Author's note: This is simply the story of how this FanFic was created as well as the inspiration and the concept behind it as well as the personal emotions and thoughts that motivated me.

A/N: If you are looking for the story this is about it is called Syopa Cusatyo which you can find on my profile.

An Introduction

This is more than just words for me, it is the story of how a dream was born.

Nothing but Words is more than just some random phrase I made up to try to sound all 'deep and insightful', it is the answer to a question I asked myself before I began to write this FanFic. However as I imagined how this FanFic was going to happen I realized that some people may disagree with my Nothing but Words, I guess philosophy is the best way to describe it. So this is for those of you that want to read and hear the feelings and emotions I experienced in the planning of this FanFic. I will warn you that the words I type are for me and I enjoy using a lot of them and enjoy being detailed because they are in essence for me and they will always be much more than words in my mind.

This is a FanFic of Final Fantasy X in which I explore an alternate storyline. From the first time I played FFX I always enjoyed the Tidus and Yuna relationship because it made me think of Link and Zelda and how their relationship might have developed if she were able to join Link on his grand quests across Hyrule, and if Link could, you know, TALK.

However I always heard rumors of some "secret scenes" with Rikku if her "Attraction Stat" was high enough. At the time I was unwilling to look for spoilers in my strategy guide (which I mainly used as an index for customization recipes and the Monster Arena rewards) because I so enjoyed the storyline and the detail into character development. I even enjoyed the constant grinding to level up on the sphere grid, so I ignored them and went about playing the game and having fun.

Well recently I decided to start playing FFX again and this time I began to get curious about those scenes. I really enjoyed the interaction between Tidus and Rikku and it frustrated me at how she missed out on some great moments like Luca, the Blitzball Tournament, saving the Chocobos and Operation Mi'ihen, and even laughing at how she would have handled the D'jose temple, even smiling as I imagined the laughing scene at Luca and how cute Rikku would be when she decided to laugh along with Tidus after Yuna had told him he should probably stop.

So I began to look on YouTube for those scenes and after watching them it made me really think about the relationship between the two and how Tidus could have easily chosen Rikku had circumstances been different. Well naturally searching for Tidus/Rikku (Although it is officially called Tikku, which makes me laugh every single time because it sounds like a sneezing Pikachu) led me to the FanFiction. I read a few and while they were good and did strengthen my growing likeness for the couple, they didn't sway me all the way. I then found and read "Al Bhed Blue" by Scottie2. I was instantly hooked and by the end of the second chapter I had become a Tikku fan, however I still do like the Tidus/Yuna relationship and I can't watch that Spring cut-scene without getting goosebumps (Hey just cause I'm a guy doesn't mean I can't enjoy a well done romance scene).

Unfortunately finding out that the story is probably permanently dead without a clear conclusion is a bit depressing, but that is where my inspiration arose and I began to imagine a secondary adventure similar to what Scotty2 did. However I needed a starting point and where shall that be? Somehow Rikku and Tidus needed to be together for longer periods of time because by the time they meet at the Moonflow the Yuna boat has set sail. I toyed with the idea of starting my story similar to Al Bhed Blue and have Sin not attack the salvage ship, but to be honest I was incredibly intimidated by the magnitude of that story and so I began a search.

I looked through a lot of Tikku FanFic and discovered a similar pattern and the pattern was that Tidus usually shows up either after FFX and breaks Yunas heart OR after FFX-2 and Yuna has moved on. I again looked through Al Bhed Blue, searching for an inspiration to quell this sudden desire to write a FanFic, but again I came up with nothing. So I turned to the source material and again played the game. Whether it was luck or fate or perhaps some gift from Yevon or God (although I highly doubted that one) my last save had been right as I was entering Luca and it made me smile as I remembered just how tough it is to beat those Goers. However during my adventures in Luca I found my inspiration in just a few lines of dialogue from our great hero.

"There were these Al Bhed that saved my life when I first came to Spira. They took me on their ship, even gave me food. I was kinda hoping that this was the same ship, but it's not."

Those three lines of dialogue instantly made my imagination come up with an alternate storyline that I felt would be incredible. What if it was the same ship? What if Tidus looks around and after realizing it is the same ship goes inside to find Rikku? What if they reconnect and rediscover the deep feelings they had for each other? What if both realize that they are in love with the other, but are too afraid to voice it out loud yet? What if Rikku becomes Yunas guardian right then and there and Yuna sees the feelings they have for each other and realize why Tidus may have truly cared about her and even loved her, he was not in love with her? How would she react and would that change her feelings about a certain half-Guado? How would the rest of the adventure unfold?

All of these questions ran through my mind as my imagination continued to visualize the game with a slightly different tone, which raised the inevitable question that I wasn't sure how to answer. "Am I worthy or even capable of putting this story to words in such a way it sparks the reader's imagination to visualize the story that I see?" The answer I got was simple even elegant in a way that surprised myself. "To the reader it is nothing but words which could inspire or anger. To the writer it is a physical manifestation of a dream that no amount of praise or insult could tarnish or destroy."

That is how this FanFic came to exist and that is how a simple phrase, which I thought at the time was just a simple answer to calm my fears of rejection, morphed into a personal philosophy. One which I don't mind sharing with any fans or followers as well as people who want to try to steal it, because after all in the end its Nothing but Words.