Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A New Threat To Spira ❯ An Unexpected Interruption ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Neon Ronin 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.01.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 332 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.01.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 332 | Status: Completed
[A/N: I don't own the setting or the characters of FFX-2, despite efforts to the contrary. Enjoy!]
3: An Unexpected Interruption
In the shattered remnants of the Travel Agency, several small Drakes scuttled about, poking into cabinets in search of food. Rain trickled in through holes in the roof and the broken windows at a steady pace. Tables were smashed, chairs scattered far and wide, and the reception counter was cracked and soaked with rainwater and mud.
Malar stood silently in the middle of the room, his eyes shut and his right hand extended in front of him. His clothing was clean now, the rips and frays repaired. It still clung to only one shoulder, but now the ancient script emblazoned on the fabric could be seen a little more clearly. He wore a pair of heavy black boots, "borrowed" from an unfortunate Agency attendant. A deep violet glow was flickering softly from the center of his palm. His brow furrowed and the light intensified slightly. A Drake that was creeping around his feet shuddered and jumped away from him.
It is as I suspected. They have not yet awakened, but they may before long.
Malar's eyes opened, his crimson irises bathed in the light from the single amethyst in his right hand. A gem that seemed to be well and truly a part of his palm.
I must have the first one before it calls to the others. Go and claim it, my friends. Malar paused, as if trying to decide on something, and then smiled wickedly. Best not to let anyone near it know the true reason for your presence. Destroy them all.
He chuckled softly to himself and relaxed his hand. The amethyst's glow faded.
The gem sank into his palm and disappeared, leaving no trace of a scar.
Paine had just managed to extricate herself away from O'aka's latest sales pitch and was headed towards one of the buffet tables when she practically tripped over Baralai.
"Hey, be careful down there; you could get run over pretty easily," she said, giving his shoulder a nudge. When he didn't immediately respond, a frown crossed her face. "It's also unwise to ignore someone who's trying to give you advice."
Baralai looked up absently, then realized who was talking to him. "Oh, sorry Paine; I wasn't trying to ignore you. We've got a bit of a situation here. Something's not right."
Paine raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the Commsphere. "What's going on?"
Nooj spoke up first. "As I was telling Baralai, we just got a report in that the weather in the Thunder Plains took an unexpected turn for the worse not long ago. From the way it sounds, the storms turned into a veritable hurricane with no prior warning, and several structures have been damaged or destroyed, including at least one lightning tower."
"Has anyone found a reason yet?" Paine asked, turning and gesturing for Rikku to come over.
"Nothing so far. And what makes it even stranger, apparently the storm whipped up about six days ago; we've only just gotten word about it now," Nooj continued. "That in and of itself doesn't make sense."
"What's the big deal, Paine? You're missing out on all the fun!!" Rikku whined as she joined the group, followed closely by Yuna and Tidus.
"Personally I don't find one of O'aka's sales pitches that much fun," Paine replied.
"You got cornered by O'aka already?" Yuna said, giggling a little. "That man never lets up when the selling bug bites."
"Boy, that's the truth," Tidus added. "Did you know he's even dipping into real estate now? He tried to sell us a bungalow in Luca earlier; we had to tell him no three times before he relented," he said with a chuckle.
"Didn't want to move, Yunie?" Rikku asked.
"No, we just didn't want to live in the tool shed he was trying to sell us," Yuna replied, and she and Tidus burst out laughing.
"Um, HELLO???" Gippal's voice broke through the laughter that was now pervading the group. "Need I remind you folks about the Thunder Plains again? Whatever it was that caused that storm, it wasn't normal, and to make a long story short, Baralai, we're gonna need you back here in Bevelle as soon as possible. The faithful of New Yevon are starting to get in an uproar over this; they need you to calm them down."
"Wait a min, what storm? Thunder Plains? What's going on?" Rikku said, turning her attention back to the Commsphere. Tidus and Yuna stopped laughing and gathered closer as well.
"What I still don't understand is how a storm strong enough to destroy a lightning tower wouldn't have been reported for six days," Paine interjected. "Wouldn't there have been some notification over the Comm Network from the Plains, or even from Guadosalam?"
"First off, the Commsphere in the plains hasn't been working for the past month. We tried to get it fixed, but it didn't work; it may have gotten overloaded by its proximity to the towers," Gippal replied. "Second, Guadosalam didn't have any reason to check on the Plains; they're closing the access tunnel down for winter, since no one really does any traveling that way once it gets cold."
"But someone would still notice, wouldn't they? A storm that massive can't just waltz past Guadosalam without raising a few eyebrows," said Baralai as he straightened out his headband. "You sure you didn't hear anything from LeBlanc, guys?"
