I'M SORRY! I didn't mean for it to go this long without an update… I had food poisoning problems for a few days and I couldn't concentrate at all… and when I could I wasn't inspired… I'm really… really really really sorry. I feel so bad… I can't believe it's been this long…

Probably a lot of errors again… I've been slipping as of late… I need to get my stuff together and take people up on the offers of beta reading… I didn't do it with this chapter because I wanted to get it out quick so people wouldn't give up on this story completely…

This chapter is short. I know. I'm very sorry. The next chapter will be up within the next few days. I would have written more for this one, but I can't write anymore at the moment because I have some other stuff to do before tomorrow and I'm quite sick at the moment.

I just wanted to make sure you all knew I am still alive and I AM still writing this story… I WILL see it to the finish..

I promise, the next chapter will be up within THREE days. March 20th. That is if Fanfiction is nice and lets me upload quickly.

Again, apologies all over the place for the mistakes, and the delay. Within these next three days I'll get a beta reader hopefully so the next chapters aren't so horrible. I WILL be making corrections to previous chapters when I hit the end of this story, so any input on where I screwed up in previous chapters would be nice so I can repair the damage.

And oh right, I don't own FFX or FFX-2.

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Chapter 9

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"Thanks for doing all of this, Lulu." Yuna smiled as she sat down at the table and reached for a slice of bread. Lulu had gotten up before anyone and had set out breakfast, Vidina sleeping peacefully nearby in a crib. The woman was amazing, even with a new child, she was staying in charge of everything. Yuna found herself wishing she could be as organized and calm as Lulu sometimes, though she doubted it would ever happen.

"It's not a problem. You all have an early start." Lulu said quietly, sitting down herself to sip a glass of water. "Well, that's if they get up in time." She added with a frown, looking past Yuna to where the door led to the hallway.

Yuna grinned and swallowed some bread, washing it down with her own glass of water. "I'm really the only one up?"

"It would appear that way." Lulu sighed, shaking her head.

"They'll probably be up soon." Yuna said cheerfully, reaching for another piece of bread and a fruit. She felt quite happy, despite the threat that dwelled in her mind. But the morning was so beautiful and sunny, she couldn't help but smile and try to ignore all the problems the day would face.

"Be careful, down there today." Lulu spoke quietly, as if she'd read Yuna's thoughts. Or perhaps it had been the slight frown in Yuna's face that had given her the hint.

"We will. Don't worry, Lulu. Last time we didn't have a problem, and this time they'll be four of us."

Four of us. Yuna swallowed a grin and sipped her water quietly. She had the sudden urge to giggle, but she knew Lulu wouldn't find it quite so amusing.

'I don't even know why I think it's amusing.' She thought with a small smile.

"It's not a vacation, Yuna." Lulu sighed, shaking her head and frowning. "You have to be careful."

Yuna's smile dropped. "I know… Please don't worry Lulu, we'll be fine, really."

Lulu didn't say anything, but her expression led Yuna to believe she was thinking something along the lines of 'Whenever someone says it'll be fine, it always turns out badly.'. Yuna chose to ignore the look and resumed eating.

"Good morning Lu! Morning Yuna!" Wakka stretched as he walked into the room, smiling cheerfully as stopped in front of the table. "Where is everybody, ya?" He asked, looking around, then stopping when his eyes reached Vidina. "How's my boy this morning!" He grinned, walking over to the crib.

"Wakka, he's asleep…" Lulu attempted, but it was too late and Wakka had already picked the baby up. The heavily muscled man was surprisingly gentle when he held Vidina, and the look of love on his face as he gazed down at his son struck Yuna's heart. It was so beautiful, the three of them together, so happy.

Lulu smiled in spite of herself as she watched Wakka whisper to their son, then turned away and back to the nearby sphere screen. Flicking it on, she scanned through collection of broadcasts until it came up to a newscast. The man speaking on the screen seemed to be rambling on about something to do with Blitzball and the current scores. Apart from the fuss about the Blitzball game, there didn't seem to be any other stunning news.

So nothing new had happened overnight. No more fiends attacking or disasters appearing. Yuna smiled, feeling even better. 'No news is good news I suppose.' She thought, then went back to eating.

