TA DA! (still thinking of a new fic. probably will be sumthin about KH)
Okay, the beginning of this chapter is almost exactly like the beginning of the other chapter. There are definite changes so I recommend you read the entire thing again. Otherwise you might get confused. This ending is one that I really liked and thought it would be cool to end the story like this, but at the same time I was afraid that not everybody would agree with me. Therefore, I decided to give a "normal" happy ending and this one which – quite honestly – can't be called "happy" but it can't be called "sad" either.
SILVER WINGS 3: Back Into My Arms
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Moment You've All Been Waiting For (Ending Two)
Though she understood why he was doing it, watching her Noojie kissing the woman who was determined to kill them all filled LeBlanc with blinding white rage. She strained against the ropes that held her bound to the cement slab and, to her surprise, they loosened a bit. Ruefully, she realized that Seymour must never have been very good at taking hostages. He probably preferred killing them instantly instead of having witnesses.
She turned to Squall and whispered so low it was almost silent, "I think I can get loose."
Squall nodded his understanding and kept one eye trained on Nooj and Ultimecia while his other watched LeBlanc. The blonde struggled silently against her the ropes, the twine burning into her wrists and ankles. She tensed against the pain and continued her maneuvering. With a stifled yelp, her left hand was wrenched from the ropes.
"What are you doing?!" Ultimecia's shriek echoed in the room. Nooj saw instantly what LeBlanc had managed to do, but grabbed at Ultimecia's wrist to gain her attention before she could see.
"Why are you pulling away?" he asked sweetly, pulling her closer to him by the waist, "I've missed you."
Ultimecia smiled at him, giving LeBlanc enough time to slide her wrist back into the loose rope before the probing brown eyes were back upon her. The woman wearing Rinoa's skin eyed her suspiciously before turning back to Nooj, "I'm sorry, my love. I'm just a little suspicious of her. She does think she's your girlfriend after all, and jealousy can cause a woman to do stupid things."
Though it killed Nooj to say so, he spoke, "She's a fool. I've never loved her."
He saw LeBlanc's eyes moisten over Ultimecia's shoulder, but she nodded her understanding of why he said it. He pulled the brunette closer to him, holding her close against his chest. Over Ultimecia's shoulder, he mouthed, "I love you." to LeBlanc.
"I know." She mouthed back, removing her wrist from the rope again and proceeding to untie her right hand.
Nooj pressed his forehead against Ultimecia's to ensure he had her full attention, "So what's the plan, darling?" he asked, hoping he was giving LeBlanc enough time to free herself and Squall. He didn't dare glance up to see how they were doing. He didn't want to tip Ultimecia off.
"All we need to do is sacrifice the stupid girl and then you will have your body back." She grinned up at him, "Although…I do like this body too."
With her feet freed, LeBlanc silently slid off the cement block and released Squall who crept just as quietly behind her. Their weapons had been taken, so they had to do this by hand. Going against a powerful sorceress with just their bare hands wasn't something they relished, but they figured that they must do what they must do.
"So…" Ultimecia was saying, "How stupid do you really think that I am?"
Nooj froze as did LeBlanc and Squall. Ultimecia freed herself from Nooj's grip and turned to stare icicles into the two formerly tied individuals behind her, "Did you actually think that I didn't realize what you three were planning?"
"Don't pull me into this, sweet." Nooj started in an attempt to salvage some of their escape attempt.
Ultimecia turned and snapped, "Don't even start with me. I'll get even with you later." She threatened, slapping him hard across the face, "But that'll just have to suffice for now."
"YOU BITCH!!!" shrieked LeBlanc. The thin blonde lunged at the shorter brunette, knocking her to the floor and rolling her underneath. LeBlanc punched her hard in the face before she felt herself being lifted by unseen hands. Ultimecia's hand was extended ahead of her and Nooj realized she was some sort of spell to lift LeBlanc in the air. He went to lunge for Ultimecia himself but realized that he was still chained by the feet to the wall.
Squall took a step toward her and Ultimecia glared at him, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, pretty boy." She hissed, lifting LeBlanc's whimpering form higher, "I'll drop her if you do."
