A/N: So yes, a new story. This is one that I have been kicking around for more than a year, but I had the inspiration to go ahead with it. I have a feeling this may be one of the last new works I add for a while-or at least until next year lol. To be honest, I really have a lot going on, and this and my other new one are the only things that have helped me get past my writer's block. The good news is that I now have a writing schedule that I am doing my best to stick to. As long as that becomes a habit for me (my goal) I will be able to get updates out on a regular basis. That doesn't mean I will be updating anything more than once a week or so, but at least it won't be months in between. All that said, I hope you enjoy this FFX story.

Chapter 1

Kathleen Summerton had just climbed over the side of her mentor's boat after an hour observing the health of the coral reef below them. She was just grateful that the area had few tourists. Although that was likely to change later in the day. Her lips pursed as she tried not to worry about the impact. At least what they had observed looked to be in better shape than it had the year prior, so the work they were doing with the local government seemed to be paying off. Only time would tell.

That was her third summer interning with Dr. Evan Jones while she finished her doctorate in Marine biology. She had gotten lucky after she finished her bachelor's and was introduced to him through her father. They had both been in the Air Force together many, many years ago. Her father hadn't been thrilled that she had chosen to go into something other than running the family's small chain of gas stations, but her mother had put her foot down. No one ever said anything, but despite her father's rank when he retired, her mother had always been the one in charge.

Not that it mattered. It ended up that her younger brother, Matt, had been better with the books anyway, so he was in charge of all five stations, and their parents had both semi-retired. Kat was only glad that they didn't decide to go with her to Australia for the summer. She had her hands full with the new intern, and she was finally getting more responsibility. The last thing she needed was her mother fretting whenever she went diving.

That morning had been the first of many to come, and Kat had just finished pulling off the top of her wet suit. She had grabbed a towel to take care of the worst of her dripping hair when she heard a curse then a crash right before a tank rolled into her foot. She glared over at the new intern and almost felt bad when he cringed.

Instead of yelling, she sighed before picking up the tank and bringing it back to him. "Look, Todd, thankfully, no one was hurt, so I won't tell Dr. Jones, but you have to start paying more attention. These things might be tough enough to withstand a lot, but just because these are filled with air doesn't mean they won't explode. A full tank has enough pressure to cause real destruction if you drop it on something that damages the metal."

Kat doubted the clumsy intern would actually make a tank explode, as the odds were stacked against it. Still, she needed to impress upon him the importance of safety. If any one of them messed up bad enough, their lives were on the line. When the boy lowered his head and scrunched his shoulders, Kat sighed again. She felt like a monster every time she had to get on to him because he was too soft. As much as she wouldn't usually say anything, she had a feeling she was going to have to give the doctor her opinion. Tod was brilliant, but he wasn't giving the impression that he would be good with fieldwork.

Not that it mattered. They still had three weeks to go on this journey, and they would spend most of it on the water. Maybe Todd would prove her wrong before they had to go back. She sure as hell hoped he did. She ignored his kicked-puppy look as much as possible as she turned away without another word. She could already feel the salt drying in her hair, and it was itchy. Maybe a good rinse-off was in order before they had to go over the samples they took of any less than healthy coral.

Later that evening, a small group that consisted of the three researchers, the captain, and his first mate were gathered on the top deck with full bellies and a few drinks. It had been a great start to another research trip, and they were all in good spirits. For most of them, it wasn't the first trip they had shared. Todd was the only new person, and despite how shy he was, he was not left out of the teasing conversation. Kat even felt herself warming up to the boy. When he wasn't ducking and cringing around her, he had a cute smile. But that was something she swore would never pass her lips. Her mother had been not-so-subtly hounding her for a couple of years for her to meet someone to 'share her life with.' Kat found the concept a little outdated.

Not that she had really tried to look. Doing everything she could to further her career took most of her time. She tried to tell her mom that she loved every minute of it, which worked—sometimes. But in the end, it was a problem for another day.

The sun was setting behind a growing bank of clouds that made for a gorgeous display, but Kat didn't need the captain's next words to know they were in for a rough night. "It looks like our red sky this morning has finally come to call."

Kat chuckled dryly when Todd gave the man a confused look. She didn't wait for him to ask the question she could see in his face as she said, "Red sky at morning, sailor's take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight. It may be an old saying, but that doesn't make it false."

