"Oh my…" Yuna muttered, looking at the city. "It’s beautiful… He used to tell me stories, but…" she trailed off, knowing no one was really listening.
Even Tidus was distracted, talking to Rikku with the same admiration for the beautiful forest and the houses that seemed to disguise themselves in it.
The guado themselves stopped and wondered back at the humans, chuckling about their outfits and a few even came to poke at someone’s hair.
Yuna was starting to think that maybe Jyscal had been right, and Rikku’s friend had seen someone else—yet, who could be mistaken for him?
Everyone they asked told her that they heard Jyscal’s son and wife had died on Baaj—except for the old man who had trouble remembering his own name, he was no help at all. Some were encouraged by Yuna’s story, others were skeptical, and a few were offended that she said she had grown up with one of their elite, half-breed he may be.
Eventually—after stopping at a restaurant, thanks to Tidus and Rikku—they were at the steps of the farplane.
Auron and Rikku said they weren’t interested—meaning they weren’t moving—and Tidus, after a bit of hesitation, decided he’d rather be away from Auron than close to Rikku.
Yuna was determined and she didn’t let Wakka or Lulu have a chance to convince her otherwise. "I wish to speak with my father first," she said, and left.
Lulu shook her head and Wakka sighed. Kimahri was just standing there, perfectly content with what was going on, amusing himself by staring out at nothing, seeming to contemplate the mysteries of the universe.
"Not to be rude or anything," Tidus said as he followed the two guardians up the stairs. "But the heck is this?"
"The farplane is where the spirits of the living pass on after they die, if they are sent," Lulu said.
"Yeah, I got that part. You guys are talking about it as if it’s a place or something."
"Here is where the realm of the living meet the realm of the dead," she said, glancing at Wakka, who was speaking to his brother. A tiny smile appeared on her lips. "The guado guard it and keep it safe. Just as there are disasters in this world, there are disasters in the next."
"Why don’t you want to talk to anyone?"
"Because I don’t need to. I know exactly what he’d say…" she said. "What good would it do me? I want to see him, yes, but I want to see him alive."
"Gotcha. I wanna see my mom, but… Y’know, same thing. She died of grief after my father left. I hated him for that."
"Some of us never had the privilege to know our parents enough to love them or hate them."
"Good for me," Tidus said sarcastically. "You… you don’t seem too happy with Yuna doing this. I mean, she needs some closure about him, so hwy not—"
"I am glad she will realize he is gone, but I do not want her to know this way. A distant death, as much as you wished to be with them, hurts less. I want her to realize it and move on. I want her to become a real summoner, not to play games this way."
"I don’t get it," Tidus said.
"Ask Auron."
"I don’t wanna ask Auron!" Tidus complained.
Had it started a second earlier, it would have drowned out what he’d said, for now there was shouting.
The three guardians turned, ignoring Yuna. There were guado soldiers, and they didn’t look happy. Neither did their weapons. Auron and Kimahri were on the far side, but they weren’t concerned in the slightest. Not with one of them holding Rikku in a headlock and her arms twisted behind her back.
"Get away before you desecrate our sacred ground!" one yelled. "Move or we break the hostage’s arm!"
"Hostage?" Tidus asked.
Yuna wasn’t watching. Yuna wasn’t listening. Not now. Not to them. But… she suddenly screamed and they all turned back to her.
* * * * *
Yuna had spoken with her father. Yes, he’d seen Seymour on the farplane.
Her best friend… no, more he was… He was dead now. It didn’t matter. He had told her it was foolish to cling to him, to treat him the way she did. She never listened.
She wanted to tell him she still wanted him here, still wanted to be with him… She wanted to tell him he was the foolish one, that he didn’t have to leave her.
She closed her eyes wished with all the strength her heart had to want someone that he was here, right now.
She was aware of the farplane, even blind like this, and she suddenly felt something change in it.
She opened her eyes and her scream caught in her throat. Hands—long, beautiful, soft and yet strong—hands were reaching towards her, out of the farplane.
She was frozen in place. She couldn’t move. The hands were right there, almost touching her.
In her panic, she saw a flash of blue on those hands. She glanced at one, and she smiled. She knew these hands.
Then she screamed as they touched her head.