"So what?" asked Squall, hoping a bluff that he didn't care would make Ultimecia look for another way."
She saw right through it and flipped her wrist, causing LeBlanc to spin so that her feet were above her head, "Do you still not care?" she asked, lifting LeBlanc another five feet from the ground.
LeBlanc sputtered, unsure whether she was furious at the way she was being treated, or mortified that her lacy pink panties were now in view. She struggled to hold her purple robe in place but then decided that it would be better to be mortified now and still alive than dead. She needed her hands to cushion her fall if Ultimecia decided to drop her.
The sorceress grinned broadly upward and then turned back to Nooj, "You might as well just sit back and enjoy the ride. My backup should be here any minute."
Squall rolled his eyes, "We all saw Seymour leave in a huff. What makes you think he'll be back?"
"It was part of the plan…" replied the woman with a devilish wink.
The cock of a gun echoed in the silent room. All eyes turned to the door to find the dream crew, Lulu, and Wakka standing at the door. Irvine's gun was trained on Rinoa's form, "I'd put her down if I were you."
"I'd definitely listen to him" came Yuna's voice as she, Tidus, Rikku, Gippal, and the trio of Al Bhed bound through the door. She grinned at Ultimecia, "I've heard that he's crazy…"
LeBlanc hissed angrily, "Um…hostage still floating in mid-air!"
Attention was brought back to Ultimecia and LeBlanc. Irvine's trained eye was still focused on the woman in Rinoa's body, "Put her down, nice and gentle-like and you won't get hurt."
"Why not just shoot me?" questioned Ultimecia, her lip curling into a sneer, "Oh, why that's because if you did, I'd drop the prissy little bitch on her head and the dream bitch I took this body from would die as well." She smiled triumphantly and lifted LeBlanc ever higher, "I'm the one in control, Irvine." She stated simply. Imitating his slow drawl, she said, "So why don't you put the gun down, nice and gentle-like?"
Irvine did so, holstering the weapon and glancing askance at his friends as if to ask, "What now?"
"Now you will die…" came Seymour's voice from the entryway. He marched right passed the group of do-gooders and toward Ultimecia,
"Yes, that is true."
Seymour shrugged, "Time to finish this, Ultimecia." He replied, turning to gaze at Yuna, "I made sure my lovely bride would make it here so that we can finish all of our lose ends together."
"First things first." Ultimecia hissed, using her powers to maneuver LeBlanc over the slab she formerly inhabited. She let the girl drop onto it, temporarily shaking the girl up so that she couldn't move, "Tie her up." Ultimecia ordered.
Irvine made a move for his gun, but the sorceress was quicker, using her powers to yank the gun from his hands and throw it across the room. It cracked into several pieces against the wall just above Nooj's head. The broken pieces bathed him in a shower of metal. Ultimecia flicked her wrist and Yuna found herself dangling above the group she had just momentarily been ensconced in.
Rikku jumped to grab her ankle but missed, "Yunie!" she shouted, trying again and again to get to her.
Ultimecia laughed, "Don't be pathetic. Do you actually think you pulling on her ankle would bring her back down?" she winked up at Yuna, "Just a little insurance, dearie. No hard feelings?"
Yuna spat down, the liquid landing on Ultimecia's nose and trailing down her cheek. The sorceress glared up at her, "Fine." The snapped, spinning Yuna several times in the air, "You want to play rough, you little bitch? Then we'll play rough!"
Seymour's hand on her shoulder stopped Ultimecia's next move, "Leave my wife alone. I'd like to take care of her, if I may."
Seymour nodded and grabbed Yuna's arm as Ultimecia lowered her. He pulled Yuna hard against his chest and hissed in her ear, "Soon, darling, you'll know the price for betraying me…"
Yuna struggles only caused Seymour to press the knife harder into her hip. Blood began to leak out and stain her half-skirt while trailing slowly down her thigh. Ultimecia smiled blandly at her as she leaned down to retrieve the sword from the floor. She lifted it high above her head as she began to slowly chant.
