I apologize for this being a filler chapter, I really wanted to get a few basic ideas out and have been too busy with work or practice lately to commit to a long write. If there's any interest, I'll be sure to make the next chapter longer and more substantial! Thanks for reading!

Without further delay, here ya go!

Back on Spira

Happily eating their pancakes, the three friends idly chatted around the couple's small kitchen table. Rikku seemed to be back to her old chipper self, and Yuna had kept her anxiety at bay. Like Tidus said, they would eat first and figure out the next step later. But when would that be?

"I had the weirdest dream, Yunie," Rikku nonchalantly said after finishing her plate. Expecting a reply, the Al Bhed looked at her cousin and saw only a look of fear.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Rikku fretted, completely oblivious to the events of the last few nights. Instead of replying, Yuna only looked at Tidus. Without words, their eyes conversed:

"SHE had a dream too?"

"I don't know! It's probably just a coincidence. Act cool so she doesn't wonder what's up!"

"Maybe she should know, though… We can't keep this between us.."

"Um, hello? Am I missing something? Why are you guys acting so weird?"

Snapping back into the present, Yuna breathed, "Sorry, I was just lost in thought. What was your dream about?"

Eyeing her companions suspiciously, the girl continued.

"I dreamt that I was in school again, and I forgot to study for a math test! And then suddenly Gippal is my teacher and he gave me an F and then I had no pants on and everyone was laughing at me! Then I turned into a chocobo! It was so weird, and then Mr. pots and pans here woke me up before anything else embarrassing could happen!"

A wave of relief washed over both Yuna and Tidus, as if Rikku had just given them good news.

"What the hell? You're a terrible liar Yunie, and I can read you like a book, Tidus! Spill it, why are you being so weird?" Rikku demanded.

The two convened in another eye conversation, and Yuna turned her gaze to her cousin, taking a deep sigh.

"Well… It's all going to sound so weird.." she began,

"Yeah yeah, get to it!" Rikku interrupted, ever the impatient one.

"Here goes. It started the other day when I felt a kick in my womb-"

"A kick!? You're not even showing, Yunie!"

Tidus furrowed his brow and interjected, "Just listen to the whole thing, okay? Stop interrupting." Rikku, unused to such solemnity from her friend, returned to her seat and was visibly struggling with keeping quiet.

"I know I'm not. That's why it's so weird! And worrying… Lulu said it may have to do with Tidus, since he was – or is – a dream of the fayth. That night I had this terrible dream... I didn't see or hear anything, but just felt this.. this intense malice. Like when Yu Yevon's spirit was possessing my aeons. Remember how that felt?" Yuna quietly finished.

"I do, yeah…" Rikku replied, giving a shake of discomfort.

"And then the very next night, Tidus had a dream, too. But he saw – you should probably tell it, dear." Yuna said, her eyes meeting her lover's. He placed his hand on Yuna's shoulder and picked up the story.

"So here I was, sitting on the south cliff. I completely thought this was reality, but I guess I had fallen asleep and dreamt that I hadn't…. but some kid called me Dad! It was crazy, Rikku, he really did look like he could be our kid! And he did this crazy thing where he opened a portal and we were in the farplane. Then all he said was 'protect Mom, stay by her side' or something like that. And then he disappeared!"

"That's kind of silly, you already do that!" Rikku chirped, the pep returning to her face. "You probably just had that dream because you really really want to protect Yunie!"

"Tidus, you forgot the second part." Yuna said, tensing slightly.

"Oh, yeah… Well then after he disappeared I saw this huge blue dragon! It was really cool looking to be honest, but when I looked in its eyes, it was like pure anger and hate was consuming my soul, and I couldn't even move. Then it attacked me, and all I heard was this insane laughing… then I woke up and made you pancakes!" Tidus finished, trying to play off the severity.

"Oh, wow… Do you think it's the monster from Yuna's dream or something?" Rikku said, the gravity now dawning on her.

"I don't know. I don't know anything," Yuna despaired, now burying her face in her hands. Tidus knelt and consoled her, and Rikku did the same on her other side.

"It may sound stupid or crazy, but I know this isn't nothing, Rikku. I'm really scared… We don't even know how to find out about these crazy coincidences!" she moaned, fighting tears. Tidus and Rikku exchanged worried glances, though Tidus' face was slightly more akin to Yuna's. He was part of the equation, after all.

"Well, if it's answers you need, then look no further! We'll travel somewhere that has lots of knowledge! Like Zanarkand, or Bevelle!" Rikku cheered. Tidus' eyes lit up, and he caught her infectious wave of enthusiasm.

"Yeah! They're talking about all these kinds of studies the Bevelle priests are doing on the telesphere, maybe there's some wiseman or something! Maechen couldn't be the only smart guy in Spira!" Tidus cried, trying to coax Yuna out of her anxiety.

"I'll call Brother right now! The Celsius will be here in no time, and we'll go get you some answers, Yunie!"

Yuna now stood as well, with hesitant excitement and desperate hope. She first hugged her cousin, then kissed her beloved.

"I'll pack for us, Yuna! You just sit and relax!" Tidus called as he darted to their room, haphazardly knocking torches and kicking dressers in his excitement.

"It'll be good to be back on the Celsius, don't you think, Yunie?" Rikku beamed.

I wish I could just stay here and be happy, she thought, but instead replied, "Yes, I think so. Let's go get some answers, Rikku!"


Looking around the empty verdant field, Jecht couldn't help but wonder at this child. One minute he is finally released from his bonds to Sin, the next he appears on some rock in space with a kid that looks very much like his own, and then he's travelling through portals to who the hell knows where.

"Hey kid, where are we?" he questioned.

"A planet called Gaea. We're a bit outside what will become Midgar in a few centuries when Spirans find this planet. But for now we are traveling to a local city to see if any of the priests knows anything about the monster." The boy replied without looking back. He began walking in some direction, and Jecht had no choice but to follow. It seemed to him that there couldn't be any city for miles; as far as he could see in any direction showed only more green field.

"Spirans? You mean-"

"Yep. Our descendants find some way to leave Spira and settled here. I didn't stick around to watch much, but I know one of our direct descendants plays a key role in this world's fate later on."

"Jeez. And I thought Zanarkand was the most advanced you can get. Why would they want to come to this dump? There's nothing but-" Jecht began, but was cut off by the growl of a beast. He immediately grabbed the boy and put him behind himself, ready to fight. Except..

"Dammit, I need my sword!" Jecht growled, as he strafed around what looked like a Couerl.

"No prob!" The kid replied. He tore another hole in space and produced Jecht's old sword and handed it to him no sooner than the creature pounced. With a cry from Jecht to run, the boy retreated and watching as Jecht sparred with the creature. He wildly swang his sword to repel its probe- like whiskers, and within a few minutes was able to drive the sword into the beast's neck, ending its life with an angry roar. Wide eyed, the boy stepped closer to Jecht, who stood the sword on the ground and rubbed his neck.

"Wow Grampa, you're good!"

"Yeah, and you were no help! Aren't you a thousand years old? Don't you know how to fight?" Jecht replied harshly.

"Well… No…" The boy replied, aiming his eyes at the ground. Jecht's face softened, and he knelt in fornt of his young companion.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. You're still young, huh? Fighting isn't something you should worry about. Just stay close to me and not the fiends, okay?"

The boy nodded. At least he wasn't crying. Maybe Jecht was just getting better at parenting…

"Well let's keep going. " The boy said flatly, continuing on their original bearing. Jecht was going to ask how he just summoned his sword out of nowhere, but it seemed like nothing was impossible with this kid. Why couldn't he just disappear the monster into some other dimension or something? That would have been much easier. Whatever, Jecht thought.

Many hours passed, intermittently interrupted by monsters of various types. None were any problem for Jecht, but he was becoming quite impatient. The green field slowly began to become less lush, and Jecht could tell they were headed toward an ocean.

"Where the hell are we going, anyway? Why couldn't you just teleport us right to where we needed to go?" Jecht demanded.

"I can't just appear in thin air anywhere I want, Grampa! Imagine if I had done that to you on your pilgrimage, wouldn't you have thought it was odd? These people don't know about other worlds or universes, and we don't want to scare them. I had to be sure absolutely no one would see us just appear out of nowhere. Save your questions for when we get there, I need to remember the way there and you're distracting me."

Well aren't you polite, Jecht thought to himself. He wasn't the type to ask a whole lot of questions, so he just assumed this kid is all knowing. Or something like that. Just kill fiends and protect the kid. Chuckling, Jecht realized he was a guardian again.

"Aha! See it? Just over that next hill!" The boy cried excitedly. Squinting, Jecht saw a very foreign looking town, made into the side of a mountain on the ocean shore.

"Well, let's get there already. I'm sick of walkin'" Jecht murmured, prompting the boy to follow after him.


Rikku enthusiastically dug her commsphere out of her pocket and dialed Brother.

"Rao eteud! Fa'na kuehk uh yh ytjahdina! Tnub fryd oui'na tuehk yht belg ic ib eh Pacyet!" (Hey idiot! We're going on an adventure! Drop what you're doing and pick us up in Besaid!")

After a short silence, Brother's familiar screech erupted from Rikku's commshpere.

"Rikku! E's jano pico! E's hud zicd ouin cmyja du lussyht! Veht cusauha amca du lynd oui ynuiht! (Rikku! I'm very busy! I'm not just your slave to command! Find someone else to cart you around!)

"Ur bmayca! Oui'ja paah vmoehk Calli ymm ynuiht Spira zicd du bmayca ran, lyh'd oui zicd ycg ran uid ymnayto yht tu ouin tayn cecdan y cumet? Ed'c vun Yuna, yhofyo!" (Oh please! You've been flying Calli all around Spira just to please her, can't you just ask her out already and do your dear sister a solid? It's for Yuna, anyway!)

"Yuna? I'll be right there! We are just in Kilika!"

"Thanks bro!" Rikku squealed, and gave her cousin a manic smile that usually followed when she got her way.

"What was that about Calli?" Yuna questioned, only able to make out the names in the siblings' rapid fire Al Bhed.

"Oh, Brother's too chicken to ask her out and has been flying the Celsius to anywhere she wants to go. It's sweet I guess, but so hopeless.. I told him to just ask her out and come do Yuna a solid!"

"He just dropped everything to do me a favor?" Yuna replied uncomfortably.

"Yeah! He isn't weirdly in love with you anymore thanks to his pining for Calli, but apparently still cares enough to help us out. Which is what I was banking on! Go Rikku!" The blonde cheered, still on a jovial high.

"...You didn't tell him I'm pregnant, did you?" Yuna asked, narrowing her eyes on her cousin.

"Well... I haven't talked to anyone much since I got here... Besides, he's been busy with Calli! I figured with all the coverage it's getting on the telesphere he'd have found out one way or another. Don't worry, he won't get all weird!" Rikku assured, but Yuna only sighed.

"Who won't get all weird?" Tidus asked suddenly, having just entered the room with two bulging suitcases. He'd always been terrible at folding things...

"Brother. He had this gross crush on Yuna while you were gone, and I kind of forgot to tell him she's pregnant with your kid..." Rikku answered as she fiddled with her hair nervously.

"Oh boy... Yuna told me about him." The blitzer said, suddenly feeling awkward.

"It's nothing to worry about, dear. He's family. And he's the next step between here and some answers. You and me, right?" Yuna inserted, laying her head on Tidus' chest. He grinned at the gesture and wrapped his arm around Yuna, regaining his previous good spirit.

"Right! We're just gonna go on an adventure just like old times, but with no Sin or crazy monsters chasing us! It'll be a breeze, you guys!" Tidus said enthusiastically. Yuna allowed herself a smile, and tangibly relaxed in Tidus' embrace.

"Oh! Speaking of old times, we should let Wakka and Lulu know we'll be gone! They'd worry if we suddenly disappeared." Yuna said as she sobered out of her stasis. "I'll go, you two get to clean the dishes and Rikku can help you pack out suitcases like a normal person!" she joked to Tidus, though Rikku made a sour face. Dishes were here least favorite thing in all of Spira. However, Yuna had already left the hut with a reassuring spring in her step, and the two wouldn't have argued if they wanted to; Yuna was smiling.

"I guess we'd better get at it, then." Tidus sighed as he started scrubbing the pan he had made the pancakes in."

"Oh, pooie. I'll just repack the stuff, you can do the dumb dishes." The Al Bhed girl replied, swiftly distancing herself from their small kitchen. Unzipping the first suitcase, she was greeted by clothes bursting out of the over-stuffed bag.

"Jeez! You really suck at this, Tidus! You didn't even sort out the clothes, you've got you and Yuna's stuff mixed together! Don't you ever travel?"

Tidus only laughed as he cleaned off another plate and set it on a rack to dry. "Not really. When I warped to Spira, I only had the clothes on my back. Give me a break, I've been in limbo for two years!"

"Whatever, dude. You only child weirdos are missing out on a lot of skills." Rikku replied as she methodically sorted out the clothing and repacked it. The suitcases were much slimmer now.

"Yeah, this weirdo has been cooking all your meals for months! You have your skills, I've got mine!" Rikku blew a raspberry and sat on the couch as Tidus finished up the dishes.

"Tidus, tell the truth. Are you worried about all this dream monster-Yuna pregnant stuff?" Rikku asked seriously, which was a rare happenstance. Tidus sighed and sat next to her, training his eyes on his hands as he dried them with a hand towel.

"Of course I am. I'm still worried every day that I'll wake up in a dream, and all this wasn't real. But it is. I know in my gut that these aren't coincidences, but If I panic, Yuna will absolutely freak out, and I don't want her to worry about anything. She does plenty of that all on her own."

Rikku was silent for a moment, and Tidus managed a smile.

"But with you and me on the case, I know everything will turn out all right. We're still her guardians, ya know?"

"Darn tootin!" Rikku replied as her usual smile resurfaced. "Like you said, there's no monsters to fight this time! This'll be no problem!" she continued.

I sure hope that's right, Tidus thought. "Let's go get Yuna, she's been over at Wakka and Lulu's for a while now." The two pushed the entrance rug aside and headed for their friends' hut, but were distracted by a high pitched male cry as they walked.

"Yuna pregnant!? With blonde boy's baby!? Why didn't anyone tell me!?"

"Oh, Brother..." Rikku sighed, hand on her face. (A/N pun fucking intended)