Note: Thanks to all the people reviewing out there for me. You've really helped me a lot to keep going on this story. I'll keep writing this pages as long as I've got someone to read them. Thanks for all the encouragement.

Chapter 5- Trapped

We had landed in Besaid within the hour and I had rushed out the airship door to look at what this "Sin" was.

"Sin" was a cave, on the corner of the path in Besaid. Wakka had explained to us that as he contacted Buddy and Brother on the ship, the transmission was very jumbled and the way he was explaining things had not come out the way he had intended.

"I tried to explain to Brudda here," Wakka said, his hair all at ends, his face flushed with fury. "I said that people were worried that it was Sin, but it wasn't. They just saw a lot of fiends in this here cavern, that's all. People started ta panic and all hell broke lose. I was trying to tell him over there that there was no need to panic." He looked carefully at me with a sorrowful look about his eyes. "I'm sorry I got ya all in a fright, I didn't want ta."

I smiled, relief flooding through me. "It's okay Wakka, just a miscommunication." I looked around me and saw the whole village pock their heads out of their tents. "Is everyone alright now? Do they know that it's not Sin?"

"They will know shortly. I'll break it all to them, okay?" Wakka asked, clearing his throat and patting me on the back.

"Okay," I said, "but, in the meantime..." I glanced around at the girls, "we might as well check out this 'cave', just to make sure its safe of course."

Paine and Rikku both nodded in agreed, although Rikku was much more enthusiastic about it than either Paine or I. So, we started to walk to the cave, making through the paths outside of the village. I was so relieved that there was no Sin at all, that all my fears were nothing but horrible thoughts and images. Sin...the eternal calm will stay forever and there is nothing that anything can do about it! Nothing! It will stay forever!

I walked along, my heart humming a happy tune inside, looking at Paine more often and obviously than ever before. She looked so stunning with the sunlight shinning off her hair, creating a sea of color that I have never seen before. My eyes were transfixed upon her, not looking at the road before me until, suddenly, I tripped over a stone. I almost fell on my face, looking like an idiot, was it not for Paine, who caught my arm at the last minute, holding me up from the dirt.

"Thanks..." I murmured to her, getting myself back up. How come it was always she who saved me from everything? Although falling in the dirt wasn't life- threatening, and neither was crying in my bed, but just the thought that she was always there, always watching over me.

I shunned myself quietly, continuing to walk with my head bowed, trying not to look at Paine as much anymore. I had to stop thinking like this; thinking that Paine would do all of these things for me just because she really cared for me. It was all just my mind playing these tricks on me, thinking things were there that really aren't. I had to come back to reality for fantasies aren't real, just wishes...

I was stuck in my thoughts the whole way to the cave that I never really noticed that the fiends...well, they just weren't there. When I actually came face-to-face with the door, the entrance, I suddenly realized this. The fiends...all gone?! Wakka had said that there were a lot of fiends in this cavern (and not Sin!) but could all of the fiends from Besaid actually be in there? That couldn't possibly be true, could it? I mean, if it were true, then all of the fiends must have communicated somehow and I never thought that they even knew how to communicate within their own heads! Or, maybe, someone is telling them to move into this cavern. Some force...that force, from my dream....

My head shot up and I now looked up at this door in a whole new light. Was this...that cavern that I saw in my dream? No, no...it could never be that stupid cavern, holding that damn guy that made me hurt so badly.... Never....

"Yunie...? Yunie?!" Rikku screamed at me, trying to pry my attention away from the door in front of me.

I turned to look at her. "What is it?"

"You..." Rikku said, "you just looked kinda pained or something. Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing is wrong. It was just..." how could I explain it to them? "I just feel like I've been here before, that's all. No big deal."

They both looked at me, puzzled expressions on their faces. I tried to smile it away, reassure them that really, that was all it was, but neither of them were convinced.

"Come on, girls, let's go see what's inside this cave!" I cheered at them, giving them the best face I possibly could. If this didn't persuade them to forget it then nothing would.

Rikku and Paine looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded their heads.

We went into the dark, deep cave, the door locking behind us.

There is something in here, something dark, something foul that clutched my heart with iron claws. Something in here was wrong...evil...cruel. It had no shape, no form, no real body to hold and kill. It was just this feeling that spread throughout my entire body once I stepped into the cave. A chill that passed from my head to my toes, freezing me in place, covering me with this horrifying blanket that brought back fears of days long gone by, came over me. Horrors from my childhood flashed before my eyes, the torments of my teenage years, the grueling trials of my Summoner years, and the pain of him disappearing on me. Everything wrong and painful in my life rushed over me like an airship wreck, tearing me apart into tiny pieces of blood and bone....

When I could finally open my eyes through all the grief that I was experiencing I saw something so terrible I want to cry. The sight itself wasn't so astonishing as it was nothing. What I saw before me was this blackness, this deep pit where no light survived. I was surrounded by this big, black hole where there was no light to guide me through this cave of death and despair. I couldn't see Paine, I couldn't see Rikku, I couldn't even see myself! I tried to see my fingers, pressing them up hard against my eyes, but all I saw was this pitch blackness that harmed my eyes.