Ultimecia's chants started low and grew louder and louder. Nooj felt strange but not nearly as strange as Squall must have felt. The man had collapsed to his knees, wheezing as if he couldn't breath. Nooj bent down, hoping to unclasp his legs, but found that the chains were firmly in place. There wasn't anything he could do.
There had to be something he could do…
There was…
Nooj let out a pained scream and clutched his chest, letting himself collapse into a heap on the floor. Ultimecia stopped her chanting and dropped the sword, rushing toward him and rolling him over, "Oh no!" she shrieked, "Not now!"
"He's faking it!" Seymour shouted, pushing the sword a little harder against Yuna's hip. The girl moaned in pain.
Ultimecia ignored Seymour and quickly released Nooj's feet. With his feet unshackled, Nooj just waited for the perfect moment. He stayed completely still as Ultimecia lay her head against his chest. He felt her breath a sigh of relief when she heard it pounding steadily. Her body moved higher until he could feel her breath against his cheek. He knew she was close enough to grab now, and that's what he did. Lunging with a massive power, Nooj gripped the sorceress' neck in a vice-grip and twisted.
The silence in the room spoke volumes. Seymour's eyes widened in shocked horror as the body slumped to the floor in a crumpled heap. Seymour felt like his world was shattering as he saw Squall stepping closer to him. It would only be a matter of time until he struck out and all of Seymour's plans would go up in smoke. Taking a breath of courage, he hissed, "Not so fast there." He pushed the blade a little harder into Yuna's hip. She squirmed slightly to gain access to her holster in which she had wedged the small book.
Seymour didn't notice her maneuvering. His focus was on the man standing mere inches from him. The man who was reaching for the sword the sorceress had dropped to use in lieu of his own. Seymour glared at him, "Don't even think about it."
From the corner of his eye, Seymour saw a blonde head approaching and turned to find the point of Tidus' blade pointing toward them. The blonde smirked, "Let her go, Seymour." He turned to Squall, "I've got this. Give me the sword."
Squall had a flash of doubt but suppressed it as he handed the large sword to Tidus. The blitzball player brandished both weapons like toys and to Yuna's surprise, Seymour didn't fight the order. Instead, he released her waist and took the knife from her hip – gently letting her free. Tidus looked at her, "Walk very slowly toward me, Yuna."
Yuna trembled in every step, but did exactly what Tidus had requested. She didn't want to risk giving Seymour the upper hand. Wakka made a move toward her but Tidus saw it out of his peripheral vision and hissed, "Stay where you are! Everybody!"
"Tidus…" Yuna whispered… "We can do this together now. You don't have to take him on alone."
Tidus turned to her, taking his eyes off of Seymour. The blue haired man, surprisingly, didn't move. Yuna was beginning to get confused. What was going on? His blue eyes connected with hers and he gave her a weak smile, "You know I love you, right?"
"Of course I do…"
"Then I should apologize." He whispered, "Because the fayth isn't the only one who has lied to you in the last few months…"
"What…?" Yuna's voice cracked with the question.
Tidus ignored her, turning to Seymour and sighing, "I still can't believe the mess you got yourself into. You really are helpless." He groaned and handed Seymour the large sword he had taken from Squall, "Try not to screw it up this time."
"What the hell?!" Cid squeaked, storming to the front of the crowd, "What are you doing?!"
Tidus' eyes flared, "Shut up! Get back where you were and nobody gets hurt!"
"Nobody…?" Seymour asked with a feigned pout.
"Well…" replied Tidus with a smirk, "Almost nobody…"
Yuna's mouth had been hanging open for the last minute and a half. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. Tidus and Seymour moved quickly – with Ultimecia gone, Yuna quickly realized that their plan had changed. Nooj and Squall were forced to stand with the rest of the group as was LeBlanc when she was released. Tidus reached to Yuna's hips and pulled her guns from the holsters. She caught his gaze, "Why…?" she managed.
His eyes reflected sadness for just a moment but he didn't reply. He cocked the guns and motioned with them for Yuna to move with the others. She slowly did, so never taking her eyes from his. There had to be a good reason for this!
"Okay, Bruttam. We're all set."
