Beyond Reality

Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy and never will.

Chapter 1: Hating to Love You

She didn't know what to make of it.

It'd been three days—three days since they'd done the impossible—yet still she felt as though she was dancing in the skies, elevated above reality. Probably because a great deal of her didn't want to face that reality. Yes, she'd given her speech, she'd gone home. But still she sat and wondered, constantly, if all of it was real. And with this thought process came the considerations about whether the honesty of the situation was something she truly desired or not.

Sin was gone. Forever. Certainly this was something to be rejoiced. But, she figured, that was something she didn't know how to do. All her life, she'd seen her path set out before her. Become a summoner; defeat Sin.

Die.

She hadn't planned to be around for the celebration, so she hadn't anticipated it. Every night there were parties, people out in the village ecstatic over Spira's freedom. Yet even as she considered it, she couldn't get over all she'd lost. She hadn't anticipated loss. No, she was supposed to be gone. She wasn't prepared for such grieving. But it was there, inside of her, waiting to be realized.

When they'd defeated Yunalesca, decided to act out against expectations, they'd all been pushed beyond their comfort zones. The adrenaline had been pumped into them, the excitement of rebelling, of risking their lives on one fool attempt, had thrust them all forward. And he'd been there, leading the way, revering in the feeling. She'd trusted him, supposed it was in his nature to charge onward as he had.

She hadn't seen herself in his actions.

It hadn't been belief and desperation that had spurred him, like it had the rest of them, but numbness. When had he acquired it, she wondered? Or perhaps it'd always been there and she'd been too numb herself to sense it. He'd always known things they hadn't—him and Sir Auron. And when she'd been released of her chains in Zanarkand, his had tightened.

It'd happened in Gagazet, she'd decided. That was when she'd noticed the change the most.

His lack of feeling.

Not in the sense of emotions, but in life. He'd become more reckless. Not careless, but direct, perhaps, in his intentions. He'd stopped giving in and had proposed they fight. Because he'd known, somehow, that the system was wrong. He'd been put on Spira, she realized, to change that. To be the piece that altered them all.

She wasn't the only one mourning his loss. He'd affected them all a great deal. He'd been Wakka's best friend and his loss had been like losing Chappu all over again. A brother to Rikku; a brother, perhaps, to Lulu, who had adopted him as the older woman had herself. Even Kimahri had admired him. It'd been shocking, to realize that he'd had intentions hidden behind all their reckless actions. That he'd had his own agenda.

Like she had, he'd become numb to life, pushing forward if only to reach the end.

He'd exchanged his life for her own.

It angered her, the hypocrisy of it all. That he'd dared be hurt over her choice at being a summoner when he had decided to cast himself off as well. And that he had robbed her of such a fate. Because, had it not been for him, all would have panned out as she'd expected. She might have married Seymour, she might have not, but she would have called the Final Aeon, become High Summoner, and been remembered as gallantly as her father. Instead, he'd dropped into their world and put ideas of hope and tolerance that none of them had even considered before. He'd plagued them with his ignorance and goodness, only to prove that, in the end, he'd been as knowledgeable as they had all thought they'd been. He'd dooped them with his selfish ideals of self-preservation only to cast himself off in the end.

She didn't admire him for it.

He could have been honest, told them what he was. They could have found another way, as he'd convinced them to do with her. But no, he'd kept it all to himself. She'd seen hint of it a few times, during his discussions with the fayth and his hardened determination. But none of it had been able to get past the newness of being able to consider things outside their small box.

He'd spoken to the fayth as if they'd had personal connections—as if they'd known each other. He'd suffered a vision in Gagazet, as she had in the cloister so many times before. He'd known of Sir Jecht's true form. Yet she'd simply placed all her faith in his ability to make everything better, to save them from themselves. She'd trusted him completely, which had been her mistake.

She should have questioned him, but he'd blinded them all.

Part of her hated him.

What right did he have, an outsider, to give his life to save anyone's? Spira wasn't his home. He hadn't witnessed the suffering and the death as they had all through their lives. Who was he to make such a move?

Who had he been?

What had he been?

She didn't… understand any of it…

And because of that, in her confused turmoil caught between love, hate, and grief, she waited.

She wandered down to the Besaid beach, she waded her ankles into the sea, and she whistled.

She cried out to no reply.

Silence.

"Yunie?" Turning her head over her shoulder, she blinked as she spotted her cousin standing beside the curtain that led into her hut. She had a look of uncertainty about her, tense agitation they all felt when addressing each other after such a dramatic show of selfish self-sacrifice.

