Hello!!! I have finally overcome my writer's block!!! Yay!!! So Lenne and Shuyin may be able to leave that Yevon-forsaken cave. =)

Thanks for the reviews, guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own ffx2.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Not once had this thought crosses his mind, making his already confused self more confused every time he would let his reverie wander into the facts that he had left Zanarkand, his home, for a perfectly spoiled stranger who couldn't even stop putting him on the spot, either getting to close to his personal barrier, or too cruel as to make him feel like a complete dork.

And yet, he felt as if someone else had been taking over his body; going to a concert, actually volunteering to go with her throughout her pilgrimage. Where had all these come from anyway? It was, without a doubt, out of his character. Yet he still couldn't figure it out. What was it with her that made him so... not him?

These thoughts whirled into his head as he crouched stealthily behind a huge boulder enough only to peek over it, his broadsword at hand, tension building in the joints of his knees and in his shoulder blades. It was probably because of the cold. He tried not to breathe, as the littlest sound was magnified twice as loud as loud in that cave than it normally should. He needed to be as quiet as possible. Confrontations were better avoided if possible, especially when they didn't have the upper hand, and right now, as Shuyin peered from behind the boulder, he knew he was definitely the underdog here.

His eyes bulged as the eight-foot Ronso male noisily grunted as he bent over to gather something from the cave floor. He was apparently picking up wild mushrooms that could only be found in Mt. Gagazet caves. Shuyin felt a drop of sweat trickle down his back from inside his shirt. He shivered as he felt that single drop freeze his spine. The very gesture and habit of eating Mt. Gagazet mushrooms made him sick. He couldn't be wrong with his hunch. It was definitely him.

Shuyin quietly retreated from the face of the rock , making not one bit of sound no mouse could have avoided. No, the Ronso must not see him. Especially not by this particular Ronso. Sure, these people weren't really known to be that sociable but that was not what made Shuyin wish the ground would swallow him alive. He really had to –

SNAP!

Shuyin's blood froze, and this time it had nothing to do with the biting cold. He swallowed hard as he realized he had stepped on a brittle branch while he was making his inaudible retreat.

I'm so dead...

And as if on cue, the cave exploded with a loud roar that was unmistakably from him. The cave walls shook, bits of dust and rock falling from the ceiling. "WHO THERE?!!?"

Shit! Shuyin was on his hands and knees and was about to crawl away when a gigantic iron vise grabbed him by the back of the collar and within seconds, the ground disappeared from beneath him and he was staring down at two cat-like green eyes.

He was definitely dead. He sighed in resignation and said the only thing that popped in his head at that moment. "Hello, Xarinne."

At this, the enormous Ronso grinned, flashing him with a very sharp, very white row of teeth. "Xarinne knew it was you, Shuyin. Shuyin always play hide-and-seek with Xarinne."

The reason why Shuyin was "playing hide-and-seek" happened next. Scooping him up in his huge bulky arms with a happy purr, Xarinne crushed Shuyin to his white, furry chest, deflating is lungs of oxygen, fogging the front of his face with cold smoke.

In all honesty, Xarinne was a fine fellow. They had known each other for five years already, ever since he had started playing Blitzball. Xarinne was in the Ronso Blitzball team, the Ronso Fangs. It was actually a weird acquaintance. Their first words had actually been... sweet.

"You in Xarinne way, human."

"Let me pretend I care."

A few kicks and punches followed after. Shuyin had actually forgotten how the fight had ended, but he could never forget how they became friends. Yes, it was only then, with the Ronso hugging him as if to kill him with affection, did he remember that he did, in fact, have a friend after all.

It was Blitzball Season two years after their first encounter, and naturally they weren't in speaking terms. A broken rib for Shuyin and a chipped horn for Xarinne made sure of that. But since Zanrakand had been trying to diplomatically get along with everyone else, they had offered the Ronso Fangs to take ship in Zanarkand to Luca with the Abes. The biggest boat in the city was offered, but with ten Ronso lumbering about on deck, there was hardly any personal space left for anyone, so they were kind of forced to mingle with each other. Shuyin had planted himself to the stern of the ship, and really didn't know what happened next. All he heard was a bit of cursing and a moment later, the Zanarkand Abes were all either in the water or plunging towards it. He kind of saw that coming. These had been opposing teams, after all, so it didn't turn out to be the diplomacy they were looking for.

