Hi everyone!

This fanfiction follows the audio drama and tries to explain some questions which remained unanswered (especially why the characters act as they do in the audio). Most of the scenes in this story have been wandering around in my head for about 2 years now but somehow, I never wrote them down until now. This story is supposed to be a reasonable continuation of the audio drama, which - in my opinion - has some very interesting points (despite some strange things).

Of course I also heard some bad things about that novella, but I haven't read it myself and don't know what's true and what's wrong. However, I'd like to ignore that and since I don't know a lot about the novella, I decided to write a story which is not based on and doesn't require the events of the novella. (Eventually, I will add a few parts which could be understood as a reference to the novella if one really wants to consider it as part of the storyline, but as I wrote above, the story is not based on that and all events in this story will have a logical explanation which do not require the events of the novella (including the parts which could be understood as a reference to it, so don't be afraid of reading this fanfiction)).

Well, back to the audio drama: I guess like a lot of people, I was a little bid sad when I listened to the audio drama. It's not the audio drama itself which is about to break my heart, because I think that it allows different storylines leading to different endings, but a possible ending I feel it intends to lead to. Hopefully, a possible FFX-3 doesn't end with Tidus becoming a fayth/Sin and Yuna and Tidus being separated again. Dear Square Enix (and those who would be responsible for x-3), if you stumble across this here: Please don't let that happen. Don't do this to your fans. I guess that FFX was never meant to be to have a happy ending, but there are other ways for an enthralling story with an interesting ending.

Ok, enough of that, let me get back to the fanfiction:

I think that a story which is meant to continue the story of the audio drama should be written in a more or less similar style as the audio drama. So in particular this means that the story is told by Chuami (and Tidus), but there's also a lot of third-person perspective which tries to describe the scenes more objectively. Or let's say it like this: Chuami switched from a simple audio (for the audio drama) to a movie sphere ;)

Whenever something is centered and written in italics, someone is telling this from a later point of time. In order to make clear who tells what, I put the initial letter of that person first, e.g. 'C':"…." for Chuami. However, please see for yourself; It's not that complicated ;) And of course, there are some more descriptions

.

And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me and ask. I'll definitely answer (as soon as possible) ;)

But now I wrote enough, please read and enjoy this story. And please don't forget to review (you can also review as a guest) ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 or the characters (including those of the audio drama). They belong to their respectful owners.

update January 28, 2017: Added some descriptions and conjunctions to make the story read more fluently.

Chuami: So the three of us - Lulu, Tidus and me - headed back to Bevelle. Fortunately, we didn't have to walk all the way. We met one of the Councils' airship-pilots who was flying back to Bevelle and gave us a ride. It was obvious that Tidus didn't want to believe what had happened and that he wanted to talk to Yuna again. Well, I have to admit that we all could barely believe what had happened recently: The Moonflow cluttered with pyreflies, dead people returning back to life, and – if that hadn't been enough – Sin's return and the end of the so-thought eternal calm. And of course a cranky high summoner who didn't seem to know what she wanted. So in all this mess in which no one knew where to go and what to do next, Tidus and Lulu had decided to find Yuna and help her fighting Sin – whether she wanted or not. And what about me? Well, at least I was going to find Kurgum again if I stayed with them; plus I had the chance to find out more about my father."

After talking to the pilot there was a dead silence on the ship. No one said a word and only the constant humming of the engine filled the room with some sounds after the ship had started. Lulu sat down in one of the seats in the bridge, while Chuami was still standing beside the pilot after speaking to him. Tidus stopped in the middle of the room and looked around; then he walked towards the wall and leaned against it before he walked towards the window – only to turn around again to head towards the door and leave the bridge. He walked along the corridor and stopped at it's end. There he leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling before he closed his eyes.