Hatred and grief aside, they were all fully aware that he'd saved them. In a thousand more ways than one.

"What is it?" Yuna replied, pushing a small smile onto her face.

"I just…" Rikku came fully into the room, dressed in a light green, Besaid-patterned summer dress that had been gifted to her upon arrival, as had many other things. Yuna had received many such wares herself, the array stacked up in her room in a disorganized mess that, perhaps to more intuitive individuals, mirrored her state of mind. "I was wondering if you wanted to come out to the celebration tonight. The sun's setting and most of the villagers are back from harvesting." The fruit that grew on Besaid—a very desired commodity and a main source of income for the villagers. "I think that… that people are growing anxious."

Because she'd rarely made appearances at such things since the calm had started, which was quite the opposite of what was expected.

"I'll come," she assured despite how her body cried out against it. Rikku smiled in relief at her agreement and Yuna, as if pulling herself from quicksand, stood from her position on her bed before slowly gracing her bare feet around the room to meet her cousin. She was wearing a long, white beach dress, the fabric so much lighter than her summoner garb that she wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to feel about wearing it.

But it hadn't seemed appropriate to wear the robes of a profession she'd never belong to again.

"It'll be okay," Rikku assured quietly with a soft, sympathetic smile as she linked arms with Yuna. Together, they pulled the curtain aside and headed out into the orange of the setting sun. Already, in the middle of the village, Yuna could see a fire being puffed, the villagers gathered around with happy expressions and joyous conversation. Lulu and Wakka were there was well, standing some two feet away from each other and pretending the distance was much larger than they both secretly preferred.

As if the pilgrimage had been a giant weight off of everyone, they too had shed their guardian attire, Lulu wearing long robes of dark purple while Wakka sported only the jean bottoms of his uniform and his trademark headband.

They were all so… bare.

"Yuna," Lulu cooed softly as the two cousins made their way over. She welcomed Yuna with open arms, straightening her hair as she always did when she was worried. "Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" Her voice was quiet, none of the villagers able to hear despite how they gawked. Most knew Yuna very well however, and so only stared out of concern for her recent depression.

Because not even she could deny she was depressed, for more reasons than she herself knew.

"I'll be alright," Yuna assured as she reached up and took Lulu's wrist in her hand. Gently, she pulled her adopted sister's fingers from her person, not wanting to be fussed over. All three of her guardians frowned, but didn't comment, and as Yuna sensed the shadow of Kimahri approach from behind, she felt relief at being before his protective presence. A comfort she'd taken since childhood.

"Oh no," Rikku stated a few seconds later. "Here comes Pops again." She rolled her swirling green eyes, Yuna turning to watch as both her Uncle Cid and her other cousin (Brother?) waltzed over. They garnered no odd stares from the villagers despite their status as Al Bhed. Since Yuna's lineage had been revealed, they'd all decided to accept their presence, if only because Cid, Brother, and Rikku were related to the High Summoner and must, therefore, not be held accountable for their own race. Rather, they were quite liked in the blindness of their position.

"Yuna!" her uncle announced gruffly upon seeing her. "'Bout time you showed your face!" He came right over, smiling broadly down at her. "Can't say I'm sorry to be able to still see that pretty face." Because all her uncle had been making reference to since their return was the fact that Yuna hadn't died defeating Sin. He seemed to consider it a personal kind of accomplishment.

"It's good to see you as well," Yuna replied civilly and bowed only slightly.

"Leave her alone Pops!" Rikku reprimanded, bounding forward and shoving her father by the shoulder. He stumbled back a pace in surprise. "She doesn't want your breath all over her." Cid appeared momentarily affronted, but hardly capable of standing up to his daughter, as was typical.

"I wasn't tryin' to be offensive," he eventually defended, sounding slightly wounded. "I was only-"

"Cid!" They all turned their heads to see that it was the head summoner, or previous summoner, of the temple that called out. He was grinning, greeting the Al Bhed with far more gusto than a man of the cloth really should. But much had happened, Yuna supposed. "I was wondering when you'd turn up." Ample amounts of the village's attention had fallen to the exchange at this point, children creeping forth with curiously expectant looks on their faces.

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Just walked up from the beach," Cid assured, quickly regaining his good countenance.

"Good, good!" the ex-summoner nodded. "The sun was setting and the kids were getting impatient."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Cid laughed. "Don't want to disappoint the kids now do we?'" Or the adults for that matter, who had been waiting with less patience than perhaps they'd like to admit for Cid to show up.

