Disclaimer: I really don't own FFX-2

Shuyin pulled his cloak tighter around him as they reached the outskirts of Zanarkand. He looked beside him at a poker faced Lenne, who was gazing out into the lights of the city below, a faraway look in her eyes. It was disturbing to know that he will be traveling with her, just the two of them. In natural circumstances, it wouldn't have mattered. But Lenne was such a prankster, and it seemed like she took any possible opportunity to put him into self-conscious distress when she saw one. But now, as he watched her face contort into an unreadable expression and a tear slid down her cheek, he felt sorry for even thinking oddly of her.

He watched as the fat teardrop trickle down that smooth cheek of hers, but didn't move. He did not feel like she needed comforting, and he did not, by all means, think that it will do her any good if he let out words that would mean nothing to him at all. He was used to being alone, and so he never really did know how to empathize with her then. So all he did was look out to where she was looking and said, "Take your time. It'll be a while before we return."

She nodded gravely, as yet another tear fell down the other cheek.

Shuyin didn't understand why he felt like something warm was developing in his gut, a weird feeling. He was probably feeling sad, too, for Lenne. But she chose this path, and so she had to deal with it. For some unexplainable reason, he wondered why he cared too much. He had spent hours rationalizing to himself that the reason why he was coming was because he had nothing better to do. That had to be it... However weird he was sucked into Lenne's life.

He looked up into the sky and was relieved to see something that might make her smile again, though he once again asked himself why he should bother. "Look, Lenne. Stars."

Lenne did look, and she did smile, but at the same time, another tear fell. Then another. And another, until he couldn't count the teardrops because they kept on coming until they formed a trail on her face. "Shuyin, what's wrong with me? The tears, why don't they stop?"

Shuyin had never been asked that question before. Why don't they stop? He kept on looking at the stars, not wanting to look at her in her weakest state. "You would cry and cry for a million eternities and it would never be enough... when you're sad. Don't ask me why. I don't have the answer."

Lenne laughed softly. She tried to wipe away the tears. It was such a futile attempt; more tears just kept coming. "I suppose you're right. You must think I'm a crybaby, and to think we haven't even left town."

Shuyin didn't say anything. He just adjusted his cloak, shifted his sword and began to walk away, to the long road that led to Mt. Gagazet. A moment later, he heard Lenne's footsteps follow. She was not sobbing. It was weird. She was quiet when she's sad as she was noisy when happy.

And surprisingly, however I dislike being around you when you're too perky, I'd rather have you bouncing up the walls, if it would make the tears go away.

It really didn't suit her, tears.

They reached the Summit Region of the mountain by the time the sun was rising and Lenne had so wanted to watch the sunrise, but Shuyin didn't allow her. She tried to reason with him that it would only take a moment, but remarkably, uncharacteristically, he was firm on his stand. It made her feel uncomfortably aware of her childish behavior when she asked why.

"Lenne, this is Mt. Gagazet. One wrong move and you'll see yourself either falling off one edge or being crushed by rocks on the other. That is, if we're lucky. Fiends are everywhere, so we'd better move as fast as these feet could carry us," Shuyin had said, not even slowing down one bit. Lenne had no choice but to follow, her eyes shifting from one dark crevice to another, her imagination running away with her, thinking of what kind of fiend could be lurking in an unseen place.

Again, she began to wonder how Shuyin knew about these things. She had thought about the same question over and over again since the Tonberry incident, when he first impressed her with his presence of mind in battle and, of course, his skills in swordplay. It was such a peculiar thing to be in the hands of a Blitzball player, and Shuyin was probably a special case when it came to that.

The wind was howling a few hours later, making Lenne feel like she would be swept up and thrown to the edge of the thousand feet drop to her left. She leaned on the wind as she tried to unsuccessfully tame her hair from whipping her face. She peered out in front of her where Shuyin was a few feet ahead. He didn't seem to mind the strong gusts of the wind coming from all directions as he continued his walk. He walked differently, Lenne had observed. Maybe it was because of the sword at his hip. It felt... natural on him, like another limb. And he had that out- of-place grace that could not have belonged to a man who had those muscles and long legs. She couldn't believe a man who meant nothing to her, as she meant nothing to him, could leave her thoughts in anagrams every time she would look at him.

Trying to catch up, she called out to him. "Hey." Shuyin didn't look. She called out again. "Hey!"

He looked over his shoulder in his normally indifferent manner. "What?" he asked, his voice barely audible over the wind. Lenne rushed over to his side, attaching herself to his arm. "Well, I was just wondering – just out of the blue, I guess – how come you know these things? You know, about Spira and all of that."

He merely looked at her for a split-second, then looked ahead again. "I don't get the question."

Lenne tried to rephrase it, then. "Well, it seems like you know what you're doing. Like fiends, and Mt. Gagazet, and I remember you saying the Calm Lands, too. It's really something."

Shuyin shrugged. "I'm a Blitzball player. I've been around."

It sounded the most obvious thing in the world, and Lenne felt a little foolish for not thinking about it at all, however questions still kept on bubbling to the surface she can't help but want to ask, but because the look on Shuyin's face told her he really wasn't in the mood to talk, she decided to keep it to herself. At least for now.

There will be more opportunities for that later. After all, it's a long pilgrimage.

They trudged in silence. Lenne was beginning to hate it. Until Shuyin finally broke it.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really. Why?"

Shuyin shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that we haven't had breakfast yet. Nor dinner."

"Huh? But I thought we're not supposed to stop."

Shuyin mumbled something she didn't quite understand.

"What?" Lenne asked.

"I said, 'if you're hungry'. We can stop if you're hungry. Or maybe if you're tired?"

This was the problem with being with someone you hardly even know. She didn't know if Shuyin was being polite, or gentlemanly or maybe he was simply looking down at her. She shook her head vigorously. "I would find it unfair for that sunrise that I just missed –ahem!- if we stopped for food."

Shuyin shot her a frustrated look. "You're still hung up on that, huh?"

Am I ever. "Not really."

Shuyin sighed. "That was different. This is essential. It's food. It'll keep us alive until we finish your pilgrimage. To think we've just begun."

Lenne giggled. "I guess you're right. To tell you honestly, I'm really not hungry. But since you're insisting, where do we camp?"

Shuin glared at her in disbelief at the mention that the reason why they were stopping was because he insisted. "Whatever. We'll be nearing the peak's mountain cave in an hour or so. We can stop there and take shelter from the wind."

"That's a welcoming thought. So, how long do we reach the other side of this mountain?"

Shuyin raised his hand to his head, knuckling his temple. He must be having a headache from the cold, or maybe from the altitude. She was feeling dizzy as it is. If it weren't for his arm she was holding on to, she may have seen herself flat on her face on the ground. Her knees were really starting to betray her. "The path gets meaner after we pass the mountain cave. There's snow on the other side, so it's good you're wearing boots."

Lenne frowned. She hated the cold, especially when her feet are. But the last thing she needed was to look even more spoiled in front of this man made of stone. Or ice. "Oh, well, I guess a bit of snow will do me good."

This time, the look Shuyin gave her was pure skepticism. "How will snow do you good?"

Lenne automatically felt like the biggest moron in the whole of Spira. She only said that because she wanted to make it look like she really didn't care. Stupid. Stupid, stupid. She tried not to look it, though."It's a performer's trade secret." Whew!

"Whatever. After the mountain cave, we'll reach the Fayth Scar."

"What's the Fayth Scar?"

"It's the side of the mountain facing south. Not as steep as this trail, but mostly covered with snow the whole year. Not as windy, but since it's a broad clearing, there're are, um, more dangerous, uh, things up there."

"Like what?"

"Fiends."

Silence.

Lenne shivered. It was only then did she really see the danger that came along this path she wished to take. Along with the realization came the acceptance that, unfortunately, she really was weak. It scared her, this reality. That in a span of a few days, she had become utterly dependent on the person walking next to her. It was a comforting thought that someone had cared this much about her, even though he outright denies it. It was kind of hard to believe, but she blamed it all on fate. It had to be. It was too surreal, the fact that they met, and then half a week later, here they were. She couldn't help but smile. Snuggling closer to him, being much more comfortable feeling him warm at least one side of her body, she giggled. He did not hear her, or else he would have started feeling uncomfortable again.

Silently, she tried to examine his face. He had a striking profile, features that couldn't possibly have belonged to an eighteen-year-old. He looked like he was carved from stone. He didn't look like he was effected by the cold, but when she felt a slight shiver from him, it reminded her he was still, after all, human. Just very, very unnaturally serious.

"You can stop looking at me now."

Lenne blinked, shaking herself out of her reverie. "Huh?"

"We're here."

Lenne hadn't realized it had been an hour already. I've been staring at him for that long. And he knew it. Dammit! She felt herself blushing and hoping it will pass up that she did because of the weather. Diverting her attention from him, she looked ahead and gulped. There, staring menacingly back at her, was the mouth of a cave. It was dark and very creepy-looking from her point of view.

Shuyin must have sensed her fear and squeezed her shoulder. "It's not as bad as you think. It's actually kind of pretty inside that cave."

Lenne nodded, still doubtful, but she let herself be led into that cave. She felt the temperature drop suddenly, and she could see her breath freeze up in front of her face. It was dark and she couldn't see where she was going. Something caught her foot, and she squealed in panic as she felt herself lose her footing.

