How're you all faring this fine weather? Well, now that summer has ended, my mood isn't going to take a turn for the better anytime soon. Yippee. . So here's another chapter for you all!

NOTE: I won't be putting Al Bhed translations into parenthesises anymore unless they're full run-on sentences. This is to stop you from getting distracted. Hope this isn't too much of a problem!

Chapter Six: Piecing the Mirror

In his dream, he was falling, feet first.

He couldn't see anything. Not above, nor below. Just a white featureless void, like a blank canvas awaiting life to fall upon it. He thought that maybe, he was part of that canvas. For he was foggy and translucent, a ghost. He could hear distant and distorted sounds as the warm air blew through his sun coloured hair. It very much reminded him, brought him back, to two years prior. When he disappeared with the aeons, his friends and people, into the rift of the otherworld, possibly never to be seen again by living eyes.

The void was dying, in its place, a cosmic purple lined with piercing stars and a creamy horizon. The full moon hung in the middle, swirling with colours of platinum and yellow dunes. Its rhythm resembled the tide, with an engulfing wave breaking the pattern. He stared at it for mere moments, mesmerised. The voices got louder, bolder.

He felt himself come to a halt, but in midair? He was confused, but not before looking at his feet, hovering above pastel green grass. He touched down, the weight almost crushing him. Mountains dotted into the landscape, cascading waterfalls leaking between all of the imperfections. It was then he realised, he was not on solid ground, but he cast that thought to the wind as he looked out to the ridge.

A lone figure, his silhouette completely black from the intimidating moon, standing opposite him. His sharp, messy outline, did it copy him? Like a shadow of a shadow? He slowly approached him, standing just behind him. The noises and the voices, he could hear them clearly now. The moon dealt the truth, as crystal clear as its surface now was.

The voices were of yesterday, they played the words of Leblanc, repeating again and again. He could feel the hidden rage rise once again, her selfishness triggering something inside him. The mist enveloping the moon dispersed, the image of her smug stance accompanying her ploy.

He had to control himself, to prevent himself from lurching off of the island, from attacking the display. He almost forgot about the figure then, because it shifted to the side, as if daring him to stand beside himself. He followed, the view more apparent now, and he recognised the figure right away.

Light blue, purple and white lit his front. He bore sandy blonde hair, just like his, tinted white-gold by the light. His eyes were a washed out periwinkle colour, unlike his own which were shining with the calamity of the oceans. His skin was almost identical to his, but his clothes were not, almost. Black overalls, chequered shirt, simpler armguard, he knew him, as did Shuyin know him.

"I thought you were at peace," He laughed, glancing sideways at Shuyin,

He didn't say anything, but just smirked as his laugh got caught in his throat. He angled his head more as the clouds were struggling to keep apart. He lightly sighed as he hid his amusement from his intruder's curiosity at the surroundings.

"What is this place?" He asked, as his eyes rested once again on the moon.

"Just a little outlook I found," Shuyin replied, his voice almost a whisper. "I would have guessed that you would like it."

"Ahh, so…" He replied, content for the time being. As he steeled his gaze forward again, looking at the woman he had grown to resent a little, his insides licked with fire again. Her words, so uncaring for the temples, taking for granted her privileges and freedom, he wondered how a person could act like that without guilt. Unknowingly, he clenched his fists, not wanting to hear her ringing words, yet not wanting to look away.

"Such insolence…"

He was caught off guard by the identical man next to him, who was now showing his full face to him. "No regards for the sacrifices we made. Not for everybody made. To her, the temples are a children's playground. You were right to do what you did, dream. You cared."

He growled at Shuyin's nickname for himself. He wasn't just a dream anymore. He couldn't be…could he? What came next were even more questions. It seemed that Shuyin was still his same old self, hating the populace for what they did to Spira. He could hear the poison in his voice, however soft it may be. But…where was Lenne? Why hasn't he let go? What was this place, and better yet….Why did he know what Leblanc did? Was Shuyin watching him?