T: "I was still confused at that point and Lulu hadn't helped me a lot with her vague words. I just couldn't understand it all. When the Aurochs and I had left Besaid a few weeks before, everything had been fine: Wakka had gone with us to the training sessions in the Luca stadium to coach us. Then he had returned to Besaid and we had gone towards Bevelle to give some interviews and become familiar with the new stadium. And Yuna? She was just Yuna – Some business had kept her in Besaid, but I remember she hadn't really wanted to let me go. She had promised to follow us to Bevelle as soon as possible… And then, when she had finally been there, she suddenly had told me that it would be best not to meet anymore and go separate ways for some time…

It was then – when I stood in that airship - when I suddenly got an idea of what Lulu had been trying to tell me – at least I hoped that she had meant what I was thinking she had. I was just so confused, so I had to see Yuna and ask her again.

Well …. and then there was Sin – all I wondered was how he could return without a summoner. After all he had been summoned by Yu-Yevon when we defeated him the first time. But then, the next question that came to my mind was the still unanswered question: How could I return - without a fayth dreaming, and without Yu-Yevon summoning these dreams? Was Yu-Yevon about to return?

Just then a thought crossed my mind and I got an idea. I needed to find out something important."

Tidus opened his eyes again and walked along the corridor, back to the bridge. "Hey!" he called as everyone shot up. "There's something important I have to clarify. Can we stop at Guadosalam first?" he asked in a very serious voice as the concern in his eyes grew with every heartbeat. Lulu looked surprised at him and took some steps towards him, but then stopped a few steps in front of him as if she wanted to ask him something. However, before Lulu could open her mouth to speak, Chuami asked in a confused, but answer-demanding manner:

"So, what's suddenly so important that you have to stop there first? Half an hour before you couldn't wait to see Yuna and now that can wait?". At that both, Lulu and Tidus, turned to Chuami "Well, …" Tidus struggled for some words "that's a longer story. I don't think we have enough – "

"There's still some time left until we arrive in Guadosalam!" Chuami interrupted him as she folded her arms. Lulu, in the meantime, looked at him as if she already knew what he was up to. "Um, it's kinda hard to explain and I guess it wouldn't be enough time to fully explain it. But you will see it when we are there." Tidus replied, hoping Chuami wouldn't dig deeper.

C: "Well, I really wanted to know what caused this sudden change of mind, but Lulu could be very scary. Believe me: If looks could kill, I couldn't be telling you this right now, I guess. It wasn't as if that could have stopped me from asking, but the bad thing about it was that I really wanted them to tell me some things about Auron. So I stopped asking them and asked the pilot to fly to Guadosalam first. I assumed that Lulu knew what Tidus wanted there; at least she had some idea of it. However, the question of what he wanted there kept preying on my mind. I was sure he didn't just want to stop by and meet a friend- not in Guadosalam. 'Wait!'; suddenly it dawned on me: 'Did he want to-? No, that couldn't be' I thought, 'that was ridiculous, a suicide mission!'"

When the group arrived in Guadosalam, they could witness a deafening silence. It was empty, no Guado, no living being seemed to be around. Absolutely contrary to the rest of Spira where people were running around like startled chickens. Tidus lead the group into the center of the city where he stopped. Here, in front of the leader's residence, he looked around. The residence was unguarded and the door was closed, but it didn't seem to be locked. Then his gaze wandered towards the path leading upwards to the next level. He stopped at the entrance to the Farplane and looked at it for a few seconds before he turned to Lulu and Chuami again. Then, without saying a word, he headed for the entrance.

"Wait! You don't really want to enter the Farplane, do you?" Chuami called as she followed him.

"I suppose that's what he's up to." Lulu replied shortly as they walked upwards. "And don't think you can stop that bullethead. Even the guards can't." At that, Chuami threw a glance at the entrance: It was guarded by two Guados, who stood silently in front of it.

C: "I couldn't understand Lulu. Why would she support his ridiculous plan? Not only that it was dangerous for everyone who entered the Farplane in that turmoil it was in, but it could have had severe effects on whole of Spira. What was the idea behind that?"

