Final Fantasy X-2 and PlayStation are owned by Square Enix and Sony, respectively, meaning they do not belong to me. I am in no way, shape, and/or form claiming to be the owner/creator of these concepts, though I do claim any characters not apart of the original Final Fantasy X or X-2 storylines (such as Rayne and Michael) mine. As such, I would appreciate fellow authors and readers to give credit where credit is due and not steal any of my characters and/or concepts. Thank you, and have a pleasant day.

(Machine Faction and Youth League)

"So she's not here?" Rayne asked, crossing he arms and pursing her lips.

"For the last time, lady!" One of the two guards in front of the red door sighed, exasperated, "No, she's not! And even if she were you wouldn't be allowed to see her without a prescheduled appointment!"

"Do you have any idea where she might be?" Rayne pressed, trying to be patient but bordering failing as she began to hiss through her teeth.

"Luca." The second guard answered, earning a hard smack from the fist.

"Shut up, idiot!"

Rayne, though, already had what she needed. Smiling, she turned and walked away from the door, casting a weary glance up at the Farplane. Someone was guarding the entrance, and no one was going in or out.

'Unstable.' She concluded as she walked to the front entrance of Guadosalam. 'Without the Guado to care for it and with the sudden loss of the fayth, the Farplane is probably dangerously unstable.'

Thanking her stars that she, for whatever reason, was no longer affected by being close to fayth and pyreflies, enabling her to pass through the city without feeling even the slightest bit nauseous, though she did tread lightly out of habit.

Nothing held her interest in the city so once she was outside it she mounted Boky, trotting him down the path. What few fiends did bar their path were quickly dispatched by the chocobo and before Rayne even had a chance to lift her hand.

When they arrived at the shores of the Moonflow, Rayne saw the first problem in their trip.

"Chocobos aren't allowed on the shoopuf." She muttered, biting her thumbnail as she looked up a the great, teal, elephant-like beast.

Boky shook his head and 'Wark'ed, then lowered himself to the ground.

Confused, Rayne dismounted and turned to stare at the bird, but he just nudged her towards the shoopuf.

"And what about you?" She asked.

Boky tossed his head, then turned and looked down the river, "Kweh!"

Rayne blinked, "I'm… guessing you know where a ford is?"

"Kweh!"

"Fine." The former guardian relented, "I'll meet up with you at Mushroom Rock, then."

"Kweh." Boky nodded decisively, then turned and took off down the shores of the Moonflow.

Sighing, Rayne walked up to the Hypello at the docks and nodded, "I'd like to cross, please."

The Hypello nodded, cupping his hands around his mouth and warbling, "All aboardz?" The lift was lowered.

When the shoopuf was crossing the water, Rayne sat sideways and looked down into the water, staring at the sunken city below.

Her mind began to wander and she imagined the city above the water, alive with the movement of her denizens. Then, she was no longer on the shoopuf.

Rayne blinked, finding herself standing in the middle of a crowd, everyone moving in the same direction, pressed against each other and driving each other forward to wherever they were headed.

'Let's go!' A woman beside her shouted, laughing, 'It's about to start!'

'What?' Rayne muttered.

'It's Bevelle! They're about to reveal their weapon to win the war against Zanarkand!' Someone beside her answered.

Rayne frowned, 'What's the weapon?'

'They call it Vegnagun.'

Then, just in front of them, there was a flash, and a great wall of light rise up like a wave, cresting above the swarming crowds before crashing down on them. The ground beneath their feet jostled, and millions screamed as the water below seemed to rise to meet them, swelling over the railing and washing over their feet.

Before them, a great shadow rose in the blinding light, a great skull head with flaming blue eyes boring down upon the masses and—

"Mizz?" She looked up, blinking blearily when she realized she had either zoned out or fallen asleep. The Hypello looking down at her blinked, "Yooz are getting off now?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rayne muttered, standing and shaking her head, "Sorry about that."

On the ground, she took off quickly down the southern wharf, wanting to be away from the sunken city and the memories that didn't belong to her as quickly as possible.

It hadn't been the first time it had happened, but the fact that the only times the memories came was when she was around remains of the ancient cities led her to believe that they were the memories of former citizens of the cities. The memories were part of the reason she had rarely left Remiem to visit the Calm Lands; the ruins in the area had started haunting her with visions and memories after Sin had been defeated.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Rayne jumped, striking an odd pose of standing on one foot and holding her arms above her head. Beside her, an Al Bhed guarding several hover bikes, stared at her oddly.

"You should pay attention, Ma'am." The Al Bhed man said, "There are fiends about."

"Thank you." Rayne shook her head, then looked in the direction of the temple, which looked alive and bustling, "Is the temple still visited?"

