When Yuna and Akane approached Home, they were on guard. After all, the Al Bhed were the ones that tried to kidnap Yuna several times.
When they stood before the heavy metal gate, a surprised voice shouted from above: "Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Surprised, they looked up. There were several Al Bhed gunners standing on the big wall that surrounded home.
"I'm summoner Yuna from Besaid," Yuna explained. "And this is my guardian, Akane. I got lost in the desert and I want to speak to your leader, Cid."
One of the Al Bhed said something to his friend in their language, then one of them vanished behind the wall. For some time, nothing happened.
"You think they will let us in?" whispered Akane.
"Let's just wait and see," Yuna whispered back.
Then, the massive double doors opened with a loud squeak. A group of Al Bhed was coming out, carrying various weapons. One of them didn't have any weapon. He had broad shoulders, a beard and a bald head.
He stopped and took a careful look at Yuna and Akane. Then he said: "Well, Yuna... I'm surprised to see you here."
"H-hello, Uncle Cid..." Yuna replied in an unsure voice.
"You've got quite the nerve coming here," the leader of the Al Bhed continued. Yuna didn't know what to say to that.
Then he suddenly grinned. "But who cares, I'm glad you're okay. Want to give yer ol' uncle a hug?" And he spread his arms.
Yuna smiled and embraced him in a deep hug. "It's so good to see you again, uncle Cid," she said.
When they finished the hug, Cid nodded towards Akane. "So, you're the new guardian of my little niece, eh? I hope you did yer job well."
Akane grinned and flexed her clawed glove. "No fiend escapes my wrath," she giggled.
Cid chuckled. "Good to hear." Then he sighed and looked at Yuna. "Yuna, Yuna... I really don't know what to do with you. Going on a summoner's pilgrimage... who in Spira gave you that ridiculous idea?"
"Well, you see..." Yuna began, but Cid interrupted her. "Never mind that now. I can't have you two girl stay out here in the heat. Come inside, we've got food and air conditioning."
Akane smiled when hearing that. "Thank you for your generous offer."
----
Meanwhile, Tidus and Ranma managed to stumble over Kimahri, Wakka, Auron and Nabiki. Together they were just going to continue their way, when they heard the cheerful voice of a certain Al Bhed girl:
"Oh, hey you guys! Where's Yunie!"
"Can't really say," Ranma shrugged while Rikku came running towards them. "We still didn't manage to find her - same with Akane."
"Some guardian I am," Wakka said while shaking his head.
Rikku looked around nervously. "Umm... Nabiki already knows this, but... there's something I've gotta tell you. But Wakka won't like it, so..." She looked at him. "Please don't say anything."
He glared at her suspiciously.
"No glaring either," she said. "You know, there's this place around here we Al Bhed call Home... it's where most of our tribe members live. I'm pretty sure Yunie's there. And perhaps Akane's with her, too."
"Well, that's a good point to start our search," Auron nodded. "Can you show us the way?"
Rikku looked around the sand dunes. "I'm pretty sure, yeah."
"Great," Ranma smiled. "Lead the way."
----
"So I'm doing this because of my father," Yuna explained. "I want to save the world just like him."
Cid sighed. "I really never agreed with your mother marrying him... but at least I know he had a good heart. And what you're planning is admirable and all... but I'm afraid I can't let you continue your pilgrimage."
Yuna stood up. "But... you can't do that to me. Do you know what it means to be a summoner? All this hard training? Receiving Aeons? Sending the dead? Fighting all these Sinspawn and other fiends? I want to do it for Spira, not for myself."
"I know that," Cid replied. "But still, I can't let you throw away your life like that."
"My guardians will protect me."
"That's not the point, Yuna. And you know it! I know what happens when you receive the Final Aeon and defeat Sin. And I can't let that happen."
Yuna looked sad. "Uncle Cid..."
Puzzled, Akane looked into Yuna's face. "Yuna... what's he talking about? What about the Final Aeon? Is there something you haven't told me?"
Yuna took a deep breath and looked at Akane. "Akane, I'm... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I didn't want you and the others to be worried. The Final Aeon..."
But suddenly, the whole room started shaking. Loud cries and explosions could be heard outside. And was that a fiend's screech?
"What's happening here?" Akane shouted in panic.
An Al Bhed came running into the room.
"Fiends! Fa'na ihtan yddylg!"
Cid jumped up. ('Close all outer entrances,') he commanded in Al Bhed. ('Don't let them through to the Summoner's sanctum!')
"What's going on?" Yuna asked while another explosion shook the building.
"We're under attack," Cid shouted. "Fiends! And I mean a lot of them!"
----
While they were following Rikku, Nabiki looked at the still female Auron. "Must be hard not to be able to change back for such a long time, huh?"
"Can't really do anything about it," the small girl shrugged. "There's enough heat here, but sadly no water to heat it with. Maybe when we reach home, the Al Bhed will..." She stopped herself and listened. "What's that?"
Nabiki stopped as well. "Hmmm... sounds like gunfire... and explosions."
"A big battle?" Ranma wondered. "In the middle of the desert?"
Auron pondered. "That can only mean..."
"Oh no!" Rikku screamed. "Home!" And she ran up the next sand dune.
On top of it, they could see Home. It was definitely under attack. Fiends were swarming the building. Flying monsters attacked it from above. And several distances away from the main entrance, they could see a small group of people with eccentric hairstyles.
"Guado," Ranma snarled. "This time, they've gone too far."
"Come on," Tidus shouted while running towards the base. "They need our help!"
----
The Al Bhed shot their guns at the fiends who just kept on coming. A large, flying fireball with an ugly face on its front, floated up to the ceiling. One unseasoned gunner fired his weapon at it, and the fire fiend seemed to grin.
Then, the Bomb exploded, sending flying sparks of fire everywhere. The ceiling also came crashing down at that point.
A rotund Guado came walking down the corridor, accompanied by several other Guado and fiends. Next to him, a cat-like fiend walked, about as big as a Dingo.
Goba Guado laughed like a maniac. "Kill them! Kill them all!"
The Alpha Fiend seemed unhappy, however. "Couldn't you make me a better body? This one is based on a canine fiend, and you know I don't like them. Besides, I can't even use my powers with it."
"There wasn't enough time," Goba snapped. "I will look into it later. But for now, we've got a battle to win. So get your butt in gear!"
"Yes, master..." the Alpha Fiend grumbled while jumping after the Al Bhed.
----
Brother and Buddy's group of Al Bhed left their ship behind at the secret Al Bhed harbor on the east coast of Bikanel. Together with Ukyo, Kasumi and Shampoo, they were travelling towards Home.
Ukyo smiled. "I can't wait to try out this new weapon."
Shampoo twirled around hers. "Shampoo needs to get used to this one a little more, but is similar to her previous powers, yes?"
"What's that?" Buddy suddenly shouted out in surprise. Above the place where he knew to be Home, a dark cloud of smoke rose.
"Oh no," he cried. "They're attacking home!"
"Oh my..." Kasumi could only say.
Ukyo grasped the hilt of her new weapon. "Lead the way, sugar... we'll help you out!"
----
Ranma kicked a twisted door open, and together with his friends he stormed the room behind it. "Show them who's boss," he cried, as the Spira Guardian Nerima Martial Artist Summoning Pilgrimage Group engaged the Guado and their fiends.
Another door flew apart, and two large fiends entered the room. They had a minotaur-like body, complete with a bull's head. But next to this head, Ranma could also see two other heads: One of a lion and one of a bird. And instead of a tail, a long snake with yellow scales was growing from behind their backs.
The Chimeras roared and attacked. One of them just charged Kimahri with its horns, the other one threw a fireball at Nabiki.
Ranma was ready to throw a Moko Takabisha in one of the beast's faces, when he saw how it crouched down. The snake head rose into the air and hissed. Ranma was confused. What was it doing?
When suddenly, he was hit by a lightning spell which shocked him and threw him onto the ground. "Damn..." he cursed. "Caught me off guard."
The situation got worse when behind the Chimeras, several Winged Eyeballs - called Ahrimans - appeared.
"They're overwhelming us," Nabiki cried while shooting her gun left and right.
"You serious? Didn't really notice," Tidus remarked while slashing at two Ahrimans at once, who managed to fly over his sword swipes.
Suddenly, a third door opened, and two figures appeared behind it.
The first girl swung around her big, black sword which was a good match to her black armor. "Darkness is my ally. Those who cross me shall know its wrath."
The other girl who was wearing a long, dress-like robe, twirled around her strange-looking gun. "Use one of your abilities against Shampoo, I dare you! 'Cause Shampoo will use it right back."
And together, they shouted: "Dark Knight Ukyo and Gun Mage Shampoo are in the house!"
Ranma just stared.
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Sun, 30 Jul 2006 10:44)
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