"I hope they hurry up. You won't make Bevelle until this afternoon, and you don't want to be wandering around in the Underground in the dead of night. I've heard that it can become quite… unpleasant then." Lulu commented, still watching the screen as she put down her glass and folded her arms into her lap.

"Don't worry Lu, they can handle themselves, ya?" Wakka grinned, looking over to Lulu who was still watching the screen. "You worry too much! Yuna's a big girl now!"

The words 'big girl' didn't really feel like the suited her, but Yuna smiled just to show Wakka she was happy. He grinned back at her, then went back to his private conversation with Vidina.

"They'll probably be up soon anyway." Yuna added thoughtfully, looking around to where the door sat silently. There was no sound of anyone beyond it.

'Hopefully.' She thought with a frown, as she turned back to Lulu and the sphere screen.

"Oh dear…" Lulu sighed, shaking her head and putting a hand to her brow.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked, swallowing a mouthful of bread.

Lulu didn't say anything but moved out of the way, and increased the volume on the monitor. On it's bright blue display was a broadcast, with the familiar face of Shelinda beaming out.

"I'm sure no one in Spira missed last night's amazing Blitzball tournament! With Lady Yuna playing on the side of the Aurochs as a replacement player!" The display piped cheerfully, and the woman smiled for the camera.

Yuna felt somewhat uncomfortable, but didn't really understand what Lulu was so worried about. Of course they were going to make a fuss about it. She didn't want them to, but she'd known soon as she entered the arena it'd be the latest buzz for weeks. It would have the positive effect of boosting morale, but she only did it for fun. Not to show off.

"Wasn't Lady Yuna amazing? Who would have thought! Is there anything our Lady Yuna can't do?" Shelinda beamed, smiling so much it looked painful. Yuna sighed aloud.

Why did everything have to be such a fuss? Why did people have to get so worked up about whatever she did?

'Because they have to look up to someone.' She thought after a moment, and it only irritated her more. In the background the woman babbled on about the game, and various points she'd enjoyed.

"But more importantly," Shelinda continued, enthusiastically as ever, "The question on everyone's mind!" Yuna reached for a glass of water, hearing someone entering the room behind her.

'Finally, someone else is up.' She thought, turning to see who it was but stopped when Shelinda began to speak again.

"Who WAS that young man with the High Summoner?" Yuna nearly choked on her water and stared at the display. She should have known that was coming. She'd never thought about it, but of course, what would people say if they saw her with- "Perhaps a secret lover? Or is it perhaps the man that the High Summoner was seen with two years ago on her pilgrimage? Our Lady Summoner wasn't able to answer these questions last night due to her… sudden departure. But I'm sure we'll find out all the details soon! Coming up next, we'll have interviews from one of the spectators who sat in the front row!"

Lulu switched off the display and folded her arms over her lap.

Yuna stared at the blank display.

"This reminds me of what it was like back in Zanarkand." Tidus sighed, from behind Yuna. She turned to see him leaning on the back of her chair, his arms folded and a amused look on his face.

"Huh?" She blinked, unsure of what else to respond with and too distracted by Shelinda's words to think of anything else.

"When I became the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, nobody would leave me alone. Interviews, questions, autographs, lessons, pictures, the works. Everyone wanted to know what I was doing, inside and outside the Blitz Arena."

"Oh." Yuna said quietly, a sinking feeling entering her gut. She was the High Summoner. She'd just defeated Vegnagun, and word was spreading fast about that. Then she'd held concerts and everyone was begging for more. Then she'd played Blitzball in one of the biggest tournaments of the season.

Now she had him caught up in the mess. Though considering his past, he probably dealt with the idea better then she did.

"But I don't want to be famous!" She sighed, slumping in her seat despite all the years of teaching that screamed at her not to.

"You don't have a choice, though. You're probably the most famous person in Spira at this current time, and will be for the rest of your life." Lulu sighed, crossing her arms. "You'll just have to make the best of it. Try to stay out of trouble."

Yuna stared at Lulu. "But I've been trying to!" She cried, feeling even more frustrated. She didn't want to be famous. But Lulu was right, she couldn't help it. She'd brought the eternal calm. She'd saved all of Spira from Sin, hopefully forever. History would always remember her, and while she was still alive, everyone was going to be looking up to her. "I've been trying…" She repeated, though it felt like a half hearted attempt at a reply. Staring down at her plate she felt her heart begin to sink.

