… My computer died. Kaboom. Couldn't get to the internet for a few days, let alone write on things… and I lost all my work… Had to rewrite, took even longer… and school has been hectic as well. So this is really late… again… even when I said I'd hope to get it up within a week. Really sorry, with the computer crash, and the school workload, I've not had much time for fic writing… Summer will change that, I hope. Key word, hope. Also going to replay FFX and FFX-2 over the summer probably, so I'll be way more inspired with the writing. I would have thought I'd be sick of the whole thing by now, but no… My love for FFX if anything, grows. Almost scary. So don't worry, no matter what happens, I'm not going to quit… Though I sure hope my computer doesn't die again.

I hate to do this to you guys, but this chapter… well, it's really, only half a chapter. I just wanted to get something up, so you guys wouldn't think I'd given up. The second part to this chapter will be up within a week, and that I can promise, unless my computer decides to go and kill itself again. Which is unlikely.

I'm really tired right now so I'm just going to reply to a few comments, I'll get the rest next update-

Elle- Thank you again for your wonderful words, and I'm really glad you're liking the story. I know I get a little long winded (Little, hah… who am I kidding?) with some scenes, but I can't seem to help it. I'm also glad the story is conveying the emotions I want it to so far… I'll try not to be so bad with the "Will he disappear?!" thing, I think I've tormented poor Yuna enough.

Also, Golden Rose, I don't know if you're still reading this via website, but… my e-mail doesn't seem to want to send messages to your address…

This chapter hasn't been heavily edited, so no doubt, there's a couple problems here and there… I'm sorry about that… Tried to look over it the best I could. If there's any huge mistakes, please point them out and I'll fix em.

And there we go, all finished with that. Oh. Right, I don't own FFX or FFX-2, but I sure do love them.

Onto the chapter- Yes! Finally! Tweeee!

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Chapter 15

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Yuna hung on the rock ledge by only her fingers. Craning her neck downward she looked at the large pool of water below her, lit underneath by various strange glowing rock formations. The color shimmering in the water was quite beautiful, just as beautiful as it had been when she'd first seen them two years ago. However, she didn't allow herself the pleasure of gazing at them for longer then a half second. Looking back up she frowned, feeling her fingers slipping.

"Um, I was sort of thinking we'd use the stairs." Tidus seemed to be hiding an amused grin as he crouched down above her, and grabbed her wrists to help her climb back up. She glared for a moment, but found herself unable to looking at his grinning face. As he pulled her back up the ledge she walked up the side with her feet.

Back on steady ground, she dusted off her jacket and put her hands on her hips. "If you hadn't been in such a hurry, I would have seen the ledge!" She sighed, shaking her head and trying hard not to laugh at herself. She'd been so busy looking at the walls to see some sign of a temple, she'd nearly walked straight off the ledge. Luckily he'd been there to help her back up, and even if she had fallen, she'd only have landed in water. But still, she'd been careless, and as funny as the thought was, she was silently angry about it.

"Oh don't start that." He shook his head, still grinning. "I know that look, Yuna. Now you're never going to forgive yourself for not paying attention. Hey! It happens! Come on, let's keep moving." She wondered how he could possibly be so happy, as he headed down towards where the stairs entered the water. Any further comments about the matter left her mind as he threw off his jacket.

"What are you doing?" She blinked, following after him, a good few feet away from the ledge this time.

"We've already explored most of the caves, right?"

She nodded, then looked over to the water, and to the tunnel that ran into its dark depths, faintly lit by the glowing rocks. It wasn't Bevelle, but somehow the sight made her shiver.

"That's the only place we haven't looked. Me, Wakka, and Rikku went down there once, you remember?" He continued, and she nodded again. "We found some strange things on the other side, some… tests, I guess, for when we were getting to Zanarkand. Maybe the temple's in there too." He shrugged, stepping into the water till he was up to his knees.

She watched him silently, then looked back to the tunnel. She didn't really want to go, but she had to admit, she'd seen worse. It wouldn't be so bad, besides, she could swim alright. Though, playing blitzball for a few short rounds was a lot different then swimming in underground tunnels and running into fiends…

"Come on, the water's warm." He grinned, scooping his hand into the water and playfully splashing her. She smiled a little, then carefully taking off her jacket and setting it down beside his, waded in. She was surprised. It was warm.

