The Return of Sin

Disclaimer: All of the characters used in this story are the sole property of the Squaresoft Company. Let’s just say I’m “borrowing” them for a while.

This is my first real attempt at a work of fiction based on an RPG, so hopefully it goes well. The original game that I based this story on was Final Fantasy X. To add a little interest to the story I decided to write in a few of the new characters from X-2 (a.k.a. Paine, Lenne, etc.). Even though I have yet to play the game, I do know some of the names. Well, I guess that's all the set up needed for this particular story, so read on and enjoy!

Night time was his favorite time of day. The darkness was a welcome guest that allowed him to act impulsively, without fear of the surroundings or possible witnesses. There was nothing more liberating than throwing caution to the wind and indulging one’s deepest desires. However, the one thing about night fall that appealed to him more than its obscurity was the one thing he couldn’t experience…sleep. The concept itself was unfamiliar to him, but its power was not. He knew how simple it was to obtain something from an incoherent victim; someone completely insensible. This was precisely the reason he had chosen to go to her in the midst of her slumber. The uncharted land of her imagination had drawn her so far away from consciousness that he knew there was no way she would be able to sense his presence. He was right. She didn’t even stir when he lightly placed his hand on her forehead, ready to enact his plan. It was then that he knew he would get what he came for without resistance. Even now, he could still remember the sensation that had gone through him when the power was transferred from her body into his. It felt like a warm breeze, enveloping his senses and merging with his soul. He looked down at her closed eyelids, knowing that this was one thing he could take from her that she wouldn’t attempt to retrieve. How could she, when she had no idea it was there in the first place? But, none of that mattered now, because he had his prize. The final piece of the puzzle was in place, and soon his ultimate vision would be realized. It was only a matter of time…

Yuna stood at the edge of the lake, gazing up at the cloudless sky. She inhaled deeply and allowed the cool scent of the water to permeate her senses. This was the only place she could go to feel truly at peace. Her mind began to wander and she, having finally learned to embrace her subconscious, allowed it to guide her to yet another daydream. This daydream, of course, was similar to all of the others in that the main character was still the same. An image of his face floated before her, and she couldn't help but smile. Standing there among the multi-colored butterflies aided her memory, making him seem that much more tangible. She could vividly remember a time not too long ago when she couldn't even pass by these woods without feeling a twinge of sadness. After all, this was their special spot. Their first and only kiss had occurred in those shimmering waters, and that night was now permanently etched into her soul. It was a memory that had helped her come to terms with his disappearance. She still refused to believe that she would never see him again, but she could finally accept the reality of the situation. It was one of the hardest things she had ever faced in her life, but time and patience somewhat eased the burden. Eventually the gentle smile that usually graced her face began to reappear, and she knew that she would be fine. Everything was starting to return to--

The voice was shrill and urgent, completely shattering Yuna's train of thought. She jumped, obviously startled, and wheeled around to confront the person who had so violently jerked her from her blissful escape.

"Rikku! You startled me! Why are you shouting?" she demanded, irritation creeping into her voice. Her heart pounded mercilessly in her chest and she placed a hand over it in an attempt to calm herself. Rikku had stopped short when she spotted Yuna, and now stood doubled over, gasping for breath.

"I've..been…looking…all over…for…..you…" she panted, still struggling to regain her composure. Yuna walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. Just catch your breath first," she instructed. Rikku nodded and rose to an upright position, with her hands on her waist.

"I'm ok now. It's just that I have really important news and I wanted to find you as quickly as possible."

An uneasy look crossed Yuna's face as she thought about what type of news Rikku had to deliver.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She questioned, searching Rikku's face for a reaction. Rikku sighed and shook her head. If anyone was able to generate a negative opinion from an unknown situation, it was her cousin.

"Nothing's wrong. There's just someone who needs to talk to you. She's waiting back at Lulu's."

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows in concentration as she tried to figure out who this person could be, and why she wanted to speak with her.

Rikku shook her head. Then she knelt down and began to examine a flower.
“I’ve been looking all over for this one,” she murmured, more to herself than anyone.

Yuna chuckled and then turned to go. She knew better than to try to continue this conversation. Once Rikku’s attention was diverted, that was it.

"Ok then. I'm going back now…" she announced, wondering if Rikku was even aware that she was still standing there.

