Hello to everyone and anyone out there reading this! I'm back again with another chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it!

In addition, I would like to thank Sirea the Beautiful Disaster and final frost bite fantasy for their kind reviews. Thanks to both of you!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything remotely connected to FFX or X-2 (except my Zanarkand Abes necklace…my precious…) However, I do enjoy using the characters for my own personal enjoyment. Dance puppets, dance!

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Chapter 1- Fall of the Farplane

Tidus curiously wandered around Dream Zanarkand, his old residence. Though it felt great to be back home where he had spent his "childhood", something didn't seem right to him.

'What's going on here? The Fayth should be resting—so why is Zanarkand still here?'

He crossed a busy intersection and stared up at the towering machina-constructed buildings. In the distance, Tidus could see another crane-like machina lift a large bundle of equipment, helping a group of workers construct a new housing development. Neon lights of stores flashed around him, goading potential customers to come look inside. Almost bumping into a man in front of him, Tidus quickly dodged his way out of the crowd. There was only one place he could go now to be sure he wasn't dreaming.

'If the houseboat is still here, then I know there's something wrong going on around here. I wonder if that means Auron and my old man are here too…'

Though he had not been to his old home since Sin had attacked Zanarkand and Auron had pulled him into Spira, he still remembered the way clearly back to his old home. The houses and buildings began to thin as he found himself standing on the docks where his houseboat was currently floating. A few other boats surrounded it, bringing in tourists from other parts of Spira. Tidus cautiously boarded his boat and peered around, seeing no sign of anyone at all. He hesitantly opened the door and peered inside.

There, sitting on the couch, was his mother and father, huddled together. Yuna's father, Braska, and her Al-Bhed mother were facing him and the four were chatting quietly, Jecht occasionally raising his voice to get his point across. Auron was simply watching them, and though he wasn't speaking, he seemed a lot more content—much more at ease than usual. The five of them turned their heads to stare at Tidus. He sheepishly raised a hand in greeting.

"Well it's about time you got here boy. You'd think you'd remember the way home after living here 17 years." Jecht joked in his usual manner.

"Now Jecht, go easy on him. He found us, and that's the important thing." His mother lightly reprimanded her husband as Tidus came over and took a seat next to Auron. It was almost the same as it was when both his parents were still alive. Though he had always thought his father was a no-good deadbeat, it was almost comforting to have them back.

"Ahh, so this is the infamous Tidus? Jecht and Auron have told me a lot about you." Braska asked, lightly chuckling.

"Infamous? Don't you mean famous?" Tidus lightly retorted. Jecht threw back his head and laughed.

"That depends on how you look at it, doesn't it? You killed a Maester, threw the entire Yevon order out the window…do you want me to go on?" Tidus snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Though I must admit your methods are a tad unorthodox, you saved our beloved daughter…and I want to truly thank you for that." Tidus averted his eyes at the mention of Yuna's name.

"It was nothing…she made me her guardian and I had to do everything in my power to protect her. That's the guardian's code, isn't it?" Braska nodded wisely, turning to his wife beside him.

"A good answer, wouldn't you say Sienna?" The youthful Al-Bhed woman nodded in agreement.

"Not too bad, no. I'd say he's fairly worthy of our daughter." Tidus' ego got the better of him, and before he even knew what he was saying, he shot back,

"Fairly? What's that supposed to mean?" As soon as he realized what he was saying, he shut his trap. He then placed a hand on his chin in thought.

"Wait a second…how do you…" For the first time, Auron opened his mouth in a light laugh.

"Just because I was an Unsent, that doesn't mean I was blind. Your bond with Yuna was more than blatantly obvious." The young blonde boy shot Auron a sinister glare.

"And you told them?" Auron returned the glare with an amused smirk.

"Do you have something to hide?" Tidus grumbled. He hated how Auron always answered with a question. Tidus crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, refusing to let his mouth get him in anymore trouble.

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Atop the very highest point in all the Farplane, Seymour Guado sat calmly, listening to the moaning pyreflies floating around him. Waterfalls surged all around him, the sound almost deafening to a normal human's ears. He had stayed in that very spot for two whole years, gathering his energy, focusing all of it upon his fury and hate for Spira. Now that Sin was long gone and Spira had been freed of its clutches, he could no longer shape it to his desire.

But, Seymour thought, if he could not rule Spira, he would make the best he could with the Farplane, determined to bring it to ruin. Seymour knew he had to act fast—word had been whispered through the pyreflies that the young boy from Zanarkand was about to be revived and after that the Fayth were going back to their rest. Knowing he had little to no time remaining, he focused his mind yet again on the anger and resentment and watched.