"What's going on?" Yuna asked Lulu quietly, not failing to see how the faces of all her guardians had dropped as the conversation had progressed. Dark wine eyes flicking to her, Lulu pursed her lips before quietly relaying an answer.

"Last night, Cid started to tell the story of how we defeated Sin," Lulu explained. "Or the parts he knows anyway. In any case, he didn't finish and the whole town is waiting to hear." Yuna felt her own mood drop more than it already had, but as the villagers began to crowd up around them, she realized she couldn't very well leave. It'd be too much of an insulting interruption and would no doubt spoil the mood of the evening. She didn't want to ruin the celebration.

"Tell us, tell us!" a few children chanted and Cid, smiling the whole way, turned to address them directly.

"Well where was I?" he asked even though he was, no doubt, fully aware of the answer. "Ah yes, we'd just initiated our genius plan of action." Someone, Yuna hadn't seen who, had brought up a chair for her to sit in, as if she should want to remain and relive something she'd experienced only some days prior.

Smiling gratefully, she sat down.

"We had everyone in Spira singing," Cid continued. "We were pacifying Sin, see," and no one questioned how this worked, for not even Cid could really comprehend how Sir Jecht played into all this. He wasn't as personally acquainted with the situation as the summoner and her guardians. "And it was workin,' so we flew in, my little Yuna and her guardians ready for battle!"

"But weren't you scared?" one of the smallest children asked from his position sitting directly in front of Cid.

"Scared? 'Course not!" Cid lied. "The only thing I feared was my daughter and niece gettin' hurt, but I knew they were in good hands. See, unbeknownst to them two," her jerked his thumb their way and Rikku crossed her arms haughtily over her chest, "I'd made sure to ask the best guardian of em' all to keep an eye on em.'" Both Wakka and Lulu furrowed their brows, which wasn't exactly a new reaction to Cid's telling of the whole battle. "See, back when we were fightin' with Yevon, he'd made me a promise to find a way to save my little niece, and then he'd gone through and done it, so I knew I could trust him. Never met a young man so determined to keep to his word. I knew he'd put himself in front of both of them before he'd let anything happen."

Yuna pursed her lips and glanced down at the dirt. Neither she nor Rikku, based on the sour look on her cousin's face, had been aware that such a promise had been made. Since when had he become such a highly regarded asset to have? When had this transformation taken place?

Why hadn't Yuna seen it before?

"Who was he?" an older girl, probably in her early teens, questioned. "You talked about him yesterday, but I don't know who he is." Because they all knew Wakka and Lulu, and Kimahri, and Rikku now. And they'd all known of Sir Auron. But who was this other man? One most of them had seen in Besaid those two days when he'd first arrived, but probably hardly remembered…

"Who was he?" Cid sounded affronted. "Why, he's the best guardian there ever was." Because Cid held him in very, very high esteem at this point. What he'd done had touched them all beyond words.

"Better than Sir Auron?" a quiet voice asked.

"Sure was!" Auron and Cid had never gotten along very well. "Sir Tidus had him beat, no doubt about that." His name being mentioned so carelessly nearly made Yuna flinch. She didn't miss how all her guardians had quickly glanced down at her. "Bravest young man I ever met."

"Where is he?" the girl asked.

"Well you have to let me finish the story," Cid reasoned, though there was a trail of sadness in his voice as he considered. "I wasn't there myself, but I heard the whole thing from my daughter. They beat their way into Sin, got inside the beast itself, and there, waiting for them, was the Final Aeon."

"The Final Aeon?" a few young voices gasped, everyone in the village intent on hearing as well.

"Yup!" Cid affirmed. "Cuz you see, Sin comes back because, after the Final Aeon destroys it, it's reborn from that very aeon. So they had to fight their way through Lord Braska's Final Aeon." Again, the parts about Jecht were left out. "And after that, they had to fight the worst of all.

"Yu Yevon." He said the name with a sense of airs that left everyone wanting to hear more. "He was the first summoner to ever call on Sin and the one that's been calling it ever since." The short way of putting things perhaps.

"How did they beat him?"

"With bravery and courage of course!" Cid said it as if it was obvious.

"What about Sir Tidus?" the young woman, who was quickly becoming infatuated with the idea of the guardian, asked.

"He was the bravest of all," Cid replied sincerely, none of the other guardians having any qualm with the notion. He had, after all, led the charge and always been the first to confront the enemies within. It was his perseverance that they'd followed. Alongside Yuna's drive and determination.

