Petra: If you wanted to, you could call this a companion fic or a sequel to my trilogy. I'd like to do one in the POV of Tidus but, sadly, haven't gotten around to it.
Kait: *in a sleepy voice* Review...

DEDICATED: To all those who reach for the moon, and found that landing among the stars was so much better.
WARNING: It's sappy, so sue me! Also, it hints at the ending, though I don't know how greatly...
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these wonderful characters or this incredibe scene... though I have watched it countless times... *dreamy sigh*

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Swimming in Stars

" . . . sometimes, it feels as if I am on the edge of something good, and if I just try to lean over, I could fall into it." -Draco; Falling from Closet Space (GW)

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TIME: This takes place right before the beginning of FFX-2, that makes it about two years from the end of the FFX

You know how you have those moments in your life that just take your breath away and you know, no matter what happens, no matter how bad it gets, that moment will keep you going no matter what. Our first kiss was that moment for me. Our first kiss would become a memory that, no matter how the years passed, would still be as sweet as the day it happened. On the days when I just wanted to give up, when it became a monumental work just to put one foot in front of the other, to take another step on my journey to death. Before I went into the temple, to see if the Aeons would accept me as their partner, I promised myself that I would never regret anything on what was to become of my journey… but that was before you… Now I regret many things and I can't help but hate myself for it. I regret that I couldn't get up enough courage to tell you how I felt until that moment when the dark of the sky was not only above us, but below and around us as well. I regret that I didn't admit it to myself sooner; that I will never be able to see that my first kiss was with a person I loved more than myself. I hate the fact that I didn't tell you my secret, that you had to hear it from Rikku while her home was falling apart around you… and I regret that I couldn't figure out how to tell you I'm sorry for all these things, because I know that they hurt you as much, if not more, than me.

Then I think about what my kiss with you was like. I remember how it seemed liked there was no one in the world but you and I; there was no Sin, no duty… nothing to stop of us from doing whatever we felt was right to do. It was like… magic. Yes, I know that I see it everyday, I know that I perform it many times, but this was like magic was supposed to be. Not used for battle, not for healing, not for killing, but just being there with its warmth and mystery, showing us that life is so much more than it looks on the outside. That night, on a night like any other night, I saw what real, true magic was; that magic that makes a person look at the world and understand that there is beauty in it but, at the same time, acknowledge that it can be a harsh and awful place.

I've found, that as time goes by, whether the time is a day or a year, that it's the small things you most remember about the people you love. Like, I don't remember the exact shade of my father's eyes but I do remember that, on his left hand, he had the smallest scar on the second knuckle of his index finger; so small I could barely see it. I can't remember exactly what you wore anymore, only that is was bright and cheerful and I always wanted to know what it felt like because it looked so unlike our own fabric. I do remember that you made a small noise when you moved forward to stand in front of me; a small sound, somewhere between the jingle of a bell and the sob of the brokenhearted.

I was so embarrassed that you were seeing me cry. I'd wanted to be strong for all my guardians so that maybe, after I was gone, that could at least say, "At least she was never sad and was always happy on her journey." Here I was, though, feeling as though my heart were slowly but surely being torn from my breast. I realize now that it was because at that moment I realized we could never be together. Something inside me, the deep magic that fills everything on this planet, was making me see the truth and I didn't want to see it. "This is your last chance," it said, "Hold him while you can." My heart was breaking but I knew that, at this moment, no matter what happened, my world would change forever.

And, for one moment in time, for one magical, mystical dream, you held me close. You kissed me so gently, I wondered if you thought I was made of glass. I wished, more than anything that night, that I could see your Zanarkand, your world… so free of Sin and full of innocence. Instead, I had to be content with a fiery image that burned its way into my soul and through my heart. For a minute, when you described the sunset, I was sure I could see it. Then I realized, it was just hope in a hopeless heart. For one small, pointless, minute in my lifetime, you made my every wish come true. I wished I could stay by you forever. I wished you'd always smile. Every night, before I go bed, I pray to whatever higher power is out there, that I will remember everything perfectly. A memory of one small, inconsequential instant, when my feet no longer touched the ground that would be my light in all darkness. A memory of you, with your eyes of the sky, as you swept me into the night, and taught me to swim among the stars.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you that wish it, DUE TO MY SPORADIC postings, I am offering you, the readers, A MAILING LIST to sign up to. When I finally UPDATE, I will SEND OUT AN EMAIL informing those of you that are on the list that I have finally updated. I need you to EMAIL me, telling that you wish to sign up, and whether it's for ORIGINAL FICTION or FANFICTION. I WILL NOT accept those people that ask to be up on it in a review because I can't be sure that email is real. The mailing list will ALSO OFFER the TITLES of those works that I am posting, the COUPLES (if any) that are in it, which FANDOM it is from, and whether it is a SEQUEL to anything.

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Petra: And here we are. You know, if I'd known all you had to do was put a jade necklace on her and it put her in some sort of dreamy bliss, I would of done it sooner...
Kati: *hums*

"I dream of a day when I can open my eyes, and my dreams won't disappear."
-Rose Marie Ledam

~Petra Megami Assari~
*The Gentle Tiger Goddess*