He didn't notice the dream's shock, and he still carried on. His speech was angrier, even more malicious than before. This worried him, but he listened despite it all.

"And you know, that was just one person," Shuyin spat, noticing the moon was sinking lower, blending into the white. "There are even more people out there, just like that. Selfish, hating, treading on land which don't belong to them. The Eternal Calm… We humans rule the world now. They're free to do whatever, and they do…that. Destroy the past, grounding it into pieces. They think they don't need the past anymore, even though the past was what made them desire the future."

Shuyin shifted his whole body, so that he was perfectly aligned with the dream. "That surging rage you felt yesterday, when you held your sword to her neck, that is what I've always felt for everybody, those past thousand years. It's pitiful, destroying ancient relics of the past for entertainment. And that machina… Disgraceful. She couldn't even control it properly, the poor thing."

He let out a harsh cackle before he regained himself, clenching his teeth and setting his jaw. The dream was really worried now. So much so that he started to feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. Shuyin saw this in his eyes, and he shook his head. Folding his arms, he took on a serious look as the night sky paled in the distance.

"Anyways, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually," Shuyin closed his eyes, considering every word twice. "A request if you will. And it...might shock you at first, but..."

"Shuyin?" He stuttered, trying to adjust to the invading light. He lingered on the pondering, reluctant twin in front of him, the sudden parting of his eyelids startling him a little.

"Teach Spira a lesson."

He stood there, dumbfounded for a single three seconds. "W-… What?"

"You heard me," Shuyin confirmed for him, his tone of voice quite ominous in his own way as his own face contorted into a slightly bothered look. "What else would I have said? Don't you remember me at all?"

"Shuyin…" He breathed, blinking a few times and then snapping his head back, a look of anger brushed over his expression, only to drift off and be refilled with disbelief. "What're you thinking!? I thought you forgave Spira for what they did to you! And now you're back to this? You're not satisfied?"

"True, I do feel the slightest remorse for my rude request," Shuyin sighed, and dug a clenched fist into his side; an action very much like his copycat. His head turned to look out at the milky violet sky. "But you got to admit, this world isn't perfect, not even after Lady Yuna ruined my plans. Apart from you, your family and the Lady's companions, nobody knew what I was about to send them into. They're like fish, really; mention something important and they'll just disregard it. Just as dependent as fish, also. Can't walk in a straight line without the Meyvn or the Praetor holding their hands."

He had to admit, Shuyin did have a decent point. Not good, but not completely asinine. Yuna had told him about the conflicts of the two major parties, and how chaotic it got when their leaders disappeared one day. They blamed each other for the mess, and nearly repeated history with just their tongues alone. It was only when Yuna sung Lenne's song in the Thunder Plains, they realised their biased views from two years prior still slept in their hearts. The conflict died down, their selfishness diminishing, but not for everybody. He and Shuyin could still sense the darkness plaguing the Farplane, polluting the wildlife and killing the scentless flowers. He thought that it was just the foreign machina hidden in its core, disrupting the flow and essence of nature. But he started to wonder…was it really the hatred for Spira's life, which was causing it to die?

But was it really that bad, that disgusting, and that pitiful? Did everyone really deserve their lives flashing before their eyes, before they disintegrate into nothingness? He shook his head; of course they didn't. He didn't exactly get the most welcoming of arrivals in that unprecedented dimension, but really, they had a good reason for themselves. Sin was active, roaming the oceans, planning its next attack on either a bustling city or a peaceful village. There was the possibility that they could all die at any second. They certainly didn't need an agile young man who would so blatantly disrespect the teachings of Yevon to 'save' a certain summoner, especially if that man claimed to have come from a dead city and was deemed insane by most of his 'friends'. No, the era of Yu Yevon's ruling over the world had come to an end. He didn't kill Sin. Yuna didn't kill Sin. They all killed Sin. For once, the many races of Spira tossed aside their lashings, banded together and sung the fayths' hymn, weakening the terror and allowing just one chance to end it all. The thousand year old curse had finally been lifted, and Yu Yevon, and the thousands of weeping souls he had taken with him, was finally sealed away in the Farplane. Spira was restored to its former glory, and that is truly how it should stay, and carry on.