"They fought and defeated Yu Yevon. And with him gone, Sin began to crumble away. Which is where the Lady Summoner comes in," he glanced up at Yuna then, the entire village looking to her, and she forced a small smile. "It was her job to send Sin so it could never come back. She used all her strength to do it, sending all the fayth and aeons with it, making it impossible for Sin to ever come back."

The clearing was awed into silence then.

"Sin was gone, the heroes had succeeded," he was sparing no excess. "But some didn't make it through. Sir Auron left this world with the fayth, a brave and honorable guardian." His tone had become somber as he'd realized, finally, that in bringing up the whole story, he'd actually have to end it.

In typical Cid fashion, he found that it was now too late to regret having started what he'd have to finish.

"What about Sir Tidus?" the girl asked again.

At this, however, Cid opened his mouth to no words. Mostly because he was as confused as the rest of his crew over what had happened to the young man. The only thing he truly knew was that he'd sacrificed himself to bring about their peace, though the details eluded him.

"Sir Tidus, well…" Cid scratched his bald head before, somewhat helplessly, glancing over at Yuna and her guardians.

He didn't know what to say.

An awkward, expectant silence fell over the crowd. Especially since a spare few of those present knew who Tidus was. Specifically, the Aurochs, who'd spread his valor on the blitzfield to nearly everyone in the village. He had been, after all, the one that had led them to victory in the first three fourths of the tournament game and, had it not been for the plays he'd initiated and the goals he'd scored, they might have lost, even with Wakka coming in at the end. Though few were making the connection that the young man Cid was talking of and the one that had played in Luca were one and the same, a few could.

Lulu sighed.

"Sir Tidus is gone," she stated firmly, drawing all the attention her way. "He was all the things that Cid has said, and more, and he sacrificed his life to save Spira from Sin. Without him, we never would have made it as far. He was a favorite of the fayth, was Sir Jecht's son," whispers broke out then, "and left this world with both valor and courage."

"He… died?" the young girl asked, the only of the children brave enough to break the silence that followed Lulu's speech. Yuna closed her eyes and tried to ignore the words circling around her.

"…Yes." Lulu sounded only vaguely uncertain. "He… he died."

"But how?" the little girl continued to press, the expectant faces of everyone else who wanted to hear the full story weighing down on them all.

Lulu wasn't quite sure what to say. "Well, he…" She tried to come up with something believable, that the general public could comprehend, but the words wouldn't come.

Yuna, ignoring how her head raged, flicked her eyes back open and glanced up at them all.

"Sir Tidus died protecting the people of Spira." Yuna's voice rang out stronger than she'd expected, her guardians glancing down at her in surprise. "Protecting all of us." She placed her hand on her chest, as if the motion should signify herself. But really she was willing her heart to stop trying to pound out of her chest. "A hero's death. That's how he died." The words sounded foreign on her tongue, like lies, and they tasted bad even as she said them, no matter the truth of the matter.

The whole thing disgusted her.

Unable to take the pressure any longer, she rose to her feet. Pulling her eyes from the villagers, she paused for only a moment before turning and heading back toward her hut.

She retreated, her ears hearing only a few more words before she was safely back in her room.

"But how did he die?" the young woman asked.

There was no response.

oOo

Over the course of the next few weeks, as the story spread like wildfire from Besaid, dozens of accounts on who exactly Sir Tidus had been and what he'd done differed from one person to the next. A lack of full story had made way for the imaginations of everyone in Spira, who were always more apt to focus on the dead rather than the living. His history flew between a reckless wild-child with Al Bhed characteristics to a seasoned monk who'd given up his religion for the greater good. As to what he looked like, he seemed to have inherited every feature ever imagined. His age, too, was debated. Some believed him to have at least been as old as Sir Auron, while others argued that he couldn't be much more than a child, what with his supposed rebellious ways.

When these rumors reached those who had actually met him, the preposterous nature of the words affronted them all greatly. They went about setting the record straight, new rumors flying and bouncing back in return. He was labeled to be between the age of sixteen and twenty-one, of solid build, and handsome features only befitting such a hero. However, upon such facts being verified, new rumors began flying about until it had been quite decided that the reason High Summoner Yuna had been keeping to herself was because the two had been deeply in love and he'd given up his life to save her own, which, though perverse in some respects, really wasn't that far from the truth. They were soon being compared to the likes of Yunalesca and Lord Zaon, a tragic love story that would go down in history. Poor Sir Tidus had died too young and the High Summoner would die alone, always thinking of him, or young of heartbreak, whichever version suited the teller.