The pyreflies that made up his body began to swirl violently around him, wailing fiercely. He concentrated on his feeling of pure rage and finally watched what he had tried to accomplish for two entire years.

The pyreflies stopped for an instant and slowly began to change. Instead of their usual rainbow and white colors, they slowly changed into an ominous black. Seymour grinned and held out his hand while a now-blacked pyrefly floated across his palm.

He closed his eyes and concentrated again, letting his darkened pyreflies spread across the surrounding area. Slowly but surely, the sound of the waterfalls around him began to soften, as the water began to disappear into thin air. The once-powerful surging was now a pathetic trickle. Seymour grinned and opened his eyes to see the cascades had now completely dried up.

Marveling around at his cataclysmal creation, he began his decent down the now-craggy cliffs, spreading his dark pyreflies around him as he went. On top of his small perch, he had not encountered another spirit for two whole years, but as he approached the flowery fields of the Farplane, he began to see them again—wandering by the hundreds. Smirking to himself, he let his darkened pyreflies roam, watching as the glorious red and orange flowers of the field wilt and crumble around him. The spirits glanced all around them, startled at such a sudden change.

Seymour then plucked a still-red flower from the earth and held it to his nose (despite the fact he could no longer smell). He then watched in amusement as it blackened and disintegrated in his hand. A group of spirits had surrounded the former Maester, wondering what he could be up to.

The spirit of a lone Crusader then stepped forward, glaring angrily at Seymour.

"You! Seymour Guado! What in Yevon's name do you think you're doing?" Seymour turned his head to meet with the eyes of the young Crusader. He stepped forward to get closer to him and responded,

"Hmm…do I know you from somewhere?" Seymour took a moment to think before it came to him.

"Ahh yes. I recall now—you're Luzzu, aren't you? You fell to Sin during Operation Mi'ihen, am I correct?"

"And if I am? This isn't about who I am Seymour! You're going to destroy the Farplane if you continue this insanity!" Seymour chuckled.

"That would be tragic now, wouldn't it? Hmm…you were a Crusader, weren't you Luzzu? You must have been awfully dedicated to Spira if you decided to become one."

"Seymour! Stop fooling around and stop this!"

"Let's see now Luzzu…I'll tell you what. I'll let you go back to your beloved Spira, free of charge." Luzzu flinched, slightly startled at the former Maester's statement.

"There's a catch. I know there is. A slimy Guado like you has to be planning something." Seymour scowled and stepped closer to the Crusader.

"That was uncalled for, don't you think? We Guado are actually quite cleaner than most other races. Much more than those Ronso's, eh?" Seymour brushed a long lock of azure hair from his face and continued,

"But I think you'd enjoy another chance back in Spira. I'm sure you family would love to have you back…so here goes nothing." Seymour, finally in arm's length of Luzzu, stretched out his hand and placed it on Luzzu's forehead. His sharp fingernails came in contact with his skin as Seymour summoned all the black pyreflies he could around him and focused them into Luzzu.

Luzzu's own pyreflies jumped into action, fighting with Seymour's. The two sets of pyreflies waged their own small war, screeching and wailing furiously. Seymour could see Luzzu begin to weaken as Luzzu's own pyreflies began to disappear and leave. Seymour grinned and focused even more pyreflies around him, until Luzzu had completely run out of strength.

He fell to his knees, holding his head and screaming. Black pyreflies surrounded him until they dispersed, and Luzzu was no longer there. Seymour 'tsk'ed and faced the open-mouthed crowd of spirits that faced him.

"Well? Who's next?"

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Tidus had never realized how much he had missed his parents until he was with the two of them again. Even though Jecht was still old Jecht, Tidus noticed that he had in fact changed. He still joked around with Tidus, but it no longer sounded too hurtful to him, and Jecht had almost become…gentler, if that was even possible. His mother had always been kind to him, but she seemed so much happier, instead of miserable as he had remembered her after his father had left.

Braska and Sienna had stepped out on the deck to get some fresh air and Auron had left to go home only a few minutes before. Tidus was about to step out for a walk when he felt another presence in the room. Both he and his parents turned to see the young Fayth of Bahamut before him. Tidus leapt to his feet, his mind racing with questions.

"I knew something was wrong! Why are we in Dream Zanarkand? Aren't you supposed to be asleep? What's going on?" Questions flew from Tidus' mouth that had been on his mind all day. Though the spirit appeared to be stoic most of the time, he actually chuckled for once.

"Well we could go back to sleep if you wished, but under a very special request, we're going to let you go back to Spira if you want. Then we'll rest again and Dream Zanarkand will once more cease to exist."