Yuna shook her head and disappeared through a grove of trees, following the winding, flower-speckled pathway. The moment she was clear of the overgrown foliage, an odd sense of emptiness suddenly filled her. It was the same emptiness that had come after Sin’s defeat, but lately it seemed more prevalent at times. Yuna didn’t know if it was some type of warning or if it was just the lingering effect of…

“Never mind that,” she said to herself. She didn’t want to think about the fact that he was gone; not then.

She continued on until she spotted the entrance to Besaid Island--her home. The moment she stepped through the village gates, she spotted a funky-looking motorcycle parked outside of Wakka and Lulu's house. It was all black with midnight blue accents, and chrome seemed to be the metal of choice. Yuna finally managed to tear herself away from the amazing contraption and cautiously entered the house. As she walked into the living room, she caught Lulu in mid-sentence.

Lulu was sitting on the sofa with Wakka, and they were both talking to the unknown woman sitting across from them. Yuna turned her attention to the new-comer and was caught off guard by her appearance. She had silver hair that was cut short and spiked. Her eyes were a reddish hue, making her appear almost demon-like. Her black, leather outfit had so many straps and buckles that Yuna had trouble figuring out how she had gotten into it. A pair of high-heeled, black boots completed her daring ensemble.

Zanarkand…that was his hometown. Well, not the Zanarkand that existed today, but the original blitzball capital of Spira. Either way, it didn’t make any sense to her. Although Yuna had never been able to bring herself to visit the new and improved Zanarkand (which was rebuilt at the beginning of the Calm), she had met many people who lived there. Not a single one of them dressed this way. In fact, no one she knew in Spira had this odd sense of style.
Turning her attention back to the woman, Yuna grabbed her hand and shook it firmly.

"It's very nice to meet you, Paine," she gushed, trying to make up for the furtive glances she kept sneaking at Paine's outfit. She didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.
Paine just stared at their clasped hands as if she couldn't believe that Yuna was actually touching her. She appeared to get over the initial shock, though, and confidently met Yuna's gaze. She hastily removed her hand from the vise-like grip and raised an eyebrow.

Yuna glanced at Lulu, who nodded silently. She had adopted Lulu as a motherly figure (even though Lulu was already going to be a mother in her own right, considering that she was eight months pregnant with her and Wakka's child) and wanted to make sure she was comfortable with everything. Seeing Lulu’s encouraging reaction reassured her, and she turned back to Paine
.
"Ok, go ahead."

Paine paused as if trying to decide how to begin. This was indeed the legendary ex-summoner that she had heard so much about. Somehow, she could feel it. Even though it was impossible to tell, there was an enormous amount of power hidden within that petite frame. Paine looked deeply into Yuna’s mismatched eyes before speaking again.

"I think I'll stand," Yuna replied, after a slight hesitation. There was something in Paine’s tone of voice that warranted an upright and alert audience.

"Suit yourself,” Paine shrugged, nonchalantly. “Anyway, I’ve come to request your services."

Yuna slowly shook her head. She assumed that the “services” needed from her had to do with her talent as a summoner, but the last time she had summoned anything was during her final battle with Sin. Since then, there had been no need to call upon the power of aeons, and she didn’t see any reason to start again now. Not to mention that she was no longer capable of summoning them anyhow. They were all resting peacefully at the Farplane.

“I know and I can’t really explain it to you. The bottom line is that I need you to come back to Zanarkand with me.”

Before anyone could react, Wakka jumped to his feet. He had been sitting in stunned silence for most of the exchange, but now, he felt the need to voice his opinion.

Paine nodded in agreement.
"That’s true. You don’t know me. However, I’m not the one who’s asking for you. I’m here on behalf of someone else."

Now Yuna was deeply puzzled. All she really wanted at the moment was to know exactly what was going on.

Paine looked away for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to tell her. Then, momentarily, she looked back. Her lips curled into a small half-smile as she uttered the one name that Yuna least expected to hear:

Chapter 2

It took a couple of seconds to register, but once it did, it was painfully obvious. As if on cue, a transformation began to take place in Yuna’s facial expression. Her eyes grew round and her mouth fell open, leaving her lower jaw to dangle listlessly in the air. All of the color instantly drained from her cheeks, leaving her skin a pasty shade of olive.