The fayth child appeared then, in a bright flash of light that caused Yuna to shield her eyes. He seemed smaller and sadder than she remembered. What was he doing? Why was he helping them do this? The fayth's brown eyes stared pleadingly at Tidus, "Shu…I don't want to do this."
"Did I ask what you wanted?" he snapped, "Just do what you were told."
"Shuyin?!" Yuna shrieked.
Cerulean eyes caught her gaze and he smiled. Bending low in a mock bow, he said, "Allow me to introduce myself, m'lady. My name is Shuyin Tidus Bacohl and before I get any questions, no I am not under the control of the 'shadow' or any other entity. I simply allowed myself to merge with it." He shrugged and winked at her, "I finally realized that I can't deny what is in my nature to do any longer."
"Shuyin…Tidus?"
"Yes."
Yuna pulled at her hair as if it would make this horrible nightmare go away, "I don't understand."
"I don't expect you to." Was the blonde's reply, "But let me see if I can make this easier for you. When I realized that getting Lenne back was fruitless because you loved that damned dream so much, I set up this remarkable plan with Bruttam and Seymour – both of whom I knew from the Farplane. I sent that stupid dream into the dream world, knowing full well that he'd be determined to get home and as a result would bring the dream crew with him. I also knew that once Rinoa's body was in the real world, Ultimecia would go after it."
"How…?"
"Easy, really. I knew Rinoa from Zanarkand. She had dated my cousin. Granted, I had only seen her once, but Squall used to talk about her all the time. From that, I was relatively certain I was correct. There was a chance for failure, but I didn't think it was something to worry about. She loved Squall and would want him back – and from the Farplane, I knew Nooj was my cousin.
Cid growled, "Now listen here you! I demand we be let free!"
Shuyin laughed, "You demand? You aren't in the position to make demands, old man."
Shoving Gippal out of the way, Cid plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small gun and raised it to Tidus' chest.
BANG
The smoke hadn't even cleared from the barrel of Shuyin's gun when Cid collapsed into a bloody heap at Rikku's feet. No one moved. They all stared at Shuyin, waiting to see what he'd do next. With a condescending smirk, Shuyin blew the smoke away from the gun, "Any other takers?"
No response.
"I didn't think so." He turned to Seymour, "We should probably get this done with."
"Not yet." Yuna spoke, taking a tentative step forward, "I want you to finish explaining this to me. Where is Tidus? Why are you doing this?"
Shuyin sighed and bit his lip, "Okay. If you want to hear the rest." He put the gun gently into the pocket of his pants and sighed, "Ultimecia was just a means to an end. We let her think she was in charge, but she actually wasn't. I was pulling the strings the whole time. Tidus meandered back to Spira and I simply waited for the right moment to strike. I made him pick those fights with Gippal knowing what had happened to Gippal with the Baralai fight. Then I waited. I knew Ultimecia would use that to her advantage as all true evils do. When she did, I took over but I let her think she did it with that ridiculous chant."
"So the chant didn't do anything?"
Shuyin laughed, "Of course not. Its outdated magic. She was a fool to believe it was going to do something. Yet, it was fortunate for me that she believed it. I knew that she knew about my attempts with the ring so it stood to reason she'd want my help to get Squall back. I also knew that Seymour was the only other person in the Farplane that was evil enough to serve as a backup when I refused to help her." He shrugged and smirked, "So here we are."
"But…" Yuna stammered, "You…you seemed so…innocent during all this…"
Shuyin shrugged at her, "I'm a good actor, Yuna." He replied with a smirk, "You should know that by now."
Yuna stiffened her lower lip for fear of it quivering, "What does the fayth have to do with this?"
"I needed him to keep up my story. I needed him to back up the whole 'Tidus is going crazy' scenario I was trying."
"And where is Tidus?"
"Tidus is me. I am Tidus. He's here. I remember his life as well as mine, so I wasn't lying to you when I told you that there was a merger. I just told it from his perspective instead of my own. Tidus is gone, and yet he is here. Everything worked out perfectly."
