Traveling from the desolate and gravelly shores of Djose, through the canyons and cliffs, and finally breaking through to the shimmering banks of the Moonflow was walking from a nightmare into a dream. The river and it's flora walked a line between ephemeral fairy tale and psychedelic fantasy. Strange flowers he'd never seen on the journey swayed lazily in a breeze that could only barely be felt upon a moist brow. They didn't have a singular color in their petals, but changed hue with every minute movement and not once went back to what they'd been. Even when Cloud tried to angle his head in exactly the same way their petals refracted into another color.

"Moonlilies only grow here." Lulu had come to stand beside him as they rest. Since Djose there had been a strange and comfortable understanding between them. "Once plucked, they wither and turn to dust. A pyrefly rests inside of each blossom, not quite ready to go to the Farplane."

"They've lost who they were, haven't they?" Cloud crouched down to look at a large blossom.

"Dedmin revere the moonlily as a symbol of life. Delicate, fleeting, and beautiful in it's macabre."

"I'll be sure not to pick any," Cloud spoke as he sat fully on the grass. Yuna was not too far off, using a sphere to talk to her AlBhed family while Wakka and Tidus sat not much further down the bank. "Do many people live around here?"

"Not really. Pyreflies are a symbol of death after all. The living try to avoid reminders of their fate." Lulu looked down at him. "Thinking of settling down?"

"Do you think Yuna will ever settle down?" Cloud raised a brow at her. He knew that Yuna wasn't going to fall against Sin but for the sake of an easy journey they wouldn't share it. To make the truth known so early could have terrible consequences. Aerith had mentioned something or at least inferred such a thing while they were in Djose. The dire need for secrecy.

"I expect Yuna to settle down as much as I expect the Moonflow to become a bustling city." Lulu gave Cloud a look. "You should start working on that plan."

The mage walked away to seat herself beside Auron and Cloud was left in a stunned silence. Lulu wanted Yuna to quit. Out of every guardian he would have expected it from perhaps Khimari and certainly Tidus but not Lulu. Never Wakka. The man was zealous and focused on pleasing his faith over his heart. Auron was driven by some ancient grudge he'd not spoken of. Lulu was the one who cared for Yuna most often though. Little things like grooming and making sure she ate. Much like Tifa who held them together and kept them organized. She cared for their hearts and wellbeing even while she snapped at them or scolded them.

Cloud moved to sit closer to Yuna when her sphere was set back into her bag. The call with her uncle had ended so it was safe to come into view.

"I think he found out about you," Yuna smiled when he sat down beside her. "I'm not sure how."

"Lulu wants us to settle down." Cloud leaned over and kissed her shoulder. Her skin had cooled as she sat in the shade of a great banyan tree. Maybe. It might have been some other sort of tree because the leaves were just a little bit blue and glistened silver with crystalline sap.

"I thought so. She resisted the most when I decided to become a summoner. She's been a guardian before but..."

"Her summoner died before the end." Cloud understood then why she was so reluctant to journey as quickly as possible. Why she was so very adamant that Yuna be kept safe from everything and everyone. "Is there an inn nearby? We could take an extra break."

"I don't think so," Yuna laughed. "We have to camp out a few more times before Macalania."

"All I heard you say was that If I want to kiss you, we need to do it where no one can see," Cloud leaned closer and stole a kiss from her lips. "Because I can't kiss you silly in a tent."

"I think we could figure something out." Yuna blushed as she spoke though the next kiss was from her. Something softer and slower than his quick peck in front of the other guardians. "We could start looking for a place to build."

"We'll be back," Cloud called over his shoulder as he helped Yuna stand up. "Exploring."

There was the vague sound of Tidus trying to come with followed by his indignant yelp as someone else stopped him from moving. Together he and Yuna followed the bank of the Moonflow looking for a place that surely every visitor knew of. A small and secluded alcove. Every river had one or three or seven. Theirs was nearly untouched. A bit higher above the river than where they'd been sitting and just a bit removed from the Moonflow's banks. An ancient banyan-esque tree guarded the place from sight of the road and of their companions while soft new grass saved the both of them from rough sand or little cuts taller grass would give them.

"I can't believe you," Yuna laughed as she let him pull her down. Her legs straddled his waist and small hands came to rest on his shoulder. "There's no way they won't know."

"Summoner's privilege, right?" Cloud kissed her again when she rolled her eyes at him. It was another slow kiss and filled with mischief.

~!~

"There's a travel station up ahead ya?" Wakka elbowed Cloud. "People use it to wash the dirt off."

Cloud would not apologize and Wakka didn't seem overly attached to the idea that he should. Even when Tidus had complained or begun to question and Lulu frowned at him, Wakka had been the one to reaffirm a summoner's rights. So long as it didn't get in the way of the pilgrimage, she could do whatever she wanted with whomever she so chose. Well, perhaps that wasn't the exact feeling from Wakka. The man was pretty damn close to killing him at first and only through the grace of the Goddess, Yuna, and Fayth did he hold back long enough to listen and watch. Seeing Yuna continue to walk so close to him and sneak little kisses seemed to allay the building rage until Auron asked if Cloud was her Primero Guard.

