Apparently, I got another novel-length story left in me—a story I've wanted to write for a while now. This story takes place five months after the end of the events in a one-shot I did recently called, 'Let it Rain', just so everyone reading is aware. You don't have to read that one-shot to understand the story, but there's some back story references made in this one that I think I've explained rather well for those who aren't interested in reading 'Let it Rain'. Also, this is rated M for a future chapter that has yet to be written. Enjoy and drop me a line if you feel compelled to.

Chapter 1: Misfire

An ambient hum accompanied by crackles of energy resonated throughout the dark, stone corridors of the Machine Faction headquarters.

I stood anxiously beside Tidus in the main foyer, while the rest of our friends impatiently waited for Shinra to unveil his latest invention to us all.

"I hope this doesn't take all daaay," Rikku whined, shoulders sagging along with her expression.

Paine raised an inquisitive brow. "Why? You got somewhere else to be?"

"As a matter of fact I do!" Bounding over to Gippal, she latched onto his arm and grinned wildly. "We have dinner plans."

"Not at this rate," he complained, his unpatched eye leering over at the room the Al-Bhed wiz-kid had yet to bring his invention out of for what must've been almost an hour now.

Baralai released an impatient sigh then shifted his attention over to his Al-Bhed buddy. "All this time he's been using your facility and you have no idea what he's been working on?"

"Beats me." Gippal shrugged. "That kid kept the door locked the entire time. And as long as he kept shellin' out the gil for rentin' it, I didn't ask."

Tidus shot the Machine Faction leader a questioning look. "Where did he get the gil for everything anyway?"

"Rin," he answered, plaintively. "Most of his fundin' comes from him. They got some joint venture goin' that has to do with harnessin' energy from the Farplane."

And that worried me. Meddling with an unstable energy source was dangerous, especially since we knew almost nothing about it.

Concern mounting, I leaned in close to Tidus and whispered, "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"It's Shinra," he replied with a chuckle. "How bad can it be?"

Obviously my new fiancé didn't know the Al-Bhed wiz-kid like the rest of us. Not all of his inventions had been successful…or safe for that matter. His intentions had always seemed genuine though. So, I suppose that should've been comforting…but it wasn't.

Gaze drifting down to the diamond ring on my finger, I couldn't help but smile. Tidus and I were engaged. It happened on the final day of our trip across Spira together when he'd gotten down on one knee and formally proposed. I hadn't been too surprised by it, though, since he'd hinted at it early on during our stay at the travel agency on the Mi'ihen Highroad. I'd never been so thankful to get caught in a storm. That night had been wonderful. And the three months after were even better.

Not only had he presented me with that ring the night he'd proposed, but also with a key to our two-bedroom condo in Luca that he'd acquired through the advancement he'd received from secretly signing with the Aurochs' before we'd left Besaid.

Learning when he'd purchased it came as a bit of a surprise though. It'd been the day after we'd made love at the Mi'ihen travel agency.

When I woke the morning after the storm to find him gone, I panicked—afraid he may have…disappeared again. But the note Tidus had left on the pillow for me had put my mind at ease. Though, I did wonder at the time what he could've forgotten back in Luca. And I suppose I could've interrogated him more about it back then. But I just really wanted to continue on our trip at the time that I'd put it out of my mind.

Time had gone by so fast. It was hard to believe that we'd been living together for two whole months already, that is, if we didn't count the three months we'd spent travelling together before then.

Just then, the sound of a mechanical door swooshing open snapped me out of my blissful reverie. My gaze then fell on the strange type of machina being wheeled out on a platform by two of Gippal's employees with the Al-Bhed wiz-kid leading the way.

Whatever it was looked like a type of gateway consisting of an enormous, metal hoop with a multitude of nodes attached to the surface and mounted onto a huge, iron slab. My stomach knotted at the sight. Something about this didn't feel right.

Gippal's eyes widened. "What…in the hell…is that?"

"It's called the Quantum Bender," Shinra proudly announced.

Folding her arms, Paine quirked a brow at the wiz-kid, who stood in front of the invention dressed in his famous gasmask-hazmat suit. "The what now?"

"The Quantum Bender," he repeated with an edge of annoyance.

"Umm…" Rikku scrunched her face, clearly confused. "Come again?"

"Yeah, we don't speak mad scientist," Tidus quipped with a chuckle. "Try again."

With a disappointed shake of his head, Shinra released a dejected sigh and finally revealed, "It's a time machine."