"Spira is fine as it is," He finally stated, crossing his arms contently. "Let them have their fun. We all pulled ourselves together and created this new Spira, you know. Let butchers play with their knives. I'm not gonna crash the party for them all."

Shuyin didn't say anything. He didn't say anything for a long, long time. He thought that he was at a loss for words; that he realised that his argument was simply a straw man built near the shore. He had his head drooped slightly, his sandy strands of hair obscuring the frightening blue crackles in his eyes. The onlooker thought he heard something, then. Something like a very faint, yet very dark chortle. It grew louder, more frequent, more…terrifying. His laugh wasn't carefree like it should have been. Rather, it was exactly like the one he possessed after his tragic death. His head floated upwards, and he could swear that his laughter's tears were rolling down his shrouded face.

"You really are what your name states, aren't you?" Shuyin chuckled, his fit dying down like the sizzling moon. "Always on the bright side of things, trying to bring happiness and life with just your face …"

"I told you, man. I'm not attacking innocent people." The human bolded, still looking him in the eye. Shuyin, his expression unchanging, reached forwards and brought down his palms upon the other's shoulders, as if preventing him from leaving. He wasn't particularly comfortable with this, and that would be reinforced into his mind as Shuyin spoke once again.

"Listen, dream. I know what's best for us right now. I and the fayth know much more than your parents ever cared to realise about you, if you can even call that drunkard and that ditzy fangirl of his your 'parents'."

Before he could verbally lash back at him, Shuyin shook him and continued.

"And I understand your pain. It would be unusual for me not to; I am you, after all. Well…I used to be, but we'll get to that. See, the fayth…saw something in you, that wasn't like anything else in their little glass ball. Whilst everybody else was having their perfect little lives, you were quite the black sheep of that lot. Uncaring parents, pressured standards, difficult social life… It was then that Bahamut, your creator, noticed that you had an aura. An aura of longing and rebellion that could near enough see through the illusion that you were living in, as the same with your father. Great Bahamut looked onwards, in great dawning, that perhaps you and Jecht could be the chosen ones. The ones that could pull Spira out of its' turmoil. It took near a thousand years to free the both of you…but it worked. And look what happened, huh?"

Shuyin could sense that he was going to ask more questions. He had the urge to do so in his confusing moments, after all. But still, he carried onward, his speech falling into place the longer he droned on.

"Now you're part of the world above. One of the six living warriors that defeated the physical embodiment of destruction itself. One of the seven true leaders of the world. But still, I can still feel a hidden bout of darkness in the world. Darkness which spreads silently, but quickly. You're not an ordinary human like the rest, dream. You were brought into existence by the supernatural. You share, deep within you, some of my fire. Some of my purpose, also. I was born a resentful man; I could see the flaws of everybody around me. Spira is still too imperfect to let go without one final show. Prove them that I'm right."

"So you're really still at this, huh?" He said, sighing lightly. "You want me to act like your resurrection and resume your plans for the 'cleansing' of Spira?"

"I've learned my lesson. I don't want to destroy everything, but I feel like it doesn't deserve to get off that easily, either," Shuyin confessed. "But yes, exactly. These disgraces for humanity are sucking the pureness out of this once magnificent planet. You're the only living person who truly comprehends the heaviness of this ordeal. I would start over and do the deed myself, but Lenne and I seemed to have locked ourselves in this confounded Farplane for good. I don't mean for Spira to be destroyed, but rather to be saved. Get rid of the mother parasites, and our world will be right, once and for all."

He was honestly unsure of what to say. His mind was reeling, ripping out reasons for why or why not he should accept his new mission. 'He's insane! He hasn't lived for a thousand years; he's forgotten what life is like… But...his intentions are good, and he does bring up solid points… Are you nuts!? He's pretty much asking you to be an assassin! What if this leads to something worse… Getting rid of a few troublesome people won't be that impactful. It's actually better in some ways… Dah! You're a disgrace! No wonder you broke the teachings on purpose, you…'

The mental battle trembling with power, bringing his fists to vibrate in anger, was cut short as a blinding orange light bloomed throughout the landscape. The moon had disappeared and replacing it was a golden orb of warm sunlight, shining on the two men from behind. Shuyin harrumphed in mild annoyance, and released his tight grip on the other's shoulders. Half of him squinted through the morning light, the other half was still glaring forward.

"Daybreak," Shuyin simply said, biting down slightly on his faintly coloured lip. "It comes so fast in dreams, doesn't it? I guess that's why they don't last very long. Dreams are…well, fleeting. I guess that means you have to go."

"Right," He said, and he swore he could feel his feet leave the ground. "I'll, uh…think over what you said."

Shuyin smiled, albeit devilishly. "That won't be necessary. Not today, at least. Because you haven't seen the last of me."

His eyes widened, and he was looking at the mischievous person directly, now. Before he could protest, Shuyin had coiled around him and pushed him towards the end of the island. It was then he realised, that the moonlit valleys below had been replaced by golden-grey clouds.

"Hey, stop! What're you doing!?" He yelled, looking back at his companion with a mix of malice and fear.

"Relax, won't you?" Shuyin scoffed, as if this was just a normal procedure for him. "This's only a dream. You can't die in a dream; you always wake up just before you do."

"That doesn't make it any better!" He yelled, the heels of his yellow padded sneakers teetering on the crumbling edge of the soil. "S-Shuyin!"

"Until we meet again," Shuyin paused, before he spat out his final word for the night. "Dream."

The next thing he knew, he was falling again. However, this time he was falling head first. Instead of near soundless white, he was surging through heavy thunder and thick raindrops. Time went by, the clouds getting heavier, the rain turning to stones. He was finding it harder and harder to breathe. He didn't scream, but rather looked onwards in silent, miserable expectance. He was at a loss for oxygen, he could see nothing but black. He thought he would die here, in the sky, but before he took his last breath…

Tidus woke up to the sound of rattling metal.

His ocean blue eyes darted open. He was lying on his side, curled up into a ball. He was in total darkness, his head just centimetres away from the golden ceiling. He was sandwiched between two treasure chests, a near invisible orange hatch just in front of him. Cautiously sitting up so that he wouldn't knock himself out on the ceiling like the night before, he yawned and clasped his ears.

"Blondie! Blondie, are you in there!?" Came the unmistakeable voice of Brother as he once again shook the thin circular mass of metal. "You are late, again! You are lazy pig!"

Tidus growled, slitting his hand through the loose hatch to jab his boss in the ribs. He thought he had done a successful job, as Brother was leaping around, screaming like a toddler and massaging his chest. He poked his golden bedhead through the hatch, sniggering at him. He quickly snaked his flexible body out into the open when he saw that the enraged Al Bhed had combined his fists.

Bringing himself to his socked feet, he looked back on the metal shelter with a look of gratefulness. Truth was, when Tidus retreated to his quarters for the night after his and Yuna's little session, he had come across the disassembled main body of Arachniar when he had stumbled through the steam pipes again. It was then he noticed that there was a small door that he could take apart and pass through. When he got inside, he was surprised to see that it was completely empty save for the supply boxes. It was dark, really dark, but it protected him from the intense heat just outside. He would honestly say that he had a good night's sleep if not for his bizarre reunion with his doppelganger.

Which, by the way, if he told Brother about that dream, he'd might as well go and arrange a meeting with the ocean floor since that's where he would be in the next ten minutes. Any friend or acquaintance of Shuyin was a threat to Brother's sense of security.