He really didn't know what had caused the Ronso to throw his team mates overboard, and honestly he didn't care. He had simply sat there on the floor of the deck, watching in amusement as the Ronso howled their victory cheer. Xarinne had approached him then, casting a shadow where he sat. "What about you? No make fun of Ronso?"

Shuyin simply stared up at him, not the least bit intimidated by his size. "I have better things to do than make fun of you. So if you're thinking of throwing me in with them, I suggest you think again. You see, I'd rather sleep really." With that, he rolled on his side, back turned to Xarinne, who, after a moment, laughed.

And that was that. Later in the year did he realize that Xarinne probably the only Ronso who had acquired all the social skills that lacked his kin.

"Xarinne!" Shuyin gasped. "L-let me go... I can't breathe..."

"Shuyin!" he heard a squeal from somewhere to his right. Trying to ignore the pressure, he turned his head in time to see a panic-stricken Lenne carrying a piece of branch so small it couldn't have scared a moogle in a birthday suit. "I heard a roar, and then you didn't come back, and I got scared and worried. Is something the matter that - "

The words froze in her throat at the sight of Shuyin in the custody of a monstrous beast. It must have been a scary sight, and Shuyin kind of expected her to run away screaming, but instead, he saw something on her face that he had never seen before. Anger.

Oh, no.

"Let him go!" She shouted, her melodious voice for once sounding harsh and stern, magnified by the acoustics in the cave. Tossing the branch aside, and producing something that resembled a wireless microphone from the bulky bag at her hip, Lnne took a determined step forward.

What in Spira is she gonna pull?

After a few moments of contemplation, it dawned to him. An image of three dozen girls sleeping on the cold cement flashed before his eyes. Trying to struggle free from the Ronso's greeting, he called out. "Lenne, no..." but his voice was so feeble and weak because of the choking embrace.

If Lenne was going to offend Xarinne in any way, it was not going to be a pretty sight...

Xarinne glanced from Shuyin to Lenne, a curious look in his eyes. "Oh? Friend Shuyin finally have mate! Mmmmm, a pretty human female."

Shuyin coughed, suffocated. "Xarinne, let me go... Hurry! Before - "

It's too late. Lenne waved her hands in front of her and the next followed a complicated jig and a moment later, Shuyin fell to the ground with a thud as Xarinne's hands flew to his face, screaming. "Xarinne... can't... see...!"

Shuyin scrambled to his feet, uncharacteristically uncertain on what to do next. If he didn't stop Lenne from doing whatever she was doing to the Ronso, then his friend would be get madder and madder even more as each second passed. But, if he did tell Lenne to stop, Xarinne would surely be mad anyway, and Lenne would be getting it good.

He decided the two of the lesser evils.

"Shuyin! Run! I'll take care of it!" Lenne said bravely. It made Shuyin nauseous.

"Lenne! Can't you tell a Ronso from a fiend??? Stop it! He's my friend!"

It sounded odd to his ears, that phrase. But it seemed to hit home for Lenne. She immediately stopped dancing and Xarinne stopped squirming on the floor, blinking uneasily. He heard Lenne swallow hard. "A Ronso...? Your friend..." her cheeks reddened and she tried to hide her face in her too-big cloak.

Shuyin got to his feet and shivered. What did she do? He motioned for Lenne to come to him and she nodded, but still looked doubtfully at the Ronso who was now also eyeing her suspiciously, a growl bubbling in his throat.

Shuyin immediately pulled Lenne behind him when Xarinne bared his teeth the moment she got closer, meaning to show how displeased and upset he was at her for doing... whatever she just did to him. Shuyin cleared his throat nervously. "Forgive her. She's very naïve. It wasn't intended, she really means no harm."

Xarinne, however, didn't seem like he's buying the excuse. He exhaled sharply through his nostrils, and his breath froze in a cloud of white smoke. "You intend harm to Xarinne. You... will... pay...!" He growled again.

Lenne yelped like a little moomba and quivered from behind Shuyin.

Shuyin groaned inwardly. This is great. This is wonderful. They haven't even reached half of their journey, and already a death threat for Lenne. He rubbed his nose bridge with his thumb and forefinger in an attempt to ease the headache that was starting to take over whatever sanity he had left in his head. Xarinne seemed to read his body language, and stopped the growl, straightening in his whole eight feet, his head almost brushing the ceiling.

"Don't worry, friend Shuyin. Xarinne not murderer. Xarinne will not kill Shuyin's mate. Shuyin is Xarinne's friend. Xarinne want to see Shuyin's young ones one day."

