Buffy met up with Auron and Rikku outside of the Farplane, Kirrel came running, happily, over to her, jumping onto her shoulder and rubbing affectionately against her.
“Are you ready?” Auron asked.
“Yes.” Yuna answered, bowing.
“Well, let’s go.”
They walked out of the Farplane, walking in silence back towards the inn, each of them thinking about what they had just seen.
“Excuse me.” A wheezy old voice interrupted.
Auron ‘hmphed’ loudly.
“What is it?” Yuna asked.
“Maester Seymour requested to speak with you at once.”
Buffy frowned, Seymour? She’d heard that name somewhere recently, where?
“Doesn’t the Maester know we are in a hurry?” Auron asked sternly. A little too sternly- Buffy thought- for concern over the pilgrimage.
“Yes, it will not take too long.” The old Guado answered. He led them into a large manor, staircases led upwards to a balcony high above the floor. Large portraits lined the walls next to the stairs. Buffy frowned, looking at the pictures. Most of the were more Guado, they all looked the same to Buffy- and they all looked like something she would slay without thought back home. She walked halfway up the stairs to the right, where Lulu and Wakka were looking at the pictures. She frowned, suddenly noticing one she hadn’t seen before he had pale white skin and blue hair that stuck out all over in weird shapes.
“Who.. who are they?” She asked.
“They are the past leaders of the Guado.” Lulu answered.
“Maester Seymour looks different though, ya?” Wakka turned to look at Buffy.
“Yeah, he looks kinda wonky.” Buffy answered, frowning.
“Don’t you know, Maester Jyscal wed a human woman. Maester Seymour is only half Guado.”
Buffy turned in time to see Tidus nearly get hit in the face with a door as it opened downstairs.
The old Guado made a shuddering noise before he spoke. “This way please.”
Buffy followed Wakka through the door, Tidus coming through last.
She found herself in a large room, a huge table of fruit in the middle of the room. In the ceiling were three, strange, blue orbs, a string hanging from them and swinging like a pendulum.
“I will go inform lord Seymour, please wait here”
Rikku, though she had eaten breakfast only a couple of hours beforehand, was shovelling in the fruit at an incredible speed. Lulu stood by the table, delicately picking at them while Wakka and Auron leant against the wall. Yuna stood by a table to the side of the room, laid out with cheeses and breads, Kimahri stood about a metre away, golden eyes scanning the room.
Kirrel made a strange, chirping noise when he saw the table- Buffy had decided to call it ‘he’ for now- and now he sat on the table with a large peach in his tiny, white paws, chewing madly.
Tidus was walking, agitatedly, around the room, he came to Buffy and stopped in front of her as if expecting something.
“So, what do you think about all this?” He asked, clutching his big, blue, sword like a lifeboat.
“I don’t know.” Buffy said. “I’ve only been here nearly two days. I gotta say, I have major wigginess vibes coming from this place.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Tidus ran his hand through his hair.
“So, what’s your deal, you don’t seem like the others. You’re not from around here?”
Tidus looked sad. “I’m from Zanarkand.”
“Hey, that’s where we’re going, right?”
“Yeah, but.. The Zanarkand I come from is, like, one thousand years in the past. I was brought here- by Sin.”
“By, Sin? The thing we’re going to fight. The thing Yuna’s father killed and yet, somehow, it’s still here. And where is Yuna’s father anyway, he killed it once, why can’t he kill it again?”
Tidus put his hands behind his head. “Yeah, Sin kinda, comes back. They kill it and bring the ‘calm’ and then it comes back, like- ten years later.”
“Oh.”
“And I don’t know what happened to Yuna’s old man, he killed Sin, I know that. But no-one talks about him after that. I know he’s dead though, Yuna was talking to him on the Farplane.”
“Truly it is good to have guests again.” Buffy was startled as the Guado re-entered the room. “Since Lord Jyscal passed away these halls have been too quiet.”
Yuna bowed. “The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira.”
“Lord Jyscal, that’s this ‘Seymour’ guy’s father, right?” Buffy asked, her head beginning to ache with all these names. If only Giles was here, he was more the name rememberer. He did the research, she did the killing. And Willow, Willow would make this place a whole lot cheerier, she had the ability to make you feel alright no matter what. Plus, Buffy thought, Willow would just about kill to spend half hour with Lulu.
Lulu was into the dark arts big time- summoning anything from fire to lightning, pools of acid and spearing shards of ice. And Xander… Xander would love to be here for the sole purpose of making bad jokes about everyone and everything they came in contact with. Buffy’s thoughts were shattered by the Guado. He seemed to be halfway through saying something.
“…But now a new leader, lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human he will be the tie that binds our two races together but that is not all I think he will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira.”
