Hey everybody. I'm updating a little sooner than intended, but this will be the last time for a little while. For details, please visit my bio.

This chapter is quite deep . . . it's sort of the final prelude into the ceremony. Auron reveals some of his troubled past, through my eyes, to you. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that . . . I hope this chapter is to your satisfaction. I know I stated previously that this chapter would be the ceremony, but I put it off for chapter five. So, try not to get angry and prejudge this. I think it's quite good. But I'll leave you to decide that.

I'll respond to my reviews now.

BlackDemon567: I'm doing great, just great. Anyways, I'm glad Yuna was in character for you. I don't know about this chapter though >looks uncomfortably around>, but I decided to give it a shot. Tell me what you think.And for an explanation about Auron, look at the Author's note in chapter two. Thank you for the review, and I'm glad you liked my Al Bhed humor.

pichublaSter: Oh come on man, it was only nine days! Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyedthe last chapter. You should like this one too. Lots of Auron.

Cluck the Chickin: Thank you! Here's the next chapter for you.

hominesnocturne: Hm. You raise a good point, I didn't think of that. For now, all I can say is for you to use your imagination. Haha. I know it sounds lame,but until Ican formulate an alternative, that's the best I can offer. Oh, and I'm glad you like the plot. Thank you.

mandyfanforever:You're more than welcome. I read so many fics where the characters are just that: characters. They aren't people, they don't have a past and they don't have real emotion. I kind of try to implicate thata little in this story, to show that all characters still have room to learn, grow and develop.You'll like this chapter. It's got a bunch of that in it.

I won't delay. On with chapter 4!

Chapter 4: Confessions

Rin, renowned Al Bhed merchant, stood in the middle of the hallway to greet the new arrivals. His dress was . . . interesting, to say the least. He wore a suit, but the suit-jacket and the dress-pants were a vibrant yellow. Underneath that, he wore a white shirt and bow-tie, and on his feet were over-polished black dress shoes. Although yellow had been the primary color that the others knew he wore and associated him with, obviously it was more than just a coincidence.

"Hello, Mr. Rin," Yuna said, smiling.

"It's Rin, my dear Yuna," Rin corrected, bowing slightly. "How have you been?"

Yuna sighed. "I've . . . been," she said, looking down at the ground.

"Come, let's go back further," Rin said, sweeping his hand behind him. "We'll have a drink."

An little later, they were seated in one of the rooms in the middle of the airship, where several tables had recently been added. A tulip in a cheap-looking plastic vase was nestled in the middle of the table, surrounded only by the other objects currently placed there. Rin's coffee mug, along with a small shot glass of sake that Auron had, a beer for Wakka, and cider for Lulu and Rikku. Yuna drank nothing, but sat across from Rin, who had a smile on his face.

"Have things been going okay for you Yuna?" Rin pressed, taking a sip of his coffee.

"As good as can be expected," Yuna sighed.

"Ah . . . I see," was all Rin said in reply. Auron had shot him a look that said, "don't press the matter."

"Have you been back to the wreckage of home yet?" Wakka asked, taking a swig from his bottle.

"Indeed," Rin said, happy for a change of subject. "There were few casualties. Most of those people left were either already dead or had fled by other means." He shook his head. "Once again, the Al Bhed have scattered."

"Those damn Guado!" Wakka cursed, pounding the table in disgust, which caused Auron's sake to spill slightly. Scowling, Auron drew out his tankard and refilled the small cup.

"Watch your words, Wakka," Lulu warned. "Tromell is also aboard this ship."

"Have you not noticed why I'm not with the rest of the representatives?" The rhetorical question hung in the air for some time before Rin spoke again. "Though I am naturally a calm person, I do not think I could stand to be in the same room with one who helped murder my people."

"I understand," said Yuna. "What do you think will come of him once he's appointed to the Spiran Council?"

"I leave that, my dear, in your capable hands," said Rin. He had finished his coffee, and stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a word with Cid. You should go meet up with the rest of the delegates."