Shuyin felt Lenne relax a bit and, after registering quite slowly in her mind that the "monster" just called her his mate, she stiffened again, suddenly popping out her head from behind him. "Hey! Shuyin is not my - "

"Quiet, wife," Shuyin snapped. If the belief that she was his "mate" would give him the security that Xarinne will not end up bloody massacring Lenne when he wasn't looking, then so be it. Lenne looked at him, outraged, but he just gave her a meaningful look, as if to say, "We'll talk later."

She closed her mouth witha snap and nodded. "Fine, Shuyin. But you know I didn't really know that - "

"Whatever, Lenne. Whatever."

 -=-  -=-  -=- 

Lenne pressed closer to Shuyin's arm when he realized Xarinne Ronso was staring at her menacingly. Sheesh! How was she to know that he was a Ronso? She had never seen one in her life! She can't recall having a Ronso buy one of her tickets then and so she was staring to rationalize that she had every right to make that mistake.

Anyone could have made such a misconception!

But she knew that she was probably the only one who could have been that careless. Of course it couldn't possibly have been a fiend! Had it been one, Shuyin would have finished it off before it got a chance to say boo. But since the Lady Songstress was naïve, she had to miss that big detail. She could have just stayed calm. But nooo. Not her. She freaks in front of a harmless Ronso, who, she learned later on form Shuyin, take much pride in their species, being nothing like the harmless Ronso that they are, and would trample anyone who tainted that pride.

And that's ANYONE, Lenne. ANYONE. Even you, Shuyin had stressed, completely crushing her. They haven't even reached one fifth of their journey, and she had caused him enough trouble already.

She sighed sadly. So much for being a Summoner. So much for wanting to protect people. So much for thinking that she and Shuyin could get along. She was such a loser.

Shuyin and Xarinne were talking about something that left her a little out of place, and she hated being in that position. She remembered having to sit silently between her nanny and her friends while they talked, back when she was nine. And now, she was eighteen between two people who probably were as old as she was, yet feeling a decade younger.

Her fears were officially confirmed that time. She was immature. Shuyin really was feeling sorry for her. He knew she could not survive three minutes by herself outside Zanarkand. And there she was, blinding probably Shuyin's only friend in the world!

What was I thinking?! I'll tell you what I was thinking. Nothing!! I wasn't thinking at all!!!

"You're awfully quiet," Shuyin murmured, nudging her a bit, sending her back to the present situation.

"Huh?" Lenne asked, uncertainly peering up at him, then looking away. Feeling suddenly self-conscious for she was leaning against him in an attempt to stay warm in that cold, cold cave, she pulled away and slouched in her place, making sure she didn't touch him at all. She looked at him from under her lashes again.

Shuyin blinked in confusion, something going on behind his strikingly blue eyes reflecting the fire; they had made a fire now, and fat mushrooms were roasting openly over it. A part of her felt like he was asking why she pulled away, but decided against it. Shuyin was not capable of that feeling. He would not care. And right now, she even started to doubt that he even felt anything at all. She discarded the idea the moment she thought about it, deciding that she was being a little unfair. It was her pride. She made a complete fool of herself back there, and it made her feel a little bad that neither the Blitzball player not the Ronso were talking about it. She felt like they were silently mocking her.

Shuyin reached out and plucked a smoking mushroom from the fire, examined it a moment then pushed it under her nose. It smelled... odd. "Eat. It's really not that good. But it's warm. Trust me, this cold is nothing compared to what's waiting for us outside the other side of the mountain."

Lenne stared at the mushroom. It was about the size of her fist, completely black from the fire. It didn't look appetizing, but since she knew that if she didn't eat it, it would make her look even more spoiled so she took it in both hands and bit it quickly. Her eyes rolled back as the juices of the mushroom squirted in her mouth. It was nothing she had every tasted before. It was like a party in her mouth... and everyone was throwing up. It tasted like... like it wasn't food at all! She felt like gagging, but she told herself to hold it in. Chewing quickly, then swallowing, she finished the whole mushroom in seconds. She patted herself on the back for having eaten such a gross thing, and she didn't even throw up!

Her face fell when Shuyin handed her another, remarking that she was hungrier than he thought. With a heavy heart, she ate it again, thought her stomach was telling her that if she ate any more, she would end up embarrassing herself in front of these two, as if she hasn't done that enough already.

