Chapter 10

The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon as the smell of cooking meat woke Yuna from her fitful slumber. 'What in the world was that horrible nightmare? It felt so real… was that really what happened? If so, how are we alive and where is everyone else?'

Sitting up with a yawn and a stretch she looked at the bed beside her to find it vacant; the chair by the door was empty as well. "Am I really the last one up?" she asked to no one in particular as she swung her legs out from the covers and got to her feet. With another yawn she retrieved her now dry clothing and dressed quickly before heading out the door to see where everyone else was.

Paine was sitting alone in a corner sipping from a dark mug and Rikku was sitting with Sarion at a nearby table with a few bags beside them. As she approached, Rikku jumped to her feet with a wide grin.

"Yunie! Since you decided to sleep in I went out and did the shopping already! Here," she stuffed a bag into Yuna's arms. "go change! Your skirt is barely tatters now!"

Stumbling back with the bag, Yuna smiled a 'good morning' at Sarion and looked over to Paine but saw the older girl was paying her no mind as she stared into the fireplace, mug in hand. "I'll be back then!"

As she walked away Rikku decided to bound after her and assist with the process. Paine looked up and was about to gaze back at the fire when a harsh cough startled her. Looking over she saw Sarion leaning to the side in a coughing fit that sounded wet and rattled. Getting to her feet she managed to cross the room, Sarion coughing the entire duration. A gasp escaped her lips when he straightened; blood ran down his chin and covered the hand he had placed over his mouth. "Sarion!"

Waving off her concern, he took a cloth napkin and wiped his mouth before cleaning his hand off. "It's nothing to be concerned about. Why don't you go back to the room and change as well? Rikku picked out some clothing for you." An eyebrow raised and Sarion couldn't help but laugh causing him to fight the urge to cough again in the process. "She said something about pink and frilly."

Paine stalked towards the room, hands at her sides as Sarion shook his head with a smile back at the table. "That girl just doesn't get humor." Turning to the napkin he sighed and placed a hand on his chest before another fit of coughing brought him to his knees beside the chair.

Yuna turned and inspected herself in the full-length mirror against the wall before smiling in approval; her cousin had done well in outfit selection. Yuna now wore a pair of white pants with a blue halter top and a pair of black boots. It wasn't the perfect attire for adventuring but while in town it was sufficient. Rikku had managed to score some short-shorts and a halter top of her own, both yellow. She had tried to convince Paine to wear something girly, a long skirt with a tank top that were a matching pale red but the silver-haired girl had flat out refused. Fortunately she had grabbed a pair of plain black pants which Paine slipped on with the red shirt and her usual boots.

Looking from Yuna to Rikku, Paine considered mentioning Sarion's coughing fit and the blood that came with it but decided it was not her place to speak of it and simply walked for the door. "I'm going to go look around a bit; I'll be back by lunch." Without waiting for a response she exited the room and closed the door behind her.

Yuna sighed with a pout; something was bothering Paine and returning her to the cold, reclusive ways; the way she was before this journey began. She had grown to enjoy seeing emotion on the usually stoic girl's face and hearing her speak with casual ease but, it was slipping away almost as fast as it had come about. Looking to Rikku she offered a smile. "Hey, you should go see if there's a weapon shop nearby; I'm low on ammo. I'd go but I really want to ask Sarion some questions about where we are and this way we're getting everything done at once."

Rikku skipped over to the door and flashed a smile over her shoulder. "Alright Yunie but you owe me one!"

As Rikku left the room Yuna looked around the room, admiring the craftsmanship of the wood lining the windows, door and fireplace; it appeared to have been carved by hand. Not something she was used to seeing in her travels. Heading downstairs she saw Sarion sitting at the table from earlier with a glass of clear fluid that, judging by his reaction as he sipped it, was not water.

"Good morning Yuna, I am glad to see Rikku was able to find you something to your liking." He smiled and took a sip of his drink.

Glancing at her outfit again, Yuna looked up with a smile. "She knows what I like. Is there anything from breakfast remaining?"