Yuna stared after him as he exited the room, not saying a word. In fact, there was complete silence in the room for a few minutes, broken only by the sound of a glass making a clinking sound back onto the table. Yuna tore her gaze away from the door and looked at her friends. Auron had his glass in his hand, rotating it slowly in its place. He appeared to be thinking hard about something. Rikku was draining her cider glass with as much gusto as she could be pictured having. Which was quite a lot, Yuna thought to herself, smiling. Wakka had his beer to his lips, chugging the remnants of the liquid inside. Lulu's glass was already empty; she seemed to be thinking as well.

Yuna finally broke the silence. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

"The council hasn't even been formed yet, and already rivalries are brewing," said Auron, finally picking up his glass and downing it in one swallow. "This is not a good omen."

"Since when have you believed in omens, anyway?" Rikku asked, licking her lips and searching for stray cider.

"Never," Auron said, getting up and walking toward the door. "All you need to use to discern people and their patterns of behavior is logic."

"Let's go, guys," Yuna said, heeding Auron's movements. "We haven't seen the others yet."

The others finished their drinks and left the room as well. Yuna led the way down the hallways of the ship. There was no sign of people aboard; all they could hear as they walked were the hum of the engines and the padding of their own tentative footsteps. Apparently the remaining delegates were at the back of the ship, where the scenic view was provided. Indeed, that's where Yuna and the others found the rest of the delegates. All people Yuna met on her journey, helped her, and had earned her trust. Belgemine was there, Shelinda was there, even O'aka XXIII, Merchant Extraordinare, had accepted a job offer from Yuna on the Spiran council as 2nd representative of the Spiran Trade Federation.

"Lady Yuna!" O'aka said, his small form scurrying over to the group. "It's good to see ye again, that it is!"

"And you too!" Yuna agreed, extending her hand.

O'aka was wearing a brown tweed suit with a pearly white dress shirt underneath and a black bowtie to go with it. It didn't fit him, as the sleeves completely hid his hands as well as his arms. There was a little red rose pinned to the jacket's left breast side, and he also wore a black bowler hat. He wore brown shoes that were two sizes too big for him. Nonetheless, it was still the same, friendly, yet cunning O'aka that they had all come to know.

"Um . . ." Rikku said, trying not to giggle.

"Oh, the suit?" O'aka said, looking at himself. "No making fun of O'aka now. I paid good money to wear this ugly thing."

Yuna laughed. She hadn't laughed in a long time. "What happened to you after we left Bevelle?" she asked.

"Those Yevon guards took all me belongings, which included me nice clothes," O'aka responded. "I'm not a merchant anymore. Can't be one without any stuff, eh?"

"How did the Yevonites treat you in jail?" Rikku asked, straight-faced once again.

"Awful," O'aka said, shaking his head. "They were talking about execution at one point, but then you caused so much trouble that they forgot all about me." He looked at Yuna.

"Well, that's . . . good, I guess," Yuna said.

"Great, more like!" O'aka said fervently. "I never got a chance to thank ye for all your help . . . it meant loads to O'aka."

"Not at all," Auron said stiffly.

"Well, I must go meet everybody else," Yuna said, ending the conversation. "It was nice seeing you again!"

"You too, Lady Yuna. You too," O'aka said, turning back to look out the window.

It was at this point that the group split up. Yuna stayed by the window while the rest went around to greet the other dignitaries. Yuna, forever lost in thought, went to the window and looked down to the ground below. It was a truly beautiful sight. The angry clouds that hung over Besaid like a blanket had disappeared, now that they were flying further north. Instead, there was a clear sky, which allowed Yuna to look to the ground far, far below. The airship was flying over the sparkling blue ocean, following the coastline of the mainland. She could see the rolling hills that the ship was flying over as well, and off in the distance, she saw the urban sprawl of Luca. They were about halfway there.