"How can it be warm?" She wondered aloud, dipping her hand into the water and testing it with her fingers. Tidus shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with those hot springs Rikku enthusiastically told me about."

"You're right, I hadn't thought of that. That could be it." She pondered, staring down at the water.

"Come on Yuna, quit stalling!" Playfully grabbing her hand, he proceeded in wading the rest of the way into the water, dragging her along with him. Not that she would have complained if she'd been able to, but she still felt uneasy. Taking one last gasp of air, she dived down into the water.

Once her eyes had gotten used to the strange sensation of water, she was able to see Tidus beside her, waving at her as if checking to see if she were alright. She nodded silently, and kicked forward towards the tunnel. He swam close beside her, graceful as a fish. She could tell he could have swum a lot faster, but he was slowing down to keep up with her. Making a little promise to practice more, she turned her mind back to the task at hand.

Since the water was warm, it wasn't an uncomfortable swim. She could hold her breath for quite a while if she had to, and since the underground water lacked currents, she was using little of her air and energy. Reaching the other end would be no problem.

The length of the tunnel however, was much longer then she had expected. After swimming steadily for five minutes, there was still no sign of air. Yuna found herself beginning to worry, as they swam around another corner and still were met with only more water.

An uncomfortable feeling began to grow in her chest. Her lungs were starting to plead for air, and she still couldn't see the end of the tunnel. Beside her Tidus was still swimming with seemingly no problem, in fact, he looked just as relaxed and energetic as he had when they'd started. She wondered vaguely how in Spira he could hold his breath for so long. Then her mind went back to the possibilities of what would happen if they didn't reach air soon.

'I have to keep calm.' Yuna told herself, closing her eyes while she swam and forcing herself to stop worrying. The end of the tunnel wouldn't be far. As long as she stayed calm and conserved her air, she'd be fine. Besides, he was right there beside her. There was nothing to worry about.

Nevertheless, her lungs didn't quite believe her and the feeling continued to rise. She found herself swimming faster, which only expended more of her energy, and more of her air. Her eyes open again, she searched the tunnel in front of them for any sign of a break to the surface. There was nothing. The tunnel simply curled along in a weaving path, into the darkness beyond.

Somehow, she managed to press on. For another few minutes, they swam, but her speed was starting to decrease and her swimming more panicked.

Finally she could see in front of them the end. She could see the water's surface, shimmering slightly from the glowing stones resting on the walls. Her mind barely registered the sight however, as things suddenly seemed to be getting very blurry and dark.

A steady hand grasped her by the shoulder, and she was barely aware of herself being dragged through the water at an alarming speed. Just as everything seemed to drop into complete shadow, she felt herself free of the watery prison. She could feel cool, sweet air on her wet skin and she struggled to breathe it in as fast as she could.

"Easy, take it easy." She heard him say gently, still holding her as she coughed violently and gasped in air. Her lungs screamed, but the pain was already ebbing as she could feel the shadows slowly dropping away. Her eyes began to clear, and finally, she could see his face in front of her.

"I'm… okay." She coughed again, shivering and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. He looked worried, and almost as if he didn't believe her. She looked up at him, and felt suddenly terrified about what had just happened. She could have… Why had she been so stupid? She should have… A thousand thoughts raced through her head, as her mind became fully alert. The worry in his face almost made her sick. She wished she didn't have to do any of this anymore, she didn't want to be out in the middle of some cave looking for some temple. She just wanted to go home. She just wanted…

She flung her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest. His arms wrapped around her and held her firmly, one of his hands stroking her wet hair. Closing her eyes, she tried to leave everything around her behind and focus only on him, just for a moment. But as her mind blocked out their surroundings, she felt what she'd been containing break free.

An agonizing, soul-wrenching scream tore through her head, and she nearly screamed herself. Biting her lip to keep from screaming a strangled moan found it's way through her lips instead. Fighting against the screaming, she shuddered and held onto him tighter. Somehow she found the strength to contain it again, to push away the screaming Fayth.

