Rikku dragged her feet as she followed her father. "Vadran, what is happening? First I'm on drinks, then I'm on dress duty, now what?"

"You're still on dress duty. This is part of it."

She rolled her eyes and obediently followed him to his room.

Cid's bedroom was less of a place to rest and more of an office or workshop. Sure, there was a bed, under a pile of clothes and papers, but every other surface in the room was covered in greasy metal scraps and tools.

"Ew Pops! Do you ever clean?"

"Not when there's work to do!"

"You get on my butt for not having a clean room!"

"That's 'cause I don't wantcha to end up like me! You can't bring a potential spouse into a room like this!"

Rikku gagged. "Spouse? Yeah right."

"You don't like Gippal?"

"I like him plenty! But not enough to live with him!"

Cid scoffed. "Alright, guess ya got too much independence in ya yet. Maybe ya won't appreciate this after all."

"What?"

Cid went to the corner of the room where a book shelf stood, half buried in debris. He stood on his toes and reached over the very top and grabbed a thin tin box.

"Now, y'know your old man isn't all that sentimental, right?"

She shrugged. He had his moments.

"Well, this is one of them family heirlooms. It was your aunt's, and I got it not long after…after she passed away."

Rikku grew serious when she heard the sorrow in her father's voice. He didn't talk about his sister much, as he had a lot of regrets, and she knew that.

"Here, open it up."

Two clasps held the box shut. Inside, there was faded tissue paper, and when that was peeled back, there was just a piece of very thin, fine white cloth.

A veil.

"Oh," Rikku breathed.

"Yeah. Y'know, because of Sin, your mother and I never got married. We made informal vows and promised to have a huge shin-dig once there was a Calm. She said she'd wear this veil when that happened, but…the accident happened before Braska even finished his pilgrimage."

Rikku felt tears pooling in her eyes.

"So back on the shelf it went. I decided to save it for either you or Yuna. Whoever got married first."

Rikku sniffed. "You better take good care of it after tomorrow, because I'm certainly gonna wanna use it too!"

He smiled. "Really? When?"

"That doesn't matter! Just keep it safe!"

"Okay okay!"

And back to Luca. It's where Auron had waited to unite with Tidus after they were spirited away from Zanarkand. Back then, people recognized him immediately and he had no need to pay for a room, or anything, really. Even when he tried, the locals seemed insulted that he wouldn't accept their generosity.

This time, he definitely couldn't afford to be spotted by anyone. He also needed to get away from the Al-Bhed as soon as possible so that no one suspected Yuna was with them.

He'd feel awful if Home's location was revealed because of them.

Auron had been an Unsent for ten years. He was used to it. There were very few pros to this state, but one of them was using the Pyreflies that made up his form to change his appearance. He had used this to make sure he looked the appropriate age, and little else.

But for a little while, he might be able to drastically change his appearance to somebody less impressive.

Getting captured by Yevon while making a booze run would be beyond embarrassing, and if Braska ever found out, there would be an eternity of humiliation on the Farplane.

Without a word, Auron disembarked from the Al-Bhed ship and disappeared behind a stack of crates. A stranger appeared on the other side. Tan, slightly chubby, blonde, and as average of a face one could imagine.

There were a fair few things in Auron's life that he wasn't proud of. A few things in death as well, but most of his sordid history came from the period between being excommunicated from Yevon and joining Braska. A solid two years of trying to build a new life when everyone you knew before wasn't allowed to speak to you.

He found a lot of solace in bars. Drinking wasn't against Yevon, but the most devout Yevonite would never be caught dead in bars.

So, the average looking stranger made his way across Luca to the bar in the square. As he traveled, he saw many more Yevon guards patrolling, and even harassing pedestrians in the streets.

Then he saw on one of the jumbo screens that normally projected the Blitzball games, there was a cycle running of their faces. All candid photos taken throughout the journey. And on top of the image was the warning:

Wanted by Yevon for attempting to kill a Maester

Though disturbed by the impact these signs would have, what was more alarming was the use of the word 'attempting'. Seymour was definitely killed in the collapse of the temple. The boulder that fell destroyed his Aeon. There was no way he survived.

