own ship instead. They sunk themselves." That was the lie. "He really did make his own fate in the end."

Paine snorted. "He was so eager to kill the rest of us that he accidently shot himself in the proverbial foot? That'd almost be poetic, if it weren't for all the people he managed to hurt here." Her eyes focused on Rikku. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Seeing so many of your people die."

Rikku ducked her head. "I'm not exactly fine with it. But… they kinda wanted to become sacrifices, you know? They chose to be blind and completely believed in whatever Berrik was feeding them, just like those fanatics in the stadium. Those blitzball players would've been blown up alongside the rest of us."

"Tell me about it," Paine groaned. "Not all of them were really Psyches, either. They incapacitated their non-Restorationist teammates and took over the match." She cupped a hand behind her neck and twisted; it cracked loudly. "I don't even know what to do with the survivors. Jail time? Therapy? Send them all to the Machine Faction and let Gippal deal with them?" Her eyes narrowed. "Actually, I'll get in touch with Gippal after this. Even with Berrik gone, we still need to march on Djose now. The rest of Spira was watching here, and everyone's going to want payback. It'll be better if I can join hands with the Machine Faction before the world converts back to Yevon and starts demanding Al Bhed blood again." She let out a tired sigh. "I'm sorry, Rikku. I wish it hadn't come to this."

A collective sigh escaped the crowd, and Rikku looked up in time to see Yuna's dance come to an end. Paine motioned for two of the Guardians standing next to her to flank Yuna as the crowd swarmed around the summoner.

"By the way… you're not freaked out by Yuna calling an aeon?" she whispered as they watched from the sidelines.

"If there's one thing Yuna taught me, it's that there's always more to a story than meets the eye. Besides, you know I was a reporter before I became a soldier. I observe details. Look for patterns. Then use those skills to make strategies." She glanced at Rikku. "Aaron and Tidus aren't here, by the way. They're inside."

Rikku felt her face flushing, nodding casually. "Really. Maybe I should…" She thumbed over her shoulder, trying to step away.

"Your partner wields the Masamune."

Freezing, Rikku winced. Of course. Paine was one of the biggest sword nerds out there. "Oh yeah?"

"Don't oh yeah me." Paine glared at her. "I thought we were friends, Rikku. You were a Dark Knight once too. I know that sword. Is he who I think he is?"

Rikku bit her lip. "If I said yeah, are you gonna send the Guardians after him?"

Paine stared at her for a long while. Then she snorted. "Why would I do that? I have more important problems to deal with. Besides, Yuna is right there. If she hasn't Sent him yet, then there must be a good reason he's still around."

"Really?" She kept her tone light, but her heart was in her throat. She'd always joked about losing respect points, but if she was honest about it Rikku didn't want to have to choose between loving Auron and remaining friends with Paine.

"I won't lie and say I'm comfortable about any of this, but your messed up love life is the last thing on my priority list right now. Besides, Yuna's husband is a freaking flying fortress. Let's face it. Brother is the most normal person in your entire family."

The murmurs of the crowd rose in volume as people jostled around Yuna with cries of "Lady Yuna!" and "High Summoner!" Paine's assigned escorts were beginning to look harried.

Paine pinched the bridge of her nose, once again making Rikku wonder if she was related to Auron somehow. "I swear. If it's not one thing, it's another. Go to the locker room in the left wing. Your weirdo friends are recuperating there. Grab them and get out of here while you can. I'll explain everything to Yuna. You can meet up again later when things have cooled down." She leaned over and gave Rikku a brief hug. "Be careful. It's not a good time to be an Al Bhed in Luca right now."

"Yeah. We'll lay low for a little. You be careful too."

"Right. Get lost." With a sigh, Paine turned away and drove herself into the crowd of newly-converted Yevonites, raising her voice. "Okay! Break it up! Back off of Lady Yuna before I get violent!"

Seeing an opportunity, Rikku beat a hasty retreat into the stadium. There were still some stragglers evacuating, but for the most part the lobby was filled with Guardians running back and forth, trying to do their jobs. The stares she received were significantly less hostile than the ones on the streets outside.

She hurried to the locker room – the one the Psyches had been using, she noted – and burst through the door. Auron was kneeling next to Tidus, who was stretched out over a bench on his stomach. Auron's hands were spread over Tidus's shoulders, glowing with the tell-tale signs of a Cure.

"Oww!" Tidus groaned miserably, his face buried into his arms. "Can't you be a little more careful? That hurts!"

"You're the one who chose to turn Yuna into a living saint. Again." Auron gave Tidus a none-too-gentle shove before rising to his feet. "You really couldn't find another way?"

