Author's Note: Thanks for everyone who read and reviewed my work! I really appreciate it. Well, I hope you like this chapter... Hehehehe! I kind of wanted it to look a little more like "The Lake Scene" from FFX.

Please R and R!

The Macalania Woods separated the Calm Lands from Bevelle and the Thunder Plains. It was a stretch of tall trees that reached high into the sky, so thick were their branches and trunks that the floor of the forest clearing, as far as those people who have passed through it could remember, had never seen the light of day.

Lenne followed Shuyin's wake silently as they entered the woods. She had never been to these parts of Spira before, but had she ever did, she wouldn't hesitate going back there again. It was a beautiful place to be in! The trees looked like they were made of Crystal, or better yet, ice. And although no sunlight shined from above, there was an eerie insubstantial glow coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

Xarinne guarded their back, as always, and unbelievably, he was humming this simple tune that sounded a little strange to her ears. It was probably a Ronso tune or something. She found it funny, big Xarinne humming a melody. She giggled and tried to walk next to him. "Hey Xarinne. How old are you anyway?"

Xarinne looked down at her in puzzlement, surprised by the unexpected question. "How old is Xarinne? Why does Lenne ask?"

"I just kind of wanted to know."

"If Lenne must know, Xarinne is fifty-three years old in human years."

Lenne's eyes widened. "Fifty-three!? But you act like you're only about eighteen."

Shuyin answered her question. "In Ronso years, he's practically only nineteen or twenty years old. We kind age faster than they do."

"Humans live such short lives... No wonder humans always hurry," Xarinne said.

"Fifty-three, huh? That's amazing," Lenne remarked, turning to Shuyin, watching him lead the way into the haze of the eerie light of Macalania until they reached a crossroad.

He paused a bit and looked over his shoulder. "We can't go any further. If we go straight ahead, we'll probably encounter soldiers from Bevelle."

"So it's either right or left then?" Lenne eyed the Blitzball player, tilting her head to the side. "Where to?"

Xarinne began to move to the left path "If Xarinne is right, Shuyin is planning to cross the Macalania lake."

Shuyin nodded. "We'll have to avoid encounters as much as possible. And judging from what's happening now, between Zanarkand and Bevelle, I'm not sure we're going to be welcomed with open arms."

Once again, the remark Shuyin said made her wonder on how he was so knowledgeable on these kinds of things. It seemed like this Blitzball player had more surprises up his sleeve than he seems to project.

They did not waste their time in turning to the left road which ended up in a wide, placid body of water. It too, along with everything in the forest, radiated a bluish white light. Pyreflies hovered over its surface in a ghost-like manner, making the water seem like it was moving. In the middle of it stood a very old-looking tree, its branches and leaves bowing down as if to touch the lake to make sure it was real.

She saw in the corner of her eye Xarinne's wide form lumbering around the bank of the lake and was soon enough swallowed by the thick trees over at the other side. Her thoughts, however wouldn't let her eyes leave the lake.

Oohing and aahing at what she saw, she slowly made her way to the edge of the lake. It was beautiful. Kneeling down and peering into the deep water's unseen bottom, her ever so active imagination started to make her think of couples stealing kisses under its depths. She sighed. This was, by far, the most romantic place she hade ever been to.

Her reverie was interrupted by Shuyin's unromantic tap on the shoulder. "Are you listening?" he asked.

Lenne looked up at him and found he was wearing his pay-attention-to-me-because-it's-important look. "Oh, I'm sorry. You were saying?"

"I was asking if you could swim."

"Me? No. I never really did learn how to. Do we have to swim across?"

"No. I was just asking, because you are standing too close to the water. That lake is pretty deep. We're going around it. Come on. Let's not waste any time. This place is the last you'd want to be in right now." Straightening, he held out his hand. "Hold on to me. These parts of the woods are slippery. We don't want you ending up in the water, considering you don't know how to swim."

