Tidus walked down the path, white again. The white trees made him feel empty, and it was strange that he was only one test away from her. He walked fast, trying to ignore the exhaustion that plagued him. It had been about an hour on his body's time since he had left the maze. With her image fresh in his mind, he walked, thinking of her and only her.

The path had been barren, with not even very many of the looming white trees. But he'd seen her, she'd come to him. He had the strength to fly, if need be. So he had to keep it to a fast walk, trying to find the end of the one-way path.

He walked, barely feeling the ground beneath his feet for almost a mile more, when he saw a bridge. He couldn't see what was on the other side, but it certainly wasn't black sky and red clouds. At the bridge there was a man standing, he was in his late thirties, it seemed. But he had the kind of look on his face that told Tidus that this man, like the other keepers of trials, was just as experienced through time.

"Tidus. How are you?" The man's voice was warm and welcoming. Not anything like Yukiko's strangely subtle and halfway betraying voice.

"Exhausted," he said. He then remembered his manners, "But grateful, thank you. How are you?"

"Anxious. My name, before we continue, is Andrelia. You can call me Andre. I only have three questions to ask, before you can go. First of all, did you love her? Yuna, that is."

There was hardly a silence. "Yes, and I still do. And I believe I always will." It seemed too easy. They knew that already, didn't they?

"Second, when was the last time you saw her? In person or otherwise?" His smile reassured Tidus that he was doing okay so far.

"She. . . she guided me out of the labyrinth."

Andre smiled and nodded again, his brown curly hair shaking in locks. His bright green eyes looked Tidus straight through to the heart of him.

"Did you tell her what you felt?"

He gulped, a bit guiltily. But there was Macalania, there were all of the times he just stood by her. "Not vocally," he confessed quietly, realizing he could have done better the first time as well.. "But I hope that my actions spoke louder than my voice ever could have."

There was a tense silence and Andre smiled. Tidus, still exhausted, smiled a little back.

"You may go."

Tidus thanked him and nodded before turning around to run across the bridge to join the living, to join Yuna, again.

* * * *

He crossed the bridge slowly, hopefully. As he stepped across, he was in a town not far from Besaid. It was hard to recognize, because all the buildings were different. Apparently, after the defeat of Sin, they had begun to reconstruct the Machina. He wondered briefly what had become of Zanarkand.

There were people all over in the streets. People talking, people shopping, people laughing. It wasn't like last time he'd been among the people in Spira. This time, everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.

* * * *

Yuna stood, leaning against her counter. It had been almost a week since that brief dream, and it didn't seem like nearly enough to keep her okay. She was almost back to being as tired as before, but she didn't want to let anyone catch on. She wanted Lulu and Wakka to be more concerned about themselves; each other.

They were gone now, shopping or walking. Doing whatever it was that they did when they were together. Yuna smiled at the thought of their happiness. She had always seen the way they glanced at each other, and quickly pretended that they didn't. It was cute, almost like a childhood crush.

Suddenly, her insides tumbled, and her legs went weak. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last, she was sure. She gripped the edge of the counter, and let some soft noises escape her throat. She'd heard Lulu talking about her soul dying. Yuna was scared, and wondered how much longer she could stand it.

Dying hurt more than she thought.

* * * *

Tidus wandered the streets, wondering which way to Besaid. He stopped at a few shops and did the most unmanly thing ever: asked for directions. Being manly didn't matter so much, anymore. Yuna was the only thing that he was breathing for.

It was quickly darkening, and he made his way to the docks to find a boat. As he turned a corner, he heard the most heart wrenching sound. A child, crying.

He had heard children earlier in the day, but mothers had long since shuffled their children off to bed. Part of him said to ignore the crying, that it was probably just a spoiled baby, crying over not getting what they wanted. But he listened to the other part that said to pay attention.

So he turned away from the docks toward the crying of the child.

* * * *

Yuna gripped the edge of the counter harder and half-screamed.

Alone, tired, and in pain; she fell.