"Yuna!" I heard Paine scream. "Yuna, where are you?!"

"Paine, are you there?!" Rikku yelled back.

"Rikku, where are you?! Where's Yuna?"

They were looking for me but I just couldn't speak. This darkness seized my throat, making it impossible for me to say anything. When I opened my mouth, all I could here was a squeak.

"Yuna?!"

"P-Paine?!"

"Let's get out of here, okay? This place is creeping me out," Rikku tried to say but something swallowed up her words.

Suddenly, light was blasted into the cave. My eyes were blinded and all I could see now was this white light, coming from what I assumed was the door. Outside I knew there would be grass, animals, and people, things that are alive and well. I wanted to be there. I tried to readjust myself but I was too late. Suddenly, I saw Rikku being flung back through the door, into the sunlight. I heard her scream and I heard the sound of her body hit the ground outside. And just like that the light went away, bringing me back into eternal darkness.

"Paine?" I asked tentatively. "Are you still here?"

"Yuna, I'm here. Where are you?"

"Here."

"Keep talking; I'll move to the sound of your voice."

"Okay...um...This place is really dark, "I started to say, feeling pretty stupid that I was essentially talking to myself. "I can't see anyone and I know that there's something in here, Paine, something dark and evil. I can feel it-"

I shrieked. Something had just hit my shoulder, and hard!

"Yuna? It's just me."

"Oh, Paine," I let out some air, trapped within my lungs ever since she had caught me off guard. "I'm so glad it's you-"

Something moved, and it wasn't Paine.

"Yuna..." she whispered, "can you hear that?"

"Yes...I can," I brought out my gun, unsure of how to dispose of a fiend in the dark when I was in danger of hitting Paine.

I could hear her pull out her sword, getting it ready by her side. "I think it's ahead of us."

"Yeah. I'd shot at it but I'm too afraid to hit you."

"Shooting might bring something else out. Let me whack it good! Um..." I felt her move around behind me, grasping my shoulder and back to just see where exactly I was. "Okay, just, hold onto me from behind. That way I won't have to worry about hurting you. Is that okay?"

"Sure, will do." Of course it was okay with me! Feeling you against my chest, even if it is your back, would be so wonderful. The closest I've ever gotten to you, although I never thought that it would be in a cave with a fiend sniffing around for our hides.

I felt around her shoulders and back, trying to find the spot where I would press up against her, found it, and pushed myself flat against her. It felt so good that I almost moaned in pleasure. I kept my lips sealed though. Oh dear...even with clothes on she feels so wonderful, like-

It moved again. My heart started to beat faster and faster, threatening to pop out of my chest at any moment. The fiend...it was still here.

All of a sudden I was pulled away from Paine, snatched away from her back, the end of my dress ripping as the fiend tore its teeth into the material. I feel to the ground, my leg tearing on something, and soon I could feel hot blood trickling down my thigh. I grunted in pain but I was mostly concerned about the fiend, now breathing down my neck from my chest. Its weight was pressing down on me, making it harder for me to breathe, harder for me to keep alive.

"Get off!" Paine yelled as I felt more blood drop onto my cheek. The fiend whimpered, growling one last time, then flopped onto my chest with its last breath.

A mouthful of air came rushing out of me as my lungs collapsed from the weight of the fiend. I grunted in pain but soon it was off of me.

"Yuna? Yuna! Are you alright?!" Paine asked, searching around for me with her hands, finding my head.

"I'm alright. I think I've got a cut on my leg though. Nothing too big."

"Oh. Which leg?!"

"Uh..." I looked up, forgetting that I couldn't see anything. "My...right one, I think...."

Slowly her hands padded down my body, not hitting the areas I wish you would, until she found my wound.

"It doesn't seem too bad, "I heard her remark through a clouded mind, "but you'll need a potion or two. I don't have any with me so you'll have to tough it out." She paused so I let my head down, closing my eyes. What was the point of eyes right now anyway? "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

A sigh was emitted from Paine, one of utter hopelessness. "I hope Rikku finds Wakka soon so that they can get us out of here fast. There's no way we'll get out of here on our own. The door could be anywhere."

"Yeah...but..." I thought for a minute, trying hard to put my feelings into a logical thought. I felt so many things at once that it was difficult to know what I actually wanted. "Could you...do you think that, ah, you could come up here, just so that I know where you are?"

I swear that I saw her smile. "Yeah..." her voice sweet and tender like blooming flowers, giving me such a pleasant sensation throughout my whole being. And then she was up there, with me, laying down right beside me. "Where are you?"

She gripped me hand tight, making sure that I was nearby.

"Ah...may I ask you something?" Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke but I barely noticed it; I was still stuck on the wonderful feeling her hand was giving mine as they rested there, embracing each other.

"Mmhmm, "I mumbled.

"Would you mind too much if I just...ah...kept my hand here, uh, with yours. I mean, just so that I can make sure you're okay and here. I don't want to lose you again."

"No..." I breathed out, trying to keep my head from spinning too much, "its f- fine with me..."

And so we lay here, surrounded by darkness, hand-in-hand, waiting for someone to rescue us.