Lenne looked at his hand for a whole minute before taking it. When they touched, she felt a chill run down her spine. This was the first time she had felt this. He had held her hand – more than her hand in fact - many times before but then why does she feel different now?

Who are you, Shuyin? You had managed to live a low-profile life, however popular your talents make you. You speak a language not everyone can. You can handle a sword and any sort of fiend, and you know your way throughout Spira. Who are you really? What force of nature had brought you to come into my life when I needed someone to be there?

She hadn't realized she was staring at his face until she felt her foot slip and had it not been for Shuyin who had a mean grip on her hand, she would have seen herself wallowing in that water.

Lenne laughed nervously. "That was a close one."

Shuyin was not pleased. "Lenne, I want you to promise me something,"he said seriously, helping her regain her balance.

Lenne braced herself for the sermon.

But instead, no sermon came. "Lenne, I want you to promise me that you will take care of yourself. Promise me that you will be better, that you will never let your guard down."

Startled at his words, she started to worry. These were the words someone would say when they were leaving... Her parents, they said pretty much the same thing before they died... So she socked his arm painfully and laughed. "What are you talking about, Shuyin? You sound too serious all of a sudden. What's wrong?"

Shuyin tried to avoid her gaze but since it was too slippery to look anywhere but forward, Lenne could still see his eyes. They looked... troubled. "I want you to be aware of the danger around you. Because I can't promise you that I'll always be there to protect you, even if I wanted to."

At that, Lenne felt weak. She stopped walking. Shuyin also stopped and looked back at her questioningly. "What's wrong?"

It was the most unexplainable thing she felt at that moment. But right then, she felt suddenly mad. "What are you trying to say?"

Shuyin shrugged. "Nothing. That you should be careful. That's all."

Lenne let go of his hand, almost slipping in the process. "Why are you telling me these things all of a sudden?" She gasped as she almost slipped, and Shuyin tried to reach for her but she swatted his hand away. "Why are you telling me that you might not be there, that you can't promise that you'll b e there for me?"

Her reaction, she could tell, confused Shuyin. "Lenne? Why are you suddenly mad at me?"

Why am I?

The Songstress backed away, and again almost slipping. This time, Shuyin did not try to help her, which annoyed Lenne. Well, she knew that she wouldn't have accepted his help, but still it irritated her that he didn't even bother. It must be one of those days. "What are you trying to say?"

Shuyin looked around helplessly. Lenne knew she was being really difficult, but she will not have people saying that really overly scary speech of "taking care of oneself because they might not be there all the time." She's had enough of it already!!!

Lenne blinked her eyes in rapid succession and spat out the words from her mouth as if they were poison. "So, you're not going to be there for me? Well, that's okay. I mean, I wasn't the one who dragged your butt out here in the first place. You have yourself to blame!"

Shuyin sighed. "Lenne don't be such a spoiled - "

"A spoiled what, Shuyin? A brat? A spoiled, insensitive brat?"

With this, Shuyin took a step towards her. When he did, Lenne backed off a step. This made the Blitzball player knit his brows. "Lenne, I don't even know why you're suddenly mad. All I was saying was - "

At this, Lenne realized she was having hard time breathing. She didn't even realize the tears leaking down her face. "I know what are you trying to say, Shuyin. It's not like I haven 't heard it before. First it was my dad, and then my mom, and then you. Sure. I've heard that speech loads of times."

"Lenne, can't you at least hear me out?"

"What for?"

"Because you need to know!"

Lenne gasped at his tone. His loud voice echoed throughout the lake and through the trees. She swallowed and finally realized she was crying.

Shuyin took advantage of the silence and gingerly took a step towards her. Lenne backed away again, her boots touching the edge of the water. He reached out his gloved hands to her. "Lenne, I've had a dream. That night after Fayth Scar, I had a dream. About someone..."