"Aww man, I was just gettin' comfy here again." Jecht grumbled under his breath. Tidus avoided his comment.

"You're kidding me. You have to be. …Can I really go back to Spira?" The small Fayth shrugged, though it was obvious he was enjoying this.

"Only if you want to." Tidus wanted to throw his arms up and cheer like Rikku would have done just then, but resisted the temptation.

"I would like to go back. I really would." He grinned, unable to hide his excitement.

"Can I ask who's request this was?" He asked, though he already had a feeling who.

"Her name was Yuna. I believe you remember her?" Tidus nodded, smiling from ear to ear. However, he felt a twinge of doubt at the thought of leaving his parents. He turned he head to stare at them.

"Leaving us so soon? But we were just gettin' to be friends again." His father joked, but shooed him away.

"Go back to your girl son. Your time's not up there yet. Your mother and I belong here now, so don't even think of bringing us with you." Tidus sighed and agreed, sadly accepting the fact.

"And uh…we're proud of you." Jecht grumbled under his breath. Tidus smirked, hearing exactly what he said. He dramatically placed his hand to his ear.

"What? I'm afraid I didn't hear you Dad. Say it again please?" Jecht grunted and turned his head away.

"You heard me the first time boy. Now get out of here." Tidus walked over and embraced his mother, then turned to his father and shook his hand.

"I'll be back you guys. Sure, it might be about 70 or 80 years from now, but I'll be back eventually." He gave them his famous sunny grin and turned back to the Fayth.

"I'm ready. Please, bring me back to Spira." Bahamut gave a curt nod and held his arms out in preparation for his revival.

However, before the small Fayth could even begin, a loud scream interrupted them. The Fayth stopped, peering around for the source of the voice. The scream echoed again, followed by several others.

"What's happening?" the Fayth asked, more to himself than anything. The houseboat that Tidus and his parents were currently in began to fade as nothing but a wasteland replaced it.

The ground was dull and dead as if it had been set ablaze and nothing was left. Crags of rock surrounded them, but they were dull as well with no pigment to them whatsoever. If Tidus did not see the screaming spirits and lamenting pyreflies all around him, he would have guessed this was some sort of demented area of the Thunder Plains, not the Farplane.

"The Farplane!" The Fayth cried running ahead and dropping to the ground. He scooped up a handful of earth, which slipped though his fingers and fell back onto the ground. Tidus jogged over to a nearby spirit who was holding his head and yelling in pain. He then watched as the spirits pyreflies vanished—as did the spirit himself. Even Tidus gradually began to feel a sharp pain in his head, like an out-of-control migraine.

"What's going on?" Tidus asked, beginning to panic slightly.

"I'll be glad to inform you if you wish to know." Tidus stopped in his tracks. He knew that voice.

"Seymour!" Tidus yelled, turning to face the apparition.

"Well? I'm sure you're very curious how the Farplane got into such a state, hmm?" The small Fayth child came running into him, fearlessly grabbing his robes despite the face that he was only up to Seymour's waist.

"Tell me you monster! What have you done?" The Guado emotionlessly pushed the small Fayth off him with a clawed hand. Bahamut fell to the ground and glared up at Seymour.

"That's the second insult today…I wonder why? I just spruced up the place a little. Don't you think it looks much better than before?"

"To your psychotic tastes it might Seymour." Tidus growled, shaking off the dizziness that began to engulf him. Seymour shook his head.

"Well I apologize if you don't share my…taste in surroundings, but I should hardly be reprimanded for that, correct?" The Fayth got up shakily and glared at Seymour from underneath his hood. His small fists trembled with anger and fury.

"You deranged fiend. Tell me what's going on. Now."

"Oh all right." The Guado sighed forlornly and began,

"For two long years I have cut myself off from all forms of other spirits, gathering all my negative energy and focusing them into my physical pyreflies. These "negative energy" pyreflies are much more destructive and powerful than any normal pyrefly, so much so that they can even change the environment around them if enough of them spread and gather."

"Now, as for the spirits around me," Seymour motioned with a wide sweep of his hand the large amount of wailing spirits disappearing and reappearing on the Farplane.

"There are two ways I can send a spirit back to Spira in a physical form. The first being by contact. I only reserve that method for those especially pesky spirits that might have stronger pyreflies than a normal spirit—like that Luzzu fellow I sent back today."

