Before we begin. . .

Please take a moment to read this, as it explains the nature of this Alternative Universe, and how it came to be that the author decided to commit to writing this. I loved Final Fantasy X; beautiful, fantastical world mixed with the nostalgia of fantasies past. However, it was a breaking point for the series. Not only did Square Enix pull away from the seemingly traditional feel of their franchise, but I don't believe they've been able to put out a satisfactory game for this series since then. At least not in terms of depth and storyline.

So this is where we begin. A month after the defeat of Yu Yevon (Sin)-with one small exception: Auron. He's still alive (er . . . undead, anyways), kicking, and the entire reason why I began endeavoring to write this. And while this story will follow along with X-2's original premise, anyone who decided not to play it won't be at a miss for anything.

In short, this is another version of the events happening in X-2, so there's no need to have played the game at all. With Auron cast as a main character once again. Please enjoy.

What exactly is the 'Calm'? How strange is it, that the serenity and peace once felt during this marvelous time is somehow absent. How ironic is it, that when we knew there was a limited amount of time to cleave to each other in the assurance of safety, that we were more at rest. That even at the end of those ten years, that Sin would come-time, and time again.

And now?

Perhaps there has never been a time more chaotic than this. We have not achieved serenity, and our little world is far from motionless, and undisturbed. What was once a soothing, peace of mind, has become the very thing which grates, and causes distress from one corner of the map to the other.

And what of our heroes?

A Summoner's life was one of fleeting, intense moments. Happiness, suffering, misery, and acceptance; all mixed into one fraction of a lifespan. So what then is left for them, when that lifespan doubles? Triples? Quadruples, for those that began at an early age? What is left for a follower of Yevon? A religion, a beacon of hope to many, to suddenly not be needed. To be void. Because the very being that you prayed to every day and night suddenly no longer exists. That it never listened in the first place.

It's a mockery, to call this a 'Calm'.

- Excerpt from the Luca Periodicals.

The worst thing about using an airship to get from place to another is that it's so easily recognized. One merely needs to glance upward, spot the flying machina, and they can be most certainly assured that the Al Bheds have come for a visit. Of course, there's merit to this stigmatization-it's not as if all the previous followers of Yevon suddenly gained an affinity for engineering and mechanics, as well as the know-how to be able to operate one. Not to mention, the ability to determine staffing needs and such.

It never mattered in the larger cities-such as Luca-where the general populace didn't care enough to have social prejudice. Al Bhed's were perhaps treated better there, than anywhere else. It was in the smaller towns, such as Besaid, that the real problems occurred. Where the elderly were most predominant, and respected, and where people still clung to traditions and most of the teachings of Yevon.

"Look at that, Brother! Look at them! They're scurrying back into their tents, as if we were-! As if we were. . .!" Pressing her finger against a glass panel in front of her, a young, lithe blonde jerked her chin to the side in order to cast a glance over her should toward the navigator. With a wide, cheshire grin plastered across her cheeks, the humor of the situation practically dripped from her words.

"As if we . . . Were. Al Bhed?" Came the thickly accented reply, with heavy emphasis on the 'w' sound. Just a hint of teasing mockery laced through his tone, although a closer examination of his facial features might've given one the impression of bitterness as well.

"Exactly. Who do they think they are?" Slapping her hands down against chair's arms, the girl lunged herself forward, rising to full height. "At least they're hiding this time; last time they just stared until Wakka shoo'd them off."

Brother, either not truly interested in the subject, or uncomfortable about it (it's hard to say!), didn't offer much for a reply. Merely shrugging his shoulders, thickly formed lips already began contorting and twisting in an effort to form his next sentence. "Rikku. . . You. Hurry back, you hear? We have business. In other places. I do not like this area of the map."

"Yeah, yeah," began the high-pitched, dismissive reply-even before the poor navigator could finish. Tucking her arms back and behind her head, Rikku stepped out to the side, before making her way toward the elevator lift.

"Rikku, I mean it!" To further emphasize his point, Brother rose up from his own seating. Unfurling his index finger and jabbing it in her direction, he quickly added the condition, "If I call. You come! If you do not, I will. . . I will drag you back to this ship!"

At first, it looked as if the young Al Bhed wasn't going to bother with a response. Or, as if she didn't even hear him. Focusing her attention toward the ground, she gave her footwear a hefty amount of meticulous consideration, rolling her ankle this way and that as she did so. Coming to the assumption that all was fine in the world, or at least with her boots, the blonde finally deigns to flit her gaze back toward her brother-who looked on the verge of an aneurysm. "I don't see why you don't just come with me! It's not as if I'm going in for a tan and social visit; Yunie really needs help. . . Someone to cheer her up!"

"Cra tuach'd haat ramb; oui cbuemat ycc pnyd, oui'na zicd dnoehk du kad uid uv-"

"Oh! You're never going to learn the common language if you keep resorting to that." Spinning on her heel to fully face Brother, the young blonde gives a snerk, as well flicking wave of the wrist. With two steps backward, she's already on the lift.

"Oui ryja yh RUIN du tamja ehdu drec meddma lippo ruma uv yh ecmyht, oui chuudo dfanb, yht ev oui'na hud--" At that, the navigator began approaching, each foot step falling heavily against the ramp.

"What's that? I can't understand you! I could've sworn you promised you'd only use the common language!" Sticking her tongue out playfully, Rikku didn't hesitate an instant-with a quick snap of her wrist, she pressed down against the panel with her index. After a click and a beep, she was well on her way toward the hangar, while her sibling continued to scowl and throw fits from below.

With Wakka's help and direction, it didn't take long for Rikku to find the former summoner, and while he offered to come with her, it was at the thief's request that he didn't. Somehow, there was an instinctual feeling that what she needed to say wouldn't go well with him. And she didn't feel like spending what little time she had arguing semantics with him!

As for Yuna? She stayed along the docks. It was where he came from-at least, it was where Wakka said he'd found him, drifting off just a little ways from the shoreline. With both feet dangling off the edge, it was almost as if nothing had ever changed about her. There was still that ever same, serene smile and childish-like innocence. Just a slight curl of the lips, enough to barely dimple in against her cheeks. Leaning back against her hands, and gazing out toward the sea, she wasn't in any position to notice Rikku approaching-aside from the light fall of boots clicking across wooden planks.

But it wasn't until the blonde gave a verbal greeting that Yuna finally tilted her chin, glancing over a creamy expanse of shoulder to her former companion. The exact words weren't heard-but it's not like it mattered. There's only so many ways to say 'hello'. "Oh, Rikku!" The smile deepened for a moment-just a flickering second-before it returned to its original state. "I saw the Highwind crossing over from a distance," pointing outward, she indicated a certain section of the sky with her index finger, before withdrawing and leaning her weight against it evenly once more. "Forgive me for not greeting you at the village. I had a feeling that the others would've told you where I was, anyways."

And yet, for the surprising amount of normalcy from the first few seconds, Rikku'd already begun worrying against her lower lip with teeth. Raking the soft bit of tender flesh back and forth until it blanched white, she finally closed the distance between the two before dropping to her knees at Yuna's side. Raising her hand, the blonde pressed her fingers forward as if intending to graze them along the other's shoulder. But at the last moment, she stopped, curling them into a fist instead before lowering her arm back behind herself to provide for a more comfortable position. "Yunie, what are you still doing out here?"

"Hmm?" The brunette blinked once as a slight amount of confusion settled in. "I don't think I understand what-"

"What are you doing out here?" Using her free hand, Rikku gestured out toward the general area with an open, up-turned palm. "Isolated! And not in the village. You know this isn't good for you."

Where others might've frowned, or returned a blank expression, Yuna choose her own form of neutrality: that exact, same smile. "Isolated? What a silly thing to say. There's people all around me, all the time." She dipped her head once, as if she'd just proved some type of point, before gazing back out toward the sea. "Honestly, if you listen to all the exaggerations of over-worried parents-" just a slight note of shallow teasing brushed against her choice of words, "-you might as well expect the sky to fall down as well."

"But they're not just exaggerations, are they," Rikku interjected, leaning forward into Summoner's space with a determined pout. "I know you have to take anything Wakka says with a grain of salt. But Lulu's opinion I trust entirely; you've been avoiding people! Yunie, why?"

Here, the brunette remained silent. Offering very little for a response, other than a slight twitch of the lips that threatened to disturb her smile.

"Is it guilt? Is it depression?" Deciding to make good on the action she was about to commit to earlier, the Al Bhed raises her hand and cups it against Yuna's opposite shoulder. With a comforting squeeze, she asserts, "Is it because of what people have been saying? About blaming you. . . For. . . For. . .!"

A scant bit of bitter humor arises with the slight shake of Yuna's head. The smile tugs more to one corner as she manages out a quiet, "I don't think they really know what they're talking about."

Allowing a bit of a smirk to appear on her own features, Rikku merely gave a silent nod, before falling quiet for a second. That second steadily grew into a minute, and then several, and then with press of her face into the other's shoulder, the blonde began murmuring lightly, "Yunie. I know about loss. And having to deal with it. Many people. . . At 'Home'. And the whole complex. . . A lot of them died, you know? We still don't have a place to return to. . . Even though we're trying to put together recovery teams. But we're scattered. And. I think if you just. . . I don't know! If you just cried, once! If you could just do that, you could let him go, and I think-"

"I don't need to cry," came the softly toned reply.

"Yunie! Don't say th-"

The brunette suddenly tensed, every muscle cramping stiff as she stated again much more firmly, "I don't need to cry, Rikku. There's nothing to cry about." But despite the harsh words, particularly when considering the source, Yuna forced the smile even wider before tilting her head in against the blonde's. "There's nothing to even let go. He's not dead."

"What?" At that, Rikku lifted her chin up just enough to flit her eyes toward the summoner's.

"Whenever I'm here. Whenever I'm. . ." Something softer entered her expression, and for the moment, a semblance of peace settled over her features. ". . . Just. Here. At this place. I feel closest. And that's what brings me comfort. I. . . I can't place it. I don't want to. But I can feel that -he's- there. Here. Even if I can't see him."

"But Yunie. . ." There's a pause. Just a brief pause. Before Rikku pulls backward, pressing a hand against her chest to finger out a circular, hard object. As if anticipating, an agitated sigh slipped through her lips once it began buzzing and vibrating. A masculine voice emitted the word, 'HUF!' before clicking back off. Rolling her eyes upward, she made a slight nod-perhaps more to herself, than to Yuna. "I. . . I don't think I have enough time before Brother begins issuing search warrants. But Yuna . . . This. . . This is just. . . It might bring you calm. A-and, a sense of peace. . ." Here, her hand slipped over her left breast, clutching down against her top. "But it's not. . . It's not really living, is it? You can't hide, Yunie! And. . . " There's a slight pause. "I want to take you on a trip, okay? A trip. A trip around Spira. Let's. . . let's journey together, again! Let's be happy. Let's be fun, together! And do fun things! You were so excited to do it before. . . I think. I think you need it!"

The summoner remained quiet for a bit longer, neither looking at Rikku, nor the sea before her. Rather, she kept her eyes locked down against the wooden planks. Finally, she gave a dismissive nod. "Brother does get awfully upset if he has to wait too long." A pause. "Rikku. . . Thank you, for visiting."

Reaching forward, the Al Bhed gave the back of Yuna's head an affectionate brush. "I'll be back soon, Yunie. I promise."

How was it?

If you liked what you read, I'm happy. If you liked what you read, and you want to read more, please feel free to leave a review. Nothing's more encouraging! Think I could improve? Then feel free to give advice. Annoyingly enough, half of the punctuation seems to not agree with 's uploader. So if it comes off odd, I'm sorry in advanced!