Lulu didn't look like she believed it. Yuna sighed and hung her head. "I just want some peace and quiet."

"No time for that! We've gotta go save the world again!" Rikku cackled happily from behind her, startling Yuna so badly she nearly choked on the rest of her water. "Let's go let's go let's go!" Rikku bounced, waving her arms around as if she were pretending she was a bird.

'I'm not ready for this yet. What happened to the good morning?' Yuna thought silently, as Paine entered the room behind Rikku and shot the young woman a hard look.

"Rikku, stop that. We're eating first, or I'm not going at all."

"Aww…" Rikku sighed, crossing her arms. "But I'm not hungry!"

"Too bad." Paine snapped, sitting down and helping herself to a piece of fruit.

Tidus sat down beside Yuna and gave her a half grin. It made her feel surprisingly better, and she attempted a smile back at him.

Maybe fate would be nice for a change and this whole Fayth threat would be fixed without too much of a fuss.

'Hoping is better then despairing, I suppose.' She thought with a sigh, as she began to finish her meal. It was hard to feel too sad though, despite the threat that loomed in front of her now.

He was back. Sitting beside her. Ready to help her through this new danger.

She felt surprisingly better already.

~~~~~~~

"Are you sure we have to do this?" Rikku sniffed suddenly, stopping just before the glowing elevator. "I mean… uh… can't we just find the records we need in some closet in Bevelle?"

Yuna sighed, and Tidus thought she looked somewhat irritated though he couldn't be sure. It was hard to imagine Yuna being irritated, let alone show it.

"Rikku, this is the only place we haven't checked. We have to go." Yuna sighed again, not looking at all happy about the idea either.

The day had a long one, filled with futile searching through every nook and cranny in Bevelle. They hadn't found anything to do with the aeons, and the only clues they had, were that Trema had taken them with him when he'd descended into the Underground.

"But… Didn't Trema destroy them all? So we don't have to go down there, right?" Rikku mumbled, staring at the elevator as if it might suddenly come alive and bite her.

"We don't know for sure. We have to check. It's our only option." Yuna said quietly, and stepped forward. "I'm going in. We have to find that Fayth."

"Let's just get it over with." Paine added, with a quick nod. Moving in front of Yuna, she stepped onto the elevator without hesitation.

Tidus didn't feel that comfortable about the whole idea of going down into the depths of who knew what, but he also knew it had to be done. With a sigh, he too stepped onto the platform and smiled encouragingly at Yuna. She attempted a smile back, then stepped up beside him.

Rikku stared at the three of them and bit her lip. "But…" Her voice trailed off, and Brother snorted from behind her.

"Go on! You are a Gullwing! Make us proud and get down there! That's an order." He snapped, giving her a push on the shoulder.

"I don't take orders from you!" Rikku snapped back, crossing her arms. "I don't see you coming down with us." She added, a sneer on her lips as she glared up at him.

Brother went a shade of pale and then tried to regain his composure by standing up straighter. "I'm not afraid. But someone has to stay with the ship. I am the captain. The captain stays with his ship."

Rikku rolled her eyes but gave up on the argument. "You better be here when we get back!" She hissed, as she slowly stepped up onto the platform.

He waved his hands in a dismissing manner, then stepped away from the elevator as it began to slowly descend into the depths of the tunnel.

"Take care of Yuna!" Brother shouted at them, shaking his fist as the elevator slipped down into the tunnel and out of sight. His voice went out of hearing suddenly and all that was left was a eerie silence. Tidus regarded the others, and didn't feel much better. Yuna looked uneasy, Rikku terrified yet hiding it, and even Paine looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Do you guys always have this much fun?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck uneasily as Rikku shot him a glare.

"I never wanted to go back down here." She cried, moving her weight from one leg to another. "I hate this place!"

"Stop complaining, Rikku." Snapped Paine, closing her eyes. "You're a Gullwing."

"A Gullwing! Why do you guys keep saying that? Of course I am! Does that mean I'm not allowed to be afraid of anything?" Rikku cried, her voice rising to a higher pitch. Paine winced, then shook her head.

"Of course not. But then we'd have to call you a Chickenwing instead."

There was a slight pause, then Rikku moaned and turned away, looking somewhat furious. Yuna covered her mouth and her bright eyes sparkled, betraying a laugh that wanted to creep out. Paine somehow managed to keep a straight face, and Tidus found Rikku watching him like a hawk.

