Author's note(s): Ha… hey everybody ^_^; guess it's been a while huh? I was planning a bunch of excuses, (some of em were pretty good, too) but now that I'm about to put this up I guess the only thing I'm gonna say is I'm really bad at deadlines and stuff! Sorry! Oh and I had some technically difficulites and… stuff. Okay it sounded a lot better in my head. Whatever, here's chapter 9 which brings part 1 to a close! Party! I'll start working on the next chapter right away, but as I said, bad with deadlines. I'm looking for my new muse, my last one was a cat, but she never hangs around after breakfast and so I fired her… ok enough of this I'm done. Please Enjoy!

Escape

I'm not supposed to be doing this, but I though you should know. It seems hard to believe, but trust me, it's him, I'd bet my life on it. I haven't had a chance to really talk with him yet; he said he was going for a walk to clear out his head, but I'll give you more information when I have it. Maybe we can arrange for a meeting sometime. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to listen to this, My Lady. I hope it reaches you soon.

Gatta checked over the last part of the sphere one more time. It was kind of thrown together, but he didn't know how much time he had left and he needed to get it mailed. He did feel some guilt, but the news was too big to keep hidden. Tidus obviously didn't know how much his reappearance would affect Spira. This was the biggest thing to happen since the end of Sin.

Gatta nodded; it was the right thing to do. He had just finished the recording when two guards burst into the room.

"Sir!" one of them said, gathering his composure and saluting. "Some yahoo just busted into the temple, sir! We couldn't do nothin to stop him!"

"Really? Did you see who it was?"

"Couldn't identify him, Sir." The other guard said. "But accordin to Biggs here, the guy was blond and wearin what looked like blitz gear."

"Oh, no." Gatta said.

---

A small plastic pick tripped across metal strings and the air detonated.

It was overwhelming for Yuna at first, when they entered the concert hall. These sounds weren't music. The blasts of noise pounded with the lumbering monotony of a headache. She almost lost her balance following Rikku to a table.

"We should at least let them know where we are!" She yelled. Rikku didn't answer, her eyes were closed and she was softly rocking her head with a contented look on her face, as if the crashing screams were some sort of lullaby.

"I mean, this place is certainly… interesting, but" she trailed off, looking around the dark club. There was something attractive about the energy in the place, even if it hurt her ears. It was certainly more interesting than being back home in any case.

"But, well, what I mean is don't you think they'll be worried abou-"

"You think too much!" Rikku cut her off, giggling. "Just hang here, Yunie, I'll be right back." Then she disappeared in the sea of people.

Yuna didn't have anywhere to go, so she sat still and watched the glow coming off the underside of the tables. People dressed in crazy and exotic fashions moved around her and none of them paid her any extra notice. The band on stage below was breaking into a drum solo that threatened to take down the walls.

I do NOT think too much… she whispered. A familiar feeling came back as she hugged her bare arms: surrounded by people, but so very, very alone.

Even the catcalls following the song seemed nice and quiet. Rikku had been gone for a while, so Yuna got up and walked to the edge of the balcony. The lights were down on the stage and some new equipment was being moved in. She wondered where Rikku went, and what Lulu and Kimahri were doing. She wondered about what would happen when they got back, what she would say and how she would have to apologize. Again.

---

Blank had his guitar slung over one shoulder and was running his fingers down the strings, nervously. His neck was cold with sweat. He took a deep breath, trying to filter out the audience and the tight tickling sensations in his chest. It was hard to keep his hands still.

Where he grew up they used to call it the butterflies, like having butterflies in your stomach. He remembered hating the feeling, but somewhere along the way he'd grown to love it. He was clenching his jaw and his arms felt loose and there was no denying he was alive, seriously alive, and it was beautiful. It's funny how things like that can change.

He was starring at the overhead lights for a while. They were empty during the setup. He used to wonder how they did it, hiding away like that. Where did they hide that energy inside? It was stupid, he realized, but he didn't need to be rational when he was backstage, anything keeping his mind occupied was usually good enough. The empty lights hung dormant overhead, waiting to explode at the first steps on stage and the thin electric hum that the amps made before plugging in. What a perfect scene, just like how he dreamed it would be; very surreal and all.

He looked away and found there wasn't much else to see, catching the eye of the black dragon. It had empty eyes like stage lights that were always the final judge of whatever it was they saw. It pissed him off the most when he saw the dragon, because it liked to judge him more than anything else. Always asking questions.

An idle mind is a dangerous thing, he thought, and then said aloud just to hear it. The crew had better hurry up, because he didn't feel like listening to his dragon and he didn't feel like thinking about those questions again.

"I am alive" he whispered aloud, just to hear it.

The band on stage was finishing up.

Those empty lights above him opened and beamed down. It was like an epiphany, or some kind of heavenly message. The platform he stood on raised up with a small hydraulic hiss. His heart always skipped a beat at that, and he let out half a breath. He pulled his dark glasses down to keep the glare out and brushed his hair back.

