A few seconds later, the two girls were sitting next to a tree. Rikku already pulled off her diving suit, revealing her normal clothes underneath (that really didn't look like those of an Al Bhed).
"Akane told me what you did in Luca," Ranma said. "And now you're pulling this stunt. What's the big idea? You could hurt someone with those machines."
Nabiki looked at him grimly. "Spare me the lecture, Saotome," she grumbled. "Everything is better than that... that joke of a pilgrimage."
"Oh yeah, TENDO?" Ranma angrily replied. "Then care to explain what's so bad about saving the world? Do you prefer Sin destroying everything? Or do you believe that the Al Bhed will be spared just because they don't believe in Yevon?"
"That has nothing to do with it," Rikku answered. She was not angry like Nabiki, but she certainly tried hard to make a good point. "This whole journey... all these dangers... the fiends... and everything. It's not fair that the summoners should endure all of this while the maesters are safely sitting in Bevelle."
"Look, I understand your point, Rikku..." Ranma sighed. "But that's what the guardians are for, right?"
"You don't understand..." Rikku seemed pretty upset by now. "Yunie might die, you know?"
Ranma blinked. "Yunie?"
"Umm, yes," Rikku sheepishly said while looking at the ground. "Yuna and I... we're cousins... She's half Al Bhed... my father is her uncle."
"But that's not the point," Nabiki exclaimed. "This pilgrimage is a farce. No one should sacrifice himself for the well-being of everyone else."
Shampoo looked puzzled. "Shampoo no understand you, mercenary girl. If guardians do their job right, then no one will ever die, yes? And even if Sin comes back, few years of Calm is always better than nothing, no?"
"How would you understand that, Shampoo?" Nabiki hissed. "Your tribe's rules aren't really that better than Yevon's teachings. Kiss of marriage, kiss of death... sounds familiar?"
Shampoo gasped. Ranma threw Nabiki a very dark look. "If you want to continue this tirade, how about talking about it with your sisters? I'm pretty sure Akane will get your point." And he gestured towards their right, where Akane, Kasumi, Tidus, Yuna and Kimahri were coming from the shoopuf stop.
Akane already had recognized her sister and made a VERY angry face. Nabiki gulped when she saw her sister's expression. And Kasumi really didn't look too happy either.
Yuna let out a small gasp when she recognized her cousin. A little ashamed, Rikku grimaced and looked away.
Akane stomped up to Nabiki. "YOU JUST COULDN'T..."
"Akane, please," Kasumi said in a quiet voice while putting a hand on her youngest sister's shoulder. Akane calmed down a bit, but still glared at Nabiki.
Kasumi stepped forwards. "Nabiki, I believe a small family discussion will be required. Would you all excuse us for a moment?"
"We'll come with you," Yuna explained while gently grasping Rikku's hand. "I believe we are both part of this problem."
And while Yuna, Rikku and the three Tendo sisters walked a few steps away to talk in private, Tidus, Ranma, Shampoo and Kimahri walked towards the shoopuf stop to wait for Auron and Wakka.
----
When they were alone, Kasumi turned to her sister. "Well, Nabiki? You have a lot of explaining to do."
Nabiki gulped. After their mother died, Kasumi almost perfectly filled in her position. She was great at doing the housework and cooking (and she loved doing it as well), and found a great joy in taking care of her family. She also was always willing to listen, if one of her younger sisters had a special problem.
But that also meant she had to make sure that both of them wouldn't do anything stupid that would dishonor the family name.
Until now, Kasumi was pretty forgiving in Nabiki's case, so she didn't interfere when she sold photos of Akane and Ranma's female form to Kuno and other perverts.
But enough is enough, as they say, and Kasumi was ready to give her sister a proper chiding.
"Nabiki, I'm very disappointed with you. You used these machina to attack people, you kidnapped them against their will and when Akane tried to make you stop, you wouldn't listen. And you, young lady..." she turned towards Rikku. "You're not better. I am not a member of your family, but I cannot allow for this to continue. You will both stay with us until you realize what you've done."
"I know pretty well what I did, Kasumi, thank you very much," Nabiki blurted out. Kasumi frowned and Nabiki nervously shut her trap.
"Rikku," Yuna quietly said. "I only have very few chances of seeing you and uncle Cid, but I still like you very much... as a cousin and a friend. So why did you do all this?"
"It's... because of your job as a summoner, Yunie," Rikku explained in tears. "I don't wanna see you hurt... and pops is thinking the same. Summoners shouldn't sacrifice themselves for the good of others."
"I know what you mean, Rikku," Yuna said. "But you have to understand: I chose to do this by myself. I know what this means for me. But I accepted this to help the other people of Spira. Sin is a horrible danger to our world and must be stopped... even if it's just for a few years. Don't you agree?"
"But why you, Yunie?" Rikku sobbed. "Why you?"
"My father chose this way... and I... I want to do it as well. I want this suffering to come to an end."
"When they told me about this pilgrimage, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing," Nabiki told her big sister. "So I was willing to help them. We never meant to harm anyone... we just didn't want them to die..."
Kasumi smiled. "It's okay, Nabiki. I think I understand. But still, your ways of reaching this goal were wrong. So I'd like to have you and Rikku-chan around as two additional guardians... for Ranma and Yuna."
"Ranma's a summoner as well?" Nabiki asked in a shocked voice. "Well, that's a surprise... Well, I guess I have no choice, then..."
"Rikku, you want to protect me as well, do you?" Yuna asked.
The young Al Bhed looked up at her cousin's face and nodded. Yuna smiled. "Then, please be my guardian. It means a lot to me."
"O-okay, Yunie..." Rikku replied. "I'll be your guardian... I'll protect you from any danger, I swear."
"And you better do your best as well, Nabiki," Akane said. "Or else..." She cracked her knuckles. Again, Nabiki gulped.
----
When Auron and Wakka arrived, Rikku and Nabiki told the others their decision. "We want to become guardians," Rikku exclaimed. "And we are going to do our best." Nabiki just nodded.
"Well, I'm for it," Wakka spoke up. "The more, the merrier, ya?"
Nabiki chuckled nervously. They didn't tell Wakka and Auron that Rikku and Nabiki were the ones that attacked the shoopuf OR that Rikku was an Al Bhed.
"Then I'll just have to be the merriest," Rikku said.
Auron walked up to Rikku. "Look at me," he said. Rikku slowly turned her head around, but kept her eyes closed.
"Open your eyes!"
"Um, okay..." She slowly raised her right eyelid. Underneath, Auron could see the green, swirly pupil that every Al Bhed had.
Auron nodded. "As I thought..."
"Um, no good?" Rikku asked in a small voice.
"It's fine with me," Auron just said. Rikku let out a breath of relief.
Wakka frowning took a look at Nabiki's alchemist suit. "You sure that's not an Al Bhed suit?" he asked. "Looks pretty like one to me, ya?"
"Hey, it's just the dressphere," Nabiki explained. "Rikku's friend just designed it that way... because Al Bhed are the best in handling gadgets and items. Right?"
Well, she didn't REALLY lie with that phrase...
"Um, yeah," the mentally sluggish Wakka replied. "I guess so..."
Nabiki smirked. "Really, do you really believe an Al Bhed would be willing to travel with a dedicated devotee of Yevon like yourself?"
"Um, no, of course not," Wakka quickly said. "Sorry, didn't mean to question you. After all, you are Akane's and Kasumi's sister, ya? And they surely don't look like Al Bhed to me."
Nabiki mentally laughed. That guy was more easy to trick than Ranma. This journey really was going to be fun.
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(Posted Sun, 23 Jul 2006 15:01)
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