"What are you looking at, girly?" Brother narrowed his eyes, trying to seem intimidating. Instead, Tidus only shot him a tired look of disgust and began walking past him.

"Nothing at all, leader," Tidus groaned, walking up the stairs to the elevator as Brother trailed just behind the flaps of his black overalls. He jumped into his large yellow shoes and again into the elevator. "I'm just obliged that you would come all the way down here for me. That was sarcastic, by the way."

He quickly added his last sentence in before Brother started using his hair roots as a nail file.

Tidus leaned upon the bridge from the railings of the podium, looking over the small array of swords from his multiple coloured sheathes. He had written their respective names upon the thick materials, as to not get them mixed up. He had quite a fascination with swords during their pilgrimage, and made a silent vow to collect as many of them as possible. He grimaced as he recalled one of his memories of the winding journey, when he revealed that he had spent most of the group's gil on his Lionheart. He was extra alert for the rest of the day, worrying that Kimahri or Wakka would toss him into a fiend's gaping mouth.

"Nice swords," Paine said as she walked up to the young warrior, only mildly interested.

"Oh, uh…thanks." Tidus stuttered, distracted by her strange greeting. "Hey, where were you last night?"

"I stayed behind to clean up Kilika's mess," Paine shrugged, mimicking his stance on the chilly metal bars, folding her arms as she did so. "It took all night. I won't complain, though – the more time away from Brother, the better. I'm glad you and Yuna aren't too hurt."

"Nah, it just stung a bit, but it's all right now," Tidus tried to suppress a smile, absent-mindedly staring at the thin leather collar constricting Paine's neck. "I guess I just worked myself up too much. Even a guy who stood right up against Sin can get a little rusty after two years."

Just then, a large golden flash dived right in front of them, giggling as she swayed and tipped in place.

"Looks like Paine really likes you, Tee!" Rikku laughed, poking the porcelain coloured woman in the forearm. "I've never heard her say that many things to a total stranger!"

"Get off," Paine muttered warningly, swatting away her bare finger. "At least he isn't completely hopeless like another blondie we all know."

"H-hey!" Rikku pouted, her emerald green eyes turning large and glassy. "You're looking at one of the other people who defeated Sin, you know! I can't be that bad, right Tidus?"

"I dunno, Wakka also was one of us," Tidus teased, his eyes fraught with mischief. "And a hornless Ronso, a dead warrior, a trigger-happy Al Bhed leader…"

"Ooooh, shut up!" Rikku fumed, her cheeks sporting a rosy glow about her. "You're no better yourself, you…part-dream, aeon…whatever you are!"

She had seemed to have let out a little too much for both of their likings. Paine raised her eyebrows in honest surprise, her crimson lips twitching a little. Rikku realised what she had spurted out, and almost immediately regretted it in fear of Tidus' reaction. To her concern and incredible relief…she didn't really know what Tidus' general expression meant, though she could see the expected red glare for a split second.

"Oh! Uhh…I-I'm sorry! Maybe I should've…kept my mouth shut, heheh…" Rikku wavered, as though there were pairs of constricted godlike eyes looking down upon her. "Huh? Hey, where're ya goin'?"

"Just to the front," Tidus said, holding up the muscles of his face as he leapt from the podium. "I'm, uh…just gonna see what we're doing today."

"D'aagh! Nice going, Rikku!" She yelled, attempting to kick herself from behind. Her attempts at injuring herself turned out to be not as expected, as she had somehow lost her balance and dug her tanned face into the lavender tinted metal of the floor.

As Rikku was fooling around, much like her older sibling, Paine was once again thinking quietly to herself. She wrapped her leather-bound arms tightly around her, her elbows sticking out slightly as she delved into her own little world. 'Part-dream, part-aeon, huh? Interesting. I hope she didn't make that up.'