Soon statues of the two were being commissioned for every temple, the artisans setting to work. It wasn't that difficult to depict the High Summoner, for nearly everyone had a sphere of her by that point, but they ran into considerable difficulty when it came to Sir Tidus, who's description got as detailed as "well, he was good-looking." It was for this reason that, about a year after Sin's defeat, they set out for Besaid, determined, in the defense of art, to get a clear idea of what he looked like from the High Summoner herself.

Yuna, however, was not prepared for such a visit or to hear of the rumors that had now concreted themselves all over Spira.

"Which is why we've come to you High Summoner," the artisans defended as they bowed in respect before she and her guardians. "To get a clear idea of how he really appeared. For, as he was so dear to you, you must want an accurate interpretation to be made." Yuna, however, being so affronted and shocked at the personal questions, had had no choice but to leave them, not prepared to answer such inquiries nor to hear of the rumors now circulating all over Spira about her and a certain young man. Instead, flustered, Rikku had tried to give them the answers they'd wanted, but the damage had already been done. Certainly, they got the best description of Tidus they were likely to get, but their audacity in approaching the High Summoner about such matters gave others the entitled courage to try the same and, soon, there were writers and reporters showing up in Besaid every day.

Yuna didn't know what to do about it. They all wanted to hear about the one subject she didn't want to think about. She was exhausted and felt impressed upon in her own home. She tried to help some of them, but the questions became so personal that she was soon left speechless and having to remove herself, which only spurred more drama about her heartbreak and depression, which then pulled more people to Besaid.

Even the villagers were growing fed up.

"I just want to kick all those reporters out of here!" Rikku announced one afternoon, despite how much of an invader she too was when considering Besaid. But she was one of the High Summoner's guardians, which seemed to clear her of all charges. Besides, she was gone off with the Al Bhed a good part of the time. "Can't even walk across the village without getting mobbed. I didn't even know huts could be built as fast as they are." Because the guests had to have somewhere to stay, so Besaid was expanding at a pretty incredible rate.

"It is rather ridiculous," Lulu agreed from her position sitting on the other side of the hut, a pair of Wakka's pants in her hands as she sewed up the hole. The very man sat on the floor beside her, quite irritated with the whole thing.

"It should be against the rules, ya?" he stated in a huff. "Invadin' the island. I oughta…"

"They're only curious," Yuna defended quietly despite her exhaustion.

"It's none of their business," Rikku stated, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "How would they like-"

"Excuse me." They were all silenced by a voice outside the hut. "My Lady?" They knew the voice. It was Shelinda, a young woman they'd met on the road. "I know no one is supposed to bother you while you're inside, but I-"

"It's alright," Yuna assured. "You are a friend, Shelinda." She must have travelled a considerable distance to come to Besaid. She always had been a bit of a wanderer, however.

Hesitantly, the young woman entered, immediately praying and bowing as a sign of respect to Yuna, who didn't return the gesture. Her religion, among many other things, was shattered and irreparable.

"What brings you all this way?" Lulu asked curiously, not rising from her seat. Being visited every day had made them all quite lazy when it came to courtesy. They much preferred to just keep on as they were, seeing as no one was likely to take offense. And if they were, they were hardly worth the summoner and guardians' time.

"I do not wish to bother any of you," she made perfectly clear, obviously having taken note of the camps inside the village. "I have been sent from Bevelle, My Lady," she addressed Yuna directly, "with an urgent message from Yevon."

Yuna frowned.

"Shelinda, I respect what you do, but I have no intention of affiliating myself with Yevon." She didn't mean to be harsh, but after everything she'd learned and been through, those still in tandem with the teachings were the last she wanted to work with—her friends and good acquaintances along her pilgrimage exceptions of course.

"I know." Shelinda sounded almost embarrassed then, perhaps for her own foolish trust in Yevon, which was being exposed more and more every day. Yet still she stood by, hoping to find some kind of hope to halt her religious confusion. A plight many were attempting to deal with all across Spira. "I do not come with a message in representation of Yevon, but rather a plea."

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows.

"After Lord Seymour left the priesthood, the guado, who feared for their lives upon realizing that you'd defeated Sin, fled in the hopes of escaping the wrath of anyone who deemed their previous behavior unforgivable." Yuna frowned. "I was put in charge of investigating Guadosalam and the Farplane, under Yevon's orders. However…" She pursed her lips then.