But he himself had died once before. And Yevon was full of sordid secrets.

Auron hurried to the bar, attempting to look busy and not make any eye contact with the guards.

"Hey you!" A guard he hadn't seen grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Haven't seen you around before. Where are you from?"

Auron feigned a wince, and prepared to play dumb. "Can you keep it down man? I gotta wicked hangover." He made his voice crack in the middle. "What's the problem?"

"We're looking for the summoner Yuna and her guardians. If you have any idea where they're hiding, you need to tell us."

"Summoner Yuna? Oh yeah, I saw her in Kilika! She did a beautiful sending."

"That was a week ago that she did that."

"Alrighty, well that was the last time I seen her. Can I go?"

"This is about an attempt on a Maester's life! Don't you care?!" The guard got in his face, spittle hitting his skin.

Auron flared his nostrils. "Look buddy, this is the first time I been sober since I lost everything in Kilika. I'm on my way to get drunk again. I don't know nothing, so you're wastin' your time."

The guard let his arm go and backed up. "Very well. I suppose that answers my questions. You may go."

"Gee thanks." Auron rolled his eyes, and then hurried his steps away to the square.

Maybe he had spent too much time around Tidus, but talking like that came far too naturally.

He avoided any more confrontation with the guards as he traveled through the city. The bar was busy, but the bartender still called greetings as he entered.

Casually, he leaned on the countertop. "I'm looking for Ryo. He still around?"

The bartender looked mildly surprised. "Yeah, he's in the basement. Didn't think he had any friends left since the operation."

"Am I free to go down?"

"Sure. Sorry about whatever state he's in though."

Auron gave a nod and headed to the basement.

Ryo was the owner of the bar, and a card shark. More importantly, he hated Yevon. An ex-guardian who's summoner tried and failed to defeat Sin two decades before. The summoner died, and Yevon had chewed Ryo up and spat him out. Auron always figured that a summoner giving up was a sign of weakness, but according to Yevon, it was getting the Final Aeon and then failing that was really disappointing.

As Auron reached the bottom step, he returned to his normal form before opening the door.

Ryo was the only one down there, and he looked up as the door opened.

"Auron?" He asked, bewildered.

"Is this a bad time?" Auron had to ask, noting the empty wine bottle next to him.

Ryo shook his head. "No no, I always have time for you, my friend. You are a welcomed sight." He took a chair from storage and placed it at the cluttered card table. "Rum, as usual?"

"You remembered."

"I never forget a regular's order…even if it's been years. What happened to you? Where have you been? Last I heard, you became a guardian for Lord Braska, despite my warnings…"

"The warnings were too vague, Ryo."

"Yeah well, fear will do that to a man. Now I hear you're wanted for helping another summoner kill a Maester? How did that happen?"

Auron kept it brief. "Braska defeated Sin, and his other guardian, Jecht, died."

Ryo nodded.

"Both of them asked me, in the end, to watch over their children. Braska's daughter is the summoner, and Jecht's son is her guardian. I've been fulfilling my oath."

Ryo nodded again, sagely. "So you finally found that purpose in life you were looking for? The kids bring you joy?"

Auron took a swig from the glass. "They gave me a purpose alright."

"That's good to hear. I worried about you for a long time. I thought being a guardian was a suicide mission. But you're thriving! And taking Yevon down a peg!"

"You talk a lot of nonsense when you're drunk."

"Not drunk, just buzzed. But I suppose you're right. What's the story with this Maester business? Did you really try to kill him? Or is this just Yevon deflecting again?"

"Maester Seymour killed Lord Jyscal. Lord Jyscal appeared to my summoner and told her. She sought Seymour out to talk, and he summoned his Aeon to try to silence us. The Fayth in Macalania didn't like that and destroyed her temple in response. I'm fairly certain Seymour really did die."

Ryo's eyes widened. "The Maester part isn't all that surprising, but Shiva destroying Macalania temple? That's incredible."

"I have never seen a Fayth so angry."

"No wonder you needed a drink."

"Actually, I came here for more than that."

"Whatever you need."

"As much liquor as this will get me." He dropped a bag of Gil on the table.

