The more the merrier.

*Fine*  I told my self over and over again.  *Just fine... oh yeah just FRICKING PEACHY* You know, normal people would be upset about why the hell am I here and how to get back, but do you want to know what I was going on about? 

"That TV costed me a Sh*t load of money.  Oh how the hell am I gonna pay for another 80 inch plasma screen TV huh?"

TVs... Oi.

Some things are priceless you know, I mean come on, how many people do you know, have Plasma TVs... Not many in my case.  I would guess the same in yours.  I was ranting and raving like a lost lunatic... that I didn't see that I have accumulated a new partner.

"The nerve of those people huh?"

I answered the voice without even caring who it was...

"Tell me about it.  It's... like they don't give a rat's ass about other people's things here... and I wa.... "

I turned I clicked that someone was with me.  I turned and there revealed, my surroundings and a yellow haired boy.  I landed in Baaj Temple, floating right next to his drop off point in the beginning of the game.  Turned and looked at him.  I went red.  How rude of me not to notice another.  I stared quietly.  Then my voice box clicked in to 'talk' mode.

"Aah hi."

I waved to my newcomer.  He greeted me back with a smile and a Hollywood style smile.  Charming?  But no thanks.  I smirked and nodded back.

"Hey there."

He swam over to me.  And let the short talk begin.

"My name's Tidus."

He offered his hand.  I took it.  And smiled pleasantly.  Dying inside.  I mean dude.  I got to meet Tidus.  On a Final Fantasy Game.  Dude that rules.  I giggled and he raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, salutations new comer.  My name is Lahtinah.  Lahtinah "Naoko" Kerrigan.  How are you ... err Tidus is it?"

He nodded.  And smiled with his reply and waded to an area and sat down by a treasure chest.  He motioned for me to follow.  I nodded and we headed there, we sat next to a blue sphere crowned by a golden ring and a save sphere.  I looked around in wonder on where the hell am I.  Wishing I could stay, kicking my self-saying: "I can't lah and you know it."

"Now we can talk.  So your name is Lahtinah is it?  A beautiful name."

"Yes.  It's a pleasure to meet you Tidus.  Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, shot."

" Do you know our location?"

With that he ran back in the water and swam around.  I decided to help by looking where I was standing; I got a whole lot of temple ruins near me.  Parapets of stone.  All crumpled to a huge heap.  I wondered around and opened the treasure chest. 

"Oh wow this thing opens.  ... Sweet 5 potions.... the hells a potion?"

I pulled it out and slammed the lid down stood up and examined the queer looking bottle that could pass off as a khalua bottle with no lable.  You know those bottles that have been ripped off from the liquor store.  Or the ones you 'jimmy' open your grandparents liquor cabinet for.  Yeah those.  I smelt it.  It didn't smell too bad, not as bad as it looked.  Then I poured it out of the bottle and in to my hand.  Then the smell hit me.  It smelt like turpentine and it looked like Indian ink.  And it was think like gravy.  Eww.  Talk about grose factor.  I thought about it.  A potion.  What do you normally use a potion for huh?  I raised my eyebrows and took a drink.

It tasted horrible.  But then after the first taste I just couldn't stop.  It was addicting.  Like smoking.  I just had to keep going up till the whole thing was gone. 

Then I wiped my mouth.  I guess you would expect that if you are going to drink that shit.  Ha ha.

That's when my health went up.  *CHING* I just gained 100 more HP.

"Oh.... so THAT'S what it does."

"What what does?"

I handed him another khalua bottle.  Once again no lable.  I must give up doing that ahy.  Because that they are potions.  But hey there is no hope in trying.  He nodded and looked at it, straight away he said...

"Oh a potion.  You mean a potion right?"

"Yeah.  I drank one.  They are the most chronic things I have tasted.  Gross. "

He laughed and popped the cork off and sculled it back like it ain't no thang.  I was a little bit jealous.  Duh, I mean come on, who doesn't know what a potion is, the whole healing system of any RPG begins with potions.  Doi.  I slapped my head.

"Stupid."

"Huh?"

He put the cork back on, and he replenished his lost 100HP.  He looked at me and put the empty bottle along with mine into the treasure chest and pulled my sleeve.

"Come I found a way out, this way.  Im not sure where we are, but I know we can't stay here in the cold."

"Cool, lead the way."

He headed up north.  I followed just.  I wanted slow down and look at the surroundings.  Yeah, I'm a typical tourist, like I said there... it's not everyday you get to go and tour spira.  He stood up on the archway and waited for me to catch up.  I stood next to him scoping out the surroundings.

"Ready to go yet Nao?"

I nodded.  Cool I have a nickname now.  Sweet, now that's something to brag about.

"Sure thing.  Your guess on where to go is better then mine."

"First things first Naoko."