"What is it, Shelinda?" Lulu encouraged.

"Oh it's so strange," she verified shakily. "It seems that… that since Sin was defeated, the Farplane has been set in a state of turmoil. I sent some disciples to investigate and was told later, by those who watched, that some of their party were swallowed by the Farplane. No one can enter and those too close have suffered when it… it surges forth. We fear it may continue to spread and wreak havoc on all of Spira.

"Oh Lady Summoner, you must help us!"

Yuna, blinking, tried to find something to say, as did her guardians.

Shelinda continued before they could find words however. "You must know something My Lady. You, who found the way to rid Spira of Sin forever…" It was quickly becoming apparent that coming to Yuna was a desperate attempt to find an answer.

"Shelinda, I… I don't know… anything…" Had she ever known anything? It all seemed like a hectic dream now, her pilgrimage. Had she ever done anything right? Or known any truths?

"But… what are… what are we to do…?" Shelinda looked on the verge of tears then, her head bowed.

"What of Yevon's leaders?" Lulu tried to find something, anything. "Certainly there must be something in the teachings that can guide you in this?" Something about the Farplane. A history perhaps?

"Yevon does not…" Shelinda sighed. "Yevon is in turmoil. Leadership falls to no one and I fear fighting make break out. And those of us who are trying to find answers have found very little in the teachings, despite having access to that which we never did before." She sighed. "Lady Yuna," she looked back to the High Summoner. "I do not come to you now as a disciple of Yevon, but as a citizen of Spira. I do… we don't know what to do."

Her head fell in defeat.

It was then that Yuna realized just how torn Spira had become in response to she and her guardians' actions. No one was leading anyone, power was being fought over, and for those who were afraid, she was the closest thing they had to a leader.

The weight of the world hadn't been lifted at all.

"We could go check it out." Rikku shrugged. "I mean, it is a little disconcerting. Even the Al Bhed view the Farplane as being… sacred."

Lulu looked to Yuna. "It'd be a good excuse to get away for a while."

Yuna pursed her lips, considering the idea before glancing back up at Shelinda. She offered the young woman a reassuring smile.

"Of course we'll see what we can do."

oOo

"Is the Lady Summoner alright?" Shelinda asked as they descended the ramp of the airship. They'd landed just outside Guadosalam, in the Moonflow, and Shelinda questioned Lulu as they walked toward the city.

"She will be," Lulu decided as they turned to wait on Yuna and Rikku, who'd come last from the airship.

"Does she grieve the loss of…?" Shelinda tried to ask, but a look from Lulu warned her from continuing as the group came together. Yuna shed less and less tears every day, every month now, but the hurt was still there in all of them. The loss and emptiness. And unanswered questions.

"To the Farplane then, ya?" Wakka decided as they all, Yuna, her guardians, and Shelinda, began to walk toward the entrance to Guadosalam. As they descended down into the dimly lit village, Yuna was struck by the emptiness. No guado at all—only a few Yevon disciples standing and waiting for their arrival. They didn't say anything upon seeing Yuna however, the uneasiness of the situation making them all tense with silence.

It was disconcerting to the entire party.

They followed Shelinda, around the winding paths until they reached the one that led up to the Farplane, where a few yevonites stood guard. They didn't attempt to stop Yuna and her guardians as they passed on, merely stared at them and remained tensely silent. The unevenness in the air was palpable.

"I've already got the creeps," Rikku said, holding more tightly to Yuna's arm. Yuna ignored the comment however, instead registering how the temperature had dropped to a chilling level, goosebumps running up and down her arms. There was definitely something very wrong. She didn't have to see the Farplane to know that. It was in the air, affecting everything. It felt heavy even, and left her with the familiar feeling of anxiety she'd felt just before entering the cloister of trials.

"We shouldn't go much further," Shelinda warned as they slowed to a stop. "It's not safe…"

"But we can't even seen anything, ya?" Wakka crossed his arms over his chest. What he said was true, after all. They were only about halfway down the narrow, cave-like path that went to the Farplane. They couldn't even see it, their destination. Yet they couldn't entirely blame Shelinda for her feelings either. There was a wariness about the passage that warned them to turn around and not come back.

"People have disappeared further back than this," Shelinda glanced back over her shoulder. Yuna, watching her, could easily sense that she was scared. Yuna herself wasn't exactly feeling comfortable with the situation, but she'd faced worse auras than this. Namely, Sin. Yet Shelinda had never been through such hardships and couldn't be expected to act into such an understanding.