"However, what you see around you is the easiest method for me. Enough of my "negative energy" pyreflies have gathered around the Farplane, as you can clearly see. They're infectious little things. They've clouded up the atmosphere so badly that any spirit weak enough will be instantly sent back to Spira. Even to you boy, I'm sure have already felt the effects of this poisonous atmosphere—that is no normal headache you're experiencing Sir Tidus." Seymour's voice practically dripped with sarcasm, using the general "sir" term used for guardians. At this point, Tidus had to interrupt.

"You keep saying they go "back to Spira". Why would you want them to go back in a physical form? I'm pretty sure you haven't changed into some devoted benevolent person since the last time we met."

"Ahh, that's because my young nemesis, they do not have a normal human body as you might think. Yes, they have a body, but it is the body of a fiend. Not even their most precious loved ones will be able to recognize the body of a fiend. And even better yet, they don't even have control of their body anymore. Yes, these spirits are nothing more than mindless pawns, creating paths of destruction as they go." Seymour's voice began to get louder as Tidus could easily see his deranged excitement in the plot he created.

"And, when they are slain? They return to the Farplane of course, common knowledge to any Spiran. But when they return, they are overcome by my poisonous pyreflies and the cycle begins again! Here…let's watch my beloved cycle in action."

Seymour held his arms out in victory, and gestured to a cluster of pyreflies that had appeared above them. They then solidified into a shape of a figure.

"Biran Ronso!" Tidus exclaimed, surprised to see Kimahri's older brother here of all places. Seymour placed an elongated finger to his lips.

"Shh…this is the fun part."

Before Biran could even realize what was going on, he began to wobble on his feet. He struggled to keep his balance before he finally tumbled to the ground, cradling his head in his large blue paws. He let out a deafening roar while negative pyreflies began to engulf him and take over his body. In less than a moment's time, he was covered in the floating menaces and when they cleared, Biran was no longer there. Seymour turned to face them again, ending his demonstration.

"Yes—you and your little friends might have been able to stop the vicious cycle that tore Spira apart, but I have created an even stronger one! The Farplane is helpless against my power!" By this time, Tidus had had enough.

"Seymour! What business do you have with the Farplane? Restless souls are supposed to be at peace here! You have no right to torment them like this!" Seymour turned and stepped closer to Tidus—within reaching range.

"I'm afraid you have no say in the matter. You stole my bride and ruined my plans for Spira's future. You are in no condition to speak right now." Seymour angrily reached a hand out and seized Tidus' forehead. Negative pyreflies went straight to work, swirling around Tidus, attempting to corrupt him.

The headache that Tidus had experienced before was nothing compared to this. It felt as if sharp needles were pushing out from inside his skull. He yelled in anguish as his own pyreflies swarmed around him, attempting to protect him from the assault. Tidus was able to hold himself together for a long time, but that only prolonged the pain that now emanated from every part of his body.

It felt like an eternity before his own body gave into the negative energy of Seymour's pyreflies. A flash of white light appeared before him, though Tidus was still able to hear Seymour's last words,

"My condolences if you kill your beloved Yuna on accident. At least there's an upside—if you do, you won't even know you're doing it! Goodbye my nemesis."

"Seymour!" Tidus growled angrily. In fact, it came out almost too much like a growl.

Tidus could only watch in horror as a thin web-like layer began to grow in between his hands. His fingernails turned to claws, and his skin began to turn a rather bright shade of blue. His skin was no longer skin when it was replaced by small snake-like scales. Tidus only began to fear more when his legs merged together and was smoothed into a long, sinuous flipper/tail. Gradually, Tidus grabbed at his neck to feel a long set of slits in his throat—no doubt they were gills. The final part of his fiendish transformation was complete when his whole head changed into that like a serpent's, complete with a bright red forked tongue. The final touch to his fiend form was a pair of dull golden horns that traveled straight up and sharply jutted back, almost like an "L" shape.

The white light faded as Tidus found himself in the water. He could feel his fiend form react to everything around him, while fish flitted by a few feet above him. Tidus had to disgustingly resist the urge to snap them all up in his large fanged mouth. He peered up to see a long row of docks—he had to be in Kilika. It was his last thought before his fiendish mind took over and Tidus' mind went completely blank.

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Yes, I know the name of Yuna's mother was never mentioned in the game, so I decided to give her one—Sienna seemed to fit well enough.

I apologize if any of this chapter seemed confusing or unrealistic. I know Tidus turning into a fiend isn't exactly realistic, nor is the idea of a "dark" pyrefly, but it sounded good in my head at the time…heh. Anyway, stay tuned for the next thrilling installment of "A Grim Reunion"!

Feel free to review if it so pleases you.

However, all flames sent to me will be instantly extinguished by my buddy Shiva.

-Spiran Summoner