Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X or any of its wonderful characters! Wait, but I DO own the game! That means I own it...but not really.

Anyway :-) All you need to know is that "italics" means the characters' thoughts. Here we go!

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It's been two years since the eternal calm was brought to Spira...

"21...22...23..."

It also has been two years since Yuna, Spira's savior, lost her beloved.

"39...40... I can make it!"

At age nineteen, the former summoner has found a new beginning for herself...or has she?

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Final Fantasy X: Beginnings

Chapter One: The Beginning of Another Story

A fanfic by Noelle

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Gasping for air, Yuna broke the surface of the water. "Two minutes and forty one seconds! A new high!"

"Pretty good at holding your breath now, ya?"

"Not as good as you!"

Yuna looked back at the beach to see Wakka congratulating her with a big smile on his face. He was wearing the Auroch's uniform as always, and the rest of the Besaid Aurochs were practicing their passing techniques on the beach.

"Pretty soon, you'll be able to play with us in the sphere pool! Keep it up!" He said as he helped her out of the water. She wasn't wearing her summoner's outfit; it wouldn't do so well underwater. Instead, she wore a variation of Tidus' uniform, the women's uniform for the Zanarkand Abes with an added white hood. Seymour's recreation of Zanarkand from the thoughts of those in the Farplane was useful for quite a few things, and this uniform fit her form quite nicely, which was finally starting to gain some lean muscle from her daily blitzing.

Yuna blushed and smiled weakly. " Thanks coach, but you've got to promise me you'll get rid of that pudgy stomach! You're not the one who's having a baby you know!" She laughed as she poked at it a few times for fun.

"Hey hey! I compliment you and this is what I get?" Wakka said as he jokingly bent over in pain from Yuna's pokes.

She smiled and tried to hide her laugh to no avail. She still wasn't used to getting compliments, even after becoming the most famous person in Spira after defeating Sin. She laughed a little more when the other Aurochs started commenting on Wakka's flab, making him very embarrassed, and very red.

"It's been two years since then. I can hold my breath underwater for two whole minutes now. It takes more than just physical strength, there's a few tricks to it that you need to figure out--I didn't understand when it was explained in words, but after a lot of practice I finally got it. I'd never thought there was any kind of trick to it--I couldn't afford to think about anything back then. "

She smiled wistfully as she once again remembered the reason she got into blitzball in the first place. "Blitzing helps me forget and remember him at the same time; a little confusing but...at least it works to keep me happy." At this thought, a familiar voice filled her memory.

"Every blitzer knows, when you've got the ball, you've got to make the play!"

"I've got everything going for me now...I can be anything I want but..." She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought. "Now's not the time to be sad, there's always hope, isn't there?" She turned around to face the sea, letting go a shrill whistle. It became an unconscious habit after awhile; it was her own special way of capping off her daily blitzball practice. She smiled gently as the waves lapped at her feet, today had been a good day, she thought happily, her new record giving her a sense of accomplishment.

"The Eternal Calm. It's my two minutes and forty one seconds and Wakka's pudgy stomach. It's not much--just a quiet kind of happiness."

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Wakka and Yuna walked back to the village together, and upon entering Yuna's hut, they were instantly met by a very pregnant Lulu.

"Yuna! You're dripping wet! Here, have a towel while I get you some clothes, ok?" Lulu just couldn't stop fussing around as she busied herself over Yuna much like a mother would. Instead of her usual braided black tresses, her hair was let loose, cascading down her back.

Yuna smiled at Lulu's antics while squeezing the extra water out of her tousled honey brown hair. Smiling. She'd been doing that a lot more often lately...maybe it was the anticipation of new life that made her..."Not forget," she thought,"... just happier. Maybe." She watched as Lulu and Wakka shared a quick kiss, before Lulu disappeared into the bedroom to get Yuna's clothes.

Lulu was getting rounder and rounder with each passing day, (and Wakka too, in a different way...^_^) and Yuna became the recent target of her emerging maternal instinct.

"I guess I shouldn't complain, but somehow...I wish my life were like this too."

"Hey spacey head! Change up! Remember, we're going to meet Rikku over at the salvage ship today so hurry up, ya?"

Wakka's voice brought her out of her reverie, and she realized that Lulu had brought her clothes already. They both looked at her with a little bit of worry, and with good reason. Two years ago, to put it lightly, Yuna fell into a deep depression. It's a wonder she didn't turn suicidal then, but then again, she had her guardians to help her out.

Yuna saw this worry on the faces on her guardians, and knew exactly what they were thinking. "Ok, ok!" She said, instantly brightening up, (not to mention also startling Wakka and Lulu) "I'll be ready in just a moment!" she quickly walked toward her room to change, summoner garb in hand, then closed the door behind her.

After a short pause, Wakka broke the silence.

"She still hasn't gotten over him, eh?" Wakka said in his thick accent, with a touch of sadness.

"She just needs time..." Lulu replied, "Just like I needed time to get over Chappu." She looked at Wakka lovingly and kissed his stubbly cheek. "I'm sure she'll find her own happiness someday."

Unknown to them, Yuna had unintentionally eavesdropped on their conversation, one foot inside her room and one foot out. With a little hesitation she stepped out, putting on her best smile. "I still have to practice smiling...even if I'm feeling sad," she thought as she greeted her guardians, "I'm ready!"

"Alright! Let's go!" Wakka said enthusiastically. Lulu smiled one of her rare smiles for Yuna as well, and in an instant, they were off to the port to meet Rikku.

Yuna could tell he was still trying to cheer her up, but her thoughts kept wandering back to what she had dropped in on earlier. "It's so easy to say that it'll get better with time, but...I don't think I could imagine myself loving anyone BUT him." She sighed softly to herself and looked out to the ocean. "I guess it's just a childish dream to think he'll come back to me one day, but for now..." she thought as she allowed herself to smile at her memories of Tidus just for a little bit, "I'll keep on hoping, and I'll keep on dreaming, because I know he's out there...somewhere. I just have this feeling about it."

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Yuna, Wakka, and Lulu sat waiting on the port of Besaid for Rikku's arrival. Thing is, they've been waiting for a long time, and certain people (namely, Wakka) were starting to get pissed.

"She said she'd be here at...2:00 PM SHARP!!!" Wakka complained to no one in particular.

"Calm down," Yuna patted his shoulder and smiled weakly," it's only been... two hours?" she said as she laughed nervously.

Wakka suddenly stood up, startling Yuna in the process. "EXACTLY!"

Lulu, the calm person she always was, (when she wasn't in one of her mood swings that is) looked past her grumbling husband and a startled Yuna to see a ship approaching them. "She's here," she said with just a hint of amusement.

In a matter of minutes, the Al Bhed salvage ship docked and Rikku came running out, as hyper as ever. She ran straight up to Wakka, since she guessed he'd the only one she'd have to really apologize to. And, she guessed right.

"I'M SOOOOO SORRY!" She said as she bowed deeply to Wakka, then taking a deep breath... "WeranintosomefiendsandthenBrotheraccidentallyshotmewithalightingboltagainandthenwehadafightandandand!!!!"

She was about to continue, but Lulu stopped her. "It's ok Rikku, that's enough," she said as she placed her hand on Rikku's shoulder. Turning to Wakka she gave him a look. "Right?"

"Right." He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a bit because of his childish outbursts earlier.

Yuna laughed at this, but barely had time to, as her cousin suddenly latched on to her for a tight hug.

"YUNIE! It's been sooooo long! I missed you!"

Though a little starved for air, Yuna hugged her back. "But Rikku...it's only been a month or two!"

Rikku loosened her death grip on Yuna just a bit, much to Yuna's relief. "Teaching people all about machina is fun! Next time I go, I want you to come if you're not busy, ok?"

"I'll try." She wanted to, but as Spira's savior, she was also its leader. Yuna discovered she had many responsibilities once she had brought the calm. One part of her was happy that she had this opportunity to make everyone happy, but another part of her wanted a peaceful happiness, for herself, that is.