Finally, she had some time to think and relax. But naturally, only two things were on her mind: the ceremony, and Tidus. Tidus. There was no way to really describe how much she missed him. But, she couldn't cry like she had on Besaid. Her mind wasn't clear enough to focus solely on her grief. Which . . . was a good thing, in a way. However, mental clarity was one of the aspects of her mind that she enjoyed. And right now, she didn't even have a trace of it.

A lone tear was the only external sign that she had Tidus on her mind. Leaking from the blue eye, it slowly trickled down her cheek, and rested against the crook where her nose lay placed on her face. Yuna felt it tickle her sensitive skin, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. To wipe the tears was futile; they would always return. Always run in streams down Yuna's soft face. Always remind her of what she had once, but lost forever.

"Lady Yuna," said a soft, feminine voice behind her.

Yuna turned around to see Belgemine, off to her left. She too gazed out the window, and her expression was one of turmoil as well. Contrary to her facial expression, her dress was a cheerful shade of yellow, like one would find on the petal of a sunflower. Her brown hair, which Yuna had always imagined would be tied up in a bun, was instead done back into one abnormally long ponytail. It was different, but at the same time, Yuna couldn't help but notice how pretty the fellow former summoner looked.

"Belgemine," said Yuna, turning away from the beautiful scenery to extend her hand. She sniffed, managed a smile and said, "It's good to see you again. It's been too long, hasn't it?"

"Yes it has," Belgemine replied, forcing a smile in return and taking Yuna's hand.

"You seem upset," Yuna observed.

Belgemine stared at Yuna and frowned. "I could say the same about you."

Yuna let out a fake chuckle and wiped the tear away. "Oh, it's nothing," she lied. "Just a personal thing."

"I see," Belgemine said, realizing that 'nothing' obviously was 'everything' to her. But she didn't press the conversation.

"Is something wrong?" Yuna asked.

"Well . . . there is," Belgemine replied. "Would you care to join me for some tea in the lounge?"

Yuna hesitated. She had just been there with Rin, but she had nothing to drink. "I suppose so."

The two walked silently out of the room, noticing that others in the room were staring at them as they left. Yuna shifted uncomfortably as she walked out of the room, and fixed her gaze on one of the wall-mounted lights in the hallway. Belgemine looked at her with a sideways glance, and mentally nodded her head. She had every right and reason to feel uneasy. Becoming the first president of Spira since before history was recorded was undoubtedly an unnerving position. And then Belgemine had heard about Yuna losing someone very dear to her . . . perhaps that was why she seemed sad in addition to feeling apprehensive.

They reached the room that Yuna had occupied mere moments ago. Yuna sat down in the same seat she had sat in previously, and watched in silence as Belgemine stood at the counter and made the tea. It was at this time that Yuna realized Cid and the other Al Bhed had taken the time where she was gone to make the airship seem more like one that would carry a famous person. The room she was sitting in was definitely a lounge. It used to be a bare room, but now it had several tables surrounded by little chairs. The same flower adorned each table: a tulip in identical cheap vases. Yuna smiled, thinking about the gesture and what it meant to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the summoner with her in the room laid a steaming mug of strong peppermint tea in front of her. The aroma wafting from the cup smelled great. Yuna inhaled the soothing scents of the peppermint and stirred the teabag in her hand absentmindedly. It was currently too hot to drink, but just the smell of the beverage helped her relax. A few seconds later, Belgemine retrieved her own cup of tea and sat down across from Yuna. Neither said anything for about a minute; each just stared at the other, trying to see through to the other's mind.

"What I'm about to tell you is not . . . well, the most pleasant of ways for you to start of your new position." Belgemine finally broke the silence, but she spoke tentatively. "It concerns your well-being."

Yuna went slightly wide-eyed. "What's the matter?"

Belgemine took a sip of her tea and sighed before speaking again. "As you might know, the truth about Yevon has . . . well, 'died hard', shall we say, with some people. You would understand this; I'm sure you felt this way when you figured out the truth about Yevon."