It seemed that mother nature was keen to prove the validity of her words. She had barely finished speaking when the first drops started to fall. Kat had to bite her lip not to laugh when Tod jumped up and nearly fell. At least she was able to catch him and keep them both from falling into the railing. She did grin when the contact brought a bright flush to the boy's cheeks, but she didn't tease him. She had seen enough summer storms blow in to know they didn't have long before things got nasty, and she had already showered. Instead, she followed the rest in and gave her goodnights before she headed to her bunk.

Maybe she could get a little reading in before she had to turn in. After all, her brother had gotten her that Final Fantasy Ultimania she had wanted for years. It was the third volume with X through XIV, and most importantly, it was in English. She mourned not being able to get the others that had more detail, but it was better than nothing. Not that she would ever admit to anyone other than her brother that she liked it.

When he had been younger, they spent some of the best summers in their parent's boathouse—not with the boat, but in the small game room they had set up out there. They would take turns playing many games, but mostly she just watched him. They were close enough in age that they got along better than most siblings they knew. To that day, they would play together for nostalgia's sake the few holidays they had together.

Unfortunately, she was not reading for long before the lights started to flicker. The boat's gentle rocking had increased as well, and if she didn't just turn in, she was liable to get seasick. Something that hadn't happened in years. She knew better now, so she sighed as she leaned over the edge of her bunk so she could shove the book back in the drawers underneath before she flipped off the light. She just hoped the storm wouldn't be bad enough to keep her up all night.

Kat had no idea how long she had been asleep, but she was woken when the boat tilted enough for her to nearly fall out of the bunk. When she hit the raised edge that kept her from falling out, she cursed sleepily. There was already a bruise forming on her arm, and she cursed again when the ship tilted crazily in the opposite direction.

Since she was the only female on the ship, she had a room to herself, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing at the moment. There were two bunks, and she could barely hang on to either of them as she tried to make her way out to the common areas to see if they needed any help. She wasn't part of the crew, but she had worked with them all long enough that she wasn't helpless either.

When she didn't see anyone in the galley, she made her way up to the bridge. She shivered slightly when she didn't see anyone on the way. Her nerves only grew when she didn't see the captain on the bridge. What the hell was going on? Where was everyone?

The lightning flashed again, and she finally noticed a small crowd on the forward deck. Her heart leapt at the thought that something might have happened to one of the crew members. She grabbed a lifevest from one of the storage closets closest to the outside door and was still fastening it as she made her way toward everyone else.

With as much as the ship was tilting, Kat was surprised to find that the weather didn't seem that bad. Yes, it was raining, and the wind was blowing, but neither was bad enough to explain the waves rising around them.

However, lightning flashed once more, and that time it illuminated something out of a nightmare. If it had been smaller, she might have thought it was a whale, but the way the light had reflected off the skin made it seem ridged instead of smooth. She barely even noticed when her feet led her to a side rail instead of toward the rest of the group. Even the sounds of the storm seemed to have lessened as she watched the behemoth from the deep as it rose out of the water.

Lightning was coming in quick clashes all around them, and the bright glow illuminated one baleful eye as it seemed to look right at her. Kat was sure it was a trick of the light, but she could see intelligence in that eye, and maybe sadness or resignation as it rolled down to focus on something in the water.

Somehow, Kat tore her gaze away from the sight of the thing in front of her to see what might be in the depths. However, she wasn't fast enough to notice a thick tentacle next to her before it flashed out and wrapped around her arm. It nearly had her over the rail before she could even fight back. Although, when she tried to grab on and pull herself back into the ship, she felt like her shoulder was going to be pulled out of its socket.

Her fight to stay out of the water had finally broken the pall around her, and she could hear voices calling her name over the sound of the storm. She tried to call out, but a wave of seawater splashed around her and nearly choked her as she almost breathed it in. Not only that, but her grip was starting to slip off the slick rail.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or curse when her hand finally slipped off the rail just in time for Dr. Jones, Todd, and the captain to get to where she had been standing. She was sure her horror was reflected in their eyes as she fell into the water.

The lifevest managed to keep her on top of the water long enough to see their faces a few more times as they scrambled to get the rope to throw out to her. She fought against the waves to keep from getting swept too far away. It wasn't until she saw them toss the buoy over that she realized the tentacle had let go of her as soon as she fell.

Kat wasn't sure if that made her feel better or not, but the buoy had landed and wasn't too far away. She swam towards it, but just before she got a hand on it, something scaled and slick wrapped around her leg and pulled her under. She fought the grip, but the more she thrashed around, the less headway she made.