Buffy almost felt like applauding, this whole thing seemed to be a big setup, a show of power. Almost as though this ‘Seymour’ had set it up, sure enough a voice floated into the room, a silky voice, high pitched for a man. Buffy heard the voice and her ‘Spidey senses’ went crazy, every part of her was saying that there was something wrong here- no good could come out of this.
“That is enough, Tromell.” The person belonging to the voice walked into the room, his
‘hair’ looked more like an elaborate headdress, his clothes were ridiculous, making Wakka’s attire look good. A long- well, Buffy could only describe it as a dress- covered most of him, although for some reason it was open at the front, revealing his unreasonably hairy stomach. The sleeves were long and puffy, the whole thing looked like it was made of a quilt. She noticed that one hand finished with blue claws, the other with fingernails. His mouth pulled into a Cheshire cat type smile, the lips thin and evil looking.
“Must I always endure such praise?” He walked into the room, standing under the three spheres, he bowed low, bringing his hands together in a ball shape in front of him, something Buffy had seen a lot of people do, but this guy, he seemed to almost make a mockery of it.
“Welcome.” He said.
“You.. wanted to see me?” Yuna asked, looking concerned.
“Please make yourselves at home, there’s no rush.”
“Please keep this short, Yuna must rush.” For once Buffy was grateful to have Auron there, his gruff answers aimed at this man were engineered to be forceful while worded politely.
“Pardon me.” Seymour said. “It has been a long time since I had guests, Lady Yuna, this way.”
Buffy shook her head, who was he to order Yuna around like a dog, she was the chosen one, and from what Buffy could pick up Seymour was nothing but a priest, there to guide Yuna.”
Everyone stepped forwards, coming to stand with the strange man under the spheres, Buffy heard a singing and then a bright light flashed and she closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes she seemed to be standing in a void, the singing was louder, under her feet something shimmered, a field of stars appearing all around her, as though she were in space. Small, brightly coloured comets whirled past her face and she found herself making sounds of amazement like those around her.
Her thoughts of the beauty of this place were cut of short when Seymour stepped forward, beside Yuna, reminding the slayer of his presence.
“This sphere is a reconstruction created from the thoughts of the dead that wander the Farplane.” As he spoke the scenery changed and they were standing above a city, it could have been New York except for the giant walls of water that seemed to be held in midair, somehow defying gravity. Tidus frowned, staring across the city as they flew over it.
Much of the city was built into the ocean itself, buildings standing in the water and on boats.
The scene shifted again, almost like a dream and now they stood on a road, lights flashing everywhere, people hurrying by. Buffy felt almost at home, but Tidus..
“Zanarkand!” Tidus gasped. Buffy remembered him talking about Zanarkand, so this was it? No wonder he seemed nearly normal -in a really blonde way- this city was kinda like her world.
“Correct, Zanarkand, as it looked one thousand years ago.”
Buffy could hear a loudspeaker in the background. “The Blitzball stadium is experiencing difficulties, we advise that this area remain off limits until further notice.”
Seymour continued speaking. “She once lived in this metropolis.” Buffy heard Auron ‘humph’ loudly.
Yuna turned to Seymour. “She who?”
Buffy blinked as they suddenly appeared in a room, sitting on the bed was what appeared to be a naked woman, blue hair zigzagging in pieces like Seymour’s though falling down her back, not sitting over her head.
Yuna gasped. “Lady Yunalesca.” Buffy realised that the woman in question was wearing a tiny bikini, suitable -Buffy thought- for a city with so much water.
Seymour nodded. “She was the first person to defeat Sin and save the world from it’s ravages and you have inherited her name.”
Buffy frowned, she could feel him leading somewhere, though she couldn’t understand what showing them all this scantily clad summoner was going to do.
Yuna spoke softly. “It was my father who named me..”
“Lord Braska was entrusting you with a great task he wanted you to face Sin as Lady Yunalesca did.” Buffy shook her head, what was with this guy? Just ‘cause her dad named her that didn’t mean anything. If her father had called her ‘Joan’ it wouldn’t mean he wanted her to lead an army and be burnt at the stake…
“However,” Seymour continued. “Lady Yunalesca did not save the world alone..”
A clashing noise was heard entering the room and a man, dressed in golden plate armour, entered and Buffy worked out what Seymour wanted.
“To defeat the undefeatable Sin it took an unbreakable bond of love, the kind that binds two hearts together for eternity.” He did the weird bowing thing again.
Buffy opened her mouth to say something when the flashy light thing happened again and they reappeared in the room, Seymour whispering in Yuna’s ear.
Buffy shook her head, this wasn’t her business.
Yuna suddenly gasped, then, making strange noises, Yuna walked over to a table, grabbing a glass of water in both hands and gulping it down, she held her hand in front of her face, then ran over to where her guardians were standing.