"Yes, but not by Yevonites." The man said, "Gippal, leader of the Machine Faction, uses it as the Faction's base of operations."

This caught her attention. "Really? And are outsiders allowed to visit?"

"It's encouraged!" The man said, smiling, "Please go and consider joining the Machine Faction!"

The state Rayne found the temple in was… lively.

The people who ran about did so with life and vitality Rayne never thought she'd see at one of the aeon temples, but she supposed that now that the need for pilgrimages was over it was to be expected; the temples would either be abandoned or flourish with new purposes.

Djose, she supposed, was an ideal temple for the Machine Faction to base its operations; the electricity was almost banally symbolic for machina and, and the machina they had probably found inside would have astounded and inspired them.

The former inn had been converted to, what appeared to be, an interviewing station for potentials who wished to join the faction. Several people attempted to wave her over to the line, but she smiled and waved them off, then proceeded to the temple.

Neither of the guards made any move to stop her, so she walked through the doors and into the foyer, blinded first by the darkness, then by the startling flashes of electricity.

When she could see again, she was surrounded by twitching machina, models she had once recognized as enemy but now stared at her docilely.

"Hey, you!" She turned, nodding to the young spiky-headed blonde with an eye patch. He nodded back, "You here for an interview?"

"No, I came to check on the state of the temple, actually." Rayne answered, smiling when a monkey jumped up on her arm, "After I saw what had happened to Macalania, I began to worry about the rest."

The teen's brow furrowed, "You from Bevelle, then?"

"Hah!" Rayne laughed, waving the assumption off with one hand, "Hardly. The temples just hold… sentimental value."

"Ahhh." The young man nodded, smirking, "So you're a former pilgrim, eh? Used to be a guardian or a summoner?"

"One or the other." Rayne smirked back. "I am Rayne."

"Gippal." He shrugged cockily, "Though you probably already knew that."

"Actually, no." Rayne laughed, "I didn't expect the leader of the Machine Faction to be so… young."

"Well," Gippal huffed, pursing his lips and leaning forward on one foot, "Just how old are you underneath that hat and cloak?" He tilted his head, trying to see into the shadows of her brim and collar.

Rayne smirked, lowering her head, "Ancient."

Gippal stared at her oddly, then stood straight and stated, "You're one of Lady Yuna's former guardians, the Lady Rayne."

'I suck at laying low.' "What makes you say that?"

"I met Auron in Sanubia just before Home was attacked." Gippal answered, watching as Rayne bristled. "I thought you were dead."

Rayne sighed, already tiring of explaining the same thing over and over, "'Lady Rayne' is dead. I'm just Rayne."

"Well, then, 'Just Rayne', how does how I'm treating the temple match up to your standards?" Gippal asked.

Laughing at his cheek, Rayne nodded and admitted, "Well, Gippal, very well, and I would thank you for that." She paused, then looked at him, "Tell me, has anyone entered the Chamber of the Fayth?"

"Since the Machine Faction took over? No." Gippal shrugged, "From the descriptions we've gotten about the Chamber, there's little machina in there other than light dimmers and door openers."

"Nothing of interest to you, huh?" Rayne smiled ruefully, "Well, at least Ixion's final resting place hasn't been desecrated, no matter the reasons." She paused, then sobered and nodded, "Thank you for your time, Gippal, but I have to be going."

Gippal nodded, then gave her a mock salute and smirked, "You got it, Just Rayne. Come back again sometime, alright? We got plenty of digging jobs out at Bikanel and no one to do them. Best part is, we pay."

"I'll keep that in mind, Gippal. Thanks." Rayne smiled again, then walked out of Djose, setting off down the road.

There, for the first time since she had started her journey, Rayne was challenged by fiends. It was in this challenge she found out that it hadn't been just the people of Spira who had changed.

"What in the hell are lupines doing here?" Rayne muttered, raising her hand and flicking her wrist as two Lupus fiends moved in on her.

Just as one of the Lupus fiends leapt at her, the attack that was released, a spike of 'Blizzard', shot forward and pierced it through the chest, knocking it backwards and driving it into the ground.

Rayne was just lowering her hand to focus on the other Lupus when it leapt over the first, diving straight for her. She lifted her hand for another attack, but the Lupus was already halfway to her when she began to move, and it was on top of her before she had her arm up halfway.

The fiend and mage tussled on the ground, one having the advantage of speed and the other of magic.

Eventually, after incurring several minor and one moderate injury, Rayne rolled on top of the Lupus and straddled it, raising her hand and charging it with magic. She then slammed it back down onto the fiend's chest, 'Lightning' rippling through sinew and muscle until it reached the heart and overloaded, then cooked it.

The fiend uttered an ear piercing screech, then fell limp.