The silence was deafening. But the shock on everyone's face spoke volumes.

Baralai uncomfortably shifted between Paine and Rikku, looking slightly nervous. "I'm not certain something like this is even legal."

"It shouldn't be." All eyes were on me at that moment as I prepared to elaborate. "It's dangerous. All we'd sacrificed to save Spira from Sin and Vegnagun could be undone."

"She has a point," Paine indicated with a sure nod. "That's assuming it even works."

"It works. I tested it on a couple of androids with a spherecam strapped to them. They picked up several recordings of cities across Spira before the Machina War. The one that existed over the water of the Moonflow was especially impressive."

"And…how were you able to bring them back?" Tidus asked with caution.

"With this!" The wiz-kid held up a small disk-shaped module in his hand. "It's infused with the same Farplane energy that powers the main device. The connection is unbreakable. As long as whatever or whoever is travelling through time has it, they can safely return."

"Operating a machina like this is too dangerous," Baralai warned. "It could have disastrous consequences that would impact all of Spira."

Instead of relenting like I hoped he would, Shinra proceeded to plead his case. "Only if it's in the wrong hands. Think of what we can accomplish if—"

Suddenly the machina in question roared to life, crackling with tiny, electric bolts.

"Uh-oh…" The Al-Bhed wiz-kid pushed a button at the base of the device, bringing up a holographic computer screen, to which he began to frantically tap and slide his finger across. "This isn't supposed to happen."

"Then shut it down!" Paine raised her voice.

"I'm trying…"

Anxiety swelled inside my chest. The electric bolts had multiplied and began to morph into a type of energy field, lighting up the inside of the ring in a brilliant glow. Something bad was going to happen. I was sure of it.

Urgently pawing at the air, Rikku shouted, "Well hurry! It's getting worse!"

The bright energy pooling inside the ring started to billow out and flow through the air in long, winding streams.

"Shut it down!" Gippal hollered.

"What do you think I've been trying to do?"

"Well whatever you're doing it's obviously not working!" Tidus bellowed.

"Ugh! This is getting us nowhere!" Hitting the button on her garment grid, Rikku switched into her alchemist dressphere and aimed her oversized gun at the unrestrained machina. "Time to scrap this hunk of metal!"

"No—don't!" Shinra warned, holding up his hands in protest.

But it was too late. Rikku blasted the device with two calculated shots, leaving a dent in part of the ring and scattering bolts in every direction.

The energy pouring out of the machina instantly got sucked back into the middle of the ring and vanished before the invention darkened and fell silent.

"Whew!" Rikku wiped the sweat off her brow and lowered the gun. "That was close."

Hanging his head in defeat, Shinra retrieved the disk-shaped device from his pocket and gave it a longing look. "I guess it was never meant to be." He then tossed it onto the floor and slunk away toward the room he'd been renting without uttering another word.

I was relieved by what my cousin had done, but I couldn't help feeling bad for Shinra. He was just a kid after all. And maybe a little too eccentric for his own good.

"I feel kinda bad, y'know?" And Rikku's long face made it obvious.

"Don't," Gippal assured her with a loving smile. "You did the right thing. He'll get over it."

Curiosity got the better of me at that moment, and I cautiously made my way over to the machina to inspect it further then bent down to retrieve the disk-shaped module Shinra had abandoned on the floor.

"He had good intentions," I offered in his defence, curiously running a finger over the ridged, metal disk and its tiny buttons. "They were just a little…misguided."

Snap! Snap! Zzzt! Zzzzzt!

"Look out!" Gippal shouted.

"Yunie!"

Suddenly there was a blinding flash followed by an intense tingling sensation all throughout my body. Just as my vision focused, I spotted my fiancé rushing toward me, hands outstretched with a look of horror on his face.

"Yuna! Noooo!"

By the time I realized what was happening, it was already too late. All of my friends, my fiancé, and the world I knew were long gone. And I now found myself standing on a dock in what seemed like a foreign land.

The skyline across the lake was aglow with bauble-shaped buildings clustered together and lit up in neon lights, reaching far into the night and seeming to almost scrape the clouds surrounding the full-moon. An enormous stream of water arched over the city, shimmering against all the twinkly lights of the metropolis below.

It was quite a sight, but a familiar one because of all the sphere's I'd seen as well as the hologram Seymour had shown to me and my guardians in Guadosalam during my pilgrimage.

"Zanarkand…" I breathed in astonishment.