Nooj sighed. "I contacted her a short while ago, and she said they didn't notice anything at all."
Yuna crossed her arms and a vexed expression worked its way onto her face. "This doesn't sound right at all. I've never heard of the weather on the Thunder Plains getting bad enough to knock a tower down, much less not be heard about until days later."
Something caught Gippal's eye and he excused himself from the Commsphere image. Nooj continued, "Whatever the cause, you'd better get back here as soon as you can, Baralai. We're sending a company of troops down to investigate, they should have more details in a day or so."
"All right, guys. I'll be on my way as soon as I can." Baralai stood up and turned to the others. "I hate to run out on you all like this, but business calls. Can you get Brother over here and tell him to get the Celsius ready?"
"You got it. And don't worry about having to leave, we understand. I just hope you can figure out what's going on," said Yuna.
"Thanks again for everything you've done today, and good luck," Tidus said as he shook Baralai's hand.
"HEY!! Baralai, wait!!" Gippal's voice boomed out of the Commsphere.
"Geez, Gippal, you didn't have to shout so loud! You trying to break the Commsphere or something??" Rikku snapped.
"Sorry Rikku, but there's been a change of plan. We've got a worse problem on our hands, and it's happening right now!"
A look of surprise and worry washed over Rikku's face. That's the first time Gippal's called me by name in a long time. What's going on now?? He's never this serious!
"What do you mean, Gipp?" Baralai crouched down by the Commsphere again, followed by the others.
"I just got an emergency distress call from Kilika Island. There are fiends going berserk all over the place, not just in the jungles but in the village as well! League forces are getting hammered and there's more fiends cropping up every minute!"
Everyone gasped. There hadn't been a fiend problem like that since, as best anyone could remember, since Sin had been around. Fiends had almost never ventured near the village, and even if they did, the gates had been strong enough to hold them back.
"You- You can't be serious..." Yuna stammered. "Not the temple again..."
"No, this time the fiends aren't emerging from the temple, Yuna," Gippal interjected. "No idea what the cause is, but they're cropping up in the jungles and also in the harbor. The call came in from Dona; she said they're getting more vicious than anything she's ever seen!"
"If it's bad enough to scare Dona, that's really scary," Paine muttered grimly.
"How many forces have we got in Kilika?" Baralai asked, urgency creeping into his voice.
"We had two squads down there, but from what Dona said they may be getting depleted rapidly," Gippal replied. "Looks like the Plains incident is gonna have to wait. You're closer to Kilika than the troops in Luca; get as many troops as you can and get over there on the Celsius to try and contain the attackers."
"WHAT troops? There aren't any League or Yevonite forces on Besaid these days!!" Baralai was almost shouting. A few of the Aurochs glanced over from the party, but no one really paid them much attention.
"Ah geez, I forgot about that. Well, we've gotta do something; it'll take too long to dispatch anyone from Luca," Gippal muttered, holding one hand to his head.
Paine stepped closer to the Commsphere. "I'll go with you."
Baralai's head shot up. "Paine?"
Gippal's head shot up as well. "Oh DUH!!! What was I thinking? I'd forgotten Besaid has some of the best fighters and sphere hunters in all Spira; Paine, you and the Gullwings are lifesavers!"
"HEY!!" cried Rikku. "Are you asking us all to go and fight? Geez, Gippal, your sense of timing is worse than your sense of tact!!"
"Huh? Hey, kiddo, I wouldn't be asking if this wasn't an emergency!!"
"Look, I don't mind going either, but you can't ask us all to leave! After all, you know..." Rikku folded her arms and gestured her head in Tidus and Yuna's direction.
"Rikku's right, Gippal. She and I should be sufficient to take care of a few fiends," added Paine.
"Three people against a fiend horde that size is a hell of a big risk," said Nooj. "Look, I hate to be asking this, but I myself would really prefer at least one other person go with you. There is something to be said for strength in numbers."
"Oh, come on! There's gotta be some way around this..." Rikku whined.
All this time, Yuna stood a little ways away from the Commsphere, biting her lower lip and clenching her left hand. This is terrible. What am I supposed to do now? If they don't get over to Kilika soon, lots more people are going to die. Why did this have to happen today of all days? I want to help, but... She looked down at her feet and tried not to listen to Rikku's protests. I can't ask him to let me go, not today... Just then she felt Tidus' hand slip into her free, unclenched right hand. She looked up; he had that same caring look on his face that he had years ago, when they were together in Macalania for the first time.
"Yuna, it's okay. I know you want to help them," he said softly.
"But... This was supposed to be our time. I didn't want to disrupt that; it was just going to be the two of us taking a vacation from it all." She looked down at her feet. "I do want to help... But I didn't want to make you upset either."
"Yuna, you can't make me upset by asking if you can go help someone. That's part of what makes you who you are." He reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her eyes. "Look, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that life is full of unexpected things. Tell me; in your heart, what do you want to do right now?"
Yuna just stood there for a moment, wondering how he could be this understanding. "I... I want to go and help out in Kilika."
Tidus smiled. "Then let's go and help out. Both of us. We have all the time in the world ahead of us now; a few side trips here and there won't hurt much."
Yuna shook her head and smiled. "How is it you always know just what to say when I need you to say it?"
"I guess that's a mystery that may never be solved," he replied. Yuna giggled and hugged him before they turned their attention back to the group.
"I'm pretty sure Wakka's in no condition to fight right now," Paine was saying.
"Maybe, but it'd be better to ask him to come along than Lulu; she has to look after Vidina and everything!" Rikku replied.
"Vidina is Wakka's son too, Rikku," Paine shot back.
"There's no need to worry about finding someone to fill in, guys," Tidus said, causing all three to turn their heads. "Give us some time to get our gear together, then meet us on board the Celsius. We're moving out."
Rikku stared, dumbstruck. "Huh? Wha??? You... You can't be serious!"
"Rikku, those people in Kilika need our help, and we do know our way around fiend fights," Yuna said, placing a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "It's all right; we want to do this."
"But this was... I mean... today was... you shouldn't have to... Yunie..."
"It wouldn't be right if we didn't lend a hand, Rikku," said Tidus as he placed a hand on Yuna's shoulder. "Besides, we're a team. All of us. It wouldn't be good to send half the team into the arena when you're facing an entire team, you know?"
"Ooooohhhhhhhh... " Rikku shuffled her feet a bit, looking down at the ground. "I'll find a way to make it up to you two somehow, I promise!!!" she finally said.
"Now that that's settled, we'd better get a move on," Baralai said as he nodded towards the Commsphere. Nooj and Gippal nodded back before the picture faded out. "I'd better go talk to Brother and get him to get the Celsius ready for liftoff. See you all on board soon, I hope."
"You got it!" said Tidus and Yuna together.
"Sounds like another day in paradise awaits," muttered Paine in her here-we-go-again tone.
Upcoming chapters should be more fast-paced. To be continued.]
3: An Unexpected Interruption
In the shattered remnants of the Travel Agency, several small Drakes scuttled about, poking into cabinets in search of food. Rain trickled in through holes in the roof and the broken windows at a steady pace. Tables were smashed, chairs scattered far and wide, and the reception counter was cracked and soaked with rainwater and mud.
Malar stood silently in the middle of the room, his eyes shut and his right hand extended in front of him. His clothing was clean now, the rips and frays repaired. It still clung to only one shoulder, but now the ancient script emblazoned on the fabric could be seen a little more clearly. He wore a pair of heavy black boots, "borrowed" from an unfortunate Agency attendant. A deep violet glow was flickering softly from the center of his palm. His brow furrowed and the light intensified slightly. A Drake that was creeping around his feet shuddered and jumped away from him.
It is as I suspected. They have not yet awakened, but they may before long.
Malar's eyes opened, his crimson irises bathed in the light from the single amethyst in his right hand. A gem that seemed to be well and truly a part of his palm.
I must have the first one before it calls to the others. Go and claim it, my friends. Malar paused, as if trying to decide on something, and then smiled wickedly. Best not to let anyone near it know the true reason for your presence. Destroy them all.
He chuckled softly to himself and relaxed his hand. The amethyst's glow faded.
The gem sank into his palm and disappeared, leaving no trace of a scar.
Paine had just managed to extricate herself away from O'aka's latest sales pitch and was headed towards one of the buffet tables when she practically tripped over Baralai.
"Hey, be careful down there; you could get run over pretty easily," she said, giving his shoulder a nudge. When he didn't immediately respond, a frown crossed her face. "It's also unwise to ignore someone who's trying to give you advice."
Baralai looked up absently, then realized who was talking to him. "Oh, sorry Paine; I wasn't trying to ignore you. We've got a bit of a situation here. Something's not right."
Paine raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the Commsphere. "What's going on?"
Nooj spoke up first. "As I was telling Baralai, we just got a report in that the weather in the Thunder Plains took an unexpected turn for the worse not long ago. From the way it sounds, the storms turned into a veritable hurricane with no prior warning, and several structures have been damaged or destroyed, including at least one lightning tower."
"Has anyone found a reason yet?" Paine asked, turning and gesturing for Rikku to come over.
"Nothing so far. And what makes it even stranger, apparently the storm whipped up about six days ago; we've only just gotten word about it now," Nooj continued. "That in and of itself doesn't make sense."
"What's the big deal, Paine? You're missing out on all the fun!!" Rikku whined as she joined the group, followed closely by Yuna and Tidus.
"Personally I don't find one of O'aka's sales pitches that much fun," Paine replied.
"You got cornered by O'aka already?" Yuna said, giggling a little. "That man never lets up when the selling bug bites."
"Boy, that's the truth," Tidus added. "Did you know he's even dipping into real estate now? He tried to sell us a bungalow in Luca earlier; we had to tell him no three times before he relented," he said with a chuckle.
"Didn't want to move, Yunie?" Rikku asked.
"No, we just didn't want to live in the tool shed he was trying to sell us," Yuna replied, and she and Tidus burst out laughing.
"Um, HELLO???" Gippal's voice broke through the laughter that was now pervading the group. "Need I remind you folks about the Thunder Plains again? Whatever it was that caused that storm, it wasn't normal, and to make a long story short, Baralai, we're gonna need you back here in Bevelle as soon as possible. The faithful of New Yevon are starting to get in an uproar over this; they need you to calm them down."
"Wait a min, what storm? Thunder Plains? What's going on?" Rikku said, turning her attention back to the Commsphere. Tidus and Yuna stopped laughing and gathered closer as well.
"What I still don't understand is how a storm strong enough to destroy a lightning tower wouldn't have been reported for six days," Paine interjected. "Wouldn't there have been some notification over the Comm Network from the Plains, or even from Guadosalam?"
"First off, the Commsphere in the plains hasn't been working for the past month. We tried to get it fixed, but it didn't work; it may have gotten overloaded by its proximity to the towers," Gippal replied. "Second, Guadosalam didn't have any reason to check on the Plains; they're closing the access tunnel down for winter, since no one really does any traveling that way once it gets cold."
"But someone would still notice, wouldn't they? A storm that massive can't just waltz past Guadosalam without raising a few eyebrows," said Baralai as he straightened out his headband. "You sure you didn't hear anything from LeBlanc, guys?"
Nooj sighed. "I contacted her a short while ago, and she said they didn't notice anything at all."
Yuna crossed her arms and a vexed expression worked its way onto her face. "This doesn't sound right at all. I've never heard of the weather on the Thunder Plains getting bad enough to knock a tower down, much less not be heard about until days later."
Something caught Gippal's eye and he excused himself from the Commsphere image. Nooj continued, "Whatever the cause, you'd better get back here as soon as you can, Baralai. We're sending a company of troops down to investigate, they should have more details in a day or so."
"All right, guys. I'll be on my way as soon as I can." Baralai stood up and turned to the others. "I hate to run out on you all like this, but business calls. Can you get Brother over here and tell him to get the Celsius ready?"
"You got it. And don't worry about having to leave, we understand. I just hope you can figure out what's going on," said Yuna.
"Thanks again for everything you've done today, and good luck," Tidus said as he shook Baralai's hand.
"HEY!! Baralai, wait!!" Gippal's voice boomed out of the Commsphere.
"Geez, Gippal, you didn't have to shout so loud! You trying to break the Commsphere or something??" Rikku snapped.
"Sorry Rikku, but there's been a change of plan. We've got a worse problem on our hands, and it's happening right now!"
A look of surprise and worry washed over Rikku's face. That's the first time Gippal's called me by name in a long time. What's going on now?? He's never this serious!
"What do you mean, Gipp?" Baralai crouched down by the Commsphere again, followed by the others.
"I just got an emergency distress call from Kilika Island. There are fiends going berserk all over the place, not just in the jungles but in the village as well! League forces are getting hammered and there's more fiends cropping up every minute!"
Everyone gasped. There hadn't been a fiend problem like that since, as best anyone could remember, since Sin had been around. Fiends had almost never ventured near the village, and even if they did, the gates had been strong enough to hold them back.
"You- You can't be serious..." Yuna stammered. "Not the temple again..."
"No, this time the fiends aren't emerging from the temple, Yuna," Gippal interjected. "No idea what the cause is, but they're cropping up in the jungles and also in the harbor. The call came in from Dona; she said they're getting more vicious than anything she's ever seen!"
"If it's bad enough to scare Dona, that's really scary," Paine muttered grimly.
"How many forces have we got in Kilika?" Baralai asked, urgency creeping into his voice.
"We had two squads down there, but from what Dona said they may be getting depleted rapidly," Gippal replied. "Looks like the Plains incident is gonna have to wait. You're closer to Kilika than the troops in Luca; get as many troops as you can and get over there on the Celsius to try and contain the attackers."
"WHAT troops? There aren't any League or Yevonite forces on Besaid these days!!" Baralai was almost shouting. A few of the Aurochs glanced over from the party, but no one really paid them much attention.
"Ah geez, I forgot about that. Well, we've gotta do something; it'll take too long to dispatch anyone from Luca," Gippal muttered, holding one hand to his head.
Paine stepped closer to the Commsphere. "I'll go with you."
Baralai's head shot up. "Paine?"
Gippal's head shot up as well. "Oh DUH!!! What was I thinking? I'd forgotten Besaid has some of the best fighters and sphere hunters in all Spira; Paine, you and the Gullwings are lifesavers!"
"HEY!!" cried Rikku. "Are you asking us all to go and fight? Geez, Gippal, your sense of timing is worse than your sense of tact!!"
"Huh? Hey, kiddo, I wouldn't be asking if this wasn't an emergency!!"
"Look, I don't mind going either, but you can't ask us all to leave! After all, you know..." Rikku folded her arms and gestured her head in Tidus and Yuna's direction.
"Rikku's right, Gippal. She and I should be sufficient to take care of a few fiends," added Paine.
"Three people against a fiend horde that size is a hell of a big risk," said Nooj. "Look, I hate to be asking this, but I myself would really prefer at least one other person go with you. There is something to be said for strength in numbers."
"Oh, come on! There's gotta be some way around this..." Rikku whined.
All this time, Yuna stood a little ways away from the Commsphere, biting her lower lip and clenching her left hand. This is terrible. What am I supposed to do now? If they don't get over to Kilika soon, lots more people are going to die. Why did this have to happen today of all days? I want to help, but... She looked down at her feet and tried not to listen to Rikku's protests. I can't ask him to let me go, not today... Just then she felt Tidus' hand slip into her free, unclenched right hand. She looked up; he had that same caring look on his face that he had years ago, when they were together in Macalania for the first time.
"Yuna, it's okay. I know you want to help them," he said softly.
"But... This was supposed to be our time. I didn't want to disrupt that; it was just going to be the two of us taking a vacation from it all." She looked down at her feet. "I do want to help... But I didn't want to make you upset either."
"Yuna, you can't make me upset by asking if you can go help someone. That's part of what makes you who you are." He reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her eyes. "Look, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that life is full of unexpected things. Tell me; in your heart, what do you want to do right now?"
Yuna just stood there for a moment, wondering how he could be this understanding. "I... I want to go and help out in Kilika."
Tidus smiled. "Then let's go and help out. Both of us. We have all the time in the world ahead of us now; a few side trips here and there won't hurt much."
Yuna shook her head and smiled. "How is it you always know just what to say when I need you to say it?"
"I guess that's a mystery that may never be solved," he replied. Yuna giggled and hugged him before they turned their attention back to the group.
"I'm pretty sure Wakka's in no condition to fight right now," Paine was saying.
"Maybe, but it'd be better to ask him to come along than Lulu; she has to look after Vidina and everything!" Rikku replied.
"Vidina is Wakka's son too, Rikku," Paine shot back.
"There's no need to worry about finding someone to fill in, guys," Tidus said, causing all three to turn their heads. "Give us some time to get our gear together, then meet us on board the Celsius. We're moving out."
Rikku stared, dumbstruck. "Huh? Wha??? You... You can't be serious!"
"Rikku, those people in Kilika need our help, and we do know our way around fiend fights," Yuna said, placing a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "It's all right; we want to do this."
"But this was... I mean... today was... you shouldn't have to... Yunie..."
"It wouldn't be right if we didn't lend a hand, Rikku," said Tidus as he placed a hand on Yuna's shoulder. "Besides, we're a team. All of us. It wouldn't be good to send half the team into the arena when you're facing an entire team, you know?"
"Ooooohhhhhhhh... " Rikku shuffled her feet a bit, looking down at the ground. "I'll find a way to make it up to you two somehow, I promise!!!" she finally said.
"Now that that's settled, we'd better get a move on," Baralai said as he nodded towards the Commsphere. Nooj and Gippal nodded back before the picture faded out. "I'd better go talk to Brother and get him to get the Celsius ready for liftoff. See you all on board soon, I hope."
"You got it!" said Tidus and Yuna together.
"Sounds like another day in paradise awaits," muttered Paine in her here-we-go-again tone.
Upcoming chapters should be more fast-paced. To be continued.]