"Let's go," he said.

---

The Oasis club, a hotspot for drug transactions, illegal gambling, rebellious faction meetings and many other, equally perverse activities. It wasn't shocking, just another slimy pit in this city of self-indulged ignorance.

Zatch was pissed off. Bad enough he was stuck in this shit hole with a team of new recruits, but this was his third consecutive bullshit assignment. He'd had more than enough of this errand crap.

The last real job he could remember was a hunt out on the plains. Just thinking about it was the only thing keeping him going on nights like this. His team was planted for the perfect ambush. They had kept the position for two hours in the rain, covered every possible angle, and even after all that there were surprises waiting. The ensuing fight took down more than half his team.

He sighed; those assignments were what made the job worth it. Doesn't matter if it is the high summoner, the thought as he came up through the crowd at the entrance. Doesn't make it any more fun.

There were two heavy-set men standing at the gate, accepting tickets, but he didn't stop for either of them.

"Whoa, where you think you're going, buddy?"

"My team is conducting a search of this facility. Official orders." He said.

"Really?" The guard laughed a little. The hunter gear Zatch and his unit wore was very advanced, though it didn't have the pristine and polished look of most official uniforms. "Let's see some ID, then."

"Listen," Zatch said, approaching the guard. "I'm not in the best mood right now, and I don't have the time or patience for you. I'm being kind, giving you the option of moving yourself, so I suggest you get out of my way as fast as you can."

"Hey, punk. I know the law, and I'm not letting you in till I see a ticket, or a warrant."

"Uh, he's got a point, Sir." One of the hunters said. Zatch turned on him and punched him hard in the stomach. Everyone was quiet as the man collapsed. Zatch reached down and pulled the guy's night vision goggles off, giving them to another member in the unit.

"I don't use warrants." He said, without turning around. Before anyone could react, Zatch landed a back kick on the first guard with enough force to throw him against the wall. The second guard moved, but too slow. Zatch spun and shot him. Blood rushed from the hole in the guard's hand.

"Now I suggest you open the door with your good hand, unless you want to lose something else." He said, above the screams in the crowd.

The second guard quickly complied, and Zatch led the rest of his unit into the darkness of the club. I guess I'll just make my own fun. He thought.

---

It starts quiet, like a distant thought coming back from a forgotten time, and it grows, building until you can feel it in your hands and the back of your neck. The sounds are strong and sad, wrapping you in a blanket of regret. And then they come together, melting into each other, twisting over, growing out of themselves, threatening to crash on down like a tidal wave, and you are completely lost.

Lu and Kimahri…who? We need to get back, get back and… then what?

The boy on stage looked about as old as she was, with dark hair and a smooth, young face. He wore a shirt without sleeves, and had tattoos on each arm. A dragon rode on the arm that hit the strings of his guitar, and a tiger clawed the other, gripping the neck.

And everything you think of…

It was hard to believe that a boy so young and slim could be making those sounds. She looked closer to see what she was missing, what he had that made him so different, but he was just a kid. She couldn't see his eyes behind the dark glasses he wore, maybe that's where he kept his secrets. The glasses reminded her of… of someone. It was someone she knew well, but she couldn't picture it. After the song she'd remember, for now she didn't need to know.

All these sights…

She felt herself sliding, as her head came to rest in the cradle of her arms. I wonder if anyone can tell when he cries, She thought.

All these sounds…

"Having fun yet?" Rikku shouted over the music. Yuna just smiled and nodded.

"I told you Forbidden Machina rules. But you're lucky, seeing them live is the best thing there is and it's hard to get into the concerts, yaknow?" Rikku saw she wasn't paying attention, but she kept going. "Hey, I met these guys at they bar, and they really wanna meet you."

Are echoes that you dream of…

She poked Yuna in the side. "Come on, let's go meet 'em. You don't even have to do anything, I'll do the talking, you just look cute, 'kay?"

When no one's around…

Rikku was about to pull Yuna away but something stopped her.

"Oh no." She whispered. Yuna followed her eyes. Several men with glowing visors were pushing their way past many annoyed kids. They were heading towards the balcony.

"Not good" Rikku glanced nervously, checking the exits.

I'll be here when the dream dies

"What's wrong? Who are they?" Yuna asked. She couldn't figure Rikku's tone.

"Not sure, but the don't look exactly friendly. We're gonna have to leave a little early."

I was lost

"Wait, can't we at least hear the end of the song?"

"Looks like they're all over this floor, we'll have to jump the balcony."

Never found

"These musicians are amazing. It's like they- huh?"

"Alright, you first!" Rikku said. She pulled Yuna's goggles over her eyes and pushed her up to the railing. "Trust me, all you have to do is-"

"Excuse me." The voice was muffled through a gas mask. Rikku spun and was face to face with a pair of mechanized telescopic goggles. She smiled innocently.