Then, as if Lulu had read Chuami's thoughts, she added in a low voice: "You have to know your enemy before you can fight it." That, however, made Chuami only look more confused at her. But she didn't even have a chance to think about Lulu's words as no second later the two guards attracted her attention.

"Stop!" The two Guados called as Tidus approached the entrance, "You can't enter the Farplane now." Tidus, however, didn't show the slightest inclination to stop and so the two guards draw their weapons, ready to fight if necessary. Unimpressed by that, Tidus said: "Sorry guys! I don't want to fight, but I really have to go in there!"

The two gurads looked at each other with a hint of uncertainty of what to do as they were in no mood for fighting, but as Tidus made another step closer to them they prepared to attack if he drew any nearer.

"Don't you hear what the guards say?" a foreign voice called from below, making Tidus stop. "No one can enter the Farplane at the moment!". The owner of the voice was another, older Guado who was walking towards them. "Tromell Guado?" Lulu asked as she looked at him.

"That's my name." the Guado spoke, "Tromell, leader of the Guado. Who is that who wants to enter the Farplane in these times?" he asked, looking the three strangers over. After he had done so, he turned to Lulu again and said: "I think I have seen you before somewhere."

"We are guardians of High summoner Yuna. You have met us three years ago during her pilgrimage." Lulu responded.

"Oh, Lady Yuna!" Tromell said joyfully, "Of course I remember her. Such a kind person, always doing everything to help the people of Spira." Then Tromell looked from one to the other as his expression turned to a concerned one: "So … I heard she wanted to fight Sin again. Is that true?" his voice lowered and became more concerned as he said the latter. "And you are helping her once again?"

"Exactly!" Tidus replied determined as he turned away from the entrance and went towards Tromell, Lulu and Chuami. "And therefore, we have to go into the Farplane and clarify something. So, would you please tell the guards to let us in?"

Tromell looked concerned at the gateway:"Hmm, I'd really like to help you, but we didn't close it as a precaution measure. You must know, we Guado are connected to this place in a certain way and we can feel if there is something wrong."

"What do you mean by saying you can feel if there is something wrong?" Chuami asked him curiously.

"We can hear and feel it in our hearts. If the Farplane is alright, we feel a constant, calm sound. But at the moment, this constant sound has turned into a wild mess of different sounds. It spans from the constant, calm sound to very high and gut-wrenching sounds." Tromell explained very concerned.

"So, do you know how to interpret this?" Lulu asked curiously, but Tromell shook his head: "We are still in the early stages of understanding it. But as long as we can hear the constant sound, the Farplane is in a more or less stable state. Unfortunately, it is more and more replaced by the disorder of sounds, which means that it is unstable. When we first felt it, the Shoopuf returned. When we felt it for the second time, people said that dead people had returned at the Moonflow. And every time we feel it again, something else happens."

"I see." Lulu said, "So you think that the Farplane shifts between stable and unstable states, but the unstable states become more frequent. Did you tell this anyone else but us?"

Again, Tromell shook his head. "We Guado assembled in the residence and discussed what could be the reason of it all, and what we can do. But we haven't found a conclusion yet. We first considered it as coincidences, but a few hours ago someone told us more about the things happening in Spira. We only then found out that there seems to be a connection between the things that happen in Spira and what we feel; So we decided to send a messenger to the Council. He should leave within the next hour towards Bevelle."

"I think your conclusion is justified." Chuami stated thoughtful, "It would be strange if there was no connection. This definitely needs to be investigated!"

"Yeah! And there's no time to lose." Tidus said shortly before he turned to Tromell with a serious look of pleading."Tromell, please, I really need to enter the Farplane. It is really important for us and Yuna to have a major question answered. And we need to have it clarified now!"

Tromell looked concerned at the entrance of the Farplane and then looked Tidus over again "I see. You're really serious about it – then it must be really important. But we can only let you in if the Farplane is in the more stable state. We Guado also can't say if the platform is still there, or if you may get lost in the widths of the Farplane. And you have to hurry. As soon as the Farplane starts to become unstable again, we have to seal the door for the sake of whole Spira. Weird things happen at the Moonflow, so who knows what could come through that door if it was open." Then Tromell paused for a second and looked very concerned at Tidus, "And, if it is sealed, you may be trapped in the Farplane. Please remember this."

