Author's note: I don't own FFX2 or Lenne and Shuyin. However I added a few of my own characters because it's awfully dull without other people to interact with. Please bear with me. ,

And thanks for the reviews. ,

He felt his booted feet sink into the white, knee-deep snow. Right now, in the freezing wind, his face was starting to feel numb. He couldn't even tell if his nose was running. And since both of his hands were occupied, he won't even be able to check.

He and Xarinne had been traveling for over two hours and had just reached Fayth Scar. Lenne had refused to move from her spot ever since that "bad dream" in the mountain cave, and Shuyin had to carry her on his back. Not that she was that heavy; he hardly even noticed she was there. She was just riding piggyback, her arms loosely around his neck, face buried behind his head, once in a while murmuring a few incoherent words, then would lapse into silence.

He could feel Xarinne eyeing him in the corner of his green eyes. It made him uncomfortable, that stare. He hated it when he didn't understand what those looks meant. He hated it when people stare at him. Shifting under the Ronso's gaze, he adjusted his hold on Lenne's legs and sighed. His feet were starting to freeze in his boots, and he had a terrible feeling that his nose really was running.

The Ronso diverted his eyes from him and directed it to the sky. "Xarinne sense it will snow very soon. Clouds are low. It will be heavy snow."

This was just great. Shuyin was really starting to think this trip was cursed from the very beginning. "Then we'd better hurry."

"No truer words have ever passed Shuyin's lips. It is dangerous in Fayth Scar when it snows."

Shuyin didn't like the sound of that. "Why?"

"Fiends appear."

That was wonderful. Just wonderful. He felt Lenne stiffen against his back. So she was awake after all. He tried to change the subject. "So, Xarinne. What were you doing in that cave?"

"Xarinne was preparing to leave home," the Ronso responded quickly, this time he too was becoming uncomfortable.

Shuyin found his eyebrows climbing up his already unfeeling forehead. "You're running away from home?"

Xarinne's shook his head. "No."

"Huh?"

Xarinne fiddled with his chipped horn. It was a habit he had gotten used to when he wanted to avoid a conversation. "I am sorry, friend Shuyin, but Ronso problem should be dealt with Ronso. Xarinne cannot tell."

Shuyin didn't argue. He really wasn't interested. He just wanted to make some petty conversation to divert Lenne's thoughts from the fiends that might appear when the snow falls. Let Ronso deal with Ronso problems, huh?

It was a Ronso problem, until Xarinne made it his.

"Xarinne wish to come with Shuyin in his journey."

Shuyin laughed grimly. "You want to come along?"

"Xarinne does not know where Shuyin will go, and Xarinne will not ask until Shuyin wishes to tell Xarinne. But Spira is rough, and might need a friend to help when in trouble. Xarinne could be that friend." The Ronso turned to him and grinned. It seemed like he had already decided that he would come, whether Shuyin allowed it or not. So he decided it was a waste of energy to talk his stubborn hide out of it.

Besides, another companion was more than welcome. The presence of Xarinne might actually tame Lenne's perky nature, however tame she was right then. However, before anything, Shuyin did want his Ronso friend to know the very nature of their journey.

"You know, I would love to have you along, Xarinne, but to tell you honestly, it really isn't for me to decide. You see, I'm only tagging along with Lenne here," he said, cocking his head as a gesture to the girl riding on his back. Again, he adjusted his hold on her to free his left hand and used it to fix the cloak he had thrown over her.

"It's cold," Lenne murmured, tightening her embrace around his neck.

Shuyin sighed. "Yeah. It is." He looked up into the sky as he felt something cold touch the tip of his nose. Feather-like snow started to rain down on them. The clouds suddenly became frighteningly low and dark, then his imagination began to run away with him, his eyes darting from one corner of the road to another, afraid a fiend might pop out of nowhere and ambush them.

"Fayth scar is a dangerous place to be when it snows. Many fiends hear love snow," Xarinne said in a low, very disturbing voice. He saw the Ronso unconsciously sliding his pike from the belt on his back, his huge paws gripping the weapon warily.

It was then did he see the disadvantage of his situation, as Lenne was riding on him and his sword was not very accessible to him at the moment. If a fiend decided to pounce on them now, he wouldn't know what to do.

As if with an unknown awareness of Shuyin's fear, Xarinne fell behind, walking a few feet away from them, obviously out to guard their back.

Their path was awfully deserted. Shuyin felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up. He really did not have a good feeling about this.

He looked over his shoulder, seeing Lenne's half-open gray eyes staring straight ahead. "Lenne, can you walk?"

The Songstress' eyes moved to stare at him, and after a moment nodded lazily.

"Good girl." Shuyin knelt on one knee and Let Lenne off with a grunt. His back, now exposed to the cold, made him shiver a bit. He turned to her, holding her on either arm. "Stay close to me. It's dangerous here, so don't wander off."

Shuyin was surprised to see her glaring at him reproachfully, but she nodded after a while, mumbling something under her breath that he didn't quite catch. Unsheathing his broadsword, he took Lenne by the hand with his free one and continued with their lazy walk through that thick blanket of white.

Cautiously, Shuyin trudged on with silence, Lenne right behind him, then Xarinne. That was their little procession for almost half an hour, but still no fiends were coming. Not that he was looking forward to it, though. He never let his guard down, and neither did Xarinne. Lenne didn't seem to care.

Everything seemed to be unfolding pretty well, until...

Shuyin and Xarinne stopped in their tracks at the same time, both men shooting daggers at everything. Lenne gave away nothing. When Shuyin stopped walking, she stopped too. When he didn't start walking again, she slowly sank on her heels in a squat and wrapped her arms around her, gazing solemnly at the trampled snow on the ground, once in a while gazing at Shuyin, then back at the ground.

If it weren't for the current situation, Shuyin would have been worried. Lenne looked as is she had succumbed into a trance.

"I heard something. Did you?" Shuyin asked his Ronso friend, never letting his eyes stay in one place.

Xarinne nodded, a growl bubbling in his throat.

Then he heard it again. Padded feet walking in snow. Three to four sets of padded feet...

"Shuyin, be wary. White Fangs come," the Ronso said, setting his feet apart in anticipation, holding his pike in front of him warily.

In silence, they waited, each setting himself on either side of Lenne, making sure the unaware Summoner was protected.

And moments later, around the bend, surely enough, emerged four dirty, mangy lupine fiends, about four feet tall from the shoulders, paws as big as Xarinne's. At the sight of the three in the middle of the road, the White Fangs started to lick their paws in anticipation. It was seldom that fresh meat wandered to their territory.

In a split second, the fiends were circling around them, their tongues lolling out as if to show they really mean business, tails swishing excitedly. It was a smorgasbord for them tonight.

"Xarinne," Shuyin hissed, edging closely to the nearest fiend. "Protect Lenne."

The Ronso stared at him with wide-eyed confusion. "Shuyin?"

"If both of us charge, Lenne will be defenseless. Can I trust you to keep her safe?" Why in all occasions did Lenne have to be stunned?

Xarinne hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. He was not comfortable with Shuyin dealing with four White Fangs by himself, but he knew the Blitzball player was right. "Xarinne will protect Lenne with life."

Shuyin nodded. "On three, then. One..."

Xarinne edged closer to Lenne, his fur bristling in preparation.

"Two..."

Shuyin gritted his teeth as adrenaline pumped though his veins.

"Three!"

As if on cue, the White Fangs attacked as they did. Two bulleted to Shuyin, another to Xarinne while the other circled around from behind the party. Shuyin, being too preoccupied with two, completely lost track of what was happening to the others. One White Fang leaped into the air and growled as it lunged at his shoulder, while the other clawed from behind.

He raised his broadsword just in time to slice away the first fiend's frontal attack, but felt hot pain sear through his arm as the one attacking from behind successfully clawed him, causing him to stagger to the side.

Keeping to his feet, he ignored the blood that started to trickle down his left arm. The pain was throbbing through his body. He watched as the fiend he had knocked down try to rise, but erupted into a shower of pyreflies before it did. The White Fang that had succeeded in wounding him was now looming a few feet from him, baring its sharp, yellow teeth at him in an unmistakable smile.

In the corner of his eyes he saw another burst of pyreflies as Xarinne had beaten the Lupine-type fiend that had asked for it from him.

Adjusting his grip on his sword, he wiped his ironically sweaty palms on the side of his pants. He watched as the over-eager fiend attack again. This time, he didn't even try to move. He just waited for the fiend and dodged it, making a smooth duck to his right and struck home with his weapon, and again an eruption of pyreflies.

His mind began to count. Three down. Where the heck is the other one?

He turned around to search for the missing fiend only to discover the enemy had already pounced and it was too late for him to react. In one moment, he was standing, the next he was on the snow, his sword knocked away somewhere, pinned down by the heavy White Fang. The fiend's breath stank as it lowered its snout to his neck.

"No!" he heard Lenne's musical voice sound over the growling of the fiend.

The next thing he knew was the temperature suddenly rising, then the snow around him was melting in a dramatically fast pace. He felt the White Fang's sudden uncertainty and he saw it turn its head away to see what was happening. He took the advantage to see for himself, too.

Lenne had gotten up to her feet and had her arms spread wide as a huge flame bird hovered a few feet above her.

The Aeon...

He saw the snow melt around Lenne, too. And since he was down on the ground, the water that was once snow soaked his clothes and made him start to shiver instantly. The heavy fiend was still on top of him, stunned at Lenne's magnificent Phoenix. The next thing that happened almost made him pee in his pants.

With a loud screech, the Phoenix swooped down towards him and the fiend, sending an overwhelmingly warm gust of wind. It brought a little pleasure, that warmth, until it became too hot as the Aeon charged at the fiend, missing him by inches. The White Fang was thrown off him in moments, showering him with pyreflies even before it landed on the ground. The warmth the Phoenix emitted left when the Aeon flew into the skies where it disappeared into a red sparkle, then faded.

Shuyin gingerly pushed himself up on shaking arms. Dammit! His clothes were turning him into a human Popsicle!

He saw Lenne rushing to him, worry making her smooth face crinkle up. "Are you all right?"

Shuyin wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing vigorously, teeth chattering so badly, he was having a hard time talking. "Y-yeah. S-sure. Except for the f-f-fact that I'm f-f-f-freezing. I-I'm a-all r-right. You shouldn't h-have interfered, L-lenne. I-I had everything under c-control."

Lenne knelt by him. And again with the reproachful look.

Why are you looking at me like that?

The snow started to fall heavily, and the wind was picking up, churning the snow and making it all but possible to see.

Shuyin stared at Lenne, shivering violently. Man, did he ever need warmth... "What I-is it?"

Lenne narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll never be good enough for you to trust me, huh?"

The remark caught Shuyin off-guard. Xarinne, who was now walking towards them, instantly changed directions the moment he heard Lenne mutter those bitter words.

"Lenne," Shuyin started, trying to get up on his feet. He was so cold! He needed warmth. He cautiously pushed himself up and was almost on his feet, but because it was cold, the melted snow was immediately frozen up into a sheet of ice, which caused him to slip, skid then fall flat on his behind, which, only Yevon knew was freezing. "T-this i-is not the b-b-b-best time to t-t-talk. I'm f-f-reezing –"

Lenne didn't listen. "Whatever I do, no matter how I try, I'll end up messing up your plan. Every time I try to help you, I end up doing more damage. I want to help, too, Shuyin! This is my Pilgrimage! How can I train when you always push me aside to watch whether you'll defeat the enemy or..." she hesitated a bit then continued in a whisper. "... or get killed trying to protect me."

Shuyin didn't know what to say. He just needed to get warmth... Even just a bit or he will die... "Lenne..."

The very upset Summoner rounded on him again, this time her voice cracking with emotion. "I don't want you to die at my expense, Shuyin! I don't want you to die because you want me to live!"

This time Lenne was the one shaking violently, then she was hyperventilating. Shuyin carefully tried to stand, and was successful this time. He was still shivering but was able to keep to his feet. Need... to... get... warm...

Lenne turned her angry but still beautiful eyes at him and was about to say something else. Shuyin didn't allow her to utter another word. He cut her out by pulling her to him so suddenly she gasped in surprise. He crushed her warm body to his cold, wet one, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, burying his already frozen face in her long, fragrant hair. He didn't know what made him do this. He didn't even think about it, never hesitating. Maybe it was because he desperately needed warmth, or maybe it was because he felt like he needed to touch her, to comfort her in any way.

Yevon, I would give anything to have you smile at me again...

"Forgive me, Lenne," he murmured in her hair. "I do trust you. And I am sorry if I offended your pride as a Summoner." He hugged her closer, feeling her warmth seeping into his frozen body. She felt... good next to him. "But... you can't remove that fear in me if anything were to happen to you."

What the - ? Where did that come from?

Lenne's muffled reply came after a relatively long moment of silence. "Why?"

Shuyin blinked. Why?

Why not?

He swallowed hard. "I don't know..."

 -==-  -==-  -==- 

They had camped again in the next mountain at the cave at the foot of Mt. Gagazet for the night. Luckily, no more fiends had decided to ambush their little party. Shuyin had wrapped his wounded arm with a bandanna and had said to a worried Xarinne that he will fix it when they camped.

On the way, Lenne had not spoken one word to him after pulling away from him after hearing his "I don't know". And since Xarinne and Lenne would not talk, and Shuyin would not initiate a conversation, as he was too busy tending to his wounds in front of the fire, the cave was filled with no other sound except for the crackling of the fire. Xarinne had wandered off a few hours ago, announcing that he will be back shortly with food. Lenne had distanced herself from him, sitting at the far wall of the cave, her back to him. He had wanted to ask her to join him near the fire where it was warmer but decided he really was not up to her mood swings and so had left her alone.

He had been trying to analyze the possible reasons why Lenne would not talk to him and came up with the conclusion that Lenne had gotten offended when he pulled her into an embrace. It was the first time he had actually been so forward to a girl.

Great. Now she probably thinks I'm a pervert, he though to himself as flashes of him nuzzling her hair invaded his brain. In reality, he did not know what came over him. The only thing that he didn't get was why Lenne was this mad at him.

I mean, this is Lenne. She's been really forward from the very first time we met, making sure she was as close to me as possible. And a hug from me made her act like I ahd molested her or something.

Now he knew why he stayed away from girls. They would eventually drive a man nuts.

He eyed Lenne in frustration. Now they will be forced to travel with her mad at him. Or more so, scared of him. He didn't know why it bothered him. Normally, he would have welcomed the silence, but now it kind of worried him.

He saw Lenne peer over her shoulder, but when she saw he was looking, she quickly looked away.

Xarinne came back a few minutes later with what appeared to be a dead mountain goat over one of his broad shoulders, and was carrying a sack of something in his free hand.

Shuyin hoped to Yevon they weren't Gagazet mushrooms. Those things were horrible.

His heart sank when he discovered that they were, indeed, those dreaded mushrooms. Oh, well. At least there was a goat.

The Ronso went on with preparing the food and Shuyin helped soon after he finished with his arm. Lenne stood up and looked like she was about to approach them to help, but stopped dead on her tracks and hesitated. A second later, she took a tentative step to her right and announced, "Uhm, I think I need to use the little girl's room, uh, I'll be right back." With that, she disappeared down the dark path of the cave.

Shuyin caught himself rising to his feet to follow her, just to make sure she would be safe, but Xarinne looked at him disapprovingly.

"Xarinne think Shuyin should leave Lenne alone," the Ronso suggested, lifting the slabs of meat skewered into the metal pole he carried with him over the fire.

Shuyin had not known himself capable of whining, but at that moment he came close to it. "I don't even know why she's mad at me."

At this, Xarinne chuckled. "Better not try to understand women. It will drive man crazy and still not find answers." He sat on the floor and nodded. "When Shuyin get married, Shuyin will understand better."

Shuyin stopped dead on what he was going to say. "Wait a minute. You mean you knew I wasn't married to Lenne after all?"

Xarinne laughed even harder. "Xarinne knew. Shuyin have no ring. That is human tradition, yes?"

"I'm sorry, Xarinne. I didn't mean to lie."

"Shuyin did not lie. It was Xarinne's guess."

The Ronso started throwing those horrible mushrooms into the fire. "So Lenne is a Summoner. And Shuyin is Lenne's Guardian?"

"Heck, no." Shuyin spread his cloak on the cave floor and stretched his full length over it, making himself once again stare at the unseen ceiling of the cave. "I'm a just here to tag along and help."

"What is the difference?"

Shuyin shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to try to logically explain what he wanted. "Maybe nothing. Maybe everything."

"Xarinne is confused. Shuyin does not want to be Lenne's Guardian?"

"That's right."

"And yet Shuyin is fearful if Lenne gets hurt, and does not want her to fight? Why?"

Again with the why.

Shuyin felt confused, too. He didn't really understand why he was being over protective yet wouldn't want to accept Lenne's offer of becoming her Guardian. He turned around to lie on his side, his back at the Ronso. "I don't know."

And deep down inside he knew he was telling the truth.

"Well, Xarinne has decided to ask Lenne if she would take Xarinne as Lenne's Guardian."

With this, Shuyin bolted upright from where he was lying. "What?! Why?"

Xarinne stared at him, startled. "Why? Because Shuyin asked me to."

Shuyin sputtered. "What? I did not!"

Xarinne laughed. "Shuyin did!"

"No!"

"Yes. While battling fiends in Fayth Scar. Shuyin ask Xarinne: 'Can I trust you to keep her safe?' and Xarinne said, 'Xarinne shall protect Lenne with life'."

Shuyin's jaw drop in disbelief, but decided not to think about it. Lenne probably would be ecstatic. "All right, Xarinne. If that is what you want." Ronso sure are weird.

This was turning out to be a really weird day.

"Advice from friend, Shuyin. It is Shuyin's choice not to be Lenne's Guardian. So if Summoner offers life, Shuyin cannot argue. Let Summoner train. It is Summoner's choice, and Summoner's life." Xarinne plucked a mushroom from the fire and popped it in his mouth. "Shuyin gives himself too much credit, thinks Lenne is weak. Lenne does not need help from too arrogant man. Until Lenne asks to be protected by Shuyin, Shuyin will believe in Lenne."

Shuyin, feeling kind of bad for what he was saying was a hundred percent true – he really was giving himself to much credit - slowly sat up and glared at the Ronso. "Whose friend are you exactly?"

Xarinne laughed out loud but didn't say anything.

Shuyin went back to lying on his side. He decided to take a nap."Wake me up when the goat's ready."

"The mushrooms are ready."

Yevon. "No thanks."

 -==-  -==-  -==- 

Shuyin woke up with his head spinning. He tried to stand up and as he did, he felt a stinging sensation at the back of his neck, like someone had hit him there to render him unconscious.

He painfully reached up and found himself leaning for support on cold dungeon bars.

Where the heck am I?

He looked around, or rather yet, he felt his body move on its own, his consciousness merely watching what was happening. HE felt his hands grip the bars as he became aware of a man in a red uniform holding a record sphere watching him.

"Gotta be sorry for what you did, huh?" said the man. He couldn't see his face, but he could feel an unexplainable anger in him for that soldier. He knew he was in Bevelle. He knew he was captures.

For what?

All he knew was that he hated that man.

"No, I'm not sorry! I never did anything wrong!" his body creamed at him, rattling the bars furiously.

"You shouldn't have touched what wasn't yours, man. You could have avoided this predicament." The man moved forward, looming the recorder near his face. It annoyed the heck out of Shuyin. He wanted to reach out and strangle him...

"How can you blame me for trying to use your weapon? It was the only way for me to save the Summoner!" He howled in frustration, giving once again the bars a violent shake.

"You think I care?" the soldier laughed, chuckling without mirth.

"If she was your girl, what would you do? What would you do if you were me?!"

The soldier eyed him in disgust. "You wanna know what I'd do, boy? I won't let my friggin' girlfriend join the war in the first place!" and with that, the soldier started to back off into the dungeon room, not really caring what his prisoner was muttering.

Shuyin felt his knees give way to his weight. If it weren't for the bars that were supporting him, he would have ended up on the floor. And what he did next came as a surprise to his consciousness.

He began to sob.

Tears leaked down his face as whatever was left of his hope drained out of him.

"I want to see her..."

 -==-  -==-  -==- 

Shuyin shot up from the floor, trying to catch his breath. He looked around to see where he was, and felt a surge of relief as he saw the already dying embers of the fire and Xarinne lying down from across him. He swallowed hard, trying to remove the tightness of is throat.

What a bad dream. What was it about? Where was I then?

He scanned the area and was surprised by the even greater degree of relief he felt when he saw Lenne sleeping on the far wall of the cave, bundled up in so many sheets he couldn't have recognized her had it not been for the long, silky hair that was poking out from the cloaks.

He raised his hands to his face, and when he did, he instantly pulled it away. He stared down at his gingers and frowned.

He had been crying in his sleep.