Ryo chuckled. "What's the occasion?"

"Wedding."

"Who?"

"The kids."

"Aw, isn't that sweet? What a time for a wedding!"

"It wasn't my idea."

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

Ryo outwardly laughed. "And so much time to prep!"

"Again, not my idea."

"Where am I delivering this to?"

"Dock 3."

"Dock 3… Ah, the Al-Bhed! Makes sense. They like beer. I got some kegs. No doubt you'll want some champagne for toasts."

"Ryo," Auron began.

"Don't worry about it. You sound innocent to me."

"She wants to try to talk to Mika, after the wedding, at least."

Ryo sighed. "Then better make it a good party, hm?"

Auron nodded. "She wants to finish her pilgrimage. Maybe, just maybe, Mika will allow it, knowing what's in store."

"Does she know about the Final Aeon?"

Auron shook his head. "It wouldn't make a difference. She sees her path as a summoner as her only choice, since that's what her father did."

"Poor thing. My old man was a farmer."

"How long do you think it'll take to get the stuff?"

"Not long. Maybe an hour. I can only pull from what I have in stock. What name do you want the order under?"

"Put it under Cid."

"Got it."

"It was good seeing you, but I have some other preparations to make."

"I understand. Don't be a stranger now, you hear?"

"No promises." Auron went to the door, and as he walked, the pyreflies holding his form shifted, transforming him into his disguise.

"Oh..." Ryo breathed. "So you really aren't thriving, huh?" His own pyreflies shifted. "Wonder if I'll ever get used to it like you."

—-

"Ever had drake?"

"Yeah. Usually it's really tough. Dontan makes some really good drake shank kebabs."

"I was just about to tell you about Dontan's kebabs!"

The hunt was not going the way Kimahri wanted. The sun only seemed to get hotter, and his Al-Bhed companions only seemed to get louder.

"What about the flans? I always wondered what they tasted like."

"Oh you can absolutely eat those. There's a cafe in Luca that sells little flan cups."

"No kidding? Do they hunt them themselves?"

"No, I think they pay hunters for it."

"What do they taste like? Some kind of fruit?"

"The blue ones do, I think. Like a tropical mango pineapple flavor, but also kind of salty. The white ones are kind of minty, like that cooling sensation?"

"Yeah yeah, makes sense."

"The red ones are spicy and the yellow ones are sour, like straight lemon. Not great. But they're okay when you add sugar."

"What about the black ones?"

"Black? I didn't know there were black ones."

"Super rare. I heard they're more common up north. A Ronso was telling me about them in Luca."

"I'd imagine they're either poisonous or taste like licorice."

"I bet Kimahri would know!"

Despite hearing his name in the Al-Bhed accent, Kimahri ignored them and instead ran at the large green drake rooming the dunes. The Al-Bhed watched in awe as he speared it through the chest and killed it with one hit.

They applauded him. "Great skill!"

"Clean kill!"

They lifted the carcass from the sand and placed it in the sled with the first kill. But as they got it strapped in, they noticed Kimahri was continuing on into the desert.

"What now?!" One called out.

"Still not big enough."

—-

Tidus had gone past admiration of the architecture and was now dying to know what the story of this place was. Two thousand-ish years, and there was little time decay. Everything still looked rather pristine, despite the dust. And speaking of dust; the fact that these ruins were completely buried in sand and yet there was barely any inside! How!?

And yet, with everything the way it was, the whole place seemed empty. Long hallways that still bore vibrant paint, but nothing else.

He was beginning to wonder if there was even anything worth finding here to give to Yuna.

"You find anything?" Brother asked, as he stealthily appeared behind Tidus.

"Gah!" Tidus jumped. "No, you?"

"You tell me?" He beckoned him down the hall.

Brother led him two rooms away from where they started, and down a flight of stairs. At the bottom, another room with heavy doors awaited.

Buddy was already inside with a book out and translating a message written on the wall.

The room wasn't very big. Several sconces alight with blue flames along the walls illuminated all there was to see. The walls were a soft teal, but covered in messages in black ink.

On the back wall stood a statue of a woman, nude, all carved in white stone. She had her hands raised in front of her, and floating within them was a diamond diadem.

