Stealing the Limelight

'I wonder how long I can hold my breath...?' pondered Andrew, sitting with Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri in the stands as they watched the match between the Besaid Aurochs and the Luca Goers.

"Isn't this incredible, Andrew!? At this rate, Wakka and the others may actually win...!" exclaimed Yuna, visibly excited as the Aurochs were up 2-1 against the reigning champions.

"It's undoubtedly impressive," affirmed Andrew. However, as he had other thoughts at the forefront of his, he wasn't paying nearly as much attention to the game as Yuna and Lulu. Instead, his gaze periodically wandered to the VIP seating area, the location of an extremely elderly man who served as the leader of the Yevon faith and a tall, muscular man with purple eyes, light blue hair, a set of long, horn-like locks running down his back, spikes protruding from his temples, and a lightning-shaped bang falling over his face. His clothing consisted of ornate, predominately dark blue robes that were open at the front and had red trimmings, a green sash, oversized sleeves, and a flowing hem that dragged along the ground as he walked. He carried an ornate, red-tipped staff resembling a tribal dragon tattoo in his right hand, and, despite possessing the title of Maester, making him one of the three pillars of the Yevon faith, he made little effort to hide his disdain for the events transpiring in front of him.

Recognizing the man as Seymour Guado, the most prominent villain in the world of Final Fantasy X, Andrew was eagerly awaiting the man's attempt to show off. In the game, his forces secretly released a number of fiends into the stadium just as the final match concluded. Then, while everyone was in a panic, Seymour swaggered in without a care in the world, calling upon the Aeon created by his mother's sacrifice to eliminate the fiends, all to make himself look good.

As he couldn't simply assassinate Seymour or the elderly Grand Maester at his side, not without antagonizing many people, Andrew's admittedly petty plan was to steal away the patricidal freak's orchestrated attempts to show off. Seymour was the type of man that couldn't stand sharing the limelight with someone else, so when he invariably invited them over with whatever excuse he came up with, Andrew had plans to humble the blue-haired cunt twice, thrice, and ten times over...

With Tidus and Wakka teaming up to score a third goal with less than a minute remaining on the clock, Yuna jumped up and erupted along with the rest of the crowd. Many of the people present were fans of the Luca Goers, the representative team, but as the Besaid Auroch's hadn't won a single game in more than twenty-six years, seeing them on the verge of securing the championship had everyone losing their minds.

Waiting for Yuna to calm down, Andrew surprised her, Lulu, and Kimahri with a telepathic group message, stating, 'Fiends may appear and attack the crowd soon. Yuna, you should be prepared to summon Valefor. Lulu, Kimahri, the two of you will protect her. As for me, I will sweep through as many fiends as possible before things get out of hand.'

'What are you talking about?' asked Lulu, losing the excitement that had momentarily appeared in her eyes from witnessing her home team on the verge of a hard-fought victory.

'I'm not going to keep explaining things I've already told you about,' said Andrew, shaking his head as he added, 'Just be prepared to act. If nothing happens, I'll trek the first stretch of the Mi'ihen Highroad on the tips of my fingers.'

Crossing her arms, Lulu didn't seem particularly pleased by Andrew's words, but she set her personal feelings aside, raising her alertness as she looked around for any sign of fiends. At the same time, Kimahri came over to Yuna's side, partisan in hand, ready to defend her with his life, just as he had the past ten years.

"Be safe..." muttered Yuna, grabbing Andrew's sleeve and staring up at him with worry visible in her eyes.

"I'll be fine," assured Andrew, reaching up to hook his hand around Yuna's nape before pulling her forward to kiss her forehead. Then, with a haze of bluish-white light exuding from his body like steam, he turned and walked away faster than most people could sprint.

Fortunate for Andrew's fingers, the announcer barely had time to declare the match over when a group of green and orange, fish-like fiends with fin-like arms and legs, known as Sahagin, invaded the spherical, water-filled arena in which the game was played. At the same time, Dingos and drake-like monsters known as Vouivre emerged from the throughways connecting to the concession area while Garudas, reptilian birds with webbed wings, long necks, and toothy maws filled with razor-sharp teeth, descended on the audience from above.

Slotting in his Beast, Bird, and Dragon Killer Abilities, simultaneously equipping a pair of long-barreled guns, Andrew began to make short work of the numerous fiends by zipping through the frenzied crowd at extreme speeds, deftly avoiding bumping into anyone as he fired armor-piercing rounds directly into the heads of each monster he passed.

Though the people in the crowd didn't notice Andrew's actions, those who could see him darting about from above were awed. Haste wasn't a rare form of white magic, but the rate and the ease with which he felled fiends was exceptional.

Drawing some of the attention away from Andrew, Valefor dropped from the sky, performing a high-speed nose dive before abruptly arresting its momentum by spreading its draconic wings. Then, while Andrew focused on the enemies in the stands, it began flapping its wings, generating fast-moving sonic projectiles that outright annihilated or at least knocked most of the flying fiends out of the sky.

As he was making his rounds around the entire stadium, it wasn't long before Andrew encountered a one-eyed, middle-aged man that looked like the definition of gruff. He had bronzed skin, wore circular shades low on his nose, and greying black hair that swept away from his scalp and formed a ponytail that dangled over his left shoulder. His attire consisted of a red haori that was closed in the front and had the left sleeve serving as a sling for his arm, beneath which was a black breastplate with golden trim. He also had other features, like a high, belted collar that concealed the lower half of his face, a similar obi wrapped around his waist, metal-plated boots, and a white win jug on his right hip, but his most prominent 'feature' was the oversized katana resting on his shoulder.