Between the night and the storm, the water was already dark, but Kat could no longer tell up from down. She vaguely realized she couldn't be too far from the surface because her ears didn't feel like they were about to burst, but that was cold comfort as she could no longer hold her breath. Her last thoughts were of her family as the water forced its way down her throat and the darkness quickly followed.

Kat woke up to a bright and airy room with tall windows and dark walls. The windows were open, and a briny breeze was blowing in with the sound of gulls nearby. It was enough to tell her that she was still close to the ocean, but that was all her mind was capable of for the moment. She groaned at the way the light stabbed into her eyes like hot knives, and the quiet sound made her throat feel like it was on fire.

Her predicament wasn't helped when she tried to turn over only to find that one arm felt like someone had taken a bat to it, and the other shoulder felt like her arm was about to fall off. That wasn't even counting how one of her legs shifted against the sheet and made another low groan come out. Despite her pain, she had to lift the sheet just to make sure she still had skin.

She frowned at the angry red color that ran in spirals up to her thigh, but she wasn't given long to worry about it. A smiling woman with concern in her expression was quickly by her side as she said, "Don't move too fast now. We can't tell how bad your toxin exposure was, and we don't want you to fall."

Kat's head was already fuzzy, so the woman's words made zero sense. Although, she was beginning to wonder if her dark dreams had been dreams at all. Before she could ask, the woman handed her a clear flask with a smile as she said, "Now that you're awake, we can treat your injuries a little more easily. Drink that up, and the worst of them should be gone when you wake."

Kat eyed the jar with a little trepidation. Despite how her throat felt, she managed to grind out, "What is it?"

The woman didn't seem perturbed at all. She just smiled serenely as she said, "It's just a potion, dear, with a few added herbs to help you relax while you heal. I'm afraid there is no treatment for the toxin, but this will heal your external wounds. We'll assess the rest when you feel a bit better."

For a moment, Kat wondered if she was still dreaming. The whole situation seemed surreal and unfamiliar. However, when she sniffed the liquid in the flask, all she could smell was a scent that reminded her of an herb garden. She didn't believe it could cure her wounds, but it might slake her thirst if nothing else. It didn't smell bad.

There wasn't much in the jar, so Kat tipped it back and finished it in short order. Almost instantly, her throat started to feel better, and she gave the woman a bright smile. Her voice was closer to her normal tone when she said, "Oh, that was wonderful. Thank you."

The nurse took the empty jar back with a glad smile before she set it to the side and helped fluff the pillow as she said, "It will probably take a few treatments to get the best results, but for now, you should rest. Time and sleep will be the best healers."

Kat was amazed at how much all of her pain had dimmed, and due to that, her head was clearer. She finally remembered that she had been on a ship with many others and something had happened. Instead of lying down, she grabbed the woman's arm with worry in her eyes as she said, "Where am I? The last thing I remember was a storm. I think the others were on deck for some reason, but I can't—did something happen?"

The woman's smile instantly fell, and she put a reassuring hand on Kat's arm as she gently said, "I'm sorry. There were no others. You were found on the beach a short distance from here, and the fishermen brought you in. From the looks of your injuries, it's clear you were attacked by Sin. Maybe you'll remember more later and can look for your companions."

Kat heard the woman's words, but her brain snagged on one of them, so none of the rest made it through. She shook her head a few times as if that could somehow make the words fall into an order that made sense. Finally, she looked back at the woman with a frown as she said, "Attacked by Sin? What is that supposed to mean?"

If anything, her question seemed to make the woman more concerned. She gently pushed back against Kat's shoulder as she whispered, "Oh dear. It might be much worse than I expected."

By that time, Kat was feeling the effects of whatever had been in that drink, so she didn't have the strength to fight. At least she had enough to grab the woman's hand before she could walk off. She had to stifle a yawn before she could ask, "Where am I anyway?"

The woman sighed as she took Kat's hand and tucked it beneath the covers. She tried to be reassuring as she said, "You have nothing to worry about. You are safe in Bevelle, and Sin rarely comes here. If it does, the monks will fight it off. All you need to worry about is resting so you can heal."

If Kat hadn't felt thoroughly drugged, she might have jumped up at that moment. However, the best she could do was sit up a few inches before flopping back down. Her eyelids were betraying her as they slipped closed no matter how she fought to remain awake. Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "How?" That was all that came out before sleep washed over her.