“Um, I’m sorry, Paine. I think I misunderstood you. Did you just say Tidus?”

She nodded and Yuna looked off into space.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you said.”

She dropped heavily into a nearby chair, as if unconsciously and involuntarily deciding that Paine’s earlier suggestion to have a seat was a good idea after all. Everyone else sat in silence and watched her, waiting for some type of reaction, but none came. She just continued to stare, glassy-eyed, at nothing.

Wakka made a quick decision and looked at Paine.

“Maybe we should do dis later, ya? She doesn’t look so good.”

Paine sighed and folded her arms in front of her. Her red eyes closed to narrow, angry slits as she glared distastefully at Yuna. This…this…weak, immature child was the saving grace for all of Spira during the era of Sin? She was the one who had brought the long anticipated Eternal Calm? Unbelievable. And what did Tidus see in her anyway? Why did his love and passion run so deeply for such an unworthy woman?

“This is serious. I don’t have time for her antics,” Paine insisted, pushing away her thoughts. “I’ve got a job to do and I’m not going anywhere until I do it. I just can’t believe that we have to depend on her to help us. Seems like a death wish to me.”

“Death wish? What are you talkin’ about? Whatever it is Yuna has to do, she’ll do it to da best of her ability,” Wakka retorted, sticking up for his comrade.

“That’s not saying much, considering she doesn’t seem to have the ability to do much of anything right now.”

Wakka took a step away from her and inhaled deeply. He had to keep control of his temper, no matter how much this girl tried to push his buttons.

Paine impatiently glanced at her watch and then looked back at Yuna.

“Look, I’ve got things to do. How much longer do you think she’ll be ‘indisposed’?”

“You can wait for one minute,” Wakka argued. “Yuna’s been through a lot these past few months. Tidus was important to her and he just disappeared. Now you show up tellin’ her he wants to talk to her. How do you expect her to react?”

“Well, I definitely didn’t expect her to revert back to childhood. I understand that she and Tidus had something going on back then, and I’m sure it was beautiful and magical and whatever else. Unfortunately for her, I don’t really care. I didn’t come here to talk about her love life, so if you don’t mind, I think I know something that will revive her.”

Before Paine could even take a step toward her, Wakka had jumped in front of her and grabbed her arm.

“If you lay a finger on her, I swear I’ll--"

“Wakka!” LuLu shouted. There was such a severe tone in her voice that even Paine turned to look at her.

“Wakka, let her go,” she repeated more gently. She was standing with both hands at her hips, staring between the two them.

“But, Lu, she…” Wakka started to protest, but Lulu closed her eyes and looked down, silencing his pleas. He reluctantly released Paine’s arm and stepped away. When Lulu opened her eyes again, they suddenly looked dull and tired.

“This isn’t helping. It’s more important that we make sure Yuna’s ok.”

Then she turned to Paine.

“I don’t mean to sound suspicious but, frankly, I find your story hard to believe. How can we really know you’re telling the truth?”

Paine bent down and picked up a bag that she had brought in with her.

“Ok, fine. Tidus thought you all might be hard to convince, so he gave me this.”

She reached into the bag and pulled out a chain. It was silver and it had a strange charm dangling from it. The moment it was revealed, a choked sob came from Yuna’s general direction. Everyone turned to look at her, completely unaware that she had finally come out of her shocked state. Her eyes were brimming with tears that were dangerously close to spilling over.

“Yuna, you ok?” Wakka asked, going over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s his…Tidus…it’s his chain,” she whispered.

Wakka could feel her trembling and he wrapped an arm around her. Then he looked over at his wife.

“I think this is for real, Lu. I haven’t seen her like this since…since…”

“…since he first disappeared,” Lulu finished for him.

Paine rolled her eyes and sighed. It appeared as though she had had enough with the delays and was ready to leave.

“I need to get going. Here is your message,” she quipped, handing Yuna a small box.

“Tidus told me I can’t leave until you’re done, so I would appreciate it if you made this as quick and painless as possible.”

Yuna took the box and examined it. Then, she opened it. Inside was a sphere resting on top of a hand-written note. Something told her that the images contained on the sphere were meant only for her to see. She closed the box and turned her back on the group, as if preparing to leave the room