Hi all. This is my first Fan Fiction, so please go easy on me. It runs concurrently with the FFX game, so I don't feel I need a detailed explanation of the back story. So legal terms, Square Enix, yada yada. Enjoy.

On a side note, this has as little to do with the canon characters as possible. The timeline remains intact, and I think the characters may end up being mentioned anyway, but it is an original story with original characters. (At least I hope.) The action takes place at the same time as the story, so enjoy an alternate view of the events in the game.

One Step Behind

The story of a summoner that was just too late.

"Jonas, Jonas... Wake up!"

Jonas bolted upright, and then drooped his eyes and slumped into a seated position, not quite awake. Squinting his eyes to the light, his gaze fell upon the person standing next to him.

"Huh? Wha'… wha habbin?" he slurred, "Why ya go' ah wake meh so early…"

The figure shook him, "Jonas! Wake up, darn you, it's almost noon! We're gonna be late! Earth to Jonas, I'm gonna smack you one if you don't get dressed and out the door."

Realization finally unclouded Jonas' drowsy mind and he leaped out of bed.

"Arthas! By Yevon's grace, why didn't you wake me up sooner!" he demanded as he scrambled around his room, gathering his possessions and wrestling with his clothes. "I should have been out of here a while ago and (Stupid pants!) there were people I needed to see. Why couldn't you have come earlier? Where are my shoes?"

"What, you think I'm your baby sitter?" Arthas replied, tossing items into a bag, "I've been trying to wake you up for the better part of a half-hour; you sleep like a frickin' rock! You're shoes are at the foot of your bed, like they always were. Sheesh."

After a few minutes of fumbling, panicking, and more than a few curses on both parts, the duo burst out of the house and began rushing down the streets of Luca. They stopped at the house of one of their mutual friends. Jonas knocked on the door and waited. After a little while, the door creaked open.

"Gettin' jittery about traveling, kiddies?" the kid said. He was no older than the other two, but was noticeably smaller and skinnier. "Why are you carrying your stuff around already?"

"What are you talking about?" Jonas asked, "We need to go! The journey, my training? You aren't ready either?"

Sain opened the door all the way, shaking his head.

"Of course I have my stuff together!" he said, his tone carrying a slight hint of condescension, "I've been ready for awhile, but the thing is this: You guys are aware that you guys are early, right?" Of course, the puzzled look on his friends' face spoke volumes for Sain, "Arthas, you woke him up, didn't you? Swear to Yevon, I definitely need to buy you a calendar. We decided to leave tomorrow, not today! Please try to remember; Jonas wanted to leave as soon as possible, but you had to see the tournament today, so we decided to postpone the trip a few days so you could see your stupid game. Any of this ringing a bell?"

Jonas nodded, "Oh, geez! He's right! We didn't see the tournament! How embarrassing."

Sain tried to suppress a chuckle, and then checked his pocket watch. "Well at least Arthas managed to get you awake before nine." He looked up at his two blushing friends, and waved them in. "I'll get ready to leave; you two just make yourselves comfortable."

"Nine?" Jonas said incredulously, "Arthas, didn't you say it was almost noon."

"Apparently, I will also need to find Arthas a watch too."

"Shut it." Was the only contribution Arthas made to the conversation.

V

The crowd was going nuts. The blitzball season was starting off with a bang, and for the first time in over twenty years, the Aurochs seemed to actually be worth their salt.

Jonas and Arthas leapt out of their seats after the first round's come-from behind victory. Granted, they shouldn't have been cheering for another town's team, but by the end of that incredible match, they just couldn't help but be excited.

Sain, however, couldn't find it in him to be all that excited. Truthfully, stuff like this utterly bored him, so he spent the bulk of the match with his face buried in a book.

Not that long afterward, the finals rolled around, and the Goers were going up against, of all people, those blitzers from Besaid.

"C'mon Sain!" Arthas called, "Our team's up man! Can't you at least look pumped?"

Sain took a look at the field, taking off his half-moon spectacles. "No." he said simply, "Not when the teams are so mismatched."