"It isn't funny." She snapped, glaring over to Paine who was looking quite innocent and calm as usual. "Even if you finally tried to make a joke." Paine shrugged and Tidus found himself beginning to smile. "it's not funny!" Rikku cried, waving her hands at Tidus fiercely.

'Oh boy.' He thought, struggling to keep from laughing.

"I didn't say anything." He managed, trying to look as innocent as Paine.

Rikku just glared at him. She didn't buy it. Behind her Yuna seemed to be having quite a time trying to stop herself from giggling.

"You thought it!" Rikku snarled, crossing her arms and glaring even harder.

Tidus shrugged and she seemed a bit put off.

Finally the tension broke, and Rikku sniffed, turning away from all of them to lean on the railing. Tidus shook his head slowly and grinned at Yuna. She grinned back, and for a moment he almost forgot where they were. But it didn't last long.

The elevator descended quietly, and as it grew darker a few tiny lights around the edges of the railing blinked on. It was better then darkness, though Tidus would have found it more comforting if there had been more light. Sighing, he leaned on the railing and regarded the view. Nothing much to look at. The polished sides of the tunnel were dark and metallic. The elevator itself had the railing, and a few buttons to control the direction. Beyond that, and the others standing with him on it, there was nothing to see.

"How long is this going to take?" Rikku finally cringed, huddled in the very center of the elevator. The fear of the underground seemed to have made her forget the recent attack on her dignity.

Yuna sighed, but Paine saved her the trouble of answering.

"As long as it takes to find what we're looking for." The woman said calmly, staring at the tunnel wall as if it were an interesting view.

"That's not an answer!" Rikku whined, hugging her elbows as she looked upwards to where they'd come. The opening they had entered had sealed, and now it was a depressing black tunnel both up and down.

"I don't like this." Tidus muttered, looking over to the elevator controls again.

"What's to like?" Paine snapped, tapping her fingers on her crossed arms absently.

"What's with this place, anyway?" He continued, ignoring her icy response and looking to Yuna instead.

Yuna didn't say anything for a moment, though the way her eyes moved made him believe she was thinking about something.

"Nobody… is really sure." She finally said, pausing as the elevator began to speed up a little. "Bevelle's always had it's secrets. Most of them are left over from a thousand years ago, during the war with Zanarkand. When the war was over and Sin came, most of it was forgotten and everyone was too busy worrying about bringing the Calm then digging up old secrets. Eventually everything was forgotten and the few in Bevelle who knew about it kept all knowledge of it locked up. Because nobody ever came down here anymore, fiends began to enter and expand." Yuna paused again, looking over to the elevator's controls warily.

"Did you do something, Paine?" She asked, frowning.

Paine looked at her, then at the controls. "No. Why?"

"It feels like we're going faster."

Paine walked over to the controls, and peered down at them. "Nothing's changed, but you're right. We are."

"Maybe… that's normal?" Rikku attempted a grin, but Tidus could see the color was draining out of her face.

"Uh… Sure! It must be." He grinned, patting her on the shoulder and trying to look believable. She looked up at him with a panicked look, then seemed to settle down again.

"Oh. Okay." She managed, huddling down closer to the elevator's floor.

Paine shook her head and muttered something, but it seemed more to herself then someone, and the words were lost in the soft drone of the elevator.

"I'd always heard stories about Bevelle's secrets, but being in Zanarkand I didn't really know much. We never saw much of the war." He paused, recalling back to what seemed like ages ago. The war had ended a few years before he'd seen Sin. Everything had been calm and it seemed like Bevelle would finally sit down and talk about peace. Then Sin came.

'Not the time to think about that.' He thought with a frown, then looked back over to Yuna.

"But you've been here before?" Tidus asked, feeling silly. Yuna had told him about their adventure, though she hadn't said much. He'd wanted to hear the rest of it, and maybe it was finally the right time. And maybe it was a good idea to keep the silence broken. The drone of the elevator wasn't exactly calming.

Yuna nodded once, then looked over to Paine and Rikku. "When we were looking for Vegnagun, we first came here. We thought it would lead down to Vegnagun, but I guess we got confused. This chamber… opens up into a maze of lower chambers. They go down and down for… well… we don't know how far down they go." She shivered a little in spite of herself, then continued.