"So this was your plan all along…" gulped Yuna, "Everything has been a lie…"
Shuyin shook his head, "No, not everything." He replied quietly, reaching for her only to have her shy away from his hand. He frowned, "I do love you. Both Tidus and I love you very much. However you and I can never be happy here on Spira, Lennie. We both know this. We'll be happier in the Farplane…together. You'll see…" Shuyin turned to Seymour and nodded. The blue-haired man stepped past Shuyin and grabbed Yuna's hand, pushing her into Shuyin's arms. Yuna tensed as she watched Seymour pull out the huge sword he was wielding.
Yuna turned to Shuyin, "Please…don't hurt them!"
"You don't want to watch them die?" he sighed, "I figured as much, love. Even though I'm doing what's best for all of us. Seymour was right. The only way to end all pain is through death. Don't you see that? Yet, I knew you'd be too good to want to witness it." He smiled and kissed her lips gently, "Don't worry." He whispered as he pushed the barrel of the gun against Yuna's chest, "You won't know what hit you…"
BANG
"AHHH!"
"Yuna! What's wrong? Calm down!"
Yuna clutched her chest and patted it down, confusion surfacing on her features. She'd just been shot. Hadn't she? She looked over and saw the familiar features of Tidus staring at her with concern in his eyes. She backed away quickly, unconsciously reaching to her hip for her gun, but realized it was missing. She looked down. She was wearing a nondescript white nightgown.
Her nightgown…
"Babe…?" came Tidus' voice as he gently ran a hand softly through her hair, "Bad dream?"
She trembled against his hand, but willed herself not to pull away. If she was sitting in the bed with him and not in the Chamber of the Fayth in Zanarkand, then it must have been a dream. She gazed into his eyes, "I…guess so."
He smiled at her, "Well, the alarm is about to go off anyway, so we might as well get up." He stretched and slid out of the bed, pulling his shorts over his narrow hips, "At least your dreams have the decency to wake us up when we're supposed to get up anyway." He said with a grin, leaning over and turning off the alarm that had just begun to chime on the table next to the bed.
"Yeah…" Yuna agreed quietly as she watched him. She pinched herself softly and didn't wake up. Was this reality? Was that really just a horrible dream? But…it had seemed so real.
"Are you okay in there, Yunie?! We heard screaming!"
Tidus padded down the stairs and opened the door. Yuna's cousin bounded up the stairs and rushed to hug her, "What's wrong?"
"She had a bad dream." Came Tidus' response, "Woke up clutching her chest like she thought her heart was gonna beat out of it."
"Poor chicky." Gippal said as he stepped in behind Rikku, "Bad dreams suck. I hate them too."
"When do you ever have a bad dream?" Yuna gasped. That voice…that face! She stiffened as the handsome, tanned platinum blonde came into the room. He smiled at her as he wedged himself between Rikku and Gippal, "You okay, Lady Yuna?"
"Baralai…?!"
Baralai smirked, "Last time I checked. You look surprised to see me. Why?"
Yuna's shocked expression changed into a look of sheer joy as she jumped out of the bed and wrapped her arms around Baralai's neck, embracing the taller man tightly against her. She didn't care that everyone was staring at her like she was insane. She didn't care about anything except for the fact that Baralai was okay. Somehow…someway…he was okay.
"Yunie!" Rikku hissed, pulling her cousin's arms from around Baralai's neck, "You're gonna strangle him, and even if you didn't I don't think Tidus likes this sudden display of affection."
Yuna pulled away sheepishly, "I'm sorry…" she whispered, "I just…it was my dream. It was weird and felt really real. And…in it, Baralai was killed…"
Baralai lifted an eyebrow, "You're dreaming about me being murdered?" He laughed, "Great…"
"Everybody wants to dream about that." Gippal teased, punching Baralai gently on the forearm, "You're such a pain in the ass after all."
Realization dawned on Yuna and her grin spread into a full out smile. She gazed at Gippal, "If Baralai is alive…then that means you and I didn't…" she let out a happy shout and hugged him too. Her eyes shined as she backed away, "This is just the greatest news ever!"
"Ooookay…" was Gippal's response.