"Perfect!" Tidus cheered, reaching for the crown.

"Slow your roll buckeroo!" Brother grabbed hold of his hood. "It is probably most definitely cursed!"

"You think so?"

"I am positive that it is likely!"

"What do you think, Buddy? Is it cursed?"

"Mmm…I'm not getting 'cursed' from these messages. But I am getting 'powerful'."

"What does it say?"

"A lot. 'Woe to the evil man who wears the crown of Meiyou, our goddess of light. Woe to the warrior who fights with hatred. Woe to Zanarkand that wages war with false gods. Woe to Bevelle who has turned to the self. May the crown find rest in this cloister, undisturbed until the selfless return.'"

Tidus rested his hands on his hips. "So this place isn't quite as old if Bevelle and Zanarkand are at war. The desert folk just hadn't converted to Yevon."

"Really to get chills? This last part is the worst." Buddy pointed to a small section under everything else. "'Though diligent in prayer, the gods have left us. Sin will be at our shores. Those that survive will face Bevelle's weapon. Our children will not see war, because soon we will be buried. The Farplane is waiting.'"

"Well, now we know how these buildings got buried, right? But what's Bevelle's Weapon?"

Buddy shrugged. "Maybe Yevon itself? Who knows?"

"All I know is that this has to be the perfect gift for Yuna."

"Are you cuckoo crazy?"

"Think about it." Tidus walked over to the statue. "The description basically describes Yuna! Good, heart full of love, and selfless!" He grabbed the crown. "I can't think of anyone more worthy."

As he took the crown from its place, the statue rumbled, and slid backwards into the wall.

A huge fiend, one reminiscent of a turtle, appeared in a storm of pyreflies.

"Oh. That could be a problem."

"This counts as a curse!"

—-

The door to the Cloister of Trials opened slowly and scraped loudly against the stone floor.

As the lanterns flickered on, Yuna felt her skin crawl. Every surface in the room was moving, skittering.

She ducked behind Gippal. "Oh no, what is all that?!"

"Bugs?"

"Ew! There's too many!"

"Wait, look over there," he pointed at a pedestal nearby. It was initially laying on its side, but the creatures were placing it right side up. "They aren't bugs. They're tiny machina." He knelt and plucked one off the ground. "Little machina crabs to be exact. I think they're repairing the trials."

"Wow…" Then she grabbed his shoulder in surprise. "Machina in a temple! Made for a temple!"

"Huh. I suppose when you say it like that, it is pretty strange."

"I'm…shocked. If Yevon knew of this…" she halted. "I can't tell Yevon! No one can ever know about this."

"We would all appreciate it if you kept it quiet."

"How did this happen? Yevon teaches that Machina is the reason Sin exists! Why would they put it into the temple?"

Gippal shrugged. "Maybe Yevon changed the story to fit an agenda."

She grit her teeth. "Just because the Al-Bhed and Yevon don't get along does not mean you get to assume such things!"

"Hey, hey – calm down. I didn't mean to insult your worldview. Just thinking out loud."

Yuna exhaled. "I'm sorry for snapping. Perhaps…there is some truth to your statement. Perhaps, over time…the blame for Sin has shifted. Maybe it wasn't all Machina."

"A thousand years is a long time for history to change." He pocketed the crab he was still holding. "Looks like we can proceed."

The Cloister was cleaned and looked almost brand new with various pedestals with spheres resting on them. All of the crabs had retreated to the walls, and climbed up to take their place. It hadn't been obvious, but they came in an assortment of colors. Now on the wall, they created a mural of a sea serpent.

"I'm in love with these crabs. I'm going to be returning here to study them."

"I'm glad. Someone worked really hard on them."

Gippal left most of the problem solving to Yuna, but did offer his strength for pushing pedestals around.

Then the door ahead opened.

"Go on ahead. Scream if you need help!" He told her, prying another crab off the wall.

"Some guardian," Yuna imagined Tidus saying.

"I hope I won't be long."

"Mmm-hmm," he responded, taking a screwdriver out of his belt.

Satisfied she could take her time, Yuna entered the Chamber of the Fayth, both nervous and excited with what she would find.