Arthas was about to make an argument, but Jonas put a hand on his shoulder. "Art, the Goers are really losing!"

It was true. The switch-out for the Auroch's team leader did nothing to hurt the team. Luca put on a great fight, but they ended up losing by a single goal.

"Aw man!" Arthas complained, "The Aurochs had ta choose this year to make their comeback! It's completely ridic- Sain?"

Sain rose to his feet, "Glad you guys brought your weapons today." He said simply.

Jonas opened his mouth, but was cut short by the sounds of screaming. "What? What's going on?"

"Fiends." Sain explained, stepping off of the bleacher onto the stairs. "You two were too engrossed in the match to notice."

Several of the wolf-like fiends had already bounded to their location, and many of the spectators were already panicking and running amuck. "Well then stop gawkin'!" Arthas proclaimed, "Let's kill some fiends!" Arthas drew his favorite weapon, (How he managed to get it into the stadium was anyone's guess.) a rusty rapier, and ran to block the fiends. "Hey you overgrown flea-bags! Over here!"

The wolves began charging and chasing anyone near by, on the whole completely ignoring him. "Hey, right here. Come on, you stupid dogs!"

One of the fiends got a thunderbolt in the back, which finally got a few of them looking that way. "Take notes Art." Sain said calmly, "Lupines can't speak English. So it goes without saying that yelling at them isn't gonna get their attention nearly as much as a stab to the back."

"You talk too much." Arthas bit back, "But now that their lookin' at us, can we kill 'em now?"

"Yes, yes, calm down." Sain cracked open his book, "No need to hyperventilate."

"I ain't hyperve-"

"Jonas!" Sain continued with no regard for Arthas, "I need you to… to, Jonas? Did he retreat?"

Arthas gave one cursory glance before returning his attention to the circling Lupines. "Maybe he's helpin' other people?"

"Whatever gets you to sleep at night, Art." He began reading lines of his spells. "Destruction incarnate, assail my enemies with your raging flames." He casually snapped his fingers, and one of the poor lupines burst into flames temporarily, whining and running in circles. A smile creased Sain's pale face, a slightly sadistic smile as he watched the creature burn. He so enjoyed watching things burn, but now was not the time. He returned to his spell book and began preparing another cantrip.

Arthas had already begun to attack, sliding his sword between the ribs of the closest wolf. He began moving on to the next target when he saw the pyreflies leave its body. He slashed and thrust, parried and pivoted, in a complex dance, his sword leading the way the whole time. His eyes rested on Sain, who was busy barbequing yet another wolf and suppressed a shudder. His friend could be quite scary when he began acting like this, though he wouldn't admit it to him.

Arthas leapt to the side, barely avoiding a fang to the leg. If I've got time to think, then I've got time to fight. He gave the wolf a sharp kick in the ribs and continued his mad dance.

V

Jonas had figured out quite early that it was very difficult to be courteous when you were running for your life. He pushed through the panicked crowds, blurting out the occasional "Excuse me, pardon, one si- Ow! That was my leg! Pardon… 'Scuse me. Oh!" He sprawled sideways onto one of the now-empty bleachers. When he looked back up, his first sight was of a great serpentine creature staring at him and growling. He yelped and recoiled from the creature.

Yojimbo! He pleaded in his mind, I need help! Help me please! As if spurred by his thoughts, the creature took a step forward, and then froze. The whole area seemed to get darker, and everyone seemed still, except Jonas. Just as he managed to shakily rise to his feet, he heard a familiar sound, a dog barking. He whipped around to see Diagoro, Yojimbo's faithful dog, canter happily to Jonas' side.

"I-I'm glad to see you, boy." Jonas said, relief more than evident on his face, "But where is your master?"

The hound's only response to this was to let out a dull whine, then to drop a piece of paper he was somehow carrying on his back. Jonas picked it up, and after he had read it, he felt ready to almost cry.

Kid,

Went out to lunch. Sorry I couldn't be here when you needed me and what not, but hey! I'll owe you one if you live through this, so think of it as an I. O. U.

Take it easy now,

Yojimbo