Author's Note: I do not own Final Fantasy X or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.

Ch.11 Yuna's Answer

I awoke to the sound of the waves, and for a minute I let myself stay there. The sound of the waves was relaxing, so soothing, yet in the waves stayed the powerful Sin- Sin! My eyes snapped open and I bolted right up. That's right, we were in Kilika, the village that Sin had attacked just yesterday. And after seeing it and watching Yuna perform the sending, I had asked her if I could become her guardian.

I looked around to see that I was still in the room of the inn we were at, but when I looked at the window I saw sunlight streaming through. Just how long had I been asleep? I swung off feet off the bed and stood. I kept my usual leather trench coat, but changed into a blue T-shirt and jeans with my boots. I strapped Selini back to my side, and walked down the stairs to the first floor.

When I reached the bottom I saw Tidus walking out the door, and I asked the clerk "Where's he going?" She smiled at me. "Good, you're awake. That young man just left to go help his friends, the left a little earlier." I thanked her for the information before heading out as well. I walked along the pathways until I came across the Aurochs helping repair a ship while Tidus and Wakka watched. Wakka saw me coming and smiled.

"There you are, we were waiting for you," he said. He turned to the ship and called "Besaid Aurochs, huddle!" They all stopped working on the ship and jumped onto the path. "On to the temple, where we pray for victory!" The Aurochs cheered and ran off, heading for the temple. "High Summoner Ohalland used to live in the Kilika temple there. Yeah, Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzball player you know?" I considered that. "Someone who was both a summoner and a blitzball player. Interesting enough," I said.

"Wakka..." Tidus began. He looked at him, and he asked "Praying for victory's all good but... is this right?" I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with enjoying blitzball?" I asked. "Is this really the time?" he asked. "This is the only time. Players fight with all their strength, the fans cheer for their favorite team. They forget pain, suffering... only the game matters. That's why blitz has been around so long. At least that's what I think."

I thought about it and asked "So people enjoy blitzball because it helps them to forget about life with Sin?" He nodded. "Whatever you say," Tidus said. Wakka put a hand on both our shoulders. "Let's play... and win! Right?" he said. Tidus nodded and called "Right!" I shrugged off his hand, but said "Let's do it." Wakka nodded and pointed to the jungle. "The temple's beyond the jungle there. Let's go!"

So we walked through the village and to the jungle, but at the beginning of it were Yuna, Lulu and Kimahri. "What's up?" Wakka asked. "Yuna's saying she wants you two with us," Lulu told him. He looked confused, and Yuna walked towards us. "I would like to ask you to become my guardian." I gasped, and did so again when she added "Both of you." Wakka walked to her. "Yuna, what are you saying? This is no time for jokes, ya? Their both blitzball whiz kids, but up against fiend, their newbies."

Yuna looked at him. "Not guardians then, I just want them nearby." Wakka's expression turned more confused, with surprise mixed in. I glared at him. "A newbie, huh? Then how about this: The next time some big fiend shows up and if I help defeat it, then after the tournament you let me become a guardian," I proposed. He considered this for a moment, before saying "All right, I just hope we don't run into a huge fiend at all. I want a quiet walk to the temple."

Tidus still looked shocked at Yuna's request, and he said "What? What do you mean?" Yuna looked at him. "It's just that, well..." Then Lulu stepped forward and said "We're all going to the temple anyway. Can't this wait until later." Yuna and I both nodded, and Yuna said to Tidus "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." Tidus shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for, I just don't know what's going on." Her expression became blank, and she said "My apologies.

Tidus looked surprised, and I shook my head. "Clueless," I muttered. He must have heard me, because he turned to me and said "What? How I am clueless?" I looked at him. "You have to ask, then you don't need to know," I replied. He looked even more confused, but then Kimahri stepped forward. He waved his arm and motioned that we need to get going, and we did. We walked a little while farther, until I saw a huge red plant-like fiend at the end of the road, along with Luzzu and Gatta.

They saw us and ran towards us, Gatta saying "Company halt!" Luzzu pointed behind him. "The fiend before us is Ochu, Lord of the Wood. We've had trouble with this fiend before. Remember, discretion is the better part of valor," he advised, before they ran off. I looked at the others. "Do you want to fight that thing, or should we try and find another way around?" The other thought about it, until Wakka said "Actually, I think there are multiple paths through the forest. Problem being, only one leads to the temple, and it connects to this one."

