Author's Note: First off I want to thank each one of your who have personally emailed me and have continued to add this story to your favorites list. Originally, I wrote this story back in 2004 and damn 12 years has just flown by. I managed to complete it with 50 plus chapters. A few years after that when my writing skills had greatly improved I decided to completely upgrade the story with improved grammar, OOC-ness, and just general storytelling. I did manage to complete it once again and planned to reupload it in one fell swoop when my computer crashed and I lost EVERYTHING. To be honest, I was so frustrated that I was ready to just let this story float dead in the water but it always stayed in the back of my mind. So, I have finally mustered up the motivation to bring back my first fanfiction and hopefully deliver a story you will all enjoy.

This is dedicated to all my readers the old and new.

About this universe:

This universe takes place after each Final Fantasy character's last game (ex Yuna after FFX-2, Cloud FFVII) so games/movies like Dirge of Cerberus, Advent Children, Dissidia Final Fantasy, and other spin offs will not considered "cannon" here and as of this update (12/6/16) only Kingdom Hearts 1, II, and it's spin offs will be used.

O.o.O

"This is my story. It will be a good one."

Yuna was unaware that she said the words aloud as she continued her solitary walk down the Moonflow shore. Her feet were bare and the former summoner relished in the nostalgic feeling of warm sand beneath her toes. A gentle breeze combed through her dark feathery hair and for a moment Yuna imagined herself kneeling on the Celsius's deck, flying into the clouds as the people of Spira cheered below with a renewed promise of peace. That had been nearly 6 months ago, and in that short period the world of Spira had been seemingly flipped upside down. Not just by the shaky truce between the Youth League, New Yevon, Al-Bhed, and even the Guado, but by the very universe itself it seemed.

It began only a few weeks after Meyvn Nooj had declared that "The Calm would continue," when the storm came. Many in Spira were convinced, even if just momentarily, that SIN had returned. For nearly two days the planet itself was blanketed by copious black clouds and typhoon like winds and no one with sense left their homes in fear of being carried away by the violent storm. However, what had been most particular of the flash seemingly global wide tempest was there was no rain but what had instead descended from the clouds was a strange rubber like material that has thankfully done minimal damage during its fall. And just like that, the storm had dispersed almost as quickly as it appeared.

The Al-Bhed were the first to find out what the mysterious material was through what they claimed was their oldest records that had been salvaged from Home. "Gummi Blocks," is what they were called although they had not been seen for about a millennium and were thought to have been lost during the Great War. At one point, they had been attached to air ships, they were once as common as chocobos, and it was rumored that they would have the capability for space travel. It took no time for the Al-Bhed to prove this theory correct and the first ship fitted with the new technology, of course volunteered by Brother and Rikku, was the Celsius. However, before it could be properly tested, Spira had its first visitors from another world.

They were human but tired and shaken up from their clearly long journey when they landed in the Calm Lands. They had claimed that their original home world had been destroyed by what they claimed was "total darkness," and had fled to their nearest world, Spira, which they were unsure would be populated or not. With that first landing a new era had donned on Spira. It was an era of exploration with people choosing to leave the planet in effort to contact these new worlds.

Rikku had been among the first to leave Spira and despite her pleas was unable to convince both Yuna and Paine to join her. Paine's reasoning was Spira has enough problems without involving other worlds while Yuna had been asked on behalf of Tromell had asked her to assist him temporarily with the Guado's relations with the other factions. Rikku now resided in a world called "Gaia," and truly seemed to be coming into her own while Paine seemed to grow closer to the New Yevon Praetor, Baralai, leaving Yuna feeling truly stuck.

The former summoner did her best to keep busy, assisting Tromell in his talks with the Al-Bhed especially, although he really was becoming quite the leader and diplomat and would soon have no real need for her. She had even tried to start up a romance with none other than the head of the Machina faction of the Al-Bhed, Gippal, who had at one point dated her cousin. Strangely enough it was Rikku herself to suggested that Yuna seek him out as a distraction saying. When the elder cousin questioned if it was right Rikku managed to let it slip that she had met someone in Gaia.

"Go for it Yunie! It's time you lived for yourself for once after all!" She had said during one of her visits back to Spira. "You've saved the world twice already. Wanting a life of your own if far from selfish. You say the word and you'll have a place with me you know?"

Taking her younger cousin's advice, Yuna had found a good time in Gippal. The young Al-Bhed was handsome, witty, funny, and surprisingly had a hidden romantic side. They had had fun together but Yuna couldn't move past seeing him as anything more than a good friend and made that known before things grew too serious. It had been fun while it lasted but in the end, it left Yuna with a sense of wanting and consequently she immersed herself deeper into her own work.

The former summoner shook her head thinking back on the past 6 months as a small frown formed on her soft face. Twilight was starting to fall on the Moonflow and very soon she would be privy to the ethereal light of the pyreflies on the river's crystalline waters and yet she could not help but feel dissatisfied. Her mismatched blue-green eyes watched the gentle ebbing of the river on the shore when she let out a sigh mindlessly playing with the silver pendant around her neck.

"What's going with m? Everything just feels so…wrong." She grumbled as she approached the river and let the cool water sooth her small feet.

"Things will change soon. It's already in the air and soon the seeds will be sown into the very earth itself."

Yuna gasped as her body jolted now knee deep in the Moonflow. The beach had remained deserted but with now the exception a stranger only a few meters away standing the shore. The Stranger was donned in a bulky white cloak which covered both their face and any sort of normally exposed skin. The former summoner squinted her eyes in effort to make out any sort of identifying features on the Stranger but found the effort to be fruitless. Even with their voice it was impossible to tell if they were male or female as it has an unnerving distorted buzzing sound about it.

"Who are you?" Yuna asked also wondering how it was that someone could sneak up on her so perfectly. Her hands gently brushed against the two "Tiny Bee" pistols that hung at her waist.

"I have not come to bring harm upon you Yuna but I have come to deliver a message; You know nothing of this world or the worlds beyond Spira or what lies and waits patiently for it and you." The Stranger did not approach Yuna but walked farther along the shoreline. The pyreflies that had been floating along the surface of the river now seemed to become irritated the white cloaked figure's presence and began to dart about in sharp motions.

"What is this?" Yuna thought to herself, "It takes a powerful presence to disturb the pyreflies like this."

"I won't ask you again; Who are you?" She said firmly now staring the Stranger down. She didn't want to fight, she seldom did, but if anything, the past had made her a much more assertive woman.

"Just a visitor," The Stranger said turning its hooded head away from Yuna in favor of the irritated pyreflies. "It's been too long since I saw this place and you. You're the heart of this world Yuna and you need to leave before the darkness swallows you too."

Yuna felt her heart pound against her chest and her ears go hot but she kept from unholstering her weapons. The buzzing in the Stranger's voice crept into her very bones and her hair stood at its ends.

"What do you mean? Is Spira in danger?" The Stranger turned towards the former summoner shaking its head.

"No more than any other world." It replied pausing as a large cluster of pyreflies began to swarm around the figure as if they were bees surrounding an intruder to their hives. Yuna let out a small gasp having never seen them behave in such a way when not in the form of the fiend. The Strange motioned her to be still revealing a marble white willowy hand. It was then that the silver hibiscus pendant that had hung around Yuna's neck since the day her father's pilgrimage began started to emit a gentle and warm glow from its small jewel.

"What is happening?" She panicked clutching the necklace in a tight grip.

"Do not fear for me child but heed what it that I say. You need to find your guardian Yuna. You tie yourself too much to this world you know nothing about. It's time for you leave."

"My guardian?" Yuna retorted still rather wide eyed at the phenomenon before her. "Do you mean Tidus? He was a dream and the Fayth…they couldn't bring him back." The young woman looked down to her feet still submerged in the river softly biting her bottom lip. It had been over 2 years since she had seen Tidus, and another half year since the Fayth told her that they would be unable to bring back a dream but while the wound was healing it was still painful when touched.

"What are you…. are you unsent? I can help you." She asked more softly her hands leaving her armed hips.

"No, I…" The Stranger was now all but consumed in the rainbow light of the flies, it's very figure rapidly becoming translucent. "It appears my time with you is up so quickly once again. Take what I have said to heart Yuna, if I can be selfish and ask anything of you it would be that."

And just as fast as the figure appeared, it was gone. A calm had settled over the Moonflow, the pyreflies had returned to their gentle current above the river and even her pedant returned to its natural state leaving Yuna herself the only one left exasperated.

The former summoner stood still in the warm water finding that the experience had seemingly drained her. Several people passing along the road had recognized the bringer of the Eternal Calm offering their greetings to which Yuna could only mindlessly wave back before they'd continue on their way.

"What did it mean by my "Guardian"? Whatever that was wasn't a Fayth I'm sure of it. If it was talking about Tidus does that mean there is a chance that…" Yuna shook her head at the thought letting out a heavy almost defeated sigh. She gazed back out at the Moonflow now radiant in rainbow wisps as the sun lowered its head below the horizon. With a new vigor, she left the river in favor of the shore walking at a slow but steady pace.

"No I just can't," She whispered to herself, "I can't keep living in the past and chasing dreams. Maybe it is time that I did leave this world and explore new places." Her mismatched eyes gazed to the dull stars above wondering if any of them was where Rikku was now.

"It's time," Yuna said again aloud with a new resolve in her voice, "It's time I live for me. This is my story after all and it will be a good one."

O.o.O

Dea Olivae: Thank you for taking the time to read and as always reviews are appreciated! Next chapter to come soon!