"Uh-huh"

"Do you have a weapon?  Like something to protect yourself? "

I searched my repitoi of memory and other things.  I know self-defense and Karate the traditional style.  Similar to Jin Kazama's style of tekken four, except Lahtinah Styled.  I knew kendo.  Sword fencing.  I knew how to use guns....  hmm

"Self defense right now.  I have no sword I would rather that."

"Alright."

He threw his hand in to a fist and thrusted it in the air.  He smiled and yelled as he ran up a familiar path.  Then it caved in.  He hung on the edge of the path.  I ran up to him and held out my hand.

"Here.  Grab my hand."

He did.  But then I tripped and I fell against him.  And the both of us fell to the water below us.  Plundering we scavenged to the surface in search of much needed air.  Breaking the surface I joined Tidus who was wading around.  He came and held on to me.

'Hey there are you okay"

"Yeah, I'm soo sorry."

"Ahh don't sweat it.  So Lahtinah?  Do you know how to swim?"

"Yeah sorta, but hey Im not as flash as you so... please, don't leave me behind. Im not super woman"

He laughed and we swam around trying to look for any exit to this place.  I have certainly had enough of the pinching cold.  I could tell that Tidus was too.   Well we submerged into the water and encountered a lot of things.  "Things".  We fought a lot of terrorist fish.  He sat and levitated. 

"Hey.  Down there.  There is a hole of some sort.  Some sort of clearing.  You think you could make it?"

"Do you think I could?  I mean.  This cold is like killing me."

"Hey don't sweat it, you'll do fine.  I mean, look at what you did to those fish down there.  Swissssh, I knew for the look of you, that you could fight and swim.  But I didn't know that fast."

I smiled. 

"Hey thanks.  If that wasn't as cheesy as your smile... Monsieur Tidus.  I would just.... Actually believe you."  I playfully punch him on the arm and give him the sly look.  "But not a fat chance."  We stared, daring at each other.  Seeing who would dare smile.  Then Tidus and me cracked up laughing.  Then the water vibrated.  And then something grabbed Tidus.  I swear, he's soo accident-prone.

"Aww hell no."

This huge fish thing was like totally swallowing his ankles and then the lower half of his body.  I panicked.  And that made me lose focus of my swimming, you know, at that point I was thinking about drowning.  Never have I ever been left in the cold like this before.  Now this is degrading.  Now on one hand, I have a shit load of swimming and coming back to reality to do.  On the other... well there's Tidus there, squirming like a worm on a hook.  In careful consideration.....

"Hang on T.  Im coming,"

I got knocked back a fair bit by the broad sword that he had.  He let it go.  And it floated in front of my face.  I hooked on to it and swayed to the side.  Swimming deeper and getting scared of the depth I slashed with all my might.  This thing was like absorbing all our power.  I tried for him to free himself but the power of Tidus struggling was getting too hectic.  Nothing more we could do.  So I egged the fish to swallow me too.  I figured if the fish swallowed me, I could have a better chance of freeing T and me at the same time in the same place.  It was worth a shot.  We weren't going anywhere else in a hurry.  I egged it way off coarse that the fish swallowed me.  Oh yeah he swallowed me all right, right in to the belly of the beast.  Eww.  Rotten sushi is not my real favourite perfume.  Lets just say that this fish should really start using breath mints because his ass stinks.  Eck. 

The fish regurgitated me back to the chamber where Tidus was.

I waved to him. *Hey T* I mouthed to him

He pulled the thumbs up and mouthed back while winking. *Hey Lah*.  Now that we are together again.  I pointed upwards... He could tell that I was making this up as I go.  But who could blame me, from his seat; I could say that he's glad. 
He nodded and I handed back his sword.  I pulled my fists tighter and looked for some sort of hit point, that is weaker in all it's frame.

*Okay...There* I mouthed once again.  He nodded and slashed away.  He finally got really burning hot that he pulled first time in front of my eyes.  The Spiral hit.  His overdrive.  My mouth just dropped.  He gave me his Hollywood smile again.  I raise an eyebrow.

*Yeah right* I mouthed to him.  He smirked.   I grabbed the cage and bashed it with my knee and punched the hell out of it, it broke.  Thank god... or shall I say Yevon?  We swam free... but not too far from that fish on steroids, from noticing.  Let me point this out.  From now, I think I hate fish.  Yeah.  Hate fish.

It was gaining on us.  Chewing up the mileage on the water... we scrambled to the clearing where Tidus pointed, once on the surface.  I looked back, and he was gaining on us, Turning around I could see that Tidus was in there and waiting for me.  I swam harder.  It almost ate me until Tidus grabbed one of my arms and yanked me into the whole towards him.  The fish slammed in to the whole and flittered about.  It got stuck in it.  My heart was pounding in my chest in Tidus' arms.  Then we realized what was going on.  The both of us went red and I pushed him back I mouthed to him *What's up with you.*  He shrugged and scratched the back of his head innocently.  *Sorry I was...* I poked his chest.  *You'll get your turn* I looked around and waved from him to follow.  He nodded.  We swam up some really nasty jiggered stairs and around to a ledge and finally, DRY LAND.  Oh yeah.