"I'm looking for two girls, a blond Al Bhed and one with brown hair. Would you mind…"

"Oh wait." Rikku said. "You mean like them over there?"

The man looked and Rikku grabbed his wrist, swept his legs out from beneath him with a kick, and flipped him hard onto his back.

Looking up at golden skies

"Come on Yunie! Time to go!" she said pushing Yuna over the railing. Then she took the headgear off the fallen hunter and jumped after her.

Never reach that place again.

---

It was still dark when Tidus awoke with a jolt. Images of the inner sanctum exploded in his head, but the chirping night bugs were there to reassure him. His eyes adjusted to the light, and he was back in the crusader's tent, surrounded by members of the guard. There was a lantern in the middle of the room that sent long flickering shadows across the walls. Some of them sat up when they saw him, moving to the ends of their cots.

"You okay?" Gatta asked.

"Yeah." Tidus said, uncertain. "What time is it?"

"Late." He said.

"Or early, depending on how ya look at it." Said another guard.

"We found you passed out in the deepest chamber of the temple." Gatta continued. "What happened?" Tidus thought about it.

"I thought I, uh, saw something." He said, avoiding the eyes of the guards. "Guess I must've hit my head." He laughed a little.

"Well don't go there anymore. It's not the kind of place we can go searching for you all the time."

Tidus nodded absently as he went over the event in his mind. He wondered for a second if he did hit his head, but the images were sharp. If all of it was real then something amazing had happened, and it didn't make any sense. Admittedly he didn't know half as much about Spirian theology as some people, but what he did know told him that stuff like this wasn't supposed to happen. He'd have to tell someone.

"Hey-" he started, but changed his mind. It would be better if he told someone who would believe him, or someone who could help at least.

"Uhh… where did everyone go? Yuna's guardians, I mean." A part of him didn't want to ask, but he had to.

"Oh yeah!" Gatta said. "Let's see… well, sorceress Lulu is still with Lady Yuna, she became her advisor. After the pilgrimage Kimahri was knighted as a dragoon, so now he's up at the head of the Maestress's guard. Um, I heard Rikku got involved with the new Bikanel project, somehow her father got her into the design team or something. Wakka was given a seat in the council, but everybody knows he's still coaching the Aurochs off record. And, well, no one's seen Sir. Auron since the pilgrimage".

"But we've already got one guy back from the dead, so who knows?" one of the guard said.

"Yeah. I guess." Tidus smiled, trying to sound as optimistic as the others.

"Hey Tidus," Gatta thought a moment on how he should ask. "Now that you've had time to think about it, could you, um, tell us where you've been all this time?"

Yeah, that's what I'd like to know…

"I" Tidus started. "… I was lost."

"Huh? Lost where?"

At that he could only shrug.

"I don't really remember. It's all kinda… fuzzy," He said. Gatta nodded. It wasn't the answer anyone there was looking for, but he didn't push the subject. Some of the guards turned over in their cots and tried to sleep. Tidus did too.

Where could he go? Tidus closed his eyes tight. He wished Auron was there, he always knew what to do. But he was definitely dead, and he wasn't coming back.

Who else? Lulu might know, but he ruled her out. They'd grown closer over time, but she wasn't the most understanding soul, and he didn't know if he could really explain his situation to her. It wouldn't be the warmest welcome.

Then… Yuna?

No. Not yet, anyway.

That left Rikku, Wakka, and Kimahri. He thought about it a little and realized that he really wanted a friend, someone who could understand. Wakka probably wouldn't have any idea what was happening with the faith, but he was the only one who might not overreact, seeing Tidus coming back.

"Gatta?"

"Yeah?"

"Where is Wakka now?"

"… He'd be at Luca. The blitz tournament's in a week, you can find him there for sure."

"Thanks." Tidus said, before falling asleep. Then tomorrow he'd head for Luca.

I wonder where she is now

---

Although Besaid was asleep, the night fires kept burning.

"In the morning he would leave…" Said the girl in the white robe to the wide-eyed children who snuck out of bed. "Early, before the sun rose, taking only the clothes on his back and an old familiar sword… It was a brave thing to do, when you think about it. Why do you think he went?"

The children thought.

"Maybe he's bored." Said one boy.

"Maybe he wants to go home." Said a small girl.

"Hm… it is possible," Said the girl in the robe. "But this man's home was destroyed, long ago."

"Then… then maybe he's looking for a new home." The girl offered. The storyteller did not speak for moment. Her eyes were hidden in a shadow, but the firelight caught her smile.

"He could be. I don't think anyone can truly say why he did, but I suppose there's little point in knowing. All that truly matters is that he did go that morning, seeking things left behind in a world where he didn't belong. And that is how this story begins."

End Part 1