"Yes," Yuna said. "Continue, please."

"Well, you were at the center of this whole thing," Belgemine said. "It's the biggest scandal we've ever seen. A scandal that has left many people frightened. Feeling alone and angry."

"Angry at me?" Yuna said.

Belgemine smiled a half-smile. "You truly are High Summoner Braska's daughter," was all she said in answer to Yuna's question. "Quick to figure things out."

Yuna knew this to mean 'yes'. Concern suddenly was added to her ever-growing list of uncomfortable emotions she was feeling at the present moment. "How bad is it out there?"

"I imagine with you back in Besaid that you haven't heard about what's been going on in Bevelle and Luca," Belgemine said. "Since I'm the future representative of Luca, I've spent quite some time there, gathering information and placing reliable sources to give me an unbiased account of what goes on."

"And?"

"Riots, my dear," Belgemine said. "There have been riots all week. With the foundation of belief vanishing for so many people, they don't know what outlet to choose for all their emotions. This includes fear and anger." Belgemine drank some more out of her glass and continued. "So, in turn, many people direct this fear and anger toward you."

Yuna sighed and rested her head in her hands. "Auron was right. I haven't even taken office yet and things are already falling apart, before I even have a chance to put things right."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Belgemine said reassuringly. "I just thought you should know a little more about what may be to come."

"Thank you," Yuna replied. "I'll keep that in mind. Do you think I should arrange for some protection?"

Before Belgemine had a chance to respond, both women heard footsteps approaching. Holding their breath apprehensively, they waited to see who appeared at the door. Yuna breathed a small sigh of relief, however, when she realized it was only Auron. He walked in the room slowly and stared at the two of them. Not hesitating, he took a chair from the nearest table and brought it over to where Belgemine and Yuna were talking.

"This is not good," was what he began with. Obviously, he had been listening closely to Yuna and Belgemine's conversation. He faced Yuna. "As I suspected, your job is not going to be easy in the times to come."

"I know, I know," Yuna mumbled through her hands. "I'd feel so much better about all this if I just had someone to talk to. If I just had . . . well . . ." Auron could hear her voice cracking.

"Excuse us," Auron said to Belgemine.

"Of course," she responded, getting up quickly and exiting the room.

Auron got up from the table and walked over to the counter. He retrieved another shot glass from the counter, and once again drew out his tankard. The alcohol that he kept inside was managed like a stingy person would guard their wallet. He drank infrequently and only when necessary. Unscrewing the cap of the tankard slowly, he poured some of the liquid into the shot glass before taking a small draft of it for himself. Replacing the tankard at his side, he delicately picked up the small glass with his right hand and brought it back over to Yuna.

She looked up. "For me?" Auron nodded. "I . . . haven't had a drink of this stuff before. Is it strong?"

Auron smiled. "Don't worry. If I get President Yuna drunk, I'll take full and sole responsibility."

Yuna laughed like she hadn't in a long time. It felt good, as though her body were being cleansed of a lethal poison that had plagued her since her return to Besaid a week ago. She picked up the shot glass and eyed it warily, peering at the crystal clear Sake that palpitated in the glass as she moved it around. She took the tiniest sip of the drink, and promptly spit it out all over the floor. Quickly, she took a swig of the tea Belgemine made for her. It got rid of the bitter taste in her mouth, but now she had burned her tongue.

Auron laughed as well. "I guess you don't have that much experience with alcohol," he said. "This stuff . . . you down. One swallow. Don't taste it, don't roll it around in your mouth. Throw the glass to your mouth and let it hit the back of your throat. Let ittricklelike a like a calm stream down your throat."