"Nobody knows when they were made, the only guess we have is that they were originally part of the old Bevelle, a thousand years ago. The only person other then us to have come down here in the last while was Trema. He was heading Bevelle before Baralai took over, but his ideas were… different. He took all the spheres of the history of Spira and disappeared into these chambers. That's all anyone had heard of him."

"Those are the spheres we're looking for?" Tidus asked, tilting his head.

"Yes. But we found Trema in the depths, while we were looking for Vegnagun. He said he'd destroyed them all, because it was better to live without the past clouding everything. Then he attacked. We defeated him, but he wouldn't say anything more about the spheres. Then he just disappeared." She shrugged a little, but still looked quite uncomfortable. "So we don't know. This is the only idea we had though. If we can find the spheres, maybe some will be intact. Maybe we'll find something to do about this Fayth."

"Kinda a long shot." Tidus sighed, closing his eyes.

"Yeah." She said quietly.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just look all over Spira until we find a temple?" Rikku mumbled, sitting down on the floor and hugging her knees.

"Rikku, that'd take years. We don't have that kind of time." Came Paine's cold reply.

"But… This place gives me the creeps! It's worse then the Farplane." Sniffing, Rikku buried her head in her arms. Tidus couldn't remember seeing her so afraid, not even the time when she'd been freaking out about the lightning in the Thunder Plains.

"It'll be okay, Rikku." He said, a lot calmer sounding then he felt.

'At least, I hope it will.'

He looked over to Yuna, and she seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Paine's head tilted up, then snapped over to Yuna, catching the woman's attention. "Yuna. We're slowing down."

Yuna blinked, and from below them Rikku moaned. "Alright then. Everyone, get ready." She said after a pause, sounding quite calm yet in her eyes there were an uncertainty Tidus didn't like the look of.

"Can't I just stay here?" Rikku asked with a quivering voice, standing up slowly as the elevator began to go slower and slower.

"And get eaten all alone? Sure, if that's what you want." Paine sighed, shaking her head at Rikku's complaints.

Rikku stared at Paine wordlessly, and this time her face went completely white.

"I… Think… I'll go with you guys." She croaked, slowly taking out her twin blades.

"Good choice." Paine said, looking away towards the entrance that was beginning to appear in front of them.

As the elevator came to a sudden halt, the entrance opened up and revealed before them a huge chamber. Tidus blinked in surprise. It was a lot like the Farplane. Though the area looked much like the rest of Bevelle, a dense fog seemed to be present in various areas, and the odd pyrefly danced in and out of the walls.

"Cheery." He muttered, taking out Brotherhood and gripping it's hilt tightly.

"Let's go." Yuna sighed grimly, stepping of the elevator and into the fog. Tidus followed behind her, staying close beside her.

Though the setting was different then anything he'd ever seen before, and so many things had changed, he was vaguely reminded of when he had fought beside Yuna before Sin's defeat. When he'd been protecting her as a Guardian. Now they were protecting each other, and Sin was no longer a threat. That probably should have made him happy. But the place seemed to sap the very happiness out of him and replace it with dread. The same kind of dread he'd felt when he knew Yuna was walking to her death at the hands of Sin.

'Why does this seem so familiar?' He thought darkly, looking behind him as Rikku and Paine stepped out after them. 'Rikku was right. This place is freaky.' Looking back to Yuna, he saw she was already nearing stairs that would lead them down to the next level.

'Maybe we'll get lucky and this will be easier then it sounds.'

Walking quickly after her, he felt the fog around him almost move on it's own accord. As if it were reaching at him, as if it were trying to sap away the life from his body. He shuddered slightly as he caught up with Yuna and fell into pace beside her.

'Who am I kidding?'

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AN: Three days! I promise! It'll be here! It might be about the same length as this one, but it'll be here! Somehow… X_X I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, and that the errors aren't too huge in number. I've looked through the best I could but I just want to get this darn thing up before I lose my mind and have a stress attack.

NEXT CHAPTER! Three days! *collapses*