Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X.

No, this fic is not abandoned, just pretty damn close. TWO FARKING YEARS!!!!! It, uh, slipped my mind...

I loved writing this story when I was in my obsession stage. I love, and always will love all the reviews I've gotten. Thank you!

Chapter 14: To End it All

Seymour stood there, stunned by the words that came from the messenger's mouth. The knife in his hand slipped through his sweaty fingertips, falling to the floor.

The messenger snapped his fingers, ordering, "Tie and gag Seymour. After that's done, one of you grab the girl, one holds onto Seymour, and the last take down and tie up the boy."

And the thugs mission began.

--

A knock on the door surprised the inhabitants of the room. Lulu stood from her chair and made her way over to the door. Her pale hand lingered over the doorknob. If only bad news would be welcoming her when she opened the door, she didn't want to hear it. Pushing any fears aside, she turned the knob.

A folded piece of paper rested on the floor.

"Who's at the door?" Rikku asked groggily.

"Not a who, but a what." Lulu snatched the paper from the floor and slowly unfolded it.

The young Al Bhed grew anxious and worried as Lulu's eyes widened. "What's it say?"

"It...doesn't say anything..."

Rikku gave the black mage a quizzical look. "What?"

Lulu continued to stare at the paper. She knew what it meant, but dare she tell the younger girl? Before she could ponder more, Rikku tore the paper out of her hands. Now it was Rikku's turned to get wide-eyed.

On the paper was a map of Bevelle.

--

Just when he thought he was out of the shackles, he was bound once again. Only this time he was not only gagged, but also blindfolded. His only sense not restricted was his hearing, and what good that was for him. The only thing to be heard was the shuffles of feet and a few grunts every now and then. He felt so weak, so vulnerable.

Seymour's muffled cries came down upon his ears suddenly. He jerked his head in the direction of the sound, but was rewarded with a hit to the head.

"Shut up, dog!" the messenger yelled at Seymour. "We have rights to kill you for whatever reason. The only reason you're still alive is that boss wants you for something."

"Boy, what's your name?" the man behind him asked with a yank.

He felt the gag in his mouth being pulled out to an extent that he could talk clear enough for them to understand him.

"Why would I tell you!" he blurted immediately. His choice of words earned him a fist in the gut.

"Watch you mouth!" He was slammed up against a wall, and then doped to the sickenly warm ground below.

"H-his name's Tidus!" Seymour stuttered. Tidus would've glared at the half-guado if he didn't have the blindfold on.

"Very good, but we didn't ask you to speak!" A thud echoed through out the room, Seymour was out.

Tidus winced. He knew he could share the same fate.

--

"Bevelle?" Auron said simply.

Lulu nodded. "I suggest we leave now. Who knows what they're going through?"

"Do you have a plan?" Auron asked.

"Well...not really." Rikku nervously began to rock on the bed.

The room fell silent. Auron stood in the corner with a look of deep thought etched on to his face.

"When we reach Bevelle," Auron ordered. "Follow my commands, unless you want to be killed."

--

Yuna sat tied to a chair in that classic kidnapping way, only gloves covered her hands in an attempt to block her from escaping. Her eyes weren't blindfolded and her mouth wasn't taped; yet she didn't utter a word or shift her eyes from her lap. A layer of sweat coated her hands, making things even more uncomfortable then it already was. Footsteps echoed throughout the room and the squeak of an opening door soon accompanied it.

Everything suddenly went silent. Yuna resisted any urges to lift her head and observe whatever was going on. All restraints of her were thrown out the window as a cold hand grasped her chin and jerked her head up.

"Now stay silent, little missy, and keep a good eye on the screen," a burly man demanded.

Her head went limp as his fingers slid off her chin. She slowly tilted her head up toward the screen the man was talking about, cringing. A headache was coming on.

"I see you two have been prancing around collecting these spheres," a malicious voice inquired. "Useless."

Yuna's eyes held still on the screen. She wouldn't look at the owner of the voice.

"Shut the hell up!" Tidus' protest rang through out the chamber, making Yuna's jump in surprise. "You're not fooling us, so stop it!"

"On the contrary, my blonde fellow, I'm just speaking truth."

"Shut. Up."

"Such insolence."

A growl. Then silence.

Five minutes. More silence.

Silence. Pure. Utter. Silence.

A screech. Sound! Beloved sound!

All the fear came rushing back. Images danced across the screen. Jecht and Braska were shaking hands with members of Sin, coming to an agreement of some sort. There were more meetings. They were planning something. Then there was the battle of Braska and Sin. Braska's shield fell and a few bullets sliced into his body, causing his body to jerk backwards as each on made contact. After Braska was down and his aeon had disappeared, a couple of people from Sin surrounded the fallen summoner. Those from Sin gathered him up in their arms and took him with them. Braska's chest was rising and falling. He was alive.

Lies. LIES! They had to be lies! This wasn't real. None of it was real. It's all just some terrible nightmare. Yes. A nightmare. It's all a nightmare.

A slap of reality hit her in the face.

"Lies..." Her eyes briefly glanced at the owner of the voice. Tidus repeated the same word over and over again, each time grower fainter. His eyes held a dazed look, fixed on the screen.

"You can't deny it much longer. It's all coming back to you now, isn't it?" the spiteful voice prodded at them both. "The truth is resurfacing after being buried under false ideals!"

Yuna squeezed her eyelids together, not willing to look at anything. She was afraid, yet strangely humble. She didn't believe the images, yet it was all beginning to make sense. Everything she had ever known had been challenged to only being a fake, masking everything that was truly real. She didn't want to believe. She had to.

"Just give in, young ones! The truth will come! The truth will come!" the same voice bellowed on and on.

His words were only whispers to her ears, everything drowned out by her own thoughts. How could she scream out in protest against something that actually seemed to fit together so well? Arguing now would be just the same as trying to mash two puzzle pieces together when you knew that they don't fit.

She was lost and couldn't find a way out.

--

Rikku gulped nervously as the city of Bevelle towered over her small form. "I don't like it here."

Auron gave her a quick glance before turning to the confused party, his face holding no emotion. "Just follow my instructions and hopefully no one will get themselves killed."

This little comment brought great relief to the group.

--

Yuna hadn't heard anything from Tidus in a while now as worry began to swell in her stomach. She had prayed that his silence had nothing to do with the thud she had heard earlier, which just happened to sound a little too much like something hitting a skull. Trying to convince herself that he was uninjured had the same meaning by saying that he was a brunette.

A groan reawakened her hopes, but they quickly diminished when a soft chuckle came from a distant corner. "Still alive, boy. Quite the stubborn one..." It was the same man as before, and Yuna began to feel queasy. Just hearing his voice sent shivers through her entire body. It wasn't him. It was what he represented.

The 'truth' had been shoved down their throats in such a big dose and at such a fast speed that it was nearly impossible to swallow.

"Maybe it's time to explain everything in a little bit more detail..." Yuna kept her eyes closed as she felt an eerie presence pass by her that she could only assume was the man. "Bring him in."

Him?

The door gave a small creak on its hinges as a pair of feet shuffled their way into the room. Fingertips grazed across her chin, making Yuna squeeze her eyes together even tighter. She found herself slightly taken back as they brushed by once more. These fingers did not belong to someone of a young age, the skin feeling as though it was sagging off the bone. Yuna tried to jerk her head away from the touch, but her reaction was too late as her chin was firmly grasped in between the old man's forefinger and thumb.

"Open your eyes..." he demanded in a light tone.

"No," Yuna breathed, preferring this mystery she was holding herself in.

"Open them. I must see." His free hand brushed across her eyelids, making them flutter open.

She took in a shaky gasp as she found herself looking into the eyes of a very aged, white-haired, bearded man with a familiar face. "L-Lord Mika?!" Yuna flinched back out of his hold, only able to take in stuttering breaths.

"Ah, so you do remember me." Mika closed his eyes as he drifted back, reminiscing. "You were only a little child when we last met..." His eyes snapped open, the kind gaze turning into more of a death glare. "But you shouldn't remember!"