To her relief the statue of the Fayth was intact, and as she entered, the spirit of the Fayth emerged from the stone and floated before her.

Yuna knelt. "I am summoner Yuna, from Besaid. It is an honor to be in your presence. I humbly come to ask for your aid."

The Fayth, a woman, curled her lip in amusement. "That sounded rehearsed."

"It…was. A bit. But never the least, true." She raised her head to meet the eyes of the Fayth, only to be completely surprised by the green spirals that were indicative of the Al-Bhed. "You're an Al-Bhed!"

The woman tilted her head in curiosity. "I'm afraid you are mistaken. I am a Bedohl. Though I would forgive your confusion. My people are not typically proficient in magicks."

"I beg your pardon, what is a Bedohl?"

Instead of answering, the pyreflies making up her form flickered. She let out a whine of pain before asking, "How long has it been since Lady Yunalesca defeated Sin?"

"A little over a thousand years," Yuna replied softly.

"A thou—" If a Fayth could cry, surely she would be weeping. "And in all that time, no one has come? Why…why? Are we so reviled?"

Yuna shook her head. "No, I know summoners would have come if they had known. But your temple…it's been buried under the sand."

This didn't seem to make the woman feel any better. "I gave up everything to become a Fayth. I had a husband and children. And it was all a waste."

"It's not!" Yuna insisted, vehemently. "You're still here, so you can still join the fight. I will defeat Sin, like my father before me. But more importantly, when the world learns that a Bedohl, an Al-Bhed, had become a Fayth and defeated Sin, it will change everything."

"So…my people have become the Al-Bhed? Do they face the same persecution as always?"

"Yes," Yuna admitted, sadly. "They're the ones that found you. Your temple is under their sanctuary city."

"And so how is it that you, a summoner, would find yourself here?"

"It's…it's a bit of a messy situation, honestly."

"Please tell me. I would like to see a glimpse of what Spira is today."

"Well, I guess I would start ten years ago, when my father, Braska, defeated Sin."

She laid out everything. All the twists and turns of her journey. How she got to experience marriage, and how Seymour had tried to ruin it, and her pilgrimage.

As the story unfolded, the Fayth just listened with wide eyes and rapt attention.

In the end, she nodded. "Very well, Yuna. I will lend you my aeon, but with what you have said, I fear your journey will be coming to an end in Bevelle."

"You don't think Maester Mika will listen?"

"I couldn't begin to know what he will think. But it is wise to prepare for the worst. I give you my power with the expectation no one else will ever find my temple. All I ask is that you summon me, at least once."

"I will. I absolutely will. Please forgive me, but I never asked for your name."

The Fayth held out her hands. "It has long been forgotten. You may call me Leviathan."

—-

Rikku dragged her feet down to the cafeteria. Each of her fingers were covered in bandaids and needle pricks.

But the dress was done!

And it looked pretty cute, if she was honest.

Lulu, Wakka, and Auron were already done with their tasks and sat together at a table eating a late dinner.

"Agh, I thought coming home for a visit would be less…exhausting," Rikku lamented as she dropped into a chair.

"At least you didn't have to learn a new language!" Wakka argued.

"At least all of you got to stay on the Island," Auron snipped.

"I don't have many complaints," said Lulu. "The gardener was lovely and I'm excited to see what Yuna thinks of the decor."

"I wonder how the others are doing," Rikku mused. "I hope Yuna's not too exhausted."

They chatted about their days for a little while before the large garage door on the other side of the cafeteria opened, signaling that there was a food delivery.

In fact, it was Kimahri and the other Al-Bhed hunters. On their sand sled were a few birds, a few drakes, and one gigantic Zu.

"Whoo-hoo! Go Kimahri!"

Kimahri joined the table as the bewildered chefs took the meat to prepare for tomorrow's dinner. "Finally!" He stood behind Rikku. "Ronso Feast for Yuna!"

One of the hunters walked past the table and told Rikku, "That guy is crazy. Good luck with the rest of the journey."

"Sometimes you need crazy to get things done right!" she hollered at him, before turning to grin at her Ronso companion. "You're making a name for yourself here, Kimahri."

