Chapter 29: Victim

Yuna's POV:

Curled up in a foetal position I tucked my head between my arms tightly, trying to pretend that this was all a big mistake and that I would soon be free from this sinister confinement.

I had no idea how long it had been since I was shoved into this room and shackled. All I could remember were the words of Maester Kelk running through my mind over and over.

"This woman is now no longer a summoner. She will not continue her pilgrimage. Anyone who should refer to her, as 'Lady Yuna' will face the consequences. Once her punishment is over she will be banished for life."

I had cried a great deal since then. More than I could ever remember crying in my life. It was all because of one man who I had trusted and helped, only to have him betray all of that and leave me to suffer the punishment that he should have received.

Feeling tears start to trickle down the side of my face once more, I rolled over from my huddled-up position very slowly, so that I now lay on my back. The hard floor below me made my spine uncomfortable to rest on I noticed right away. However, nothing but my punishment could make me feel any real pain.

I felt sick and lonely. It was like a dark invisible force was yanking at something somewhere between my heart and stomach. It wasn't a nagging feeling; more of a 'hole that couldn't be filled ever again' feeling.

Tilting my head to the side I ran the palm of my hand over the rough particles of dirt that had been brought in with each prisoner held here. Inhaling a deep breath of air and dust particles along with it, I coughed and sat up a little against the wall behind me. Patting my chest firmly until I could breathe easily again, I stared into the darkness, wishing my eyes to get used to my new home and allow me to see objects more clearly.

After moments of waiting and still no change to my vision, I let my head fall back against the bricks and mumbled feeling very much defeated, "Take me now Yevon…if you even exist."


Tidus's POV:

"Why did you leave her like that aye? It's not safe for any summoner to be alone during these times." Cid questioned, although not once looking me in the eye.

Shrugging I leant against the entrance to the controls of the airship and watched the little lights on the screens flash every now and then. There was nothing of real interest aside from other airships a few miles ahead.

"I already told you 'she' left me." I said, crossing my arms and looking over at Cid once more.

Shaking his head he sighed, "You've changed a great deal since I last knew you."

Nodding in agreement I answered, "That's true, but I've seen what the other side is like and I have a right to be the way I am."

"That attitude of yours is what got us into this mess in the first place." A different voice from behind stated.

Turing around I saw Rikku frowning at me angrily; her arms folded and her eyes fixed on mine.

"I hate you. You don't care what happens to Yuna at all." She seethed between her teeth.

Suddenly feeling very heated and just really pissed off with the way everyone was treating me, I slammed my fist against the metal walls of the airship. I was ready to just start yelling foul language in her direction, however I forced it back, knowing that Cid would kick my ass for talking to his daughter in such a way.

Stepping down towards the corridor in which Rikku stood I went to say something in response. However as I tried to put words together in my head of what to say exactly, I decided that nothing could explain the way I felt right at that moment. So instead I turned away and headed towards the lift, no longer being able to hold in my rage.


Moments later I lie face-up on top of the airship, collecting my thoughts in the quietness of the passing clouds above.

Thinking about what Rikku had said a while ago made me come to the sudden realisation that I did in fact care about what happened to Yuna. I mean after all that time spent protecting her; I knew that it wasn't just because I had to do it. It was because I was scared for her life.

I don't know what she thought of me during the time we journeyed together. Knowing that I had thought of her in certain ways made me wonder if she had done the same.

We are both only human.

I suddenly crossed the thought that she may have even fallen for me. That wasn't something I could easily say I had done. Of course she was beautiful and had achieved a great deal before becoming a summoner. She was pure and amazingly strong-willed. It's just that…I could never see us together in that way. I guess I considered her more of a good friend than anything.

When we had first started out on this journey I had to question myself at times if it was love I was feeling but it didn't feel right. Then again it could be the fact that because I'm, kinda dead that I'm not equipped to feel the same feelings as the living anymore. However, considering I had never experienced love during the time I was alive, I couldn't figure out my true feelings very well at all.

Sitting up I found myself feeling confused more than anything. I hated this. Why couldn't I just be left alone? Why didn't Braska come back to save his precious daughter. I shouldn't be suffering again when I should be resting.

Suddenly the fury inside of me started to turn ugly. It would not be contained any longer and slowly I felt my muscles start to ache. Wincing I stared down at my hands noting that they began to pulse rather recklessly, causing the veins to bulge out, which in turn made me look old before my time.

It was then that I saw a tiny light slowly float across in front of me. Staring at it curiously I immediately felt relaxed and calm once more. As I tried to make out what it was I began to feel a strange itch inside of me.

Ignoring it for the moment I stood up and slowly reached out to the little ball of light fluttering so innocently. However it was then that I realised exactly what it was and it was not a thing to be messed about with.