Meanwhile, Yuna had been chatting humbly with Brother, who seemed to be hanging onto each and every one of her words. Unknowingly to himself, his somewhat misshapen face was ever so slowly looming closer to hers, as if he was taken by the warm highlights of her beautiful eyes and the milky flawless texture of her immaculate creamy skin, flushed a slight pink. He was so hypnotised by her features that he didn't notice his ultimate enemy resisting the urge to laugh, as Tidus thought him a complete buffoon from his tilted stance and his puckered plump lips. Yuna however, did, and her rerouted attention to the young man had caught Brother off guard, but definitely not in the manner it intended to be. Discarding Rikku's previous outburst for the time being, he decided to take him what harmless insults Brother had prepared for him this time.

"Trying to steal my Yuna again, huh?" Brother boomed, his voice so out of sync that it physically hurt to listen to. He could hear Yuna's single word of lecturing, but for once, he ignored her. "Blackmailing her into telling me to give you a room, huh?"

"So that's what you were talking about," Tidus smiled, still looking at Yuna. He walked closer to the two of them, his line of sight nearly perfectly aligned with Brother's. "Brother, how about a proper bed? Don't you think it's a little…unsafe, to just stick me down there?"

"That's not what I mean, you…you sicko!" Brother whimpered, though the rolls of skin on his face conjured up at least a hundred frowns. "You want to get all snuggly with Yuna in a bed!? Not happening, pal!"

"That's not what I mean, you…" Tidus had to stop himself from muttering an inappropriate word, not to mention he had gone a little red in the face from his leader's specific accusation. "Think of it like this, okay? Would you sleep in a noisy metal corridor at around fifty degrees Celsius? And that's a temperate, by the way. Not just the ship's name."

"…Huh?" Brother cracked, his utterly hollow head rolling onto his shoulder. He had no idea what Tidus just said. In his inconvenience, he might be a somewhat quick learner concerning the Spiran language, but he wasn't perfect at it. Tidus' tendency to occasionally speak at an alarmingly fast rate sometimes had befuddled Brother to no end. He rolled his eyes at the defeated mannequin and Yuna chirped a faux laugh, trying to break the silence.

"Seriously Yuna, I might've had my moments, but…" Tidus started, his arms falling limp. His stare was deadpanned as he looked into the irises of her mismatched eyes. "How can you put up with him?"

"I have to. He's part of my family, after all," Yuna sighed, slightly bothered by the white substance frothing at Brother's hanging jaw. "Even if he's…a little different, I've come to learn how to cherish my relatives with all my heart. My parents might be gone, but…the Al Bhed tribe really cares for me, as do I."

"Y-yes! Listen to her, yes?" Brother had snapped out of his entranced bubble, awkwardly holding a fist to his connecting shoulder. "That's exactly why I am important to her! I am family! Where is your family, huh?"

"Don't talk about that," Tidus mumbled, gritting his teeth and directing his eyes elsewhere. "They all died years ago."

Brother didn't get the actual meaning of his shady confession, for nobody had told him of Tidus' complicated origins yet. Oblivious to his dormant misery, he began to shamelessly berate him more. Yuna had tried to stop her cousin, but her humble and irritatingly peaceful nature let her down.

"Of course you would not know, then! They died when you were young! Bet you wish you didn't have such a smart mouth now, eh? What would your dead parents think?"

"You know, Brother, if you're not gonna shut your yap yourself," Tidus balled his fists, the same dark veil from yesterday shadowing his intense blue eyes. He could hear Yuna admonish a little. "At least scrub out your mouth with a Water Flan. Your breath's kinda killing me."

"Hey! Do not speak to your leader like that!" Brother shrieked, feebly hitting him in the shoulder. Just coming in contact with the shoulder blade underneath his jacket cracked his knuckles. "Your vy-…father and mother would be ashamed! Is that the mouth you talked to them with!?"

Tidus didn't respond. He didn't even sputter an ounce of noise. Instead he kept silent and dipped his head slowly, his fists tensing and loosening with each wave of clashing emotions. Brother saw this as a sign of his victory and began to dance, hollering and whooping in egotistical glee. His cold hand was still clutching onto the stitched yellow material of Tidus' stitched jacket, his movements throwing the taut man around a little. Yuna felt a little sick and embarrassed to her stomach, whilst Tidus mustered up all of his self-control to keep himself from lashing out.

They all noticed that the deck had gone a little quieter. Then, there were two pairs of footsteps; one pair nimble and panicky, the other pair calm and collected. They both ceased as they surrounded the two men, and it wasn't long before a shrill voice broke through.

"Hey! What's going on?" Rikku asked, clearly not knowing the definition of timing. Paine rolled her eyes partially and looked towards Yuna, who was trying her best to take the situation in as acceptingly as possible.

"Oh, uh… It's nothing," Tidus stuttered, looking all around him and quickly, yet painfully throwing Brother's hand off of himself. The last thing he needed was a bunch of attention, never mind in front of the tattooed Al Bhed. "Really, I-I'm fine."

"Real-ly?" Rikku emphasised, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips. Her feet set themselves into a quiet, almost judgmental pattern as she circled the two men with caution. "Your voice doesn't sound all that convincing, you know! Do you really think you could get away with lying of all things? You!? Come on, what's Brother been doing to ya this time?"

"Cecdan," Brother whispered menacingly, scrunching up his pale dirty fingers as he loomed over his sister. "Shut up and go away, or, uh…E femm gelg oui cu rynt, oui femm lruga uh ouin ehcetac!"

"Brother!" Yuna gasped, surprised at her cousin's bluntness.

"Ah! Ah…" Rikku stuttered, losing her voice as mild tears welled up in her spiral jade eyes. She started to breathe heavily as she tried to hold her fists in place. Not being able to look at him anymore, she let out a scream and stormed off to her seat. "Fine! Excuse me for being so innocent, zylgycc!"

"Do. Not. Talk to me! Like that!" Brother screamed back, having half a mind to tackle the furious Al Bhed to the glass. Huffing and childishly turning his back to her, he was greeted by an onlook of condescending eyes. Brother once again took this the wrong way, and kneeled down on the ground, almost beginning to cry.

"I know, I know," Brother sobbed, sifting his flabby chin on the rough material of his overalls. "This ship is out of control. I wish some people would wise up! Everybody is just so mean!"

"Says you," Tidus and Paine said in unison.

"Shut up!"

"Brother," Yuna smiled and stood her fingers over his back, trying to seem sympathetic. "I know it's…difficult, for you to be a leader, especially in a group like this,"

She didn't hear the high-pitched snort from the direction of the cockpit.

"But Brother, you know what they say, right? No matter how strong the members might be, the leader is the strongest and rules over all! That is…well, their description! I believe that if you try hard enough, and try to get along with your crew, they will respect you even more! They might even bow down to you, umm…give you food! And they won't bother you! And…"

Yuna sighed as she saw that Brother was still writhing. She walked over to Tidus' side and looked up at the two persons. "It isn't working, is it?"

"I often thought you a good motivational speaker," Paine shrugged, poking the hardened legs of the chocobo haired statue with the tip of her black boot. "But it seems like he doesn't want to listen. It's pretty bad if he ignores you, you know."

"Bad? That would be fantastic in my opinion," Tidus sighed, not even caring about the sharp hissing of the automated doors from the podium. "I never thought first and main impressions could be so…interesting."

There was an uncomfortable silence, which shattered when a deeply tanned Al Bhed jogged excitedly up to them, which was quite unusual for the laid-back wingman. Brother immediately sprung up from the floor and called over his sister, which was not a pleasant action for the ones standing right next to him. They all spread out around him, awaiting the news that Buddy was about to spill.

"Guys, I just looked through the sound files from last night," Buddy started, his monotone voice almost breaking. "And there are some big sphere recordings focused in one area."

"Really? Where are they?" Yuna questioned, barely audible from the noises of intrigue.

"It's strange, actually," Buddy folded his arms, though he still looked happy. "The waves are actually coming from Luca."

"Wait, Luca? Large sphere waves?" Rikku admonished, her insides lurching from both delight and utter confusion. "But…I thought it was against the law or something to litter spheres all around the city!"

"You sure the oscillo finder isn't confused or anything?" Tidus twirled his finger around, simulating uncertainty. "Luca's got lot of spheres, right? The Sphere Theatre, the screens, the Sphere Pool…"

"I'm sure," Buddy nodded right away. "Luca's sphere devices have all been modified so as to not interfere with the business. But not only are these readings visible, they seem to be really powerful as well. Like there's some foreign energy swirling around in there."

"Wait, what?" Rikku said again, even more confused than ever. "How can you put foreign stuff in a sphere? Wouldn't it just break or something?"

"Hey, I might be a sphere hunter, but that doesn't mean I know why water and pyreflies create revolutionary technology, let alone putting other stuff in them," Buddy tapped his foot, looking towards the driver's seat. "We won't find out by just standing here, you know."

"Besides, it's been a while since I went to Luca," Paine nonchalantly tossed in. "We could get some supplies, and look for that sphere together."

"A-all of us?" Brother whimpered, looking towards his enemy, who was trying his best to ignore him.

"Yes. All of us," Yuna chimed, secretly and silently scratching the back of Tidus' jacket with her nail. "Buddy and Brother haven't been out for a while, anyway. We could do with a little loosening up!"

"Can we look for it later?" Brother whined, jumping up and down on the spot. "Or maybe we could have blondie stay behind and watch for any-!"

"No." The entirety of the bridge enforced at the same time.

"Augh! Fine! You all win!" Brother snivelled as he dragged his feet to the large crimson seat, crawling onto it and just barely hanging onto the grip of the handlebars.

"Sheesh, he really wants to lock me into a dark metal room, huh?" Tidus groaned, backing up against the eastern wall for support. Yuna did the same, partially listening to the whistling winds that the Celsius fought against.

"I'm sure he doesn't mean it, Tidus," Yuna said sweetly, looking up at him and stepping closer to him. "Brother's just sensitive. I'm sure he'll want to become friends with you someday."

"I guess so," Tidus kicked himself upwards slightly, the pressure from the engines making the floor vibrate. "The question is, what day? It could be years before he starts calling me by my name."

"Well I didn't catch your name the first time we met!" Yuna tried to feign hurt as she jumped away from him playfully. "I had to have Wakka tell me!"

"Well we didn't have much time to talk, did we?" Tidus laughed, tucking one of his hands behind his head while the other rose and shook. He imitated, quite accurately, the voice of an old lady. "'Stay away from the summoner'!"

"You're such a bad man!" Yuna howled hysterically, doubling over along with him. She eventually managed to pull herself together, looking up at him with warm eyes as did he. "And I wouldn't change that for the world."

As the pilot recklessly shifted gears, the airship gave a sudden violent jolt. Yuna, with nothing to latch onto, was hurled forwards into what would be a painful meeting with the luminescent wall. This was adverted when Tidus just managed to slide over and cushion her collision. He slid his arms over her back and laughed as Yuna clutched onto his shoulders.

"Why is my Lady Yuna always falling?" Tidus teased her jubilantly, tightening his grasp around her and leaning back into the cool metal.

"I-I don't always! Yuna quickly retorted, flustered out of her mind. She looked for a means of escape, but quickly calmed down at the sound of his chipper laughter. Giving up, she allowed herself to relax in his arms, smiling lazily as she did so.

"I don't mind, really," Tidus said meekly, playing with the ends of her feathery brown tresses. "I could get used to this if we end up like this all the time."

"Me too," Yuna breathed, sheepishly burying her head deeper into his neck. For once, their Al Bhed leader didn't notice their sparking affection for one another, as he shifted gears yet again and slammed down onto the accelerator with his dusty black boots, pointing his finger towards the watercoloured horizon.

"Haqd cdub: Luca!"