Yuna obeyed his instruction, tilting the glass back and letting the drink rush to the back of her throat. It burned slightly going down, but this time, the drink left an oddly sweet aftertaste in her mouth. She set the empty glass back down on the table, and sat in silence for a minute, thinking about what she had just done. The last alcohol she had touched was a stash of beer that Wakka had bought earlier. She drank half of it, and that was when Lulu and Wakka had to drag her back to the house and put her to bed. Since then, she hadn't even considered touching the substance for the rest of her life.

"One shot of that will soothe even the most vociferous beast," Auron chuckled.

"Thank you," Yuna said. Then, she sighed. "My apologies. It must be annoying to have to calm me down all the time."

"Not at all, Yuna. It's what I'm here for," Auron reassured.

"No, it's not," Yuna argued. "You shouldn't have to be my tissue. I don't like using you or talking to you only when I'm sad. It makes me feel like I'm being pitied . . . and I don't like that, either."

Auron said nothing.

"One day . . . when things calm down and I have a chance to finally sit back and let things take care of themselves, I want to just be able to sit down with all my friends," Yuna said. "We can talk, laugh, and forget about what's going on outside the walls of the room we're in. We can enjoy life for once, instead of always trying to change it."

"You and I both know that things will never be able to take care of themselves," Auron said, turning serious again. "Right now, you must focus on what is ahead."

Yuna sighed again. "It's just so hard sometimes," Yuna admitted. "For the first time in my life, I feel like there's nobody to bear the burden of what I need to tell them. I need to tell somebody how I feel, and leave nothing out. And . . . I don't feel that there's anybody left who could shoulder what I need to say."

"Save it for later," Auron said. "Now, unfortunately, is not the time."

"If I save it for later, I never may get another chance to tell anybody about it, don't you understand?" Yuna said, somewhat hysterically. "I can't handle all this pressure right now!"

"You have to," Auron said forcefully. "It was you, wasn't it, who said, 'I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad'?"

Yuna nodded. She remembered telling Tidus that when he found out that Sin was his father. He looked so sad and depressed then, much like Yuna thought she looked now. She remembered that, by smiling, she was able to put forth an atmosphere of peace and happiness. Yes, she knew what Auron was asking of her. And now, it was her turn. Heed her own words, the words that she spoke to Tidus so long ago, and put on a smile . . . even when she was feeling sad.

Yuna sniffed and wiped her face clean. Then she forced a smile. "How's this?" she asked.

Auron looked at her face. "It doesn't look like a smile," he said honestly. "It looks more like a grimace."

"Hm," was all Yuna said as she got up from the table. "I'm sorry, Auron, but it appears that I've forgotten how to smile." She paused, as if startled by what she said. "I've . . . forgotten how to smile. How . . . how can this be?"

Before Auron had any chance to respond, she grabbed the shot glass that she had received from him and hurled it against the wall. The glass shattered into an insurmountable amount of pieces, and scattered like dust over the floor below. Next she hurled the mug of tea against the same wall, where it also exploded, sending remnants of the tea cascading down the wall. Yuna looked for something else to throw, but there was nothing. Before she could move, Auron had circled the table, grabbed her and hugged her to his chest, where she broke down completely.

Auron sighed, patting the younger girl uncertainly as she sobbed into his coat. Once again, Yuna poured out the overflowing emotion through her tears. This time though, fear and uncertainty were mixed in with the grief that she felt. Fear that she wouldn't be a good President. Uncertainty toward her future, as well as the rest of Spira. Grief that she felt at the loss of Tidus. And now . . . she felt like she was also losing a part of herself that she never thought possible to lose. She couldn't even smile anymore.

Finally she stopped crying enough to where she could speak clearly. "I can't live like this," she said, shaking her head.

"Pardon?" Auron said. He had heard, but he hoped he misunderstood what she said.

"All this grief, all this fear, and all this uncertainty!" She said. "It's been killing me from the inside out for the last week now. And now, I've forgotten how to smile. I've forgotten how to be happy!" She paused to catch her quavering breath and continued. "You probably can't understand this, Auron. You don't know what it's like to lose the part of you that you hold so dear. I can't even be happy now! I don't remember what it was like anymore! All of that . . . it was part of me, and now I've lost it!"

Suddenly, memories that Auron had forgotten he had resurfaced to the forefront of his mind. He remembered saying and thinking the same thing at one point. He remembered feeling like he had no way out. He remembered the agonizing, terrible pain that came with losing someone he loved dearly. It was then, Auron decided, that it was time to reveal some of his long-forgotten past.

"Sit down, Yuna," he said gently. "I want to tell you a story."

Yuna sat down but shook her head. "I don't think it will mean anything to me anymore."

"You underestimate yourself," Auron replied. "If you truly were an empty shell of a person, you would have killed yourself by now, is this not so?"

Yuna physically reeled back at this statement. "Suicide?"

"Don't tell me that you haven't thought about it," Auron said. "Lying is the most hurtful thing one could do to themselves." He paused. "Hear me out. What I'm about to tell you I've told nobody else, not even Tidus."

By this point, through all of the talking that Yuna had done with Belgemine and Auron, she had by now completely forgotten that she was on a ship bound for Bevelle. She completely forgot that she would be accepting a position as leader of Spira in only a few hours. She only saw the emotions. The fear, the grief, and the uncertainty. She would not have noticed if the ship continued to drift through the sky as a leaf ambled in the breeze, forever floating, not to touch ground until the whirlwind around it slowed to a halt.

"Alright," Yuna said. "I'll listen. You've done it for me." Here, she chuckled slightly. "The least I could do is return the favor."

"Ah," Auron said. "Very much like Yuna would do."

Yuna blushed. "Thank you," she said. "I . . . I'm starting to feel a little better."

"Good," Auron responded. "Now, listen to my story. I'll try and summarize it as best I can."

"This took place about two years after I went to Zanarkand to look after Tidus. I was still a young man, fresh from my pilgrimage, but left feeling scarred from the horrific things that I had seen at the end. This experience changed me in ways I cannot describe with words. But in Zanarkand, there was a woman I met at a local pub. I had taken a much younger Tidus there for a bite to eat, and I couldn't help noticing that this beautiful lady was staring at me from across the way."

"Go on," Yuna said, starting to become intrigued.

"She and I hit it off that night. I had never had a confidant that wasn't a man, and I would fascinate her with tales of adventure, danger, and wonderful deeds done, the sort of fantasy idea that was popular back then. I do have to say, still to this day, that I have never felt more uninhibited in my entire life than I did on that night in the pub.

"So I offered to drive her home, and she readily accepted. We talked long into the night, long after I had arrived at her house, and long after Tidus had fallen asleep in the backseat of the car. I began to tell her about things that were very hard for me to tell anybody, like how I felt around women, how I felt taking care of a small child with no experience in how to do so. Of course, I had to lie about how I had come to taking care of Tidus, but that wasn't an issue. She was understanding, kind, and compassionate. All the things in the life of a warrior monk that were missing." He sighed and continued. "We began dating not long afterward."

Here, Yuna raised her eyebrows. "That's hard for me to believe," she said.

"I said the same thing that night," Auron replied. "I was taught by the other monks that relationships were only an invitation to pain. And it was a few months after she and I began dating that I realized how right she was.

"It was then that we became . . . intimate." Here, Auron squirmed uncomfortably. "That morning, I woke up, only to find that she wasn't in the bedroom. I got up and dressed and went looking for her. As it turns out, I didn't have to look far. She was on the couch, underneath . . . underneath another man," he finished sourly.

Yuna reached out and touched Auron's hand. By now she had forgotten her troubles and was focused only on Auron's story. "I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"I should have known," he responded. "We had had a couple of arguments on weeks past. They were pretty heated too. But I never would have imagined that she would have the audacity to sleep with another man without being honest with me. I pulled her- no, ripped her out from underneath the man she was having sex with and said to her, my face not an inch away from hers, 'I trusted you. How could you do this?' And then I left, not even giving her a chance to respond.