Sarion nodded and pushed a black, covered plate towards her. The whole thing was made of iron and steam leaked out the sides showing that the contents were still hot. "The owner had errands but said this would keep warm for you."

Yuna carefully removed the top with a napkin and gasped at the meal before her; eggs, potatoes, bacon, and even some cut fruit in a thick sauce on the side. Not waiting any longer than necessary she dug in and hummed in pleasure at the taste. It felt like ages since her last normal meal and everything was just right.

As she finished her meal Yuna looked up to see Sarion patiently waiting, not wanting to interrupt her blissful breakfast. With a giggle she wiped her mouth and smiled at him before leaning back in her chair. "So Sarion," she started, trying to find the right words for her questions. "where exactly are we?"

Leaning back in his own chair, Sarion combed a hand through his short, blonde hair. "I suppose I should tell you a bit about what happened."

Yuna felt as though the room temperature had just plummeted and a shiver went up her spine. "You know what happened to us? Why we were in that cavern?"

Sarion nodded. "I saw the whole event unfold. Your giant airship in flames as it came down from the sky and crashed into the forest, the beasts that swarmed it following the crash in search of survivors, all of it." He sighed and looked away, contemplating on how to tell her everything that had happened since the crash. A crash that occurred centuries ago.

Scowling at a couple that had stopped mid-conversation to stare at her Paine made her way through the market. She was not unused to stares due to her hair or wardrobe but it seemed as though nearly every person she passed would stop and stare at her without even trying to hide it. As she stood at a stand looking over the jewelry a tug on her pant leg caught her attention.

A small girl, perhaps three or four years of age was looking up at her with wide eyes. "Lady, you're not a demon are you?"

Paine flinched at the comment. She was not bothered when people called her names and she had little care for what they thought of her but for this little girl to approach her and ask her such a thing somehow stung her. Kneeling down she offered a smile. "I am not a demon, why would you think that?"

Stepping back, the girl obviously was not sure about trusting the strange woman before her. "Your eyes are red. When people with red eyes come here people die."

Paine frowned and looked around to see that everyone had stopped their activities and were watching her and this small child. Turning back to the girl she stood up and shook her head. "I am no demon, child. I'm just a traveler passing through." With that she turned around and made her way back towards the tavern. Something wasn't right here. Considering Yuna's two-toned eyes Paine broke into a run; if the people had strange superstitions she could not allow them to potentially harm Yuna.

Hefting the bag on her shoulders Rikku grumbled as she made her way back to the tavern. "How do these people not know what gil is?" Shaking her head she looked at the small pouch Sarion had given her that morning for clothes shopping. It had a handful of gold and silver coins and she had barely dented it in her purchases. Rikku giggled to herself and looked down at the new black daggers on her new belt.

Seeing Paine up ahead Rikku almost waved at her but then she realized Paine was running towards the tavern, her face one of concern. Adjusting her grip on the bag she carried Rikku ran back as well. 'What in Spira is going on?'

Sarion ran a hand through his hair in thought; there was just so much to explain to the girl and he would have preferred it if the others were present so he would not have to repeat such unbelievable news. Looking to the ceiling he decided to start with the town they were currently residing in. It did after all have some superstitions that would pertain to the group of girls. "First things first Yuna, you should know a little about SafeHaven."

She nodded, seeing the difficulty he was having and accepting it might be a while before he could explain everything. "What about it?"

"It's a rather superstitious village and with good reasoning. Each year a group of women come through and select villagers that are then taken with them. These villagers are never seen again." Yuna gasped but he continued on. "These women all have red eyes not so different from Paine's. As you might expect, people may be a bit," he tapped his chin in thought. "wary of her. I do not have any belief they would attack her for fear of reprisal but do not be surprised if you receive less than welcoming attitudes from some of the locals."

Eyes wide, Yuna leaned over the table. "People just go with these women? Why doesn't anyone stop it?"

Sarion shrugged almost indifferently. "I have no idea, I've never been here before coming with you. As I said, I spent my life in the woods and my only knowledge of here came from traveling merchants where I purchased my clothing and swords from. As with many superstitions it could simply be 'the way it's always been' so no one risks changing it and angering some spirit or another."