"So if we want to get to the temple, we have to fight it?" Tidus asked with reluctance. When Lulu nodded, he groaned and hung his head. Yuna giggled a little, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I unsheathed Selini and said "Well, it's asleep right now. We might as well get the jump on it!" Wakka nodded and aimed his blitzball while Tidus got out his sword, Lulu her doll, Yuna her staff, and Kimahri got out his spear. Tidus, Kimahri and I charged forward while Wakka threw his ball. It hit dead on and woke the Ochu up, but before it could attack Tidus and slashed it with our swords while Kimahri stabbed it with his spear.

It hissed and swiped a claw at me, but Lulu hit it with a Fire spell and it turned its attention to her. Just before it attacked Yuna cast NulWater, and the Ochu cast Water. The two spells hit each other and canceled the other out. Ochu hissed in annoyance and tried to cast it again, but Wakka hit it with Silence Attack and it was unable to use spells completely. Now it was starting to get irritated, and it swung at Wakka with it claws. He tried to dodge but failed, and the Ochu's claws raked across its arms.

I ran over and asked "Are you okay?" He shook his head. "I think that fiend's claws had poison in them," he told me, before he fell to one knee. "Yuna!" I called. She looked at me. "Wakka needs help! Use your magic o patch him up while we keep the fiend distracted!" She nodded and ran over, while I ran to the Ochu. "Here's some payback!" I called, jumping up and using Whirlwind Blade. The fiend reeled back from the ferocious assault before it knocked me back and fell asleep.

For a second I was confused, until I saw some of the gashes I had just left close up and heal. "It's healing itself! Wake it up!" I told the others. Tidus stabbed it with Brotherhood and Wakka threw his ball, but neither of those hits did anything to wake it up. "Regular hits aren't working!" Tidus called. Lulu stepped forward and said "Then allow me." She raised her hand above her head, then brought it down, and a ball of fire shot toward the Ochu. The Fire spell hit it dead-on, and Ochu awoke with a scream of rage.

It jumped up and landed back on the ground, which quaked and fissures appeared all around us. Pieces of the ground pushed up to slam into all of us beneath our feet, sending us into the air to crash back down. When I landed on the ground I heard something snap, and my left arm was bent at an odd angle. "Sofia!" Yuna called, running over. "Are you alright?" she asked. "My arm's broken," I told her. She looked at it before stepping back and swinging her staff.

A white light glittered around me, and I fell the bone in my arm snap back into place. I stretched it and made a fist; it was no longer broken. "Thank you," I told her. She nodded and said "I'll go help the others," before running off. Lulu had managed to make it to her feet, but she was breathing heavily. I handed her a Potion and said "Here, take this." She took a quick gulp and her breathing even out. She nodded her thanks before handing it back to me. "That fiend is proving a challenge," she told me.

I nodded in agreement, before slowly smiling and saying "Well we know one thing." She raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "And what exactly might that be?" My smile widened. Tidus, Wakka and Kimahri were keeping the Ochu busy, so we had time to go through with my idea. "Just how many Fire spells can you cast in one go?" I asked. She blinked in surprise and said "My ultimate spell if Fury, which allows me to cast several of one spell in a single attack."

I nodded happily. "That will be perfect. Use that hit it with as many Fire spells as you can!" She hesitated for a moment before nodding and closing her eyes raising her arm above her head.. I ran back to the Ochu and yelled "Hey, Plant Boy!" It turned to look at me, and I darted to the side just as Lulu opened her eyes and lowered her arms, saying one word: "Burn." Immediately the Ochu burst into flames, and did so again and again.

The Fury spell lasted about nine times, and when it ended the Ochu was staggering about, severely burnt. "Everyone, use your finishing moves to put an end to this!" I called. Tidus nodded and flipped across the ground to the Ochu, where he jumped up and used Spiral Cut. Kimahri used his spear to launch himself into the ground before he landed down and slammed his spear into the Ochu while Wakka spun his ball on his finger. Then he kicked it while it switched to Fire, and the moment it connected the Ochu gave one last scream of anguish before fading away.

For a second we all stood there, breathing heavily from adrenaline before Gatta ran up to us and said "Whoa!" "A summoner and her guardians. Very impressive," Luzzu commented. "Sir, we should fight too!" Gatta told him. "We'll get our chance," Luzzu replied. Their began to run off, Gatta singing "Young Crusaders gather round! We'll beat Sin into the ground!"

I smiled at it before looking at the others. "Everyone okay?" I asked. They all nodded, and Wakka said "You were able to heal us pretty well Yuna. Good job." Yuna shook her head. "No, it was your job for fighting the fiend." Before Wakka could protest I said "In either case, the road to the temple is now open. Let's go." Yuna nodded and began walking forward, the rest of us following.

xxx

Whew, that Ochu was tougher than it looked for Sofia and the others. Now they're on their way to Kilika Temple, but you all know what's waiting at the top of those steps.

Please review! (Flames will be ignored)