The itching feeling started to irritate me even more and I noticed that ever so slowly, my body began to break away into tiny pyre flies. Staring down at my legs I figured that soon I would no longer be in my human form but instead a swarm of light that held within it thousands of memories.

Had my silent wish for freedom come true?

The feeling of it all was amazing. It felt as if I no longer had anything to worry or care about like a living human being did. Maybe I was going back to the Farplane and really this whole ordeal was just a dream.

"Tidus?"

Opening my eyes, not realising that they had even been closed until then, I saw that I was back in the Farplane where I belonged. Smiling I allowed my weightless body to fall into the colourful mist surrounding my feet.

As I started to settle into my home once more I heard yet again the same voice as before calling out to me. Frowning in confusion as I started to forget whom I was exactly, due to the fact I was now nothing more than memories trying to reorganise themselves, I looked around for the somewhat familiar voice.

Ripples on the far side of the dome I was in both echoed their way to my ears and created colourful sound waves towards me. Gazing over at where they were coming from exactly I saw that there was a person dressed in a black suit of some sort. Kind of like what a guard would wear, only this persons voice sounded like a womans.

Sighing serenely without a care whatsoever, even though they apparently seemed to know me, I turned around and headed the other way back towards my home.


Yuna's POV:

Crying was not something that I was used to. I had never remembered crying as a child nor could I remember crying in my adolescent years. Recently however I had been making up for every tear I hadn't cried before.

The only time I could remember feeling so hurt was the day my father died. I hadn't even cried then.

So why now?

Why was pain now so evident to me right now?

Why did it decide to show itself now, when all I really needed was strength and a clear mind to help me get out of this mess? It seemed all I could concentrate on was the words of Maester Kelk and the betrayal of my only guardian.

It was humiliating. I wanted to hurt him so badly to the point that he could feel my pain and more to pay for what he had done. If he cared in the slightest he would have been here by now saving me from this mess and confessing to the guards.

Scraping my nails along the harsh floor of my cell for about the thousandth time since I'd first been placed in here, I considered bargaining with the guards to let me out and hopefully off the hook. Maybe if I told them of Tidus' whereabouts they would thank me and allow me to go free in return.

Nodding determinedly I quickly rose to my feet and walked as far to the door as I could in the chains that bound me to the wall behind.

Then loudly I shouted, "I can help you find the real perpetrator in all this!"

Yanking on my chains in order to get closer to the door didn't help in the slightest. It only grazed my wrists and started to make them bleed. It did the same for my ankles, which began to ache.

I listened for any reply whatsoever, only to hear feet shuffling outside the cell door.

Once it quietened down again I frowned and started to feel angry tears appear at the corners of my eyes. Straining my right hand through the tight steel that surrounded it I yelped slightly and started to conjure up some kind of dark spell that I knew of.

Sweat began to form on my forehead and my arm came out before me as I thought of everything that had happened and of everything that was soon to occur because of stupid, stupid people!

Hearing the room around me start to groan as the walls expanded against the powerful energy emerging from my body, I allowed myself to let the first rush of hate pound against the walls of the prison. My first attempt only rocked the walls slightly and shook off the lifeless dust sitting upon them.

I knew that if I started to go any further with this attack I was going to be either assaulted yet again or I would win and finally get myself out of this place.

So concentrating on my only means of an escape route, I ignored the guards outside who started to question where the noise had come from and allowed an almighty surge of darkness to hit the walls of the room once more, only this time a lot more recklessly.

It was then that I realised my sudden light-headedness and weak ankles begin to buckle under my body. I had tried too hard and gotten nowhere. All I could see now were angry guards with batons coming towards me, swinging dangerously.

Avoiding a few of their attempts to hit me only lasted for the first few seconds and then I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head. At that moment I knew I had been defeated and the last I remembered was my failure at escaping.


A/N: Hello again people.

I have updated once again. This chapter has been waiting patiently for the last couple of months or so for me to finish it. Life just swept me off my feet once more, so I got caught up in it all again. Not to mention I've been working six days a week starting from 7.30am to 6.00pm every day except for Saturdays. Oh well. It's all good money.

New house and car for me hopefully within the next couple of years. SO THAT MEANS NO MORE CLOTHES SHOPPING AND BUYING MY LUNCH!!!

Anyway I feel like I've at least gotten into a healthy habit of updating every so often so that this story isn't forgotten and so that it doesn't seem rushed either.

Anyway until next chapter PLEASE REVIEW!!! I UPDATE QUICKER WITH SUPPORT!!!


Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the plot. Square-Enix owns FFX and everything associated with it.


Yunie Tidus