Yuna shook her head in disbelief. "I wonder where they take them. And what do you mean swords? I've only ever seen you with the one you carry."

Sarion smirked at her and his emerald eyes seemed to sparkle. "Well darlin, when you practice daily for a few hundred years you tend to wear the blades beyond repair and sometimes you just want something new to play with."

Yuna almost fainted.

Paine slowed to a stop outside the tavern, chest heaving and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Seeing Rikku coming up behind her she nodded to the younger girl and walked inside the tavern without waiting for her to catch up.

Sitting at a table nearby Sarion and Yuna were talking in a hushed tone. Well Sarion was talking; Yuna was sitting with wide eyes and both hands on the table as she leaned forward to better listen. As she approached she heard Sarion speaking of the woods they had been found in and met his eyes when he stopped to look up at her. Before she could ask him about the incident at the market he spoke.

"Paine, I hope you will forgive me for not telling you before you left."

Blinking in surprise Paine took a seat beside Yuna facing Sarion. "How did you know?"

Shaking his head with a sigh, he leaned back in his chair. "The minute you left I remembered about how villagers are taken yearly by a group of women who share your red eyes. I never believed you to be in danger however, or I would have come after you."

Her anger immediately defused by his sincerity, Paine leaned back in her chair as well with a shrug. "It was fine. Besides, you should be resting anyhow with that cough."

Yuna's eyes showed alarm. "What cough? Are you alright Sarion?"

Dragging a hand over his face in annoyance Sarion nodded. "I'm fine. It's just a little cough. I promise it will be no bother within a week or two. Tops."

Rikku sat at Yuna's right, opposite Paine. "So what's the deal with us being here Sarion? You said you'd tell me when Yuna got up and now we're all here." She had spoken with him in the morning when she woke up and found him still sitting at a table.

He briefly explained the cavern again, causing a shocked squeal of "What?!" from Rikku when he admit he was hundreds of years older than them. When they questioned how this was possible he raised a hand to defer it for later, explaining that he would get to that shortly. Looking to Yuna he straightened in his seat. "What I am about to tell you might be a bit upsetting and I hope you can understand it as the truth."

Yuna sat mesmerized as Sarion explained the ruins they had crashed into as best he could. It seemed that there was some power deep within them that held time at a near standstill both in the ruins and some of the surrounding forest. He explained that he had been brought there as a child and lived there ever since. Hundreds of years he spent mostly in solitude apart from the occasional traveler or merchant who happened to pass through on their way elsewhere.

He paused for a moment, allowing the information to sink in as the girls stared at him in shock. Paine spoke before he could continue. "You said that the creatures that attacked our ship returned to look for survivors." Her eyes narrowed. "Why did they leave us behind?"

Sarion closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly and looking into the ruby eyes of the woman across from him. "Because when they arrived, you were all dead."

Author's Note

Oh man! Twisty twist? Maybe? Longest chapter by far, fair bit of "filler" but I want to try and give the world a more tangible feel. I hope this explains some of the oddities of where they are, what's going on, etc. I got a lot of questions about "where are they?" and some "when are they?" which would more accurately describe it.

Sha Yurigami: Casanova eh? I just wanted to aim for polite and gentleman-like but I'll take the compliment! Lol. And when you look at the men these poor women have surrounded themselves with (Tidus, Wakka, Brother and Buddy, all total tools) it's hard NOT to be dashing! And I hope that his fighting prowess being pretty above average was adequately explained above!

My Secret PM Reviewer: I will NOT get into habit of monthly breaks in writing. I absolutely lose my mind when authors do that! In a month I will be taking a few weeks off, but it is not because I want to. Not sure if Manas, Kyrgyzstan will have WiFi and I am positive Camp Shelby in Mississippi will not. But I will keep writing during that time. And yes, Paine is reverting a bit and I mentioned that above! Previously Yuna was just too tired to react, honest~! You did well with your time guess though! I'll write more, schedule is all kinds of crazy.

Addendum: Fixed some ugly typos and punctuation. Thanks to my secret PM reviewer for the corrections!