Rikku looked at the distressed summoner. “Wow, your face is beet red.”
Buffy shook her head. “He didn’t, did he, ask you..”
Yuna nodded at Buffy, grateful that she had worked it out.
At the confused looks on the others faces Yuna clarified. “He, he, asked me to marry him!”
Wakka looked shocked. “You serious?”
Auron frowned, obviously displeased. “You know what Yuna must do.”
“Of course..” The way he spoke so quickly gave Buffy the impression of a prepared speech. “Lady Yuna, no, all summoners are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more than just defeating Sin she must ease the suffering of all Spira she must be a leader for the people.”
Buffy had a nagging feeling that the Maester was using a play on words, as though he were saying what Yuna wanted to hear yet at the same time the truth lay somewhere in those twisted words.
“I proposed to Lady Yuna as a master of Yevon.”
Auron grunted. “Spira is no playhouse. A moments diversion may amuse an audience but it changes nothing.”
Seymour gave him a dirty look. “Even so the actors must play their parts. There’s no need to answer right away, please, think it over.”
Auron took over, seeming to wrap the party under protective wings. “We will do so then.
We leave”
Seymour kept his smiling face, though his eyes had a flame in them, showing his displeasure at Auron’s interference. He seemed smug at getting in the last word, as they left the room.
“Lady Yuna. I await your favourable reply.”
Buffy looked at Tidus who seemed to want to say something, Auron gave him a ‘let’s go’ look and headed after all the others.
“Why are you still here, sir.”
Buffy spun around to stare at Seymour, all sense of a friendly host was gone, malice sat openly on his face, he covered it a moment later, lowering his lashes. Buffy had the feeling that he’d just struck at Auron’s weak point.
“I beg your pardon we Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane.”
Tidus walked over and began sniffing Auron like some kind of dog.
“Tidus, cut it out.” Buffy said as Auron shoved him away.
The three of them left the room in silence, gathering around Yuna who sat on the ground outside, where Lulu spoke.
“Yuna, the high summoners daughter, Seymour, the leader of the Guado, married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race… It would give Spira something cheery to talk about for a change.”
Wakka screwed up his nose, waving his hand in front of his face. “Sounds just like a passing daydream, like Auron says.”
Tidus shook his head, gesturing wildly with his arms. “Come on, lets just get on with the pilgrimage I mean, Marriage?”
Rikku surprised Buffy, thumping Tidus on the shoulder. “Hmm, jealous?”
“What, no way! We gotta defeat sin, romance can wait.”
Wakka looked torn. “He sure picked a fine time to lay this one on us.”
“Maybe it is a fine time.”
Tidus looked at Yuna as though she’d gone nuts. “You serious?”
“If my getting married would help Spira… If it would make people happy… If I can do that for people… Maybe I should do what I can. I never imagined doing anything like this but I wont answer till I know what's right.”
Buffy sat on the ground, taking Yuna’s hands in her own, the summoner looked up at her.
“Listen, Yuna. I know you respect Seymour, and I know Spira means a lot to you but.. Those things Seymour said, he said them on purpose.”
Yuna looked confused.
“You are a summoner, you have been chosen to help Spira, right? He must know that as a summoner you would do anything to make people’s lives better, but.. Not this, Yuna. Don’t do this. People get married for a bunch of reasons but.. Unless you love him- I mean really love him.. Marriage is too big. My parents got married, but, later, they didn’t love each other anymore and- yes the wedding made people happy- but afterwards, when they left each other, it just made people sad again. As the chosen one it is your duty to save lives. If you save the lives of all these people, they can get married, they can have their own little children and just think, how happy would that make them? I know it’s hard, Seymour really struck at a weak point, but.. God! You can’t just be dangled like a puppet for people. And, Yuna, when you find someone you do love you can marry them and just think how happy that would make everyone, Lu’ said that the overcoming of race and.. Yada yada, but a happier story is you overcoming all odds and finding someone you really love, I know it would make me happier.”
Buffy looked up for the first time, away from Yuna’s green and blue eyes, filled with emotion, she looked at those around her, Rikku looked entranced, absently scratching the side of her face. Tidus and Wakka looked relieved and Lulu just looked decided.
Yuna, suddenly looked up, directly at Buffy. “I remember, when I was only seven years old, in Bevelle that day. My father had just defeated Sin and the whole town was out on the streets, everyone seemed so happy. If I defeat Sin, that will make people happy.” She looked at her friends. “I am a summoner I must fight and defeat Sin.”
Auron nodded, seeming to understand what she meant. “Like Braska before you?”
“Mm.” Yuna agreed. “Let us return to the Inn to collect our belongings then I will take my answer to Lord Seymour.”