Disclaimer: No I don't own FFX-2, I just own a copy of the game

The start of a journey and a promise

And so my nightmare continues. Many of you wouldn't understand my actions, why I pushed the love of my life out of my life. Let me give you a little clue, if he is happier with the girl he daydreams about than with me, I will move out of the way. It hurts me to do so, but I would do anything to make him happy. I had no idea I was doing the total opposite…

To get out of Bevelle quickly I got on one of the gondolas from the Highbridge canals. The old man piloting the little boat was sloshing water everywhere. Baralai was right; these things really do need an upgrade. Stop thinking about him!

I sighed quietly so that the pilot wouldn't hear me. Blocking him out of my life is going to be a little more difficult than I thought. I like a challenge though. I tried smiling at my idiocy, but it only turned into a grimace. I quickly returned my face to a mask of no emotion before the pilot turned around and saw me and went crazy.

I stopped at the entrance of Bevelle, but I didn't look back. I looked instead at the fading beauty of the Macalania woods in front of me.

Even if it wasn't up to its former beauty, the mystical trees could still take ones breath away.

I sighed and started walking. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately, I should stop sighing so much, it's too depressing… Well, I have the right to sigh a little.

I looked up at the sky, the sun was still rising. It was still early in the morning, but the light was shining through the branches overhead, turning the surroundings into glittering, crystal-like vegetation.

"Wow" I breathed. It was such a shame that the forest was fading, even though it was giving everything it could to reverse its fate.

I picked up the pace and crossed the woods, in a few hours I was nearing the Thunder Plains. The sun was nearing its summit, it was nearly noon. I checked because once I entered the Thunder Plains I would lose sight of the sun due to the permanent storm clouds that covered the stretch of land.

I continued my journey until I reached Rin's Travel Agency and stocked up on provisions. The sky above me was looking blacker than usual so I guessed it was late afternoon. It would still take me a few more hours to reach Guadosalam but I didn't bother stopping to make camp. I was already wet, so a bit more water wasn't going to hurt that much.

As I walked towards the entrance of the tunnel that would lead me to Guadosalam, I spotted a huge gaping hole to my left.

I paused and looked at it, remembering the day that we had had to save the people that had come to watch Yuna's concert from the fire breathing fiend hidden deep in that cave. My life was so different then, I travelled throughout Spira with my newly found friends, going on adventures, saving Spira, yeah, that bit was fun… But now, everybody was settling down, Yuna had found what she had been looking for these past two years, Rikku was working with Gippal and the Machine Faction and me… well, until this morning, I had been living with him, helping with office work and occasionally training the warrior monks. But now... I didn't have a purpose anymore, what was I going to do? Walk around Spira for the rest of my life? I could do that, but it wasn't much fun going solo and I'm a pretty solitary person. I guess nobody would want to spend their whole life alone.

I turned away from the cave and continued my path across the gloomy plains till I reached the emerald green walls of Guadosalam. It was definitely night now. I needed somewhere to stay, at least a few hours. I stopped in front of Leblanc's Syndicate HQ. Even though she had um... helped... with the destruction of Vegnagun, there wasn't much friendliness between us. Just then another idea came to me. I walked up the slope that lay to the right of the huge mansion and knocked on the door of the house sitting snugly on the path.

I hope he lets me stay the night; after all the Gullwings did help him out... I thought to myself as I waited for someone to come to the door.

Slowly the colourful door swang open to reveal a green haired guado, dressed in dark green trousers and a lighter green coat with red sleeves.

"Why Lady Paine, what an honour it is to find you on my doorstep!"

"Uh... Thanks I guess. Listen could you do me a favour?" I'm still not used to this saviour of Spira respect stuff, it kinda gets on my nerves a little.

"Why anything for one of the Gullwings!" Ok, seriously cut it out...

"Could you give me somwhere to sleep for the night? I promise, you won't even notice I'm here"

"Of course my Lady, but I'm afraid I've only got the couch to spare... I'm not used to having guests you see..."

"That's fine, thank you Tromell"

"Not at all my Lady, not at all" the guado by the name of Tromell stepped aside and let me into his home.

"Could I get you anything Lady Paine?" Damn, when is he going to cut that stuff out!? I'm not used to this stuff, not like Yuna I kept thinking to myself.

"No thanks, I just need a couple of hours sleep and I'll be off before dawn."

"Very well, make yourself comfortable" he replied as he shuffled towards the door at the back of the room.

After a couple of hours of tossing and turning on the sofa, I sat up and stared at the ceiling, a war raging inside my head, logic against feelings.

I miss him so much...

But you did it for his own good!

Yeah, but I still miss him.

He'll be happy now; he'll go find that girl he daydreams about and forget about me, that is what I want.

But I don't want him to forget...

It's for his own good!!

Okay then, I'll remember for both of us and one thing I'll never forget is that he is the only man I've ever loved.

Fine, your fluffy side really shows when you are in love huh? You need to go and find Yuna; she'll know what to do to calm you down.

Very well...

I sighed as I stood up and headed towards the entrance, but I retraced my steps, scribbled a thank you note to Tromell on a piece of paper lying on the table next to the couch, and left the kind guado's home. Hey, I can hide my feelings but I know when to show gratitude.

I headed towards the entrance of Guasdosalam at a quick walk, the path to Moonflow in sight. With a bit of luck I could catch the first shoopuf of the morning. As I neared the bank a friendly Hyphello stepped out towards me.

"Eexcushe me Mshh, are you waiting to ride thee shoopuf?"

"Yeah, am I too late for the first ride?"

"Noo mshh, you is too early!

"Oh, how long for the ride then?"

"A couple of hourshh"

Great now what am I going to do for a couple of hours? "Kay, thanks"

"No problem mshh."

Oh well, I guess it's hurt time for the local fiends then I said to myself as I walked back up the path and entered the forest.

I continued walking around until I came upon a couple of flans and an Agama, a pesky lizard like fiend.

"Here comes the hurt" I muttered and took down the Agama in one go. I turned to the flans and changed into my black mage dressphere.

"Burn!" I shouted as I unleased a Firaga on one of the flans. Okay so it was a little over the top, a simple Fire would've done the job but I wanted to let some of my frustration out.

Then the remaining flan attacked me from behind, making me stumble a little.

"Why you little...!" I turned around and melted it with the most simple spell in my book. Don't need to waste all my magic on little blobs of goo like you I thought to myself, still angry at the flan that had attacked me while my back was turned.

I flipped my staff and whispered:

"Too easy" If only life was as easy as taking out these fiends As usual, thinking to myself as I watched the pyreflies disperse.

I went back to the lauching bay on the bank to get on the first ride of the day. I had hardly realized it was so early.

As I sat on the shoopuf I went over my plan for the next couple of days.

Right, first get to Djose, ask Rikku if I can use the commsphere,call Yuna to ask if I can stay a couple of days, try not to take respect points away from Rikku in the process, leave Djose and get to Luca. Next day catch the S.S.Winno to Kilika and from there catch S.S.Likki to Besaid.

Before I knew it we were on the other side of the beautiful river and mooring on the other bank. I got out of the passenger lift and started walking swiftly down the road till I reached the Djose cross roads. I turned left towards the road that led to the Djose temple, once home to Ixion, the lightning unicorn, now home to one of my best friends and one of my annoying ex-comrades from the Crimson Squad.

My lips turned up in a small smile, I wasn't alone, my friends meant everything to me, even if they were hyper-active, annoying, prying and cocky, arrogant, with an ego the size of a hover fan.

I would protect them from any harm, making sure they were happy.

I made that promise to myself, I promised that I wouldn't let them be harmed, I promised I would protect them. Soon that promise would come into being, soon I would have to protect one of my friends and I would do so even if my life must be put before theirs.