Tidus sat up, rolling his shoulders with a wince. "Look, it worked, didn't it?" He gestured around the room. "No exploding blitzball stadium! I call that a win!" He paused mid-wave as he spotted Rikku. "You're back! What happened to Berrik?"

"I found the Pollendina and sunk it. Berrik's dead." She clenched her teeth. "But this is still a total mess. People out there are making the sign of Yevon again! To Yunie!"

Auron expelled a long breath. "Yuna decided to play along to protect Tidus. Not many people saw what really happened in the heat of the moment. They merely attached the appearance of that winged fortress to Yuna's presence." He looked between them. "Someone very likely saw one or the both of you transform. We need to get out of Luca before people start asking questions."

Rikku nodded. "That's what Paine said. We have to go." As she spoke, she adjusted her hair and eyes to a nondescript brown. Auron frowned at her, but didn't argue. She planted her hands on her hips and looked at Tidus. "Hey. You too."

Tidus slumped over the bench, crossing his arms petulantly. "I don't want to leave Yuna. Especially not now!"

"You should have thought of that before you revealed yourself to the entire world," Auron told him.

Rikku winced, feeling some sympathy for Tidus. "Hey, lighten up. He saved everyone from that blast. And it looks like you guys managed to mop up in here too. We all did what we had to. Berrik didn't exactly give us a choice!"

Auron's jaw worked as he clenched his teeth. After a moment, he relaxed slightly. "You're right. What's done is done." He put his hand on Tidus's shoulder. "There were no good calls. But you made the right one."

Tidus nodded, then leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands. "Yuna," he mumbled. Standing up, he walked over to one of the mirrors, staring at his reflection. After a moment, his hair lengthened and turned a dark shade of brown. He stared for a moment longer, then grimaced. "I look like my old man."

"Your head isn't nearly big enough," Auron told him.

"Oh, uh… by the way, Paine knows about you," Rikku told Auron, who looked unsurprised. "She's okay with it. For the moment, at least. But, yeah. With all the Sending Yunie still has to do, now might be a great time to leave." She thought of the shifting, illusory borders of Macalania Forest. "If we can reach Macalania, Jecht can protect us." The words left her mouth reluctantly; Auron had only promised to stay by her side until then. Her hope to delay the trip back had been crushed, and the eidolon stone she was carrying felt heavy in her pouch.

Auron looked at her for a long moment, clearly searching to see if she'd come up with any new ideas for him since they'd last spoken. She shook her head slightly, and a weary, mirthless smile formed on his face. Then he rose to his feet. "Fine. Let's get out of here." He made for the door without looking back at her.

Tidus followed after him, just as somber. "Great. Jecht's in Macalania, huh? Bet he'll be real happy to see me." His tone was laced with bitter sarcasm.

Rikku hung back, feeling too jittery to follow just yet. She jumped as she caught sight of herself in the mirror – with her brown hair and eyes she looked like a stranger even to herself. Reaching out, she touched the foreign reflection, her lips pursing at the brown eyes staring back at her.

Being forced into deadly combat wasn't that great of a surprise; her precarious escape down the icy path leading away from Macalania Temple while being actively hunted by Seymour's personal guards at the tender age of fifteen still gave her the occasional nightmare, to say nothing of the way Berrik's goons had thrown themselves at Auron. Still, it'd been several years since she'd had to personally get her own hands dirty; to actually kill people, rather than simply knock them out while fighting. More than that, it was the first time she was forced to slaughter other Al Bhed. And all because they believed a little too much in her – or at least, what Berrik had made her family out to be.

Anger clouded her judgement on the salvage ship; now though, as she looked at the stranger in the mirror, the faces of those she'd felled returned to haunt her. Even Berrik's dull-eyed stare as he disappeared into the ocean's depths made her shudder.

She shut her eyes and dug the heels of her palms into them, allowing herself to succumb to a moment of miserable self-pity. But only for that one moment. Lifting her head, she met the gaze of her other self and in a flare of defiance, changed her irises back to an unmistakable Al Bhed green. "We'll get through this. I won't let anyone write my endings for me anymore." Exhaling deeply, she squared her shoulders and gave herself a nod of encouragement. "Come on. You're Eden now. You can do things the old Rikku never even would've dreamed of. You've got this." Pushing down her gnawing doubts, she held her head high and forced herself to stride out of the room with a confidence that might not have been entirely real.

A/N: When Auron warns Tidus not to make mistakes anymore, he's referencing some dialogue that you might have missed in FFX in you didn't ride next to Auron on the snowmobile to Macalania Temple. That particular snippet of conversation goes like this:

Auron: "Make mistakes."
Tidus: "Huh?"
Auron: "That's what youth is for after all. Do not waste it."

Rikku and Berrik speaking in italics is all in Al Bhed; it was just too much dialogue to bother translating without it getting annoying.