"It was after that where I fell into a pit of depression, much like you feel now," Auron said. "I felt fearful, lonely, and uncertain of everybody around me. I had lost the only woman I ever loved. But where Tidus is dead, she was still alive. I had to live with the fact that she couldn't be with me, and yet she could be with somebody else.

"My trust had been shaken permanently. And it was then that I began my search for an outlet in which to shove all my emotions."

"What did you find?" Yuna asked.

Auron patted the tankard strapped to his belt. "Booze," he said. "I got so drunk that night that I couldn't even stand up. After that, I drank even more, to the point where I was almost passed out on the floor. But I hadn't yet ingested enough alcohol to not hear what Tidus had to say to me when he saw me surrounded by empty liquor bottles."

"What was that?" Yuna asked.

"He instantly burst out crying," Auron said. "He got up right in my face and screamed at me, much like I did with my ex-girlfriend. He shouted, 'You can't do this to me, Auron! You just can't! My dad was always like this, always getting piss-ass drunk. He would abuse me, taunt me! Don't you ever turn into my dad! Ever! You're the only dad I ever really had; I don't want to lose you too!'"

Yuna was tearing up again, but not because of how she felt. She understood now why Auron had told her this story. Auron, like her, had felt the unbearable pain of losing somebody you loved. However, Auron had handled his emotions poorly, and had nearly lost Tidus's trust in the process. Auron was hoping that by telling Yuna this story, she wouldn't make the same mistake that he did so many years ago.

"Right then, I realized the mistake that I had made," Auron said, shaking his head. "I had failed miserably in the one task that Jecht entrusted me with. If Tidus had cast aside his trust in me, then my life was over. There was no point in going on living. I had to have a long talk with him a couple days later, persuading him that I would never be Jecht, that I had made a mistake and promised not to repeat it. He believed me, but for weeks afterward, he would watch me like a hawk, sometimes even staying awake at night to make sure I didn't get up for a drink.

"As it turns out, Tidus didn't have anything to worry about. It was years before I touched alcohol again, and it was of equal time where I could speak with another woman again," Auron finished. "I felt used, taken advantage of, and like there was no hope left for me in the world. But through friends I pulled myself out of the pit of depression I had dug for myself."

Yuna had subconsciously gripped Auron's hand tighter as he told his story. Realizing this, she loosened her grip considerably. "Thank you, Auron," she said, getting up and hugging him gently. "Thank you for sharing that with me. It makes me feel much, much better." She paused, thinking. "It will be a while yet before I can let go of him. But . . . your story helped a lot. Now, I think I just might be able to get through this whole ceremony without . . . losing my head." Auron nodded

Unbeknownst to Yuna, as she wasn't facing the door, there were other people who had listened to Auron's story. Belgemine, Lulu, Wakka, and Rikku all heard Auron's tale in the doorway. They had never heard Auron open up like this, to anyone. Though it would probably be the last time for a long, long while, insight into Auron's past certainly helped explain the man sitting before them at this moment. Auron, right then, looked up at the four and nodded, motioning for them to come in. They all gathered around Yuna, looking down at her with concern.

"Will you be okay, Yunie?" Rikku squeaked tentatively.

Yuna smiled at the younger girl. "Don't worry, Rikku," she said, stroking Rikku's hair lightly. "I'll be just fine."

"Yay!" Rikku said happily, dancing around the table. This drew laughs from everybody except Auron, who simply chuckled.

It was then, in the midst of all those smiling faces, that Yuna realized that her face was among them.

Why not end it on a happy note for once?

So, was it okay? I hope so; I really enjoyed writing. Don't worry, Yuna's going to cheer up even more soon. There's quite the surprise waiting for her at the ceremony . . . oops! Shit, did I really say that? My bad. I won't say anymore.

Anyway, please review, as always. It's greatly appreciated. Until I update again in August, I bid you all adieu.

>SirGecko>