Yuna placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"It's alright," Yuna comforted. "You can go back. We'll be fine."

"But My Lady!"

"Yuna's right," Lulu offered, her tone as velvety as ever. "We've dealt with worse." Shelinda didn't look totally convinced, but as she stared down the passageway, her unease seemed to overtake her. Turning to Yuna, she nodded before slowly heading back the way they'd come.

And though she didn't say as much to the High Summoner and her guardians, she had the mysterious feeling that she was being chased from the corridor. Unwanted.

"Well, should we keep goin?'" Wakka asked, the group still staring down the passage.

"I don't think we have much choice," Lulu stated and, apparently in agreement, the group slowly stepped onward. "I find it odd however, how Shelinda described what has happened. That the Farplane has… swallowed people." It seemed an odd thing to imagine, or even fathom. As if the Farplane had a consciousness and actions.

"I dunno." Rikku had released Yuna and crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her hands up and down in an attempt to stay warm. She was, after all, only wearing a yellow sun dress, though she was armed (all of them were. They'd learned never to go anywhere uncertain without weapons). "The farther we walk, the more I'm starting to believe it." That was, that something was there, trying to persuade them to turn around.

"You don't think it could be an unsent causing this, do you?" Lulu asked, glancing back at Yuna.

"I was considering that," Yuna agreed. "Though this seems awfully…"

"Extensive," Lulu concluded and Yuna nodded.

"Gives me the heebie-jeebies…" Rikku continued to conclude. Nothing had reached out and attempted to eat them alive however, or whatever it was that was happening. Though it did get colder and colder until, as they rounded the corner that would allow them a view of the Farplane, it was nearly as cold as Mt. Gagazet.

"Look at that," Wakka pointed up the stairs to the entrance to the Farplane. "What in the…"

"What does it mean…?" Rikku's question went unanswered. The Farplane, before them, was a completely different picture than the last time they'd seen it. No longer was it a patient, solemn place to visit past loved ones. No, it was dark and chaotic, strips of white lightening zipping through it and sparking off the entrance, as if trying to break through.

And in some places it had. The stairs were in disrepair, missing chunks, and there were cracks in the barrier between the real world and that of the dead. As if, perhaps, the lightning had struck and slipped through to steal away those that approached before springing back in.

"Oh man…" Rikku murmured.

"What should we do?" Yuna was questioning herself more that her guardians.

"Do you think this… maybe has something to do with the… influx of souls?" Lulu turned to Yuna. "You saw how many pyreflies there were when you sent Sin. And if our… understanding of the… dream is… correct, then there was thousands of… people," had they been? "in that Zanarkand." In the dream they'd never seen.

"It's possible," Rikku agreed. "I mean, when… when Tidus… when he disappeared, he…" He went as any dead person had, in a show of pyreflies. "Maybe it's all too much to hold in there…"

"But… what do we do…?" Yuna asked herself once again, answers eluding her. What else could they do, other than wait and see what happens? They had no control over this, or any idea of what was even happening. Perhaps, given time, the Farplane would settle, be able to balance out the souls.

But it was still just a guess, an idea, which was no help to them.

Abruptly, a huge snap of lightning burst inside the dome, cracking loudly and harshly enough to shake the ground on which they stood, all of them stumbling in surprise as Rikku yelped. Yuna, however, whose eyes had been trained on the barrier, found herself gaping as the light flashed and zigzagged through the Farplane.

"Did you see that?" she asked.

"Yes," Lulu verified quickly.

"It was…" Wakka shook his head. "It looked like a city."

"A huge city…" Rikku awed. In the bright flash of light, they'd all blatantly seen the outline—unmistakable. "You don't think that, I mean…" Rikku was attempting to summarize all their thoughts. "That when you sent Sin, I mean… When people are in the Farplane, we can beckon them up and they appear. Do you think that the city…?"

"Zanarkand," Yuna verified with a deep breath. "When I sent the fayth's dream…" Had the city remained intact, or reformed perhaps, upon entering the farplane, as people did?

"This is crazy." Wakka shook his head. "H-hey Yuna! Don't go near it!" His warning was too late however, Yuna already approaching the stairs.

"Maybe…" Yuna could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Maybe it hasn't been swallowing people, but… but taking them. Maybe they get too close and end up…"

"In Zanarkand?" Rikku finished.

"Maybe this is how… how he got to Spira," Yuna continued. "Only through Sin instead of the farplane…"

"Yuna," Lulu's voice was reprimanding and she turned to her adopted older sister. "Don't get your hopes up about this." Because, despite how she failed to voice it, they could all see where her thoughts were. Where all their thoughts were. "We have no idea what this means."

"I know," Yuna verified as she turned back to the farplane. "I'm not." Which was true. Part of her wanted to see Tidus, while another part of her hated him and never even wanted to think of him ever again. Though, perhaps, that all led back to…

No, she couldn't think about it. About that emotion.

"So… what do we do now?" Rikku asked. Yuna, however, had already been thinking the same thing. Considering the situation, she reached down and, taking a deep breath, tossed a piece of rubble into the portal that had originally been the entrance to the Farplane.

Upon making contact, it vanished inside, all of them watching with bated breath. There was a static-like flash where it had been thrown, and was gone just as quickly. As if being grabbed up upon making contact.

Yuna pursed her lips.

"What if it kills us?" Rikku asked, quite positive she knew where everyone's thoughts were. After all, the only way they were really going to know was if they went in. It seemed highly dangerous however, none of them too apt to attempt it.

"The only way to know is to go ourselves," Yuna murmured quietly, the group falling momentarily silent. Fleetingly, she thought of Kimahri, who had left for Mt. Gagazet some months before to help rebuild the ronso home. If he were there, he'd no doubt disapprove of Yuna's closeness. But he wasn't—there was no one there to hold her back.

"So are we goin' to go in or not?" Wakka asked, the group turning to face each other as they considered. It was, after all, a potentially life or death decision to make. The safer bet would be to investigate and see if they could find anything out, not just head in and hope for the best. That would be reckless. Yuna, realizing this, turned back to the entrance, and, approaching slowly, alarmed her friends until they saw that she had no intention of entering. They still didn't like what she was doing, however.

"Be careful, Yunie," Rikku encouraged as Yuna stopped just before the entrance. Hesitantly, she reached out and, careful not to actually go through, allowed her hands to shimmy over the surface of the barrier.

And as she did, an incredible sound took her breath away.

"I can hear them," she breathed, her hand still barely touching the barrier as she did. "The hymn. The hymn of the fayth. They're singing." The song brought upon her a menagerie of emotions, all mixed up with abrupt excitement. Like the hole in her heart was being momentarily tempered. Yet, in the same moment, a realization brought her high to a bitter low, creating a rather nostalgically sad kind of attitude to her. "But they didn't want to sing anymore…"

"The fayth sing when someone summons them," Lulu added. "Someone… someone is calling on them?"

"From inside the Farplane?" Rikku shook her head. "This… this is terrible." The fayth needed to rest, they all realized this now. For a thousand years they'd been imprisoned, forced to serenade the human race into constant battle—the only hope. They should be silent now, gone and relieved.

"I think…" Yuna continued to caress the barrier. "I think we might be able to go in… without fear." The sounds of the fayth reassured her, but that wasn't all. If the fayth were being summoned, then perhaps it was they who were pulling people in. "If the fayth have been the ones… swallowing people, then perhaps they're… they're asking for help." She tried to find reason in it all. "Like when they… brought Tidus to us."

"They grabbed him up from Zanarkand and brought him here." Lulu started to try and understand. "And they're in danger again, so they're desperate and grabbing at anyone they can get?"

"I don't know…" Yuna shook her head.

"But… you think we can go?" Wakka came up beside Yuna, staring down at her questioningly. She returned the look, unsure what he was really asking her. "You understand this better than any of us, ya?" He nodded. "If you think we can… get though there, then… then we'll try."

Yuna glanced back at the entrance, uncertainty crawling inside her. Yet, in the same moment, she felt as though she had to do something. The fayth, the aeons, had served and protected her. Her and her friends. If they weren't being allowed to rest, if they were in danger, she had to do something. She had to help them.

Pursing her lips, Yuna closed her eyes, gathered her nerves, and slowly pressed her fingers in through the forcefield.

Almost immediately, she felt as though she was being yanked inside, as if what little she'd given had been more than enough to drag her through. Body suffering a kind of whiplash, she was raced on, her heart nearly stopping as she tried to get a grasp on what was happening. But she couldn't see, couldn't breathe. It was dark yet light at the same time and as she was pulled apart, she almost could have sworn she saw her hands and arms dragged out. As if she was being stretched, her whole form was vacuumed inside.

Where she ended up, she couldn't know, because soon enough there was nothing.