"You're not of this world..." remarked the man, his voice deep and gravelly as he observed Andrew with his left eye, his right possessing a diagonal scar over it.

"I could say the same about you," countered Andrew, adopting a cheeky grin as the man, known throughout Spira as a Legendary Guardian, Auron, frowned.

"Anyways, we can talk later," added Andrew, wasting no more time as he attempted to dart past Auron. To his surprise, Auron abruptly stuck out his foot, causing him to stumble but not fall as he jumped and flipped through the air, giving the man an upside-down middle finger before landing and continuing on his way.

Snorting in amusement, Auron adopted a faint smile and remarked, "He's a cheeky one..." before turning his attention to one of the Vouivre that had appeared, his figure appearing to 'flicker' as he crossed nearly ten meters in an instant, swinging his oversized sword as if it weighed nothing, slicing through the armored fiend as if it were empty air...

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With Seymour's tortured Aeon, Anima, failing to appear, Andrew assumed his plan to derail the blue-haired cunt's schemes had gone off without a hitch. As such, he was in a pretty good mood even when Lulu attempted to press him for information after the outbreak had been quelled.

"How did you know that a group of fiends would appear...?" asked Lulu, staring up at Andrew with furrowed brows and crossed arms, making it seem like her sizeable breasts might pop out of her fur-lined dress at any moment.

"I already told you..." replied Andrew, subsequently reminding Lulu that he had foreknowledge of certain events and the machinations of key figures. He had explained this during their first meeting, but as he had 'abducted' Yuna moments before, most of his explanation went over their heads or in one ear and out the other.

Standing next to Andrew, Yuna asked, "Was Maester Seymour really the person responsible for this incident? And why would a Maester of Yevon do such a thing...?"

As they were currently back in his penthouse, Andrew had no qualms explaining, "Because there is no deity known as Yevon, and his ultimate goal is to become Sin, believing the only way to end Spira's suffering is by destroying everything."

"Sacrilege..." muttered Lulu, her gaze more withering than usual. She certainly had her doubts about Yevon, but as a loyal follower for more than twenty years, accompanying no less than two Summoners on their pilgrimage, she was a firm believer in the tenets set forth by her religion.

Shaking his head, Andrew appended, "Believe what you want. But, once you see the machina factories under Bevelle and learn the truth behind Sin's creation, don't be surprised when I have the smuggest, most shit-eating grin on my face."

"..."

While Lulu was at a loss for words, Yuna affirmed, "I believe Andrew is telling the truth. I've also met some of the people he...associates with in other worlds. They all trust him implicitly, and I don't believe he would sabotage that by betraying or manipulating us with false information..."

Looking more than a little fed up, Lulu threw up her hands, exhaled a sigh, and asked, "Then, who's Yevon? They can't simply 'not' exist..."

"That's probably the greatest irony in this situation," replied Andrew, a wry smile adorning his face as he explained, "Yevon, or, more accurately, Yu Yevon, was the leader of Zanarkand a thousand years ago when it was at war with the machina nation, Bevelle. He was also the greatest Summoner of his time, possibly even the greatest in history. When Bevelle destroyed Zanarkand a thousand years ago, he converted the few survivors into the Fayth you see at Mt. Gagazet—"

Feeling that he was getting off track and that he might provide inaccurate information, Andrew shook his head and said, "Sorry, I almost went on a tangent. To answer your question, Yevon is basically the Fayth that gives form to Sin. Nearly everything about the Yevon faith is Bevelle's attempt to maintain power and control while serving their private interests, not the interests of Spira and its people. Some of their most important members are secretly Unsent, refusing to give up their wealth and status even after their deaths. That includes the current Grand Maester, Yo Mika."

Hearing Andrew's explanation, Lulu began feeling faint, nearly stumbling before he caught her with a smile.

Waving her right hand, grazing the tip of Andrew's nose, Lulu exclaimed, "Get off of me...!" before staring at him with clenched teeth. Fortunately, Yuna was also present, stepping forward to support her and whispering, "He was only trying to help..."

Staring at Yuna with a moderately incredulous look, Lulu remarked, "A man who casually collects women from multiple worlds, promising to fix their problems and make their world a better place, can't be trusted. Even if he 'is' telling the truth, it doesn't change the fact he's taking advantage of his knowledge and position to serve his base desires..."

Though Yuna looked like she wanted to defend him, Andrew interjected, nodding in affirmation as he said, "She's right. I won't deny that when I travel to certain worlds, there are a handful of women I have in mind for the position of Proxy..."

With both women focusing on him, Andrew adopted a cheeky smile and added, "However, I never force the matter. Even now, when she has given me every opportunity to do so, Yuna and I haven't slept together. Have I taken liberties? Of course. She's a kind and remarkably beautiful woman. But, until she is absolutely certain this is the path she wishes to tread, I'm not planning to do much more than we've already done..."

Punctuating his statement, Andrew ran his hand down Yuna's side and gave her ass a playful squeeze. She blushed as he did, but it wasn't from his touch. Rather, it was the notion that Andrew was basically waiting for her to make the next move that made her feel 'discomposed' and, if she were being honest, more than a little excited...

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