Shuyin held her tightly around the waist before she ended up on the floor. "I have you. Don't worry." He felt his eyes adjust to the darkness as quickly as would a cat. That was one of the great things he took pride in; he could pretty much see in the dark. Making sure Lenne had her balance back, he let go of her waist and settled for her hand. "Follow me. I won't let you trip."

He could see her nod her head uncertainly, and followed. There, in the dark, where he knew she can't see him, he stared at her. She looked like a little kid, wrapped in that cloak that appeared too big for her. She was breathing heavily, and her breath smoked in front of her. When she almost stumbled again, her grip tightened and she cried out softly.

"Don't worry, I have you. Just a little more. We're almost there." He gazed down at her as they reached a part where the path broke into two. We're taking the right path. It's the long route."

She gulped. He could see her forehead crinkling in confusion. "I don't know, Shuyin. Why don't we take the shorter? It's really creepy in here..."

Shuyin shook his head, although he knew his actions were really useless here in the dark. "I just thought that maybe you'd like to go through this path. I'd like to show you something."

"Wha...?"

"You'll love it. It's kind of a waste if you don't see it. It's not everyday you'd be passing this way." Shuyin guided a reluctant Lenne, and she let herself be led, however unsure she was. Her doubts were completely dissipated when she saw what he meant. He watched as her grey eyes widen in awe at the glowing stalactites and stalagmites growing out of the side of the path, casting an ethereal sense in the place. The light illuminated the path like exotic lanterns. Shuyin had seen it many times before, when the team would be going to a tournament in Luca, but it still overwhelmed him, seeing it again now.

"Oh, my... How pretty!" Lenne breathed, her voice sounding loud as it echoed in the cave, bouncing back and forth and resounding over and over until it faded. "Shuyin, how wonderful..."

Shuyin looked away, now that he knew she could see her. He felt guilty, just a bit, for having stolen looks from her when she wasn't aware. A voice in his head told him to set it aside. Must... not... stare...! "Yeah, I know what you mean. I could never get tired of looking at you.– it! I meant it!"

STUPID!

She must not have noticed. She just nodded as if in a trance. "Can't we camp here for our meal?"

Breathe! Dammit!!! "Sure, Lenne. Let's make a fire. It's really cold in here." He took out a box of matches and made is way down the path and looked over his shoulder, a gesture that asked her to follow. She did, and as she did, he immediately diverted his eyes away. He knew she wouldn't notice since she was busy looking around, once in a while squatting in a corner to touch a stalagmite. But he was feeling a little uncomfortable by the mere fact of letting his eyes graze her body. She was beautiful. That was the only word he could use to describe her. And he didn't feel happy to know he was thinking of her that way.

Trying to busy himself with the fire, she knelt by a place dry enough to start one. He was doing a pretty good job with it until Lenne knelt by him. He didn't know what in Spira she was thinking, but she had been cuddling next to him since they reached the halfway point in Mt. Gagazet. It was driving him nuts. He hated close contact, not because he hated it in the general sense of things, but because he didn't know how to react to it. So far, he had been going well with just ignoring it and pretending not to care. But it must be these damn glowing things! His I'm-a-rock-don't-talk-to-me technique was failing him miserably.

"Shuyin, can't we skip the fire?" Lenne asked. Shuyin looked at her as if whacked.

"Lenne, you're shivering in your boots. We need a fire." He plopped down on the floor in the most comfortable position he could find and tried to light a match. But before he could, Lenne sat down close – too close - to him and wrapped her slender fingers around his hand. Damn, she was cold!

"If we light a fire, then we won't be able to see the stalactites and stalagmites."

Shuyin froze in mid-stride, then after a moment of thinking how impractical it was to overlook the necessity of warmth, he gave in. He sighed and stuffed the match in his pocket. He crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to heat himself, rubbing his arms briskly. Lenne sighed and edged even closer to him, prying one of his arms from his self-embrace and slipping next to him comfortably. Shuyin didn't even have a chance to react. She was already snuggled comfortably against him and contentedly staring up at the cave wall.

Shuyin knew he was nervous, and his heart could probably be heard a mile away. But for once in his life, he was grateful to have someone's body sharing her heat with him. It was seldom anyone wanted to share anything with him. He was stiffly trying not to shift, afraid that Lenne might get uncomfortable, or worse yet, pull away. He just didn't want to admit it, but in his heart of hearts, he was thankful that in this cave where everything was cold, like him, he had someone warm to keep him company.

Author's note: Thanks for the reviews guys. I won't be able to update this story anytime this week, coz I reall am feeling a little down on myself right now. So Lenne and Shuyin will just have to stay in that cave until then... Please review my last chapter for now, and tell me if it's any good...

Yuugiri: Darned it all.! I'm so pathetic!

Yuugiri: Damn right, you are. snickers menacingly