The force of his voice seemed to propel Yuna as she jerked back, nearly knocking the chair over as it teetered on its two back legs briefly before returning itself to its normal state. Yuna sat there wide eyed, trying to overcome the feeling of her heart lurching up into her throat.

"Child..." Mika rasped, reaching out to touch Yuna's cheek. Her insides churned as his wrinkled fingertips grazed across her skin. His voice turned to a sickenly kind tone. "Tell me, what do you remember?"

"Nothing much," Yuna spoke quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I only put a name together with face. I know nothing else about you. You're just a stranger with a name."

"Then I guess that leaves left to explain a few things." There was a brief silence as Mika's gaze locked with Yuna's. "I have always thought that dieing knowing is better than living clueless."

Yuna's heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat. Dieing?

"Now, is there anything you would like for me to explain first?" Mika continued, ignoring the distraught look twisting the summoner's features.

Yuna wanted to ask of the images that were shown before, but she had lost her voice along with any confidence of seeing the light of day again.

When Mika was convinced that neither Yuna nor Tidus were going to speak, he started his long series of explanations. First on the list was the origin of the scars that both Tidus and Yuna had across their abdomens. When Sin had come to rid the world of Yuna and attacked her, the first stoke of the attack hit her, the other striking Tidus when he jumped in front of her. Since the attack needed the two strokes to kill a person, it only made Tidus and Yuna 'half-dead', loosing their memories in the process. Sin implanted fake memories to lead them away from them. They suspected that Tidus and Yuna would find each other some day, so they scattered home movie spheres across Spira so that they would have more time to prepare their arrival.

Apparetnly the scar had side effects. Yuna had been taken captive by Sin after the attack for reasons not disclosed by Mika, so she was treated if anything unusual popped up. Tidus was put under surveillance, and his only side effect started not long after he reunited with Yuna. Tidus would essentially lose consciousness, and during that time his hidden emotions would be taken to the extreme, summarily causing him to 'attack' Yuna.

Mika continued on, his face remaining stoic along with and his voice never growing passionate. The same attack that was used on Tidus and Yuna was also used whenever Sin attacked a town. Those who didn't die would suffer the same type of memory loss as Tidus and Yuna, but didn't have any side effects because the attack was directed toward a mass of people and not just one person.

The three disembodied voices that were in a sphere that Tidus and Yuna watched on the boat were Jecht, Braska, and Auron talking. The three were planning on splitting Tidus and Yuna up so sin cannot find both of them, as that was Sin's original intention before they gave up on the boy and just went for Yuna.

Jecht, apparently hearing a rumor that Sin had planned an attack on Zanarkand, had left a week earlier from the attack date to try and stop Sin from destroying his home. He quickly fell after attempting to infiltrate their headquarters.

As for Braska, Sin only shot and injured Braska when his protective barrier fell in an attempt to try and use him as bait to lure Yuna. This failed due to the misconception that Braska had died, and the fact the Yuna wasn't the type to charge in under the influence of blind revenge. Their plan was revised to just capture Yuna, something they wanted to avoid because of the sheer amount of manpower it would take to kill off the entire town that would surly have stood up and protected one of their last remaining hope of peace.

Mika paused for a moment, giving the two a chance to soak up at least a little bit of the information that was pouring out of his mouth. The old man mentioned Yuna's charm bracelet, the summoner's head shooting up form its lazy position. It was a 'sorry' gift from her father. Sin had found out about it because of the ever-constant mumblings he spoke when imprisoned. Tears welled up in Yuna's eyes, her head drooping back down to its prior position.

One of Yuna's guards was in a malicious streak, choosing, without orders from the higher-ups, to kill Braska right in front of her. Because of how traumatic the even was, and with the combination of potion Sin made her drink, Yuna forgot, only knowing that she had just seen something horrible. The cruel death of her father caused the summoner to snap, using her explosion of emotion to pull out a great amount of power, which let her summon all of her aeons at once, which also led her to all except one. She tore through Sin's ranks with ease and escaped. They did not know of exactly how she reunited with Tidus, not willing to send someone after while she was in such a rage.