The mushroom disappeared in her hands, and the moment it did, she scuttled away to the far wall of the cave before Shuyin could hand her another. "I think I'll take a nap for now."

Shuyin tilted his head to the right and nodded. "All right. That would be better. We'll be moving out in an hour or so. So don't get mad at me when I wake you up then."

Lenne nodded, gathering the cloak around her so that no bare skin was exposed in the cold. "All right." She quickly lied down when she saw the Ronso glare at her with narrowed eyes. It didn't take long before she fell asleep. The last thing she caught before she lost consciousness was the cold, hard floor and Shuyin and Xarinne talking about where Shuyin had met his "mate".

 -=-  -=-  -=- 

Lenne found herself in the most horrifying place she had ever been in. The long, dark corridor she was in and the floor that was littered with curious-looking lumps caught her eye. She squinted, trying to make out what those odd shapes where. She didn't exactly know why, but her heart was in her throat and she was fighting the urge to cry out.

She gave up in trying to decipher the lumps on the floor, deciding that maybe she'd be able to find some way to get out of there. Twisting around in her heel, she felt stinging sensation on her left leg. Her hands flew to it and gasped as her fingers brushed something cold and sticky.

Holy, she was bleeding!

The mere fact that she was sliced in open made her nauseous. What was going on? Why was she in this place? What in Yevon's name were those things on the floor?

As if out of instinct, she felt her other hand raise in front of her and her lips opened up to speak firmly. "Fira!"

And one of the many extinguished torches sticking out of the walls of the hall blazed into life. She couldn't even remember learning that spell, although she felt like she had known it forever. The feeling would have amused her, but now in the light, the lumps on the floor were revealed to her.

They were dismembered bodies of soldiers. Bevelle soldiers. Many of them were missing an arm or a leg, but majority of them didn't have heads.

Lenne's stomach churned violently, threatening to throw up whatever was inside her, but she held it in. She didn't know how in Spira she did it; she was usually very squeamish but something inside her told her to suck it in. She told herself to look away, but her eyes traitorously wandered to the headless bodies, whose heads were located about a few feet from the corpses. Somehow, Lenne knew that these men were hacked with a sword.

A broadsword

She felt sick. She didn't know what came into her then, when her legs started to carry her away down the hall in a dead run.

She didn't even know she could run that fast. All that she knew was that she just did. Her long hair trailed behind her, all snagged and annoyingly dry, but she didn't care. She had lost all vanity, though she couldn't remember how and when she did so.

She just needed to reach the end of that hall...

"Shuyin," she rasped, not recognizing her own voice. "Please, Shuyin. Don't do it."

Do what?

Her feet were starting to get heavy with every step, but she had to get there. She had to stop him.

Lenne started to feel confused. What's going on? She realized that her body was starting to move on its own and she – her consciousness – was merely a passenger.

Where am I going?

She saw the end of the hall open up into a dark, broad room, its ceiling extending forever into the shadows. Her consciousness tried to look around but her body was forced to look at the monstrosity of a machina sitting in the middle of the room, humming noisily and quivering in a manner that looked like it was going to explode any second. It looked too... detailed to be an ordinary machina... It looked more like an animal, a freak of nature that looked like a hybrid between a mammoth and a machine. And there, on top of this beast, in the cockpit, sat Shuyin!

What the... ?

Her body staggered forward, both arms outstretched on either side to catch his attention. "Shuyin, no! You have to stop this!!!"

At the sound of her voice, Shuyin jumped a little and turned around to face her.

Lenne's consciousness gasped in disbelief at what she saw. His blond hair was matted with dark red blood, like it had hardened there, and a lot more of it was trickling down the side of his face in a disturbingly large amount. His eyes were wild and unfocused, but as he saw her, his features softened.

"Lenne..." he said hoarsely over the humming of the huge machine.

"Don't do this, Shuyin. Come here," her body pleaded, and her consciousness pleaded with it.

"HALT!!!"

Lenne gasped and turned around just in time to see no less than a dozen red-uniformed soldiers pouring into the room, bladed guns at hand, poised to shoot.

Oh, no.

Lenne. Run.

And her body did. She ran to Shuyin, who had leapt out of the machina cockpit the moment the men came trudging in.

Lenne's heart ached as she saw him hurry to her. He looked so tired... he was limping and was holding one arm painfully, but his eyes, those blue orbs, were intent on her as she moved to him.

He's so beautiful...

She rushed into his arms with a cry and embraced him softly, afraid that he might hurt him in any way in his state. She rested her head on his chest and listened to his heart. It was beating fast. He must be having a hard time breathing... His arms wrapped around her protectively. "Lenne... you shouldn't be here."

Lenne shook her head meekly. "You're here. Why shouldn't I be here with you?"

What's going on?

Shuyn buried his face into her hair and he felt his warm breath on her neck. "You foolish, foolish girl. You never listen to me."

What's happening?

Lenne beat at his chest hard. "You never listen to me. I told you to stay in Zanarkand."

"I couldn't let you die..."

What???!?!

"I will not die."

"Liar."

Shuyin pulled away from her with a pained effort. Lenne shivered at the look of crazed anger in his eyes as he looked at the soldiers still running into position. But when he shifted his gaze to her, his eyes looked like they were gazing down at a child.

Lenne met his gaze, searching his face, memorizing every detail...

...The soldiers knelt into position...

How his lips curled a bit when he grinned sadly...

...They aimed their guns at them...

How his forehead crinkled when he frowned...

...They pulled the trigger...

How his unruly hair fell over his right eye...

... the guns roared...

How his nose twitched when he tried to hold back tears...

Lenne searched his every detail, finding herself holding back her own tears.

No...

And with that, Lenne smiled, a painful smile but a smile nonetheless. She wanted him to remember her that way.

"I love you," Shuyin whispered softly.

And with that, the bullets lodged themselves into human flesh. Lenne felt one hit her shoulder, then another right through the heart. The impact sent her reeling backward. Next to her, Shuyin ricocheted and landed with a thud, sprawled on the cold metal floor, his cheek pressed flat on the tiles. Lenne landed on her back. She didn't feel the impact of her body to the floor. She was starting to feel numb.

So this is how it feels to die...

She felt her consciousness floating out of her body. The two bodies were a frightening sight...yet she couldn't look away. She saw Shuyin try to reach out to her dying self. Lenne remained stiff and unmoving, except for a single tear that fell from her staring eyes.

No... This can't be... What's happening?! This isn't real! No! No! NO!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 -=-  -=-  -=- 

"Nooooooooooooo!" Lenne screamed uncontrollably, and her body was suddenly shaking like an epileptics'. Shuyin grabbed her on both arms, trying hard to keep her steady. Yevon, what was happening?

"Lenne, wake up!" He shouted over her shrieks. Holy, she was ice cold. She had started screaming after being asleep for half an hour now. It had broken the silence between him and Xarinne. She just started thrashing like she was being electrocuted. Shuyin didn't know the least thing he could do to make her step out of the nightmare she was obviously having. He had never felt this helpless in his life.

Xarinne was standing behind him, looking quite nervous and helpless himself. "What is wrong?"

"I don't know." Shuyin gathered her in one arm and used his free hand to slap her cheek roughly. It did the trick. Lenne stopped screaming and, panting and out of breath, she opened her eyes. Her pupils were dilated in horror, a few tears escaping out the side of her eyes. She had broken a sweat and was now shivering violently. She has staring at him wildly.

"Are you okay, Lenne?" he demanded, searching her face.

Lenne didn't respond. She was still breathing hard. The next thing she did was every bit as surprising as her outburst. She started to sob, then she threw her arms around his neck roughly, causing him to sit back on his behind with a thud, crying, "Shuyin! Don't die! Please don't die! Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Don't leave me!"

"What the - ? Lenne? What's going on? I'm not dying," he whispered, awkwardly trying to push her away. "Hey, come on." He looked around uncomfortably, pleading with Xarinne to help him with her, but the ronso just stared with pity at the girl he had wanted to kill earlier. Shuyin hesitated a bit, then wrapped his arms around her, returning her embrace. "Shhh... I'm not gonna die. I won't leave you. I won't leave you."

Lenne continued to sob, burying her face to his neck. Yevon, she was delirious!

What did you see, Lenne? What did you dream about?

Wordlessly, he cradled her in his arms, rocking her back and forth like a frightened child, wooing her softly until she calmed down a bit.

It was crazy. Here they were, in the middle of the cave, in each other's arms, with a Ronso as an audience. He had never thought, even in his wildest dreams that he would be caught in such a predicament.

But then again, this was Lenne...

Anything could happen, with her around.

Shuyin sighed. What in Spira did you dream of, Lenne?