At that, Tidus threw another glance at the entrance before he said with a smile on his face: "It'll only take one or two minutes." Then he looked from one to the other. "And you don't have to be worried that I might get lost. I know the widths of the Farplane well."His smile turned into a grin when he looked at Lulu, who didn't seem to be as half amused as he was about his comment. While Chuami and Tromell looked a little bit confused at him, she knew very well what he meant. All the more concerned, but still calm, Lulu turned to Tromell and asked "So, how stable is the Farplane at the moment?"

Tromell closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate on something, before he opened his eyes again and answered: "Right at the moment it seems to be in a relative stable state." Then he looked at Tidus again. "So, if you're ready, you should go now. It won't get better."

"Alright!" Tidus replied and went towards the entrance. The two guards unlocked the gateway, stepped aside and let him pass. Then they blocked the entrance again so that no one else could go into the Farplane. "I'm sorry." Tromell said to Lulu and Chuami "We can let only one person pass. It is just too dangerous."

"That's ok." Lulu replied calmly, "He'll be fine without us."

…

C: "Two minutes. 'Just two minutes' he said. Never before had two minutes felt so long. Maybe it was because it weren't just two minutes at all, but rather ten or even more. Tromell was beginning to get uneasy, and even Lulu seemed to be a bit worried about him. Maybe, it wasn't a good idea to let him go in there alone. After all, he still seemed to be weakened - although not as much as a few days before. "

"Leader," one of the guards said concerned, "can you feel it too?" Tromell was silent and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again he turned to the guards and said: "Yes, I can feel it too. The Farplane begins to turn into the unstable state again. But please ... wait another 10 seconds."

Obviously, the guards felt very uneasy with that decision, but followed their leader's instruction. After the time had run out, Tromell gazed at the gateway before he reluctantly gave them a sign to seal it. Just in that moment, Tidus stepped out of the Farplane – and collapsed onto the ground.

"Tidus!" Lulu and Chuami called simultaneously and run towards him. He seemed to be unconscious as he lay there, but just as they reached him, he began to get up again. "He's still in there." Tidus whispered as he slowly sat up again.

"What hap–" Chuami started, but was interrupted by Tromell "Are you ok?"

"Thanks Tromell. I'm fine." Tidus answered and dusted himself off. "Really!" he added as he saw Lulu looking sternly at him, "I just got a little dizzy for a moment." However, Lulu didn't seem to believe him and kept on staring sternly and concerned at him, until Chuami broke the uncomfortable silence.

"So, could you now tell us what happened? And what do you mean with 'He is still in there'?" she asked.

"Er, well, where to start first?" Tidus thought out loud. He seemed to be a little bit confused.

"Maybe at the beginning?" Lulu then suggested, "What happened after you passed the gateway?"

"Er, right. Well, the Farplane didn't look that much different from normal. The platform, the waterfall below, everything seemed to be normal. But somehow it felt so empty, deserted. I'm not sure, but it felt as if there were less pyreflies. And somehow, it all felt a bit of ... hmm ... - it's hard to describe, but I guess if I said it felt kind of weak, as if the Farplane itself was dying, would describe it best. Then, some pyreflies approached and I saw my father. And then there was a sudden quake which shook the whole platform. No minute later strong winds started to blow, and I guess I also saw a flash of lightning. Then I headed back – and here I am."

T: "I couldn't tell them what else had happened in there - not there, not then. It wasn't that I didn't trust Lulu, it was more because I couldn't really understand it myself. Not to mention speak about it."

"Ok, that's really interesting, but could you now explain why you wanted to come here? What was so important about that?" Chuami asked a bit confused.

"I suppose he mentioned the most important finding." Lulu stated. "We'll explain it on the way to Bevelle. But now, let's lose no time and find Yuna!"