Mika shut his mouth, his words thankfully stopping. He gave quick glances to both Tidus and Yuna, his face taking on an almost sullen expression.

"Now that you know all that you need to know, your death cannot be postponed any longer."

--

The group rushed trough the streets of Bevelle, Auron in the lead. His eyes flickered all around, taking notice to certain landmarks that the map they received pointed out. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes falling a patch of darkness that roused his suspicion.

"Auron, what're you–" Rikku effectively silence by Auron's hand that had swiftly positioned itself in front of her face.

A hooded figure stepped out from the darkness, his thin line of a mouth the only thing not hidden.

"Who are you?" Auron asked gruffly.

"A helper." The hooded man's voice was faint and breathy, his words almost carried away with the wind.

"Let me ask you again, who are you?" the sword-wielder tried again, the edge in his voice sharpening.

"A victim of Sin that has lost everything, including himself."

Auron paused briefly before speaking again. "What do you want?"

"Revenge."

"Through us," Auron stated, causing confusion in variable amounts in the group behind him.

"Precisely." The man's lips twisted into a smile and presented a folded piece of paper to the group similar to the one they had received earlier. "I give you this map of the fortress of Sin. There is a certain path outlined, the path that is the quickest, but not necessarily the safest. Take it only if you trust this desperate stranger."

As soon as Auron took the map, the hooded man sunk back into the shadows. Auron quickly scanned over the paper, soaking in as much information as fast as possible. His head shot up and let out a curt 'follow me' before taking off. Stunned only momentarily, the rest of the party soon followed his order.

When they reached Sin's hideout Wakka had the urge to whistle at its sheer size, but could barely purse his lips before Lulu whacked him upside is head. Auron paid the two no attention, veering off to the far left. With a quick glance at the sheet in his hand, he swiftly kicked the wall. The structure soon crumbled, Auron disappearing into the hole he created with the rest close behind, not wasting anytime to wonder how or why what they just saw happened.

The group proceeded down what appeared to be a secret passage of sorts in single file due to the close proximity of the walls. Eventually, it started to widen and soon led to a poorly lit room. Auron paused, his body just barely outlined by the little light. He referenced the map once more, having to angle it just to be able to see much of anything. Before the warrior monk to take a single step forward, the suddenly became lit up to an extent that it was near blinding.

A figure started to come toward the group from one of the many passageways connecting to the room, blurred due to the light-shocked eyes of the group. Their vision cleared, taking in the sight of the blue-haired, tattooed man.

"Why, hello there, fine rescuers!" the half-guado bellowed gallantly. "I, Seymour, am the owner of the last face you shall ever see!"

--

A blindfold covered her eyes, succeeding in adding to her growing fear. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. The words kept repeating in Yuna's mind, over and over. She was scared, but she also felt oddly detached from reality, as if this was all just a joke or she was simply acting out her role in a play. There she was, teetering on the edge of the surreal and the real, wanting so badly to block out all that was true.

Then she felt it, the quick, nearly painless prick and the sick sensation of blood trickling out. In a delayed reaction, she jolted upward, almost sending herself and her chair skyward.

"Just wanted to make sure you were all nice and awake for your execution," a voice came from her left, callous with the accent of laughter. How could anyone take joy in death? "Don't worry, I'll do this as fast as I can."

A laugh, such a wicked laugh. Yuna felt sharp point – a blade – press against her throat.

This is it.

--

Auron's sword sunk into Seymour, the half-guado screaming out in agony. Seymour back peddled and rammed into a wall, sliding down its surface as he left a streak of blood in his descent. He slumped forward, passed out.

"Let's go!" Auron bellowed, racing off down a pathway.

A masculine cry reached the ears of the group, quickening their pace.

"W...was that Tidus?" Rikku asked, fear gripping her heart.

No one responder, too afraid to confirm her suspicions. Another cry rang out – so close. Auron stopped suddenly, swiftly pivoting and throwing him self up against a door. He was about to go again, but froze when Kimahri appeared before him. The Ronso mimicked Auron's previous actions, successfully knocking in the door.