He crossed his arms. "Kimahri does job. Does it well."

"Always has," agreed Wakka. "He always protected Yuna, and watched over her with whatever she was doing. But if things were safe and calm and we asked him to do something, he'd go above and beyond expectations."

"Ronso way."

Rikku chuckled. "And the Al-Bhed way is 'work smarter, not harder,' so we find a lot of shortcuts."

"Victory!" Tidus' voice thundered from the hallway. "Thy name is…ancient crown of mysterious power!"

"We're in here!" Lulu called back.

Tidus strode in confidently, while Buddy and Brother limped in, holding each other. They all looked horrible, covered in scrapes and sand.

"Brother! Are you okay?!"

He stood up straight, not wanting to appear weak infront of his sister. "I am a-okay! Just a little tired from the sun and all the digging we did."

Buddy wasn't a liar though. "We came across a really old fiend and all took a rather hard ass-beating. But we won, and Tidus got Yuna a really great gift."

"Behold!" He took it out of the canvas bag and set it on the table.

Rikku's eyes lit up. "Ohh!"

Wakka whistled. "Very nice."

"We found this ancient temple buried in the sand, and uncovered it enough to get inside. I looked like a civilization that was around the same time as Zanrkand, but it worshiped other gods! Apparently this crown has some kind of ancient power linked to it that only a kindhearted, selfless person can use. So, not only is it pretty, but I thought maybe it would help her in the fight against Sin?"

"It won't hurt," Auron stated. "You did good, kid."

"Here," said Rikku, standing. "I'll go clean it up and give it to Yuna. You should get cleaned up and rest."

"Wait, can I give it to her? I want to see her reaction."

—-

After getting all cleaned up, Rikku led Tidus up to the room where Yuna was resting.

He raised his hand to knock, but hesitated and looked at Rikku. "You just…gonna stand there?"

"Oh I see. He wants privacy. I can take a hint." And she backed up to watch from around the corner at the end of the hall. It would have to be good enough, so Tidus knocked.

"Coming!" Yuna's sweet voice replied.

Tidus stood there, gnawing on his lip as a twinge of nervousness surrounded him.

She opened the door, her hair a bit tussled.

"Heya," he grinned as casually as he could muster.

"Hi," she squeaked. "How are you?"

"Good, I'm good…and you?"

"Good as well. Tired."

"Yeah, I get that. Rikku's boyfriend watched you today, right? Did he treat you well?"

"Oh yes. Gippal took good care of me. I can't wait to tell you all about it."

His smile broadened. "I can't wait to hear all about it, but I'm totally pooped! I just wanted to see you, and give you something."

She perked up. "You got me something?"

"Yep! It's like…a pseudo-tradition for the Al-Bhed. That's what I was off doing today." From behind his back, he revealed the sparkling crown he had found. White gold, molded into the shape of vines. Diamond leaves, and little pearl accents.

Yuna's jaw dropped. "You…for me? I couldn't…"

"Please? I found it in the desert, just for you. It's supposed to have some kind of enchantment on it. I hope it'll help you."

"It's beautiful…"

"May I?" He held it up with both hands, gesturing to put it on her head.

Yuna bit her lip and nodded.

Gently, he placed the crown upon her head, brushing the hair away from her face.

"Wow…" he breathed. "You might be the prettiest thing I've ever seen."

"Really?" She bowed her head, embarrassed, as a fierce blush covered her cheeks. "I'm not so sure."

"I am."

I'm going to die.

It was an intrusive thought, a blight on what was a wonderfully joyful moment. A reminder that this relationship, if he couldn't come up with a solution, was fleeting. They wouldn't grow old together. Wouldn't have children. Wouldn't have a cozy little home.

Just a few weeks to fall deeply and irrevocably in love, and then it would be over.

"Tidus?" she whispered.

The horrible memory brought tears to his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. Instead, he gave her a sweet smile and leaned in to give her a kiss.

A lingering kiss, the way he should have been kissing her the whole time.

Yuna whimpered when he pulled away. She stared up at him with wide, glistening eyes.

"Goodnight. Rest up, we have a busy day tomorrow."

Unable to speak, she just nodded.