Tidus wrapped his arms around Yuna from the back and spoke over her shoulder, "Well, Yuna and I need to get dressed. We'll meet you guys on the bridge in a few minutes."
"Sounds good!" Rikku chirped.
"Okay. See you in a few." Replied Gippal as the trio descended the stairs and left the room.
When they were alone again, Yuna tried to gather her clothes but Tidus' unrelenting gaze was making her uncomfortable. She looked at him over her shoulder, "Yes?"
"You dreamed Baralai was killed? What other weird stuff were you dreaming about? You seemed really upset when you woke up."
Yuna shrugged, "I dreamed Shuyin was possessing you and you killed Baralai and brought Seymour back and then killed me and that Cid was trying to pin the attack on Home on Gippal and that you shot Cid and…"
He held up his hand to stop her. His eyes were wide with shock, but he grinned anyway, "What did you eat before going to bed?"
She smiled, "I don't know…" she sighed and sat down on the bed, "Where are we going? I'm a little confused."
"Don't you remember? Last night you okayed the rebuilding of Zanarkand. Gippal wants to be in charge so he needs my input on how things used to be."
Yuna's eyes widened. She shook her head violently, "I changed my mind. I don't want to rebuild!" she shrieked, "In fact, I don't want you anywhere near Zanarkand. That's where it all started!"
"Where what started?"
"In my dream…in Zanarkand you started to succumb to Shuyin and…"
Tidus lifted his hand to her mouth to quiet her. He shook his head slowly as he caught her gaze, "Sweetheart," he whispered, "It was a dream. It wasn't real. It's not going to happen. You were just scared something would happen so your subconscious came up with that outlandish story, but we both know that is what it is. Outlandish."
He was right. Yuna knew that. Obviously it was just a dream. Baralai was alive. Rikku and Gippal didn't appear to be in a relationship. Cid wasn't beating the door down to arrest him. Tidus was acting like himself. Of course it was a dream. She sighed and nodded, "I know I'm being silly. Forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive." He replied, "You have every right to be nervous, but it's going to be okay."
Yuna smiled, "So…I guess Rikku and Gippal haven't admitted their madly in love yet? That was what was nice about my dream. They did."
"Well that is nice." Tidus conceded as he pulled his sneakers on and tied them, "but it's only a matter of time. Those two belong together."
"Yeah." Yuna agreed as she quickly dressed and then turned to Tidus, "Okay, let's go."
He laced his fingers through her own and together they descended the stairs. He reached for the door and at that moment Yuna realized he was singing to himself. She listened intently as the whispered tune became clear to her…and she thought her heart was going to stop.
"…and a thousand words….call out through the ages…they'll fly to you…"
"Stop it." She snapped, more forcefully than she wanted to.
He stopped in mid stride and stared at her, "What's the matter with you?"
"How do you know that song?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. I think I heard it somewhere, but I don't know where. What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
How was Yuna going to explain the feeling of dread boiling up in her stomach? It was a dream. So what if he knew that song? Shinra had probably just shown him the sphere of her performance. But wouldn't he remember that if he had? Yet…in her dream Shuyin gave no clue as to knowing the song. So why would Tidus know it now?
He was waiting for a response and Yuna knew she had to give him one. She held his hand tightly, "No, I don't like it." She replied, squeezing his hand, "And promise me that you won't mention it – or anything related to it – ever again."
Tidus cocked an eyebrow at her, "Okay…" he replied.
"And another thing." She said as he started for the door.
He stopped, "Yes?"
"If you start hearing voices, I want you to tell me instantly."
"Um…Are you okay?"
Yuna sighed and averted her eyes from his. Her gaze traveled down to her chest and she clutched at the fabric between her breasts tightly. Taking a quick intake of breath, Yuna nodded, "I'm just fine. It was all a dream after all. No reason to be afraid…"
And yet, her mind was remembering another dream she had thought wasn't real and turned out to be…two people running from Bevelle guards…running for their lives…
This wasn't like that.
Was it?
THE END
BAM! THE FIC IS OFICIALLY FINISHED! I LOVE YOU! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST FANS IN THE WORLD! i'll start my new fic soon.