Rayne sat where she was as the fiend turned to pyreflies beneath her, breathing heavily. After a moment, she raised her hands and rubbed her ears, wincing at the pain deep within the canal, near her eardrums.

'That shriek literally was ear piercing.' She thought, lowering her hands to gauge the injuries on the rest of her body.

Several scratches on her arm, the skin scraped off of her back and the backs of her calves were the minor injuries, and a fairly deep cut on the side of her face surmounted to the moderate injury.

'After all, cuts to the face bleed to the worst, right?'

Sighing, she reached into one of the faded pouches at her side and pulled out a Potion, pouring some onto the tips of her fingers and rubbing it onto the cut on her face. The skin tingled warmly and a sharp, fresh smell filled the air for a moment, then faded. When she felt the cut again, most of it had healed and it was no longer bleeding.

'Either I'm getting too old for these Potions to work properly,' She thought with a sigh, 'Or these Potions have just gone bad.' That thought in mind, she sniffed the vial. Her nose wrinkled at the rank stench. 'Yeah, bad Potions.'

After not having updated her supplies in a few months, though, Rayne wasn't caught off guard, so as she continued down the path Rayne went through her pouches and began clearing out everything that had expired. By the time she was done she was roughly ten pounds lighter and she was facing the path that led to the old location of the Operation Mi'ihen sight.

"And now it's the new location of the Youth League Headquarters." Rayne sighed, "There are too many factions springing up…"

"Halt!"

Sighing, Rayne raised her hands, calling, "You know, that has to be the most unoriginal standstill call there is."

"Just stay there!" The voice ordered, the owner walking up behind her and stepping in front of her, trying to stare into her face. "Identify yourself."

"The name's Rayne, and I'm just here to see Fereria." Rayne answered, staring at the young man before her, "Am I correct in assuming that this is the entrance to the Youth League Headquarters?"

"It is." The young man nodded, reaching out for her hat, "If you'll just let me—"

Rayne's hand shot out and grabbed the boy's wrist, holding it away from her head. "That's an invasion of privacy, boy." She growled, "And I highly doubt Meyvn Nooj would approve of that unless you held an undeniable doubt that I was a spy or a threat. Now, I'm telling you I've come here peacefully to see Fereria, so you're just going to have to accept that and let me go on in or bring her to me."

The boy ripped his wrist out of her hand and massaged it, staring at her before shouting, "Roulf! Take Miss Rayne to Headquarters and don't leave her side until she has been identified by Captain Fereria or the Meyvn."

Not bothering to wait for her guide, Rayne brushed passed the young man and took off down the path, barely acknowledging the Youth League soldiers around her that worked to keep the path clear.

Though it pained her, she brushed passed Lucil, Elma and Clasko at the lift, waiting until Roulf, a gangly young man dressed in red and yellow, ran on to activate the machina. At the top, she took off at the same hurried pace, though this time Roulf was right behind her.

"So…" He panted, "You… know Captain… Fereria?"

"She and I were friends when she was still in Bevelle." Rayne answered, ignoring the scandalized and angry looks of those around her when she mentioned the holy city, "I've been lax in my visits and didn't learn about her change in alliance until this morning."

"So… you are with New Yevon?" Roulf gasped.

"I am with no faction." Rayne growled, stopping before two guards barring her entrance to the giant tent in the back of the camp. "Is Fereria in?"

"Cap'n Fereria is qui' busy ah' the momen'." One of the guards grunted, "Come ba'k ah' a la'er time."

Rayne rolled her eyes, "Tell her a certain 'Mrs. Rayne' is here to see her and I think you'll find she's not as busy as you believed."

The first guard paused, but the second turned and walked in. He was gone for several moments, several awkward and silent moments, before the door burst open and a body shot out, lunging at Rayne. The second guard, a boy, and a tall man in some sort of red cotton jumper walked out behind her, staring at the scene in shock.

"Oh, thank heavens, Rayne." Fereria muttered, "When you were gone for so long, I thought something had happened."

"No, that was my fault." Rayne smirked guiltily, patting her friend on the back, "You know I suck at keeping up with emotional attachments."

Fereria laughed, "That's true." She then backed away, rubbing her eyes before clearing her throat and turning back to the Youth Leagueians, who were still staring at her oddly. "Rayne, this is Rolf," She pointed to Rayne's guide, "Tavo," The first guard, "Ulai," The second guard, "Of course, you remember Michael," The young man she had walked out with, "And Meyvn Nooj." The tall man in red.

But Rayne had stopped listening after 'Michael'. She stared down at the boy in front of her, numb. His hair had grown out and hung to his shoulders, intense brown eyes peeking out from their black locks. Still, the eyes held a level of intelligence and maturity Rayne doubted even she possessed, and there was no doubt in her mind that this was her two year old son.

"Michael," She smiled, "You look… