-1Very skippable Author Note: Isn't winter fun? No matter which holiday you celebrate, the fact that you are gathered with your love ones inside away from the cold is heartwarming. Personally, I celebrate Xmas, not Christmas. Also I celebrate Festivus (if you don't know, don't ask. If you do, you probably chuckled). Anyway, I think I'll write another mini chapter here before pouring into the "guts" of the story. In the body of a story is the intro (mouth), background explanation (esophagus), middle (stomach), story progression ("guts" a.k.a. intestinal tract), and the end (anus). Hopefully by the end everything is digested by the author and his or her readers. This is know as a "flush". If not…well it stinks. After the process is over the author is hungry and must look for more food (ideas). Well, enough toilet humor and onto the story.

(Amarant's POV)

I take a seat around the large campfire. This is Besaid Island. I glance around at the villagers and the crew sitting around laughing and canoodling. To my right is the ever optimistic Yuna holding a shish kabob. To my left a pregnant woman named Lulu, whom I was introduced to earlier stands. Her husband, Wakka went off to find a comfortable chair for her to sit in. His wife shakes her head at his obvious forgetfulness. Quite the odd couple I note. He, strong, vibrant and slightly cocky and her, dark, mysterious, and contemplative. Paine grins at me through the flames.

"So you from another world, ya?" the orange haired islander addresses me as he sets up the chair for his lover.

"Couldn't you tell that just by looking at him, Wakka?" she says, easing into the chair.

"Hmm. I guess you are right, Lu. Never seen clothes like that before! Yaha." he replies taking a seat on the dusty ground. This coming from a man who wears bright yellow overalls and a bright yellow…shirt-esque thing. What the hell is it?

"sigh…So how did you get here exactly, Amarant was it?" Lulu asks.

"Well, I was sitting on a barrel then I got up and started to head back…to my room. And then…" I start to say. Wait, how did I get here again?

"And then?"

"And then I woke up on an unfamiliar airship, in much pain."

"Well this isn't the first time we've had a visitor from another time or place, ya? I'm sure Rikku can show you around Spira just fine. Not the first time she's rescued 'visitor'" Wakka barges in.

Lulu gives a concerned look to Yuna, who had lost the smile from her visage. Wakka removes the foot from his mouth and scratches his noggin.

"All right, Amarant…" says Yuna after collecting herself. "It's time for a story."

"This might take awhile big guy, here you go." Buddy whispers, handing me 3 shish kabobs.

And so Yuna went on to explain the mechanics and history of Spira, covering roughly 1,002 years. Well, mostly just the last 2 years and what happened 1,000 years ago. She elaborated on Sin, Operation Mi'hen, Seymour, The Calm, The Farplane, and The Summoner's Pilgrimages (mostly hers and her father's). Taking it all in, I realize that Spira had it much harder than Gaia. True we narrowly prevented the destruction of Gaia, but Spira had to deal with the destruction of the planet near constantly. All around me I can see the relief on the faces of the villagers and the thanks they pour out to Yuna.

I sit up and stretch a bit. Walking over to Buddy who is holding a bottle and a few cups. He smiles and pours me some, mixing it with another bottle of mystery.

"Best rum on Spira." he says with a flush about his face, his goggles fogged a bit.

I walk back around the fire, over a sleeping (and snoring) Brother. I pass Paine who has obviously drank more than she could handle. Staggering up she grabs my ass and runs away laughing. Shinra looks up and shrugs before going back to readying some technological device for use.

"She only seems opens up after she hic drinks, but she gets too drunk too fast…" Buddy mumbles, rolling to his feet. "Better make she doesn't throw up on anyone again."

Ignoring the drunk teen's impulsive antics, I walk further around the steadily shrinking fire. Rikku smiles at me before going back to butchering and devouring the helpless pineapple in her clutches. Yuna looks tired but very curious.

Sigh I'm about to give the biggest speech of my life.

Truth by told (and obvious) that I'm not the great speaker that she is. Everyone else will probably fall asleep if they aren't already, but Yuna is probably the only one who really wants to know anyway. I think everyone else is satisfied with 'Uhh…he's from another planet and he's super strong'. I take a deep breath followed by a long drink as I begin.

I tell as much background history of Gaia that is needed (and that's pretty much all the history I know), before telling of the events of the last 3 years or so. Skipping much of my personal history, I divulge the circumstances of which we all ended traveling together and "saving the world." Kuja, Brahme, Garland, the Black Mages, the Mist, and Terra; all are told to Yuna and the sleepy crew. I wrap it up soon after Necron is defeated, because nothing happened after that other than the wedding. Being called a giant penguin will be kept to myself, sorry.

"Wow…Gaia is so much more amazing than Spira! I wish I could see it with my own eyes. I bet Zidane and Garnet are a beautiful couple…" Yuna says clasping her hands.

"…."

"Sooooo…..Do you have a girlfriend, Ama? Is she cute like me, sexy like Paine, or beautiful like Yunie?" Rikku giggles, finishing off a banana and throwing the peel into a towering pile of kabob sticks and pineapple tops.

"No I don't and don't call me Ama." I say as blunt as a cigar. (A/N: Always wanted to use that one…)

"Not even that Lani chick? E pad cra'c yc pek yc Lulu…" she trails off, sugar crashing. At least she'll never get scurvy in her lifetime. Actually, her children probably won't either… (1)

"Especially not her!" I yell, disturbing the other crew members out of their respective slumbers.

"Well if pek puupc aren't your style, Buddy here is available" Paine adds, stirring in her non-sobriety. (2)

With that ridiculous statement I walk off to bed. Well, I don't know where I'm supposed to be sleeping so I guess I'll just walk around the village for awhile until the fire dies. Someone will guide by then, if not I'll just sleep in a tree or something. Doesn't bother me any.

(Meanwhile, Yuna's POV)

I wonder where he went off to? YAWN Wow those stories really took it out of me. My mind is running like crazy! I shake my sleeping cousin, though I should know by now that never work. Looking up, I see Wakka putting blankets on the sleeping crew and Lulu putting out the fire with a simple water spell. I load my petite friend onto my back and start to head to the tent Paine set up beside Wakka's hut.

"Yuna." Lulu calls out to me

"Hmm?"

"Have you noticed anything peculiar about Amarant's appearance?"

"Well, I know he is different and by his descriptions…he's the only one on Gaia that looks like him. At any rate he didn't really talk about himself very much. He really is a loner…"

"That is true…but haven't you thought that he looks like a Guado, Yuna?"

"Oh! You are right Lulu! He's tall, has long arms, and wild hair. But no Guado is that tall

or has red hair…and certainly not the blue skin!"

"I think it would be wise take him to the Guado just in case. Either way their leader is very knowledgeable and helpful. I'm sure that he will spare you the long story in order to

ask our new visitor questions."

"All right, Lulu. Goodnight now." I say giving her a hug before heading into the tent.

I lay Rikku and myself down and pull up the covers. I guess Paine is going to sleep out there on the ground with Buddy. Next time, I have to keep the Besaid Rum away from her…I close my eyes to feel a hand move across my stomach and embrace my frame

lightly.

"Yunie…."

END CHAPTER 10

A/N: That's about good enough, for now. Next is a Freya mini chapter. This is my first attempt at comedy…I know it probably sucked. Anyway, please review for Festivus' sake!

(1): Translation - I bet she's as big as Lulu (A/N: she is I think…on a side note Lulu's name is Coco in Al Bhed!)

(2) Translation - big boobs

A/N: Sorry for the perversion, but had to fill out the PG-13 rating out a bit. I mean I had a few curses and one F word (you can have one F word in a PG-13 movie nowadays if you haven't noticed by now!) Anyway…see you funkers next time. Heh…

Albums I listened to:

Franz Ferdinand (S/T), Radiohead - Hail to the Thief, Orange Range - Natural