Shinra's invention had transported me a thousand years into the past. And my stomach coiled with dread at the thought. We'd all believed Rikku had busted that machina. Now, by some cruel twist of fate, I'd ended up in my fiancé's home city. Only it wasn't quite the same one. This was the one Shuyin and Lenne lived in.

"C'mon… Stay the night, Allie."

That voice…

"You're gonna get me into trouble with my folks," the girl indicated with a giggle. "Not every seventeen-year-old lives on their own, you know."

Turning to look behind, I spotted a young couple in a loving embrace on the deck of a houseboat. And one of them had a familiar mop of blond hair.

Shuyin…?

"Y'know… You can always call your folks and tell them you're staying at a friend's house. That way we can continue having fun tonight."

"I caaan't," she whined. "I know you're keyed-up from the win tonight, but I just can't."

"Mmm… Alright." He groaned, releasing the young woman from his arms. "See you next weekend then?"

"Count on it!" She then turned and began to walk away, stopping briefly to blow him a kiss. "Bye Tidus."

Tidus!?

After returning her kiss with a wave, he turned and retreated back inside the houseboat, leaving me completely shocked and confused at where I'd actually ended up.

My thoughts swirled into a dizzying blur as my blood ignited into a jealous rage. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks, and I tightened my fists at my side, trying to control my emotions. Tidus hadn't met me yet. That's what I had to remind myself. He didn't even know I existed.

And then it'd finally sunk in. I was in Tidus' Zanarkand. Dream Zanarkand. Or was it even a dream? After explaining to me what had happened to him when he'd faded from Spira, we both had to wonder. Palamecia was a different world—a type of realm. Did that mean his Zanarkand was one as well? The fayth assured us otherwise, but I hadn't been entirely convinced, especially now. I was left wondering how something like this could happen. And how I was ever going to return home.

Looking down at the disk-shaped module in my hands, I began to press the buttons on it, hoping I could get it to work somehow and I'd be transported back to Spira.

But nothing happened.

Knowing my luck, the Quantum Bender as Shrina had called it was completely broken now and would be in need of repairs.

I groaned at the thought, shoving the device into the back pocket of my shorts then stared over at the door of the houseboat, finding the courage to go over and knock on it. There was no other choice, really. Where else would I go? But more importantly—what would I say?

It's not like I could just tell him the truth. And I doubted Tidus would allow what would seem like some random girl to stay the night. But there was always a chance. Either way, I had to make a decision soon, especially since I found myself already standing outside his door.

There was a button on the side to what I assumed to be a type of buzzer or doorbell. So, I pressed it once, hearing it chime inside while I anxiously waited for him to answer.

It wasn't long before I heard movement on the other side. Then, the door suddenly swung open.

"I knew you couldn't stay away." Those dreamy blue eyes I loved so much slightly widened when he realized I wasn't who he thought. "You're not Allie."

Obviously. "No…I'm not."

His brow creased in mild aggravation. "It's kinda late for an autograph, dontcha think? And how'd you get past security? This section of the marina is closed off to the public after a certain hour. Only private residents and guests are allowed in."

"I, um…" Throat suddenly dry, I swallowed hard and tried to think of a suitable answer. But I was too stunned by the coldness in his tone and the absence of love and adoration in his eyes that I'd known for so long. Of course it didn't help any that he was shirtless in his blitz shorts with the top button undone.

"Don't worry." His face softened in resignation. "I won't call security on ya. Give me whatever it is you want me to sign then you can head home."

Blinking back tears, I took in a trembling breath and confessed in a small voice, "I'm not a fangirl."

"Could've fooled me with that top you're wearing." His eyes drifted down to the symbol at the middle of my chest before he flashed me that famous grin I knew all-too-well. "I gotta admit—it's pretty cool. Didya make it yourself?"

"Actually no, I…" As much as I'd been trying to fight back tears, I couldn't any longer. Wet lines slid down my cheeks, and I quickly brushed them away, hoping he wouldn't notice. "I… I have nowhere to go."

A troubled sigh left his lips, and he rubbed the back of his neck, seeming uncertain what to do next. "Do you need some gil?"

"No, I… I'm not looking for a hand-out."

"Look, are you in some kinda trouble?"

I breathed an incredulous laugh. "You have no idea."