The party poured into the room, taking only a brief amount of time to identify the enemies. Kimahri bounded straight for Yuna and swiped away the armed man in front of her with ease. He sliced her bindings with his spear in one fluid stroke, flinging the disoriented summoner over his broad shoulder. With a glance around the room, Kimahri saw that Tidus was also free, hurrying toward the door with the help of Wakka. Rikku took swung one more punch, knocking out a member of Sin before heading toward the door also. Auron and Lulu finished off their respective opponents, soon following the others' actions, Kimahri just ahead of them.

The group headed back the way they came, suspicious of the lack of security. No one, absolutely no one was in sight, rousing the thought that there would be a very unpleasant surprised awaiting them outside. Oh, how they wished they were wrong.

Everyone stopped a little ways before the hole in the wall as they spotted silhouettes of men roaming around. They would be walking straight into the enemies' hands if they proceeded further, but nobody knew what was in store for them if they retreated back into the building.

"We're going through," Auron stated sternly, taking a step toward the gap.

"What?!" Rikku shrieked.

"You're crazy, ya?" Wakka stared dumbstruck at the swordsman.

"No, he's right." Lulu moved herself up next to Auron.

"Sin large," Kimahri attempted to explain. "Numbers outside not large."

Without giving either Wakka or Rikku the time to decipher the Ronso's words, the rest charged toward the enemy assault.

A furious battle cry filled the air, sending resting birds skyward. Metal clanked, screeched, and moaned as gunfire erupted in hurried, sporadic moments. Agony was vocalized, flesh pierced and torn. Skill versus numbers, who would be the victor?

It raged on, Sin diminishing with speed, but stamina was also withering at a similar pace. Fatigue began to weigh heavily on the faces of the rescuers, and it was known that the fight was to end soon.

Yuna remained the only one not fighting, feeling utterly useless in her inability to call upon her aeons. Tidus, even in his disorientation, fought to protect the summoner from the strays that made it past the others.

She stood, her back against the wall with her fists clenched, crying out within her for her only form of offense. None responded. Her frustration grew as she cursed herself as a burden, only succeeding in dragging down everyone. Yuna took a brief moment away from her inner struggle to survey the battlefield.

Blood. There was so much blood everywhere. A hand flew up to her mouth as an attempt to depress the bile that rose in her throat, the scent of death filling her nose. Her free hand braced itself against the structure behind her, sure that her legs would give out. She didn't care that the corpses littering the ground were those of the enemy, and felt her heart clench at this scene of mass murder.

Just so that we could escape...

Yuna almost let her heart go out for those that had fallen, but the sudden remembrance of all the atrocities that Sin had committed caused her heart to blossom with hate. Something swelled up within her abdomen, painfully pushing outwards as if it was trying to escape.

Do you want them to die?

Yuna's eyes widened at the sound of a voice that certainly wasn't hears echo in her head. Her breath quickened along with her heartbeat.

Who?

Your friends. Do you want your friends to die?

No, never!

Do you want peace?

Of course!

Do you want the slaughter to end?

Yuna paused, unsure of what slaughter was intended. She quickly threw away her thoughts, concluding that she had not time to ponder.

Yes.

Do you want all Sin to perish?

...Yes.

Do you want to protect those close and far?

Yes.

Yuna gained more conviction, desperate to help.

Even at the cost of life?

Whose life?

The voice didn't respond.

Whose life?!

Yuna soon found it difficult to breathe, each breath becoming more demanding.

Who will die? The civilians? Sin? My friends? ...Tidus?

None mentioned.

The summoner's insides froze over in realization. Her knees finally gave out, crumbling down to the earth. She weakly lifted her head up in an attempt to weigh the situation. Her friends' moves were becoming sluggish and almost haphazard as they sucked up every last bit of the thinning adrenaline running through their bodies. They couldn't last much longer and Sin kept pouring out reinforcements. A miracle was needed for them to win.

Do you want the power?

No other options were open. This was the only way.

Yes.