"That would be nice," Yuna smiled from where she walked beside Lulu. "We've been camping for a few days now."

Being confirmed as the one who was destined to die alongside Yuna had ended most all of the building rage. The downside was the cloying melancholy. The reminder that Yuna was traveling to her death and once again Cloud wondered if it wouldn't be kinder to let them know the truth.

"It's a long journey until we reach Guadosalam," Lulu told them. "It would be for the best if we stocked up on supplies now."

"How long until I get a bed again?" Tidus asked. "Those tents weren't made for two people, especially not two people with swords bigger than they should be. They were made for one small person with a water bottle."

"We'll see if they have bigger tents," Cloud rolled his eyes. "You kick in your sleep anyway. And Wakka snores."

Cloud was in no rush to reach the Moonflow's crossing. He and Yuna continued to meander along the banks and watch as the moonlilies swayed endlessly throughout. Sometimes they would cluster so closely that the ghostly image of a humanoid would seem to appear. The breeze would move the blossoms and the image would be gone once more. Other things popped out of the water as well. Blue skinned humanoids who would wave to the travelers or speak to one another in their own tongue.

"Hypello. They live in the Moonflow." Yuna waved at a small family of them sunning on a large rock further in the river. "They never converted to Yevon, so don't mention them in front of Wakka."

"There's so many different races here," Cloud shook his head. "Most of them were hunted down in my world."

"We live in too much fear of Sin to bother warring with each other."

The crossing wasn't very much to look at, but the massive shoopuff grazing on the shore and the other ones wading through the water were more than interesting. Like the hypello they were blue skinned and some place in between a salamander and an elephant. The large carriages upon their backs were raised and lowered with a brightly painted crane while groups of people waited for their turn to cross over. Only a few stalls were open but in the cramped space it would have been impossible to have any more.

"Eh Poof," Wakka waved him over to one of the larger stalls. "This guy says he's got a nice big tent with lots a rooms."

"That only works if there's a space big enough for the thing," Cloud frowned. "We just need a few four man tents. Maybe three or four."

"Hm, well, I got plenty of them," the shopkeeper nodded to Cloud. "Why you want so many though?"

"The ones we have barely fit two people," Cloud explained as he opened up the shared purse. Well, half of it. Lulu and Yuna had split their funds in half and gone to stock up on supplies. "I don't suppose you do trade in or buy used?"

A few moments later and Wakka was rolling out their old tents for inspection. The shopkeep was in need of the smaller tents as many couples had been coming through recently on their honeymoon. It also helped for summoners with only one guard or pilgrims on their way to Bevelle. The shopkeep was willing to trade two large tents for their three small ones, but they'd have to buy the rest of the big tents. That was just fine by Cloud. Even if they did look like very odd versions of Turk and Soldier tents from his youth. The shape was the same, and the deep navy and purple that both divisions of ShinRa used were the same, but something about them was wholly Spiran. Maybe it was the flamboyant gold and yellow swirls and lettering on them.

While there, Cloud made the choice to buy more manual camping supplies. Flint to start a fire in case Lulu ran out of magic or his materia went missing. A few camping knives to replace the single one they'd had; Tidus had lost their only knife. Little things that they would need even if the party thought they had it covered.

And then he saw something unique at the weapons shop.

"Hey, run this back to the girls," Cloud pushed the group's funds to Wakka. "I need to talk to this guy for a second."

Wakka raised a brow at him before taking the purse and heading back to their group. The item Cloud had seen wasn't a particularly large or standout item but it was a bit strange to see in a weapons shop. Most of Spira, especially the parts of Spira that ran close to the pilgrimage trail didn't exactly have items associated with AlBhed. Cloud was actually a bit surprised he even saw it.

"How much for the pistol?" Cloud asked quietly as he looked over a small selection of other short swords and daggers.

"That oversized kitchen knife and you want a tiny thing like this?" the salesman barely looked up. Cloud was right then. If someone saw him buy AlBhed machina from this man he might lose his business entirely.

"Got a girl. Tired of seeing her use a stick."

"Funny, almost twenty years ago a guy came through with a girl of his own, traded this gun in for a staff." The old man looked at Cloud for the first time since Wakka left. "Bit like the staff the summoner over there is using."

"Sounds like a fool," Cloud shook his head as he pulled his wallet out. The staff that Yuna would not get rid off because it had been her father's and her mother's before that.

"Well, the guy in red would know about that better than I would. Can't say I disagree though." The weapons seller bagged a whetstone and some polishing cloths into a small bag. If Cloud hadn't been watching him very carefully he might have missed the tiny pistol going into the bag. "Safe travels Sir Guardian."

"Prayers with you," Cloud nodded in return. He took the bag for the quoted price and went back to where the others were waiting. "Get everything we need?"

"Waiting on you," Tidus crossed his arms behind his head. "And the shoopuf. The hypello guys said one of them is sick or something."

"He said they needed to rest because several summoners already came through today," Lulu frowned at the younger blonde. "It's like your ears aren't even connected to your brain."

"I did tell you," Auron almost laughed from where he waited for the next ride.

"Does the other side of the river have more than this one?" Cloud asked Wakka. Now that Auron and Lulu were both after Tidus, neither of them would be willing to give him information.

"Nah, after this we gotta make our way to Guadosalam. That's where Maester Seymour is from ya?" Wakka's eyes lit up the way they always did when he was about to educate someone on Yevon. "His father was a great man, and introduced Yevon to the Guado. His wife was one of us, so when they met, he saw the way things oughta be."

"He forced an entire nation to convert and leave their cultural identity behind?" Cloud raised a brow. "That seems like a bad ruler to me."

"Hey, you ain't even from around here, ya? Dedmin, you guys start thinkin' funny stuff."

As Wakka turned away from him to go stand beside Khimari it left Cloud wondering. Had Wakka heard about the Dedmin cover story and decided it was the truth, or had he decided Cloud's story and life were a side effect of Sin's toxin? Wakka didn't make that much sense sometimes. He did however justify a lot of beliefs and simplify events with Yevon as his guide.

"Wakka is getting excited to meet the Guado in person," Yuna spoke up from his side. "He's only met them a few times at Blitzball games."

"I'm not sure he remembers where I'm from," Cloud shook his head. "Let's see if we can pass through this place quick and get a new message from Aerith. Maybe she'll have more information on how to beat this."

"She said that it was someone you knew. That you'd know how to win this time."

"I don't like the sound of that."

He didn't have an opportunity to pass her the small pistol he'd purchased. Lulu and Wakka were waiting for them with the others and it was time to board the shoopuf. Cloud didn't want to vomit on the back of an animal any more than he'd wanted to vomit on board the Winno. He almost kissed Yuna when he felt the gentle chill of esuna spread though his body.

~!~

What was she doing? He'd been watching her for some time now. A small princess trying desperately to save her family, her people, her planet. Yet she spent so little time on herself. When he'd come into this world it was to the sound of her crying and his heart broke. He'd wondered what dreadful place he'd come to. Waking in the bowels of a damp and broken airship was not an ideal situation for any being, nor was hiding from those who had salvaged it. But he had. From the sodden depths into the blazing air of Bikkanel. Three months ago he'd woken on the desert island and within moments he'd found a new purpose.

What was she doing though? The object of his affections was fiddling with some machine and fully intending to go into the Moonflow with it.

Genesis looked down at his princess with something between amusement, concern, and outright anger for her reckless plan. He'd barely the time to grab her from the wreckage before it truly exploded and he was fair to certain that he knew a certain blonde swordsman from somewhere. That was almost impossible of course. The only people he'd known were far behind on Gaia and this was Spira. The land of endless death and rebirth where his bright gold maiden lived in a wasteland. If it took everything he had he'd make sure her people could live in happiness.

She was waking up.

He would have to continue working in the shadows.

~!~

Cloud watched over Yuna as she coughed up yet more river water. In this fight he'd been useless. Wakka and Tidus had gone down to fight the machina that had captured their summoner because they were the only ones who could hold their breath long enough to fight.

"It was my cousin," Yuna whispered before coughing again. "She doesn't always think things through."

"Better not let Wakka hear," Tidus looked over at the raging redhead. He was standing guard while Cloud and Yuna sat on the bank. The machina itself had blown to bits in the river, sinking down into the sunken city that now housed hypello in it's depths. "Hey, did you see some guy in red? Besides Auron I mean."

"I was hoping I hadn't," Cloud frowned. He'd seen a man in red and it wasn't someone who brought good news. "He swam to the surface by the bank. I thought it was you guys at first but he had a blonde girl with him."

"Rikku was with someone you know?" Yuna gasped before coughing again. "She's survived."

"Yeah. If it's who I think it is, we could have a situation on our hands." Cloud continued trying to dry Yuna off. This far from Besaid and Kilika the air was cool and just a little damp. They couldn't keep walking or she'd get sick. "He could be using her for some reason, trying to get to you in order to get to Sin. Then again, he could be lost in his own world, pretending he's living out some epically tragic novel."

"The only epic we have is Redcosse," Yuna shook her head. "It's from a time before Sin about a knight who...oh. Oh dear. He falls in love with Verita, the golden maiden of Truth."

Wakka had begun to storm about the banks, shouting for the albhed to come and fight again. Tidus and Cloud shared a look and the younger subtly wandered off in the direction they knew Rikku and Genesis had gone. Whatever epic love story poem the red general was living out would have to wait. Right now there was an angry zealot who wanted to hunt down his charge's cousin and probably beat her senseless. Cloud had no worries as to his ability to defend Yuna against Wakka, but it was better to get Rikku out of the way before it got too hairy.

"How is Keyakku?" Cloud asked.

"He's well. He's learning how to run the island and keep the people happy and fed. Rikku actually figured out an irrigation system that purifies incoming sea water for crops."

"Kidnapping and revolutions," Cloud smiled. He pushed himself to his feet and offered a hand to Yuna.

"I thought we were going to keep them safe," Cloud grit through his teeth. He had a firm hand on Tidus' shoulder as Rikku introduced herself to the group. She was now known as 'the girl Tidus knew before Sin' got to him. In Wakka's eyes, she was from Tidus' old life and therefore knew Auron. "How is bringing Rikku into our group helping her stay safe?"

"Ow," Tidus tried to squirm away. "Since Sin attacked at Djose assaults against AlBhed are on the rise. That's what she's been saying. This way we keep her safe, Yuna's where we can see her, and ow, we don't have to worry about Wakka trying to hunt her down."

Except now Genesis was going to be tracking them down. Cloud had encountered Genesis Rhapsodos three times in his life and not once had the man ever emitted the kind of aura that inspired one to be like him. The first time had been during basic training, the second time had been at the reactor, and the third time was kind of weird but it had been on his travels around Gaia after Aerith's death. The man had looked just as lost and knew Cloud for who and what he was but Genesis was still a major ass.

"Tidus," Cloud pulled the young man closer. "You better make sure the princess doesn't even have an ingrown toenail. Otherwise you're dealing with the fallout."

This was nothing like the quest to stop Sephiroth. If it had been, he wouldn't be surrounded by this many teenagers and he wouldn't be wondering if there was a bar in Guadosalam.

"Enough chitchat," Cloud began walking along the road. "We have a fiend to stop."

There was a not so quiet whisper behind him of 'is he always like that' from Rikku. Tidus and Yuna both agreed that he was and the athlete began to recount the last time they'd left in a hurry. He wasn't that bad, was he?

"Stock up, we're leaving," Cloud frowned as they entered the city. The city itself wasn't entirely terrible but the aura of the place was unwelcoming. It felt like any smiles and entreaties were forced and the Guado themselves wanted nothing to do with outsiders at all. The guado who'd only recently converted by the will of their long dead leader. Plenty of them were wearing strange sigils and symbols that may well have been reminders of their own religion. These Guado tended to cluster together and avoid those wearing the eye of Yevon. They had different physical features and lived on a different side of the small tree city.

There were two well worn and ageless roads running through the city. One leading out of the city and one leading to a place uphill. A place that made Cloud uneasy to be near. It was the higher road that the green Yevonite Guado lived near. The lower alleyways and winding paths were the blue guado who still held fast to their culture.

"Wha? C'mon Poof, we just got here!" Wakka had been gawking at the Guado since they'd entered.

"And now we're leaving."

"I think we have someone who disagrees," Rikku pointed to a slowly approaching guado.

Cloud assumed he was an elder guado by his shape and the depth of the wrinkles or cracks, in his bark-like skin. As far as species went they were very interesting but there was something very strange about them. The man was walking very slow and Cloud was on the edge of walking over to him.

"We might have to find a room to wait this out," Cloud leaned over to Yuna. Even though she swatted his arm the summoner was still giggling. Cloud set a hand on the small of her back and she turned to wrap her arms about his waist. "We should get one anyway. Somewhere else."

"Cloud," she laughed. "We're not going to be here very long. There's no temple here."

The guado approaching them had changed his tune somewhat. Cloud had been watching him with half an eye since Yuna stepped into his arms and it was that action which made the Guado look very upset. Bordering on disgusted or angry even. Was public affection frowned on in this culture? None of the other guado nearby seemed particularly upset to see them together.

"Lady Yuna," the guado spoke when he was close enough. He gave the bow of Yevon but something about it was just a little bit different. Perhaps this man was an unwilling convert into Yevon. "Welcome to Guadosalam. We have been expecting you. This way my lady. This way."

That was when Cloud decided he didn't like this place or this man at all. The seemingly slow Guado reached for Yuna a bit quicker than Cloud had been expecting. Not that it was a match for a Mako enhanced science experiment. Yuna was very quickly behind Cloud and his hand was firm on the grip of his sword. A metallic springing sound came from his right as Rikku's claw came into action and Tidus took Cloud's left. So much for keeping a low profile. The man's actions and those of Cloud and the other guardians was cause enough for the guado around them to begin whispering to one another. It sounded very much like the wind as it blew through the leaves.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Wakka jumped between the two of them.

"Lady Yuna has very protective guardians," Auron chuckled from behind Cloud. Even though he teased, there was little doubt that his own blade was ready to defend if need be.

"Oh, I beg your pardon. I am called Tromell Guado," he bowed once more.

"I don't care what your name is. Summoners have been getting kidnapped and you just tried to take mine."

"Yeah, you can't just grab someone ya know," Rikku piped up. "You state your business and then we get to decide if we want a part of it."

"I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."

"Business with me?" Yuna asked. She hadn't stepped out from behind Cloud fully but she was looking at Tromell. "Whatever could it be?"

"Please, come inside the manor," Tromell bowed yet again. "All will be explained." Yuna began to move forward and follow him and Cloud did too. Finally Tromell decided to show the first real sign of displeasure. Beyond the change of his body language he was very close to sneering. "Your friends are also welcome."

"Twist our arms, why don't ya?" Rikku spoke up from behind them. Cloud was really starting to like the girl. She was funny, energetic in a way that made him grit his teeth, but calm enough that she listened really well in a fight. "Ah, I almost forgot! Pay attention to me now you guys, this is really cool."

Tromell began to protest but the blonde girl simply stuck her tongue out and went about her business. Rikku had claimed everyone's items with thieving skills to put Yuffie's to shame and was now showing them how to alter and adjust not only their accessories, but their weapons as well. Beyond slipping some materia into a slot, she was fully changing the weapons and shields they carried. Even Cloud's sword, which had been at it's full potential, was enhanced and made a bit lighter and stronger.

"What would you do without me?" she asked as she handed Wakka's ball back to him.

"I'm sure we'd find a way," Cloud teased as he helped her from the ground. "C'mon on little sister. We have to go be bored."

~!~

Genesis did not like Guadosalam any more than his fellow Soldier did. Rikku could tell just by the way her shadow stayed even deeper in the dark than usual. She'd gotten a quick and dirty version of who and what Cloud was while Wakka was in the restroom and she was perfectly fine joining on this quest. Even if it did sound strange. A man from another world who'd come to save her cousin's life? And then marry her? Sounded just fine to her. If only Genesis would stop being such a turd and come join them as well. Then the journey might take half the time.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked her primero guard quietly. Cloud had been trying not to look around to much or take very deep breaths since they entered. Rikku could completely understand. Her eyes were having a hard time adjusting to the various frequencies and colors. Sometimes, if she had time to focus, she could see a very strange spell wafting about the room or the odd little haze of perfume coming from the incense. AlBhed eyes: great for seeing the unseen.

Like her stupid shadow guard who thought he was being sneaky.

"This guy is just a priest though, right?" Tidus was asking. Rikku might have been great at seeing things but she had missed what seemed like a lot of talking.

"Those with power use it." Auron shifted to look at the painting of the former Lord of the Guado. "Maesters have power."

"You sure you don't have something against Yevon?" Tidus asked.

"I lived a long time in Zanarkand," Auron replied instead.

Rikku realized why she hadn't been listening. They were saying a bunch of crap she already knew. Guadosalam didn't have a temple. Except Lulu was speaking now and her vice made you listen. So even though she was explaining basic knowledge to Tidus and Cloud, Rikku still listened as she tested the food for lingering poisons or drugs. Cloud was right. Something was very wrong with this place.

"Maybe you finally believe I don't know anything about Spira." Tidus looked just this side of triumphant. "And maybe that means you believe me about Zanarkand, too?"

"Well...There are many things I do not know." Lulu spoke softly and carefully. "Your Zanarkand is one of those things. Along with Cloud's Gaia. I suppose I can't say what I think either way." Lulu fixed both men with a sharp look. "Still, be careful. You shouldn't tell other people about your homes, and keep up the act about being brothers for now."

"Yeah, I know." Tidus stared at the soldier. "But he's so annoying!"

"Brother's are supposed to be a pain is the-"

"Watch your mouth!" Rikku yelled, throwing a fruit at Cloud's head and interrupting him. The fruit had been drugged anyway. The one still in her hand was just fine and after a moment she tossed it a little bit further than the table and into the shadow where Genesis stood silent. "Goal!"

"You completely missed!" Tidus argued.

Let him keep thinking that. Rikku gave the man in red a small grin before refocusing on the blonde 'brothers' she was now the sister of. He wasn't the least bit sneaky. Cloud didn't see him or the toss and began arguing as to why she'd thrown a banana at him. Obviously the shape of the fruit was relevant, as well as the scoring system. Yuna started laughing as Cloud and Rikku started to argue with each other about which fruit was better, and how the scoring system should work when throwing fruit at people. Wakka and Tidus joined in as well, bringing in little bits about blitzball scoring.

And then Tromell came back and Rikku wasn't happy anymore.

"Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

That might have been the first time Rikku actually saw a genuine emotion from the man.

Yuna nodded somberly, the discussion about scoring gone. "The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all of Spira."

Wakka leaned between the two blonde men to repeat the same thing he'd been saying since they'd arrived in Guadosalam. "He brought the teachings of Yevon to the Guado." It was actually kind of obvious when Cloud stopped listening to anything he said. Rikku didn't disagree with her new 'brother' and Yunie's new husband. "He was truly a great man."

Tromell nodded sadly. "Truly, a loss for us all. But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human you know," he directed at the trio of blondes, obviously his hearing was excellent. "He will be the tie that binds our two races together. But that is not all, I think. Lord Seymour..." Tromell gained a strange expression on his face that Rikku had seen only a few times in her life. None of those times had been good or ended well. "He will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."

Creepy.

Then the maester himself came into the room and Rikku saw the wisps of the spell begin to weave themselves more firmly into place. It was part instinct that made her move closer to her shadow and part learned behavior. Since her knight in red had arrived she'd been safer and protected.

"That is enough, Tromell." The blue haired man lifted a single hand. "Must I always endure such praise? Welcome!"

"You...wanted to see me?" Yuna asked from her place beside Cloud. It only made the maester's smile grow as he invited them to sit. Why the hell was Cloud getting so tense? Better still, why was Genesis taking his cues from the blonde? It took a lot of practice for Rikku to not show her nervousness. Until she remembered that she was an AlBhed in a city of lifelong enemies and cornered by a maester.

"Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush." Seymour began to walk casually through the room and the slight ripple of magic from her red knight crept along Rikku's skin. A protect spell.

"Please keep this short. Yuna must rush."

And like that Auron had broken the odd spell falling over the room. The other man in red who had no time for rules or fear was refusing to play the game. His refusal made Maester Seymour frown and now Rikku knew why she'd been so uneasy with the smile. Especially when his anger grew to see Yuna almost hiding in Cloud's arms.

"Pardon me." His apology was not heartfelt. "It has been a long time since I had guests. Lady Yuna, this way."

Yuna followed the maester, as did Cloud.

"I don't believe I asked for you," Seymour smiled tightly at him.

"I wouldn't be a very good guardian if I let my summoner out of sight."

"Indeed. Tromell!"

~!~

Tifa wondered how it had all descended so very quickly. One moment, they'd been receiving images from the Lifestream about an ageless city. Illuminated from within by crystals and wondrous technology that had Reeve acting as quickly as he could to emulate and discern how these Spirans had created such a paradise. Then they were in a palace watching as Jenova embraced a stern looking man but it wasn't Jenova they saw in the palace of Zanarkand. It was Yunalesca et Fabula and her husband Zaon et Fabula; the first High Summoner and the first Primero Guard. The first to save Spira from Sin and the first to die from the ceremony it took. That wasn't even where it had gone downhill though. No, the image of a woman who so closely resembled their greatest threat, the idea Yuna might be her true descendant, the fact that Yuna was going to die if she fought Sin the way her people always had didn't put a damper on things. It was Seymour leaning much to close and asking for Yuna's hand in marriage.

"We're already married," Cloud had pushed his way between Seymour and Yuna. "I am her Husband, she is my Life."

"Such things are easily changed," Seymour leaned back with a cruel smile pulling at his lips. "I ask as a maester of Yevon, that we might bring joy to the people of Spira."

"This is too much," Yuna shook her head and backed away from both men.

"I understand if you would like to think about it," Seymour ducked his head to Yuna. "I await your favorable reply."

Tifa was actually quite shocked that Cloud hadn't attacked the man outright. She was also shocked that he looked ready to do so. Even when Aerith or Tifa had been approached, or when someone had hit on his sometimes girlfriends he'd never once shown so much rage.

"Are you well?"

Tifa leaned back against the father of her child. Vincent had been wonderful for these last months. His guilt and sorrow fading as he gave his all to the life growing within Tifa. It did mean rejoining the Turks. Those men and women whom Tifa had looked at with such hatred for so long even though they'd fought side by side more than once. She'd asked him why and Vincent had told her. The answer was not simple or even easy to explain and neither of them had told the rest of Avalanche of his new job. So far as they new, he still worked for Reeve and the WRO.

"Just fine. I'm worried about Cloud and Yuna."

"I wonder if Yunalesca in Spira is a relation of Jenova. Cloud managed to get spirited away to his Promised Land. Jenova could have come here through the same gateway."

"I hadn't considered that. I'm not worried about his return though. I'm worried that he might do something rash against Seymour. What if he does haul of and punch the maester?"

"Then he will rise in my esteem. Are you truly so unworried to see Jenova's family and Genesis?"

"He has eyes only for the princess," Tifa shook her head. "Rikku is very young by comparison but...I don't think he's going to hurt her. Or Yuna."

"Perhaps you are right. Come. My princess and my queen need to rest before tomorrow."

Tifa smiled and let him help her stand. She wasn't inept and the baby wasn't due for quite some time, but it was still quite offputting to be so suddenly round. A roundness that Vincent had a great deal of concern and affection for; the Turks were suddenly quite interested in her condition as well. Tomorrow there was to be a sort of Turk reunion and she was going to meet a wide variety of people. All of whom were very interested to see a new life come into their circle.

~!~

Cloud stood outside of the Farplane with Rikku and Auron. The idea that a place could pull his memories from deep within was unsettling. He had no desire to summon an image of Zack or of Aerith. He didn't want to see Sephiroth as he remembered him before because every time he thought back to the good old days, Sephiroth came back and tried to kill everyone. He might have gone in to see his mother's face or perhaps to watch as Yuna connected with her own memories. It didn't seem worth it.

"Ya know, we need to have a talk buddy." Rikku was sitting on the railing across from him with a small gadget in her hands. What it was he had no idea but she'd been working with it since she joined them. "You're my brother and all, but Yunie's mom didn't get to put you through the wringer."

Rikku was good at acting. She could put up the 'baby sister' persona much easier than Tidus could. Hell, the kid barely remembered that was his role half the time.

"So you're going to take her place?" Cloud gave a small smirk.

"I am. I owe it to Rena." Rikku didn't hop down from the railing but her fidgeting had stopped. "So, first question, and most important, can you provide for her? Keep her in a lifestyle she's accustomed to, make said living conditions better, indulge her."

"I can. Before joining Yuna on her quest, I was a mercenary, a courier, I've even run a bar." Cloud pulled his wallet out and hoped he wouldn't regret handing it over to the blonde. "I'm not unskilled."

"I don't need that," Rikku waved it away. "Gil is boring. It comes and goes. I want to know if you're staying put."

"You have to ask?" Cloud put his gil pouch back and felt more than just Rikku watching him. "Yuna and I didn't exactly chose to make this journey together. It was fate. I didn't chose to fall in love with her but destiny decided I would. Now I have to try not to punch someone in the face for trying to marry her."

"AlBhed culture is matriarchal." Auron spoke up for the first time since the rest of the party had gone into the Farplane. "The birth of a girl in their society is rare and so women are highly revered. Braska went through many trials to win Rena's favor."

"He almost died twice," Rikku giggled. "Don't sweat it. The old man might decide on the tests, but I'm the one who decides the outcome."

"So who decides for you?" Cloud asked. Rikku had the final word as to whether he and Yuna actually got married and that was a little bit terrifying.

"If Nhadala agrees to marry Keyakku, then she'll take over as the matriarch and Minaj of the people. She'll take charge of my wedding. If she doesn't, then Yunie has final say and I take over as Minaj."

"This seems complicated," Cloud shook his head. He was going to keep asking questions as they travelled though. Nonstop questions about their culture and how to best fit in while respecting them. He was already learning the language and his accent didn't peg him as being an outsider.

"Not really. You've already made an impression for what you did at the Djose Massacre."

Rikku fell quiet as Yuna and the others exited the Farplane in a hurry. Wakka seemed the most shaken of them but even Lulu was distant and worrying her lip.

"Was that really-"

"Quiet," Lulu elbowed him sharply. "We discuss this in private. At the Inn."

Cloud had not wanted to stay in this city any longer. He had no desire to stay the night or do much more than stock up but seeing Yuna so shaken and pale was enough to relent. It wasn't far from the gates of the Farplane but it was endlessly tall and narrow. The guado clerk that led them to their rooms was just a little different from Tromell and wore no symbols of Yevon on her person. In fact, she hadn't even bowed to them when the entered. Instead she lifted her hands in a strangely musical fashion and began to sway through the halls and up the stairs of the living building. A once great and grand mimosa forest had stood where Guadosalam was now. The roots had become so intertwined and the trunks so dense that building a city within them had been simple. The clerk led them to the topmost suite. A room reserved for summoners passing through with a series of smaller rooms beneath it for their guardians.

Then the clerk left. She'd paused for just a second beside Rikku and sniffed the air, but she hadn't said anything and kept going.

"I can't keep lying," Cloud frowned as Yuna sat down on the edge of her bed. "Yuna, we have to tell them about Aerith."

"I know," she sighed. She tossed a small blue sphere onto the bed and rubbed at her face.

"Eh? What's all this about lying and Air?" Wakka demanded.

"Aerith is one of the Fayth. She exists in the realm between our Farplane and Cloud's Lifestream. She and the other Fayth revealed a way to defeat Sin once and for all." As Yuna spoke, her voice got stronger and she stopped shaking as much. It wasn't much but it was a start. "She was the woman in pink who appeared beside my father. We really were speaking in there."

"That's why I'm here." Cloud crossed his arms beside Yuna. "I told you from the beginning. I'm not letting her die. I'm not going anywhere."

"Hey wait," Tidus lifted a hand. "Bahamut sent me to stop Sin. He said the flower maiden needed help because her warrior uhm...something about being an anchor."

Cloud tried very hard not to pinch the bridge of his nose as the younger man tried to remember what he'd been told by the fayth. Even Auron seemed a little frustrated and Lulu...well. Khimari was the one to come forward and say something about any of it. He took three great strides to the middle of the room and sniffed at Cloud before doing the same to Tidus and Rikku.

"Why do people keep smelling me?" Rikku grumbled. "I know I don't stink that bad."

"Cloud smells different." Khimari leaned back. "Alive. Not Spiran. Strong, protect Yuna and defeat Sin."

"This is too much, ya?" Wakka shook his head. "First we got Jyscal coming back from the dead, then Cloud and Yuna playin' this funny game about beating Sin another way. It's about atonement."

"It's about murder," Lulu snapped. "Jyscal's echo only came back because he was murdered. Sin will only leave us if Yuna sacrifices herself to murder Cloud. And we as guardians are the tools of her death."

"That got really heavy," Tidus spoke up after a minute. Even Cloud hadn't wanted to follow that.

"Aerith and the others, they've all said the same thing to me," Yuna began again. "There is someone inside of Sin, controlling it. It's an aeon like any other and there is an unsent inside of it. The only way to end Sin is to stop the summoner."

"So what, we just go up to the thing and walk in?" Wakka asked angrily.

"I don't know yet. The fayth can't always give a direct answer," Yuna shook her head. "It's not as simple as asking a question."

"Say it's true then, what happens once Sin gets dismissed?"

"We live," Cloud answered him. "That's what we want right?"

"I don't believe it," Wakka crossed his arms and shook his head. "You guys can stay up here talking nonsense. I'm going to go downstairs and go to bed."

"Well, now that he's gone," Rikku flopped down onto one of the suite's couches. "What's the next stop in this crazy ride?"

"We continue as we have been," Yuna nodded. "Each temple has a Fayth, and each Fayth holds a clue to defeating the summoner within the aeon. It also gives me a chance to speak with Aerith and learn more about what happened."

"I don't know about this," Lulu shook her head. "It all seems like something from a strange dream. But if it means Yuna lives, then I'll continue."

"Me too," Rikku hopped up from the couch cheerfully. "And Big Red."

Cloud almost snorted at the look on Auron's face as Rikku volunteered him for a mission he hadn't even spoken on. However, the red clad swordsman didn't argue, he merely raised a brow at Rikku before agreeing that he too would see where their plan took them. After that people seemed to trickle out of their room. Rikku said something about turning the lights off and sleeping while Auron and Lulu both went to see about finding something to eat. Tidus was dragged out by Khimari with a single word of 'fight' coming from the large blue Ronso. When Cloud turned to Yuna he didn't see a look of relief on her face. He saw a sphere in her hands and exhaustion on her features.

"What's in it?" He sat down on the bed beside her.

"I don't know. I haven't watched it yet."

~!~

Genesis sat on the window's edge as his princess called home. How long had she known of his existence and how long was she prepared to let him stand beside her in the shadows? Big Red. She'd not only known of him but she'd decided he was to attend her on Strife's journey. It was both the thing he'd dreamed of and his nightmare. After his fall, after waking deep beneath the ground, after getting lost in the Lifestream he'd awoken within a mechanical palace and a single book had been in his possession. His Loveless was gone. Replaced instead with a love song and graced with the magic of the goddess. Minerva's gift had been purpose. His purpose was to protect the golden maid of beauty and truth.

"Ugh, I get why Cloud didn't just punch the guy, I do, but this is just ridiculous," Rikku leaned back in her seat. The phone call was over and it was only the two of them in the room. "You're kinda weird, you know that?"

"I'm weird?"

"Yeah. But I like you anyway."

"How long did you know I was there?" Genesis asked her.

"Uhm, hello?" Rikku pointed to her eyes. The endless jade spirals that entranced him every time he looked upon them. "We can see things other Spirans can't. Hidden traps, avoidance spells, those kinds of things don't work against AlBhed. I mean, don't ask me to match colors or anything, but you're not very sneaky on Bikkanel."

~!~

"You want to send him."

"Of course," Yuna breathed as she lean against Cloud's chest. "It's my duty to send him but..."

"It means getting close to him and being arrested for treason." Cloud's hand rubbed her back as they lay together in bed. "This was easier in the beginning. When I was working with you to destroy Sin."

"And we were picking out places to live," Yuna agreed with a small laugh. "We still could."

"We will. We'll have our place on the Moonflow where the mimosa tress hang over the bank." Cloud pulled her closer and kissed her lightly. "Macalania temple is next. Then Bevelle, Mt. Gagazet, Zanarkand, and we fight against the summoner keeping Sin alive."

"It seems too simple."