Tidus got up first and he helped me up. 

"Thanks."  I told him in the thought of owing him.  Then my face turned up a notch.  'What the hell was that?  Oh my gosh... that giant fish thing was like HUGE."

He folded his arms smirked and looked at me.

"Honestly Lahtinah?  I have no Idea where I am.  I was hoping you would."

He looked at me.  Then the clothes that I was wearing....

"You're not from here are you?"

"Oh gee what gave that away?"

My clothes are drenched.  I was not in the slightest bit happy.  My timberlands were wasted.  My hipster jeans?  Ahnnialated.   My Flimsy top with sooo many ties was like ripped.  I lost half of my bangles.  Damn.  I was more than not happy.  ANGERY is kind of more like it.

"I'm Tidus.  Star of the Zanarkand Abes."

"I'm Naoko.  CGI Animator."

"So where are you from Naoko.  You look like you're from Zanarkand."

"I'm from a similar place.  But my home?  I live in New Zealand.  Our world is like your world.  Just not so heavily dense in pollution and other things."

Tidus' face lit up.

"You know Zanarkand?!  Wicked.  Do you know blitz ball?"

I nodded.

"Yeah I sure do.  Cost me the rest of my patience to actually watch the game.  Let alone play the game.  Geez did I get knocked about in that sphere thing aw what?"

"Wow.  You would be awesome at blitz ball.  I should have seen it from a mile away.  The way you swim, the way you move.  You show real talent.  Are you from Zanarkand east?  What team do you play for?"

All of a sudden.  Tidus was sooo interested in what I do, you should have seen him.  He got his frills.  Hanging on every word I made.  It was kinda sad.  Like real sad.  All these questions.

"Oh, I'm not from Zanarkand at all.  I don't play for any team what so ever.  I have never played in a team."

He was shocked.

"But... out there.  I could have sworn that you were from the team Zanarkand Aces."

"Hey look.  Shall we concentrate on where we are right now?  I promise I will tell all later.  Kay?"

'Yeah, good idea.  Whoa freaky decor."

"Ye-ha.  Who used live here?  Dracula?'

'Dracula?"

"Never mind.  Long story."

"Right."

Splitting up we thought that we would find a place to rest and catch out thoughts and breaths before anything else gets attracted to Tidus.  LOL.  So I went further out on to a ledge.  I could see that this place... what ever it was.  Was cylindrical and in the middle was a clearing.  On the ground, were well-used firewood I could see that Tidus was there inspecting it.

'Hey can you light that?'

He looked up. 

"No, we need kindle and something to light it with."

"Got ya.  I'll look for the kindle.  You look for the light."

'Cool."

"Sweet."

I knew where the kindle and the lighter were, or the flint I should say really.  So I went back down the stairs.  Around the corner and up some rugged boulders.  There was the withered bouquet.  And just then *CHING* above my head shone this purple slab saying 'obtained the withered bouquets'.  Whoa.  I control my self.  Who controls the main person?  Tidus?  Or is he the main person?

On my way back, Tidus was still trying to find the flint.  What is killing this game, he is in, is that I know where most if not in fact all of the things are.  And he doesn't.  Sad.  Just plain sad.

"Here."

I gave him the withered bouquets.  And set off to a different room.  He put it on the fire logs and strategically placed them in different areas.  By the time he was finished he saw me there with his 'fire lighter'.  I handed it to him.  He lit the fire and sat down.  I did the same and took my pants off, my top and my boots.  Wide-eyed.  His mouth sank down low.  I just realized that Tidus is not like my other friends back at home.  Most of the friends I have are guys... and they treat me as another one of their 'boys' so I just think of them as family.  I was quite accustomed to that, I totally forgot about Tidus.

"Err.... my clothes are wet."

"How old are you?  Naoko?"  Trying hard to block out all the emotions that just 'suddenly' rose.

"I'm 21 turning 22 on February 16th"

A sudden thud went in his mind.  I sat there with my undergarments on in front of the fire.  Ringing out my jeans, my socks, and my tops.  My hair. 

"I guess you feel comfortable around me huh?"

I looked at him as if to say... are you kidding?  What are you on about? ~_^

'Yeah… I guess."

I put my clothes back on.  My stomach growled and ached all the time.  So did his....

When am I gonna go home?

In fact when am I gonna get out of here?

Now I realize why Tidus, when he first got here, thought about dying here...

It's the pits.... what happened next?

That's when these people turned up ....

Heck I say the more the merrier.........