To my surprise, Tidus stepped aside at that moment and invited me in. "C'mon…"

For some reason my feet wouldn't move. I was paralyzed. The gravity of the situation had finally struck me. And I thought I was going to black-out. I was really in Dream Zanarkand. The same Dream Zanarkand that would cease to exist.

Suddenly, I recalled what my fiancé had told me about the night he'd been pulled out of Zanarkand, and how it'd been attacked by Sin. My stomach knotted even more. If our friends couldn't fix that machina in time to get me out by then…my life would be over and Spira's cycle of doom would never end.

"C'mon, before I change my mind," he insisted, gesturing for me to come through the door.

My feet finally cooperated. But when I stepped inside, I was overwhelmed by all the emotions I'd been trying to suppress and collapsed to my knees, sobbing into my hands. I was stronger than this. I'd come so far over the years. And now, I felt helpless, afraid…broken. Just me being there threatened…everything.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Crouching beside me, Tidus rubbed a soothing hand over my back and helped me to my feet. "Would you like me to make you a hot chocolate, coffee, or maybe a stiff drink?" he offered, guiding me down the short staircase into the rather spacious living room to take a seat on the sofa.

I sniffled loudly and wiped the tears from my face. "Hot chocolate is fine."

"Actually…how's a hot-toddy sound? I got a feeling you could use a drink."

That was something I hadn't indulged in often. But at this point, I needed something to calm my nerves.

"Mm…" I hummed with a firm nod.

"You got it!" Hurrying over to the kitchen, Tidus grabbed a couple mugs and put them under some kind of machina that resembled an instant coffee-maker from Spira then flipped a switch at the side. "So, what's your story? You in an abusive relationship or something?"

"No... That's not it at all."

"I know that look. The fear in your eyes—I've seen it before and it usually involves abuse of some kind."

"My fiancé is not like that."

"Engaged huh? Lemme guess—you caught him with another woman?"

"No… He wouldn't do that either. He's…wonderful and loving. He'd do anything for me."

"Sounds like a good guy. What're you running from then?"

"I'm not running from anything. I was…taken against my will."

Tidus stopped whatever he was doing and whirled around, eyes wide. "You were abducted!? And you managed to escape!? Maybe we should call the—"

"No, no," I protested, waving my hands. "I wasn't abducted by anyone. It's…complicated."

"Well then help me to understand." Turning to retrieve the mugs from the coffee-maker, he set them onto the counter and took a bottle of liquor out of the cupboard. "I kinda wanna know why a pretty girl like you ended up outside my door in the middle of the night, crying as if her life was over."

"Because it might be," I murmured, sadly.

Tidus proceeded to pour some of the liquor into both mugs then gave them a stir with a spoon. "Yeah, that's not cryptic at all," he muttered, returning to the sofa with our drinks in hand. "Careful, it's hot." With a tight smile, he offered me one of the mugs and took a seat next to me, setting his onto the coffee-table. "So, do you have a name?"

"Yuna." I took a sip of the hot, foreign beverage, finding it tasted an awful lot like lemon tea with some kind of whisky.

"Nice to meet you, Yuna. In case you don't know, I'm—"

"Tidus—star player of the Zanarkand Abes."

A rueful grin stretched across his face. "So you are a fan."

"Something like that."

"How come I haven't seen you at any of my games?"

My brow shot up in surprise. "You memorize the faces of all your fans?"

"Nah…" He chuckled. "But I can always spot a gorgeous girl in the crowd. And I would've noticed someone like you. Especially in an outfit like the one you're wearing."

Was he really flirting with me just then? I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised knowing Tidus and his past the way I did.

"Sorry, I'm a natural flirt," he confessed with a nervous laugh. "I know you're engaged, so don't worry. I won't make a pass at you or anything."

"What about Allie?"

"What about her?" Tidus shrugged and took a sip from his mug. "It's nothing serious between us. I don't have the time to get serious with anyone to be honest."

"I see. Well, one day you will."

"I dunno. Maybe… If the right girl ever comes along."

"She will."

"Don't tell me," he barked with laughter. "You're one of those fortune tellers from A-East."

"Ah…no."

"Could've fooled me. You said that with such certainty like you know the future or something."

"Well…" I suppose I should've stopped there, but…I didn't. "Maybe I do."

"Really?" he challenged. "You're not one of those fortune tellers, so… What—you own a time machine?"

He really had no idea just how much truth there was to that. "I, um… You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

His teasing grin widened. "That you travelled through time?"

I tilted my head to the side and gave him a tiny smile. "If I told you I did, what would you say?"

"That you're crazy."

And he'd have every reason to believe it. If Shinra needed to fix that machina, I could be stuck in Zanarkand for a few days or maybe even longer. I didn't want to even entertain the thought of permanently, considering its looming destruction. I needed somewhere to stay…at least for a little while. And with someone I trusted.

With that being the case, I inhaled deeply and decided against telling Tidus the truth…for now. "I'm…lost to be honest. I'm not from Zanarkand and I'm…not sure how I ended up here or at this marina for that matter."

That smile of his made a quick retreat. "You serious?"

"Mm," I confirmed with a nod.

"I've never been outside of Zanarkand. My old man went missing when I was little. They say he drowned off the coast when training. I never really questioned it back then. I guess I didn't care to. But now…you got me thinking."

"That maybe he didn't die after all? And that he's…stuck somewhere else like me?"

"I dunno… Maybe. It's weird. No one really mentions anything outside of here. It's like this is all that exists." His eyes then met mine in careful consideration. "So, where exactly are you from if not Zanarkand?"

Careful not to reveal too much, I searched for an answer that would be believable to someone like him. "Luca. It's a city far away from here…I suppose."

"Really?" he questioned, gaze dropping to the symbol on my top once again. "And they cheer for the Abes?"

Tidus had me there. And I had to think quickly in order to curb his suspicions. "We don't have a blitzball team. So, we cheer for our favorite ones on the sphere."

"Well, I guess wherever this Luca is can get some damn good signals to pick up our games."

"Mm…" I then took a long pull of my hot-toddy, hoping he'd drop the subject. But to be sure, I decided to add to the lie. "I... I'm not certain about a lot of things. My mind is still quite cloudy."

"Sounds like you were drugged," he concluded. "Maybe in the morning things will become clearer."

"Yes…perhaps."

Tidus exhaled heavily and rubbed his face in frustration. "You're welcome to stay the night. I've always trusted my gut. And I got a feeling if I let you walk through that door, I'll end up regretting it somehow."

"Are…you sure?"

"Yeah… You can stay in my old room." Tidus gulped down the rest of his drink and stood. "C'mon, I bet you're tired."

I wasn't, actually. There was no chance of me getting any sleep that night. But I wasn't about to complain. I had a warm bed for the evening. And I was safe with him, even if he didn't love me...or know me for that matter.

After taking a final pull of my drink, I followed the man I loved down the stairs to the bowels of the houseboat with a heavy heart.

He stopped in front of the door to what I assumed was the bedroom I'd be staying in, opened it for me, and switched on the light.

It was neatly kept and decorated with several rock-band posters on the navy-blue painted walls. There was a full-sized bed, complete with bedding to match the décor, a couple of wooden dressers, and two matching nightstands accompanied by a table-lamp on each.

Obviously the room wasn't used much, considering how messy my fiancé could be with our bedroom back in Luca.

Breezing past me, Tidus made his way over to one of the dressers and opened a drawer, pulling out a black, oversized t-shirt.

"If you want, you can sleep in this," he suggested, setting the article of clothing onto the bed. "I'll be in the room across the hall if you need anything."

I politely thanked him for his hospitality, to which he acknowledged with a tight smile, before leaving the room and carefully closing the door behind.

Standing in that room, I realized just how alone I was. Normally at this time of night I'd be nestled in bed, safe and warm, in my fiancé's loving arms. But tonight, I'd be alone in bed for the first time since Tidus returned five months ago, in a world and time I didn't belong in.

I slowly changed out of my gunner outfit and pulled the oversized t-shirt over my head and down my body. That's when something caught my eye. A blond teddy-bear sitting atop one of the dressers.

A tiny smile tugged on my lips. Maybe I'd actually have something to cuddle with that night after all.

Slowly approaching the wooden dresser, I carefully retrieved the stuffed bear then returned to the wall to switch off the lights before climbing underneath the flannel comforter. That teddy-bear wasn't Tidus, but it was at least something to snuggle with for the night.

Laying my head onto the fluffy pillow, I cuddled the stuffed toy in my arms and allowed the hot tears to spill from my stinging eyes. I wondered where my Tidus was at that moment and how he was coping without me. Had he and our friends begun helping Shinra to repair the machina that'd brought me to Zanarkand? He must've been so distraught.

After a while, my troubled thoughts became an indistinguishable blur, and I finally succumbed to exhaustion, drifting into a restless slumber.