Rikku looked at her cousin's faraway look and remembered what she came here for. "Hey Yunie?"

"Yes?"

"I have a little something for you that I found on one of my trips..." Rikku hesitated, thinking of the right words to say. "I...I think you'll like it."

Rikku's odd behavior had Yuna intrigued. It wasn't often that Rikku acted seriously, or thought that long before she said something. Her cousin was impulsive, something she was not. Yuna watched as Rikku turned around and ran into the ship. Only a minute passed by before Rikku was bounding down to the port again, a movie sphere in hand. She rubbed it a bit, and gently handed it to Yuna.

"What is it? Can I see?" Yuna asked quizzically.

"Yeah! Let's see what it is!" Wakka chimed in.

"Weeeeelll..." Rikku started, "Let me just say I found it somewhere in Luca, AND..." she looked menacingly at Wakka, "it's for Yuna ONLY."

Of course, when she said this, it made everyone want to see just what was on the mysterious sphere. Even Lulu perked up with interest.

"But yooooouu got to see it!!!" Wakka whined. Lulu smirked as his reaction.

"Let Yuna decide after she watches it ok?" She winked at Yuna and then proceeded to pull her cousin away toward the village. "Let's eat! I'm starving!"

With that, the whole group went back to the village to eat and turn in for the night.

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Yuna changed into her PJ's for the night, eyeing the movie sphere Rikku had given her earlier that day. "Boy, did she talk up a storm today!" She thought as she started to brush her hair. "It's the same old Rikku though, and I'm glad for it." She sat down on her bed as she eyed the movie sphere again, the light from her desk lamp reflecting off its turquoise surface. She took a deep breath, and she could feel her heart pounding faster as she picked it up and held it in her hands.

"Ok, let's see what this is all about." She activated it hesitantly and was amazed at what she saw...

It was an image of Tidus in the waters of Luca. That alone was enough to make her breathing stop for an instant.

"Yuna..."

It's been so long since she had heard him call her name. She started tearing up; two years of pent up sadness were brought to the surface. She brought up her hand to wipe away the tears that were starting to run down her cheeks.

He got closer to the camera and smiled his distinctive smile. His facial features then became more serious.

"Yuna, I meant it when I said I'll come running...wait for me, just for a little bit more, ok?"

She nodded to the image on the screen, speechless. Her tears of sadness had become tears of joy. Then the camera started shaking wildly, and the image on the screen suddenly flickered and died, followed by a final audio clip.

"Heeeey! Don't eat that! I... Maaaaaaaan!!-----"

She laughed out loud. He always knew how to make her smile. This little bit of imperfection comforted her. "My, he's never been a klutz in my dreams before, so it has to be real!"

She played the sphere over a few more times that night before going to sleep with a gentle smile accenting her beautiful features.

"The Eternal Calm. It's my two minutes and forty one seconds and Wakka's pudgy stomach. It's a small and quiet kind of happiness ... but, I guess I can ask for a little more, can't I?"

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Author's notes:

Whoa! This is the first time I've ever written something like this, and the first time I've ever written an FFX fic, so if you spot anything that needs fixing, be sure to be constructive and tell me so in your reviews! Like it? Um...DIS-like it? Let me know so I can do the right thing for the next chapter. I've got a whole week of Spring Break to work this thing out, and then it's back to school! Awww...

If you've seen my reviews on various Tidus/Yuna stories, you know I love this pairing! Don't fret, reunion is on the way!

My inspiration? All of the wonderful FFX fanfic authors on fanfiction.net! You're all just... awesome. Some of you could be professional writers! Honest! :-) Oh, and wondering about the title of this chapter and some familiar lines? It's loosely based on FFX: Another Story from FFX International. I know I could never make up a story to continue THAT big mystery, so I've tweaked it around a bit. :-)

Check out the English translation...here! Well, actually you'll have to cut and paste. (new link! 7/24/02, thanks DreamShadow!)

http://members.atozasia.com/lionheart/games_comics/ffx/FF10Translation.html

Till next time, Ja mata ne!~