Instantaneously, Yuna felt as though she was being torn apart from the inside, crying out in agony. Everyone snapped their heads toward the summoner, the scream piercing their eardrums. Yuna stood unsteadily with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, pain evident in her face. Tidus attempted to take a step toward her, but was soon blown back by a gust of wind as it circled up around Yuna.

Yuna let out an inhuman shriek, her body beginning to glow so brightly that it radiated heat. Those around her stood in stunned silence, staring at the phenomenon happening before them. Then, it happened.

A shockwave sheered through the land, throwing everyone off their feet. Screams rang in the atmosphere as a cloud-like substance started to seep out of the summoner. It flooded the ground, its smoky tendrils enveloping the bodies scattered about and forced them into a sleep that some would never wake from.

Tidus fought the effects, his eyes focused on Yuna. He tried to move toward her, but found himself paralyzed. "Damn...smoke shit..." he grunted, willing his limbs to move to no avail. "Yu...na!

The substance stopped flowing from the summoner and her glow dulled down into nonexistence. Her eyes landed on Tidus, one of the saddest smiles he ever saw curving her lips ever so slightly. Yuna's lips moved, yet no sound came. Tidus strained his eyes, desperate to catch what she was trying to say.

Tidus. Moisture gathered in Yuna's eyes. I love you.

Tidus opened his mouth, wanting – needing – to vocalize his feelings, but his voice caught in his throat. Yuna shook her head, her face taking on a look of understanding.

Tell everyone...

The tears began to run steadily down Yuna's face. Tidus looked on as his heart screamed out to her, but was silenced by the icy gripe that it was soon held in. The wall. He could see the wall through Yuna's face. She was fading away. She was leaving.

...that I'm sorry.

Tidus suddenly gained control of his right arm, using it to reach out to the disappearing Yuna. No! NO! His whole arm started to shake as he tired to stretch it out as far as he could, hoping to grab hold of his love even though he knew his hand would pass right through. She walked toward him and kneeled down by him, trying her best to hold onto his outstretched hand. Darkness began to invade his vision, Yuna appearing as if she was flickering.

Just before Tidus's body gave out on him, Yuna, now almost completely translucent, mouthed him one last word.

Goodbye.

--

Tidus's eyes snapped open, launching himself of the ground. He frantically glanced around as he hoped what he saw was a hallucination. His hope vanished as he met the somber faces of his friends.

"We've scouted the area. Every single member of Sin is dead," Auron announced, monotone. Tidus was about to ask how, but stopped before he could utter a syllable.

"Where's Yunie?" Rikku asked, her voice on the edge of crying. The blond man began to shake his head in disbelief.

"She...she told me to tell everyone that she's sorry." Tidus found the words tumbling from his mouth, even though he strongly wished that he was spewing lies. "She was fading. She faded away."

His mind was numb and his body was going on autopilot when his thumb and forefinger were suddenly in his mouth. He blew as hard as he could to make the loudest whistle. Again and again, he tried, each whistle more frantic than the last. He kept going until his lungs screamed for rest and his throat turned dry, sinking to his knees.

Yuna was gone.

END

You all probably hate me now. dodges flying objects But, THANK GOD this is finally over with. YESH!! Oh, and yes, I cannot write battle/action scenes worth crap, so you got that little poem-like thing instead.

For some reason I feel like this chapter was only half-assed and rather illogical at points. I blame it on lack of interest (and Shizuru, hee). Yell at me (not Shizuru) for it if you wish.

I did very minor revisions to the first 13 chapters, most consisting of any grammar or spelling mistakes I made, and there are probably a million things I missed. Oh, well. Holy crappers, the first few chapters were attack of the short sentences. In my laziness, I didn't bother to change any of them. Besides, it shows progression. :D

Anyways, thank you (again-ish) to all my reviewers and also to anyone else who read this story. Sorry for the crappy, rushed ending.

As I said at the end of the last chapter, I've lost interest in writing Final Fantasy X fanfiction. However, I do plan to write more fanfiction. Of what? Currently Mai HiME (an anime) is the only for sure thing. I do want to attempt to write a certain Inuyasha story, but that's been a work in progress nearly as long as this chapter. Now, enough of my shameless plugging.

Thanks again to all.

Toodles.