'Help us, Summoner, help us, why have you left us, help us, Summoner, it hurts, it hurts, Summoner, help us, where are the others, help us, help us, make the pain stop, Summoner, help us, we didn't want to hurt them… help us…'

The voice echoed in her mind as she managed to push it away with a final mental shove. The echo vibrated through her skull, fading after a long time into a whisper. But it did not fade away fully. The voice continued to whisper on and on, repeating itself and speaking near nonsense.

After what seemed like an eternity, she opened her eyes and pulled away. Tidus was watching her with a rather upset look. She could see it in his eyes, so clear, she could almost hear his thoughts. Why does she have to be in this pain? Why can't I do anything to help her?

Standing up unsteadily, she turned to look down the tunnel that continued down into the darkness. Dripping water and shivering, she tried to find the courage to keep on going.

"We'll find her." He said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "We'll end it. Then the Fayth can go rest."

She nodded once, looking down to the floor. She didn't want to say she had no idea how she'd end it. The idea was that she would send it, but… what if that didn't work? If this creature was truly something of a Fayth and yet not… How could she possibly send it?

And even if she could… It would go to rest with the other Fayth. What if this last Fayth was the only thing keeping… She looked up to Tidus, and hid the look from her eyes. No. She couldn't think like that. She'd spoken to Bahamut in the Farplane, and he'd spoken to her about it. What was keeping him here was in the Farplane, not some Fayth still in Spira.

She caught herself almost praying to Yevon to make that so. It had been so conditioned into her, only two years ago, sometimes she found herself remembering it. Even if it had been all false. She'd grown up with it, only to destroy it. Her mind threatened to reel as the thoughts bounced through her head and she fought for control.

"We'd better keep moving." Yuna heard herself say, and his hand left her shoulder. He came up beside her, and looked sideways at her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, speaking still with the soft, concerned voice.

"I'll be okay. Once this is over."

Tidus nodded a little, sighing as he did so. Stepping past her, he began to walk down the dark tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. Yuna followed a moment later, after taking one last look behind them at the water. They'd have to go back through there, if the were going to get out again. She had to be more careful.

Walking in silence, Yuna lost count of how many minutes ticked by. After a while, her hair stopped dripping water and she felt her clothes begin to dry. The air in the tunnel was cool, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. The lights that had lit it before now seemed to be less common, and not as tightly grouped. With the addition of an eerie silence, the tunnel was fast becoming disturbing.

She usually enjoyed silence. It allowed her time to think and time to meditate on things. This silence however, seemed to eat away at her mind and encourage frightened thoughts. Tidus, still walking in front, didn't seemed to be bothered at all, but kept looking back to her every few minutes.

"It's so quiet…" She finally said, hating the silence and trying pathetically to fill it. Her voice seemed to be eaten up by the darkness however, and any strength it may have held could not be heard.

Water dripped somewhere in the distance as if to prove her wrong. The echoing sound that followed was unnerving to say the least.

Tidus slowed, until he was walking closely beside her. Though she could see a slight concern still in his eyes, his voice when he spoke, was full of his usual energy.

"In Zanarkand, some people would have paid to have it this quiet." He spoke with no sign of fear in his voice. He was trying to distract her from the silence. Grateful, she looked to him and titled her head.

"What do you mean?" Somehow her voice sounded a little stronger.

"Well, everything there is so… loud. All the machines that run the city, they're constantly grinding away and making a huge commotion. Even at night. Most people get used to it, eventually. Silence doesn't exist in Zanarkand, just like darkness doesn't."

She smiled. "All the lights, right?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah! There's always lights on, even in the day. They never go out, the machines keep them running all the time."

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture it. She barely remembered the images she'd seen that one time of it, when Seymour had shown them that sphere of it. She'd been so caught up with thoughts of other things at the time, she'd barely had a chance to recall it then.

Opening her eyes again, she remembered suddenly something Shinra had said.

"Shinra made a discovery when we were in the Farplane…" She started absently, frowning as she recalled it. "He said that the energy there could be used to power machines, eventually… That one day we'd be able to build cities like Zanarkand again."

Tidus's eyes lit up. "Really?" He asked, sounding surprised and almost excited.

Nodding, she found herself smiling again. "Well, it'd take years, he said… It probably won't happen in my lifetime." It made her sad to recall that. She'd always wanted to see Zanarkand, and it seemed she'd never get the chance to see any kind of machine run city.

He frowned, just a little, then looked back at her. "Don't say that, Yuna! I'm sure the Al Bhed will figure something out before you're old and gray." He grinned, as if amused by the thought.

"Hey!" She sighed, shaking her head. "I guess you're right, though. Maybe they will. I'm still young." She spoke almost without thinking, suddenly caught up in dreams of the future and what they might hold. She could barely see the tunnel around her, and for a wonderful moment, she forgot about the worries of the present.

"How old are you, anyway?" Tidus asked, tilting his head.

She blinked, looking back over to him. "You don't know? I guess I never said…" He shook his head. "I'm nineteen, now."

He stared at her silently, for a long moment. "You mean… you were… seventeen when you decided you were going to go defeat Sin?" He asked, blinking as if he couldn't believe it.

"Oh, no." She shook her head, looking to the floor. "I decided I wanted to become a Summoner when I was ten. I spent six years training for it, and I'd just turned seventeen a few days before you came. That was why I went to pray to the Fayth in Besaid. I was old enough to become a Summoner, finally."

Tidus looked as though she'd said something to the effect she was a Fayth herself.

"Ten?" He echoed, staring at her in shock.

Yuna nodded.

"But… you knew…" He struggled for the words, stopping in the middle of the tunnel.

Stopping as well, she nodded again. "Yes. I knew I would die if I managed to defeat Sin." She paused, then continued when she saw he was still as a loss of words. "When my father defeated Sin, I was so happy, even though I knew he was never going to come back. I saw everyone around me, so happy, and thankful. I wanted to be part of that happiness, but… As I grew up, even with Kimarhi, and Lulu, and Wakka, I didn't feel happy. I couldn't find anything, and even though I had my friends I felt alone. I wanted…" Her voice trailed off as she went back to so many years ago, back to what seemed almost a different lifetime. "I wanted to be with my father. I wanted to make Spira happy. I knew that would make me happy."

"Weren't you afraid?" He asked finally, slowly recovering from the look of shock.

Yuna didn't answer for a moment, then finally nodded a little. "Yes, I was. But I knew with all my heart that was what I had to do." She hesitated, then looked around the tunnel for a moment, then back at him. "And… I turned out to be right, I guess."

Tidus blinked again, then looked thoughtful. "You did it, Yuna. I don't think I ever got the chance to say it. I know this is a little late but…" He grinned. "You beat Sin, and not just for a few years. You did what nobody else could."

Yuna felt her face flush, and she looked to the ground. She was used to hearing that from nearly everyone, though not so much over the last year. But hearing it from him, somehow it seemed… to mean something. She'd tried so hard to push Sin into her past, she found herself almost overwhelmed suddenly by the memories. She had done it. She'd changed all of Spira.

No… that wasn't right. It hadn't just been her.

She shook her head. "No. We did it. We beat Sin. Everyone. And you… If you hadn't…" Her voice trailed off. Wakka's words trailed through her head, from so long ago, when they stood in the airship before the final battle.

"And to think if you hadn't come floating out of the sea that day…"

And Lulu's words…

"You know, your meeting Yuna was really quite…"

Her mind was lost in the memories, and with them suddenly the screaming whisper was buried and forgotten. The world suddenly seemed a strange place, as she thought of what had happened and what would have happened if he hadn't appeared as he did.

Tidus seemed to notice the far off look in her eyes, and he smiled a little.

"Come on, let's go find this Fayth and go home."

'Home.' The word made her heart jump happily, as she felt herself smile.

"Yes. Home." She grabbed his hand, and with a grin that matched the sudden happiness in her heart, she started down the tunnel.

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AN:

Poor excuse for a chapter wasn't it? Well, like I said, this was just a half chapter really. The next 'half' will take me a couple days to write, and honestly, I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. So expect an update within a week. If there's no update by next Sunday, I'm either dead, or should be. Tweee… Next chapter should be longer too, with any luck. This chapter was kind of slow paced, but the next one will be full of action no worries.