Oh, great! Now he's going to bring it up. That woman in his dreams. To her, she sounded like the jealous girlfriend she knew she was not and so much denied to herself.

When she didn't say anything, Shuyin continued on coming closer to her. Another step back for Lenne. The water reached her knees. "Lenne, I had a dream that I was in a cage in a dungeon. I don't know how I got there... But I knew I was captured. And I was calling out to someone."

Yeah, I heard, Lenne thought bitterly.

"I was crying out to someone, because I knew she was in danger. In that dream, I was scared."

Another step forward for Shuyin. Another step back for Lenne. The water reached her hips.

"I was scared because I knew that person I was calling out to was going to die. And so I was angry because I couldn't help her. In the dream, I knew that if anything happened to her, my heart will die."

Forward another step for Shuyin. Back another step for Lenne. The water was over her waist now. The water was freezing, but she didn't care. She was numb. Why was he telling this to her?

"And that person, I knew, deep down inside... I knew she was... you."

Lenne gasped. This was the last thing she was expecting from him. No. This cold rock could not have been dreaming about me... It could not be possible. She felt Shuyin edge closer, slipping his arms around her submerged waist. This time she did not back away. There was nowhere else to go.

She felt Shuyin slowly bury his face in her hair. "I do not know how you will make this out, but I... feel like I need you. And it scares me to know that even if I would give anything to protect you, I will still not be strong enough to stay by your side. What if something happens to me? What if that dream came true? What if you were in danger and I wasn't there to save you? My heart will die, Lenne. It will die."

These words, everything that was coming out of Shuyin's mouth, they were the weirdest things she had ever heard him say. Even the Al Bhed language coming from him didn't seem as strange, compared to this. She was having serious doubts that he still had a fever. So unconsciously, she raised her hand to his forehead. But Shuyin caught it quickly. His grip was firm, yet gentle. Lenne caught him staring into her eyes and she felt terribly aware that they were so close together, there in the cold water.

"I don't know what I'm trying to say to you, Lenne. But I don't want anything to happen to you. That's all I wanted to say. I will not leave you, and for so long as you'd have me here near you, I will be. Unless I really can't. And that's why you have to be safe for me. Because if ever we get separated..."

Lenne cried harder. "We're getting separated...?" Suddenly, the thought made her feel terrible. Things right now were going too fast. This was not like Shuyin... Yet... she didn't care...

"If we get separated, Lenne, I want you to save your tears, coz I'll be back," Shuyin whispered. "If ever we part, it's because I will be fighting my battles far from you, so you will be safe. If we get separated, I will be back. But until then, you will be safe for me..."

Lenne swallowed back her tears. This was a promise, wasn't it? A promise to be together, right? This was different. It was not a farewell speech, like her parents'. It was a promise...

Lenne wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. Why do the tears keep on coming? "I will be safe, Shuyin. If we get separated, I will be safe for you."

Shuyin looked down at her with those eyes. They were the saddest eyes in the world, but she didn't care. She felt her own eyes close as Shuyin leaned down to her, closer and closer and closer still, until that beautiful mouth of his touched her lips ever so gently. It was a ghost of a kiss that lingered for a while, until he kissed her again, this time longer, sweeter. And she kissed him back. Just as long. Just as sweet.

She had never kissed anyone in her life before.

Now she knew why.

I was waiting for this perfect moment.

Inspiration form Yunie-star-Tidus-cutie!

Sorry if this chap is a little too short, but I added extra fluff. So I hope you like it anyway. To tell you honestly, I wasn't supposed to get them this close this early, but the setting was too beautiful, and I thought that it was the perfect place to make their relationship grow now. Does it seem a little abrupt?

I can still change it along the way, so I'm asking for your votes if you'd like them to start developing their feelings for each other, or do you want to extend their uncomfortable state? Either way is fine, but I really need your votes on which would be better.

R and R pls!!!

Oh, and did you notice I inserted words from Lenne's song??? Heeheeheeheehee!