Chapter 7
“But before we do, Yuna has something to tell everyone.” Lulu nudged Yuna, “tell them.”
Rin blushed, wondering how everyone would react, when they learned, Yuna asked him to be a guardian.
“Well you see . . . this will be a hard journey . . . and we need all the people we can get, to help out . . . ”
“Yuna what?” Auron raised his eyebrow. What’s she going on about?
“Well I asked someone else to be my guardian.”
Everyone one looked at Yuna, surprised.
“Who,” Auron gave her a puzzled look?
“I asked Rin. And he said yes! So he’s my guardian, and that’s final.” She said in a rush before someone could protest.
“RIN,” Auron exclaimed, looking at the teen. Rin eeped, blushing.
“Yes, Rin,” Yuna said.
“Oh . . . the more the merrier I guess,” Auron mumbled.
Rin smiled, “I won’t let anyone down.”
“Of course you won’t,” Yuna said.
“Well, we should be going,” Wakka stood up. “Djose temple waits.”
Everyone nodded, standing up. “Wait,” Rin yelled, “I have to tell Linna.” Rin ran to Linna’s office, going in.
Linna looked up and smiled. “I’m going with Lady Yuna. She asked me to be her guardian.”
Linna looked shocked, “are you sure about this? It might be a very dangerous journey. No! Wait, it will be a very dangerous journey,” Linna said, brushing her blond hair, out of her eyes.
“I know! But I’m sure.”
“Then be careful,” Linna stood up going to her brother. “I love you Rin.”
“I love you too, Linna. I will be careful.” Linna looked down, tears streaming down her face. “I promise!”
Rin grabbed his sister, pulling her into a tight hug. “I really will be careful. Don’t cry.”
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After a long chocobo ride, they find their selves at the entrance to Mushroom Rock.
Tidus groaned, seeing Dona talking with a guard. Great, that idiot women again.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a summoner!” Dona shook her fist, angrily at the guard.
“Sorry, ma'am! No exceptions!”
Dona’s face grew red, “You dare impede a summoner's pilgrimage?”
“Sorry, ma'am! No exceptions!”
“Useless!” Dona glared at the guard, as he walked away from her. She looked up seeing Yuna’s group approach her.
“Oh, it's you. As you can see, not even summoners can pass. But they'll call on us in the end. Just wait and see. In the meantime, I think I'll have a nap. Oh, Barthello?”
Barthello ran up to Dona, and the two headed away.
They watch them go, wondering what Dona had been talking about.
“Gatta and Luzzu reporting, sir!” Everyone looked around hearing Gatta’s voice.
“This is the last of them,” Luzzu told a guard, patting a carriage.
“Good to have you with us. Go on through!” The carriage slowly entered Mushroom Rock. Tidus raised his eyebrow, seeing a fiend in the cart.
Gatta and Luzzu started to follow the cart, but stopped seeing everyone.
“Teach me how to blitz sometime!” Gatta called to Wakka and Tidus.
“Wait around. We’ll have Sin beaten in no time!” Luzzu yelled to everyone, then the two run to catch up with the carriage.
The group tried to follow but a guard stopped them.
“I'm sorry. I can't let you pass. Hey, you're a summoner and her guardians right? Sorry for the inconvenience.” The guard smiled at Yuna.
Tidus sighed, “Tell us about the operation.”
“What, they didn't tell you? We're bringing sinspawn from all over Spira here. Sinspawn inevitably draws Sin, right? We're going to lure it into a trap!”
Auron snorted, as his group walked away from the entrance.
Everyone sighed, wondering what to do next when Seymour and his guardians, walked into the clearing. “So we meet again, Lady Yuna.”
Yuna preforms Yevon’s prayer, “Y-Yes?”
Seymour smiled, his creepy smile, “You look troubled. Is there anything I can do?”
Yuna looks behind her at the entrance to Mushroom Rock, “Well . . . ”
Seymour nodded, understanding, “I see.” He walked over to one of the guards at the entrance.
The guard jumped, saluting, “Maester Seymour. Let me show you to the command center.”
Seymour held out a hand, “Hold, I have a request.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“I need to have Summoner Yuna and her guardians let through to the command center.”
The guard looked shocked, “But, Maester Seymour, sir.”
Seymour smiled, “Do not worry, I will take full responsibility.”
The guard sighed, “Very well. They may pass.”
Seymour turned back to Yuna, “It is done.”
Yuna bowed, “Thank you. Your Grace.”
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Rin surveyed the destruction around him, feeling tears come to his eyes. So many of his people had died.
If he could, he’d go bonk Maester Kinoc and Maester Seymour over their heads, for letting this operation go on. But all he could do was mourn his fallen people.
Auron looked at the sad teen and frowned, “you okay,” he asked walking to Rin’s side?
Rin looked at Auron, tears spilling down his cheeks, “oh, Auron,” Rin cried, throwing himself in Auron’s arms.
Auron grunted in surprise and let the teen sob. “Shh,” he whispered patting him on the head.
Tidus walked up to them a mad look on his face. “This was a waist of time. Those,” he gritted his teeth, “Maesters knew it wouldn’t work.”
“Tidus,” Yuna scolded, looking around them, sighing when she saw that the their group was alone.
“Well they did,” Tidus muttered.
Auron nodded his agreement, absentmindedly rubbing Rin’s back.
Lulu looked at everyone, “we need to be on our way.”
“Djose temple’s just a little ways away,” Wakka added.
“Right,” Yuna grabbed her staff.
Auron smiled down at Rin, taking his hand, helping the distraught teen along.
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“Is that the Djose Temple?” Tidus looked up at the sight before him, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
“Uh huh,” Yuna nodded.
“Awesome!” Tidus said, and Rin, done with crying, nodded his agreement.
“The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a summoner is addressing the fayth,” Rin told everyone.
It was open, “That means another summoner's already in there,” Wakka said.
Yuna smiled, “Another summoner?”
Tidus groaned, “What if it's Dona?”
Yuna shook her head, laughing, “We have to hurry.”
Tidus nodded, “Right! In we go!”
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As they are entering the temple, three people exit the cloister of trials.
The oldest looking male, looked at Yuna, “I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?”
Yuna looked to the voice, smiling, “I am Summoner Yuna, from the isle of Besaid.”
The man nodded, “As I thought! The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father.”
Yuna blinked in surprise, “My father? You knew him?”
He shook his head, “No. I have never met the man. Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru. I am a summoner, like you.”
The little boy next to Isaaru smiled at Yuna, jumping up and down, “I'm Pacce. Pleased to meet you.”
The other teen smiled “And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here.”
Isaaru looked at Yuna, “Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska. I wished I would someday become a high summoner like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you! I believe you might someday defeat Sin."
Yuna blushed, “I . . . I'm not really . . . I've only just become a summoner.”
Isaaru grinned, “Of course, I've no intention of losing, either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?”
Yuna nodded, “Very well, then. I accept your challenge.”
Maroda looked to Isaaru, “Isaaru,” he motioned to the exit.
Isaaru smiled again at Yuna, “I, beg your leave! Good luck, to both of us!”
Yuna nodded, performing Yevon’s prayer, “Yes.”
Everyone, but Tidus went into the cloister of trials, Tidus is just about to when . . .
“Hey, you,” Tidus turned around, seeing Isaaru addressing him.
“Me?”
Isaaru nods, “You are Yuna's guardian, no? Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you should know.”
Maroda walked up to Tidus, “I heard it from those Crusaders. Seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just . . . disappearing.”
“It could be the fiends got them . . . but not so many so quickly,” Isaaru added.
“Sorry I don't know more, but . . . watch your back. Ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh?” Maroda said.
Pacce walked up to his brothers, “What? What? Whatcha all talkin' 'bout?”
Maroda grinned at the little boy, “We're talking about doing your job as a guardian!”
Pacce gave Isaaru a pout, “Hey, I'm doing good! Right, big brother?”
Isaaru nodded ‘yes’ he mouthed, making Pacce beam.
“Please, be careful,” Isaaru advised Tidus.
“Will do!” Tidus exclaimed, watching as the two older brother started to walk away. Pacce just stayed where he was, looking off into space.
Isaaru looked back at Pacce, “Pacce!”
Jumping, Pacce looked behind him, “Oh . . . What?”
“We're leaving!”
“Be right there!” Pacce goes to leave, but turns back to Tidus, “See ya!”
Tidus smiled, waving to the small boy.
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It takes the group about thirty minutes to get through the puzzle, but soon they have another summon, Yuna smiled coming out of the chamber of the Fayth.
“I can now summon Ixion,” she tells everyone.
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The next morning, Tidus went in search of his summoner, going into one of the rooms in the temple. He smiled seeing a sleeping Yuna.
“She was working until dawn. Healing the wounded, sending the fallen,” a nun in the room told Tidus.
“Oh, then I let her get some more sleep.” Yuna yawned, waking up when she heard voices.
“Morning,” Tidus said.
“W..what? Morning?” Yuna jumped up, confused.
“Don’t worry about it!”
Yuna shook her head, looking shameful, “But it's morning! I'm so sorry! I-I'll get ready right away! Just a moment!” Yuna started to run around the room, gathering her things.
Tidus sighed, “Don't worry! It's okay!”
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“Yo! Sleepyhead!” Wakka shouted, seeing Yuna and Tidus exit the temple.
Yuna blushed, “Sorry! I'm so sorry!” She looked at Auron, “Please forgive me.”
Lulu patted the girl on her shoulder, “Really, there's no rush . . . here, your hair.” She handed Yuna a comb. Yuna blinked, giving Lulu a confused look.
Wakka laughed, “A summoner with bed hair! What's the world comin' to?”
Yuna put her hands on her hips, “You could have woken me up!”
Lulu smirked, “We called to you, but with all that snoring . . . ”
Yuna pouted, “Hmm . . . what is it today? Everyone's picking on me!”
Everyone, even Auron, started to laugh.
“You too, Sir Auron?”
Auron smirked, “Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave!”
Everyone started to laugh again, this time, Yuna joined in.
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“Whoa, what the . . . whoa!” Tidus gazed up at the large animal in awe.
Wakka laughed at the look on Tidus’s face, “This is a shoopuf. We ride it to get across the Moonflow.”
“Whoa . . . Let's ride! Come on,” Tidus exclaimed, “let's go!”
Wakka smiled, “All right! We board soon as we're ready, ya?”
Tidus nodded, him and the others walking around getting supplies.
“Noo, I don shink sho. Ish bad idea, yesh.” Everyone turned and watched as Lucil talked to the Shoopuf driver.
“Please,” Lucil pleaded, “we beg of you!”
The driver shook his head, “Imposhibibble! Imposhibibble!”
Tidus walked over to Elma, “What's wrong?”
Elma looked at Tidus sighing, “This guy won't let our chocobo on the shoopuf!”
Tidus nodded, “Ah. It is kinda big.”
Elma shook her head, “It's just not fair!”
Clasko looked at Elma, “He does have a point, though.”
Elma looked at Clasko, “So, what? We just leave him behind?”
Clasko shook his head, “Hey, I didn't say that. Just . . . ”
“It is no good,” Lucil said, walking over to Elma and Clasko, “We will have to find another way. We will find a ford where we can cross on foot.
Elma nodded, saluting, “Yes, Captain, sir!”
Clasko paled, “But . . . that'll take days!”
Lucil shrugged, “Where there's a will, there's a way.”
Clasko looked at Tidus groaning, “Oh, boy . . . ”
Elma looked at Lucil, a look of pride on her face, “That's our captain!”
Tidus watched as the three walked away, then went to find the rest of his group.
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When they were ready, everyone walked to the driver of the shoopuf.
“Ride ze shoopuf?”
“Yes, we’re ready,” Tidus said, eeping, when the Shoopuf wrapped it’s trunk around him, dropping him into the carrier on his back.
“Ze shoopuf liks you,” the driver informed Tidus. “Al aboards!”
“Oh, perfect,” Tidus muttered.
Everyone else climbed onto the platform that rose, so they could enter the carrier on the Shoopuf’s back.
“Shoopuf launchin'!”
The shoopuf started it’s slow walk across the Moonflow, everyone settled back enjoying the peaceful breeze on their skin. Auron blushed, when Rin leaned against him, resting his head.
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“Whatsh could thatsh be?” The driver looked around in confusion as the shoopuf started to shake.
“Sit down,” Auron warned Yuna, who had stood up to look around. Rin raised his head from Auron’s chest, looking around.
“S...sorry,” Yuna said, sitting down.
The next thing everyone knew, two vine like tentacles grabbed Yuna around the middle, pulling her into the water.
“YUNA,” Wakka shouted, “We’ll save you.”
Tidus and Wakka jumped into the water, their eyes going wide when the saw an Extractor, with an unconscious Yuna trapped in a bubble on it’s top.
It didn’t take the teens long before they destroyed the contraption, and Wakka swam, grabbing Yuna when she fall out of the dome.
Going to the surface, the shoopuf, reached down with it’s trunk, pulling Wakka and Yuna up, then pulling Tidus up.
Rin gave Yuna a worried look as she woke up, “Are you hurt?”
Sitting up, Yuna shook her head, “No, I'm fine.”
“Grrah! Why does Yuna keep getting kidnapped?” Wakka set back, grumbling.
“Ish ebullibody okay?”
“I'm sorry! We're all okay now!”
“Shoopuf full shpeed aheads!”
After the shoopuf docked on the other side of the shoopuf, Yuna walked a little ways ahead, her eye going wide when she noticed a person laying on the path.
Taking off Yuna ran till she was at the girls side. Looking down she gasped, “y..you’re not dead!”
The girl stood up, giving Yuna a shocked look, “Yuna?”
Yuna nodded, “yes! Rikku?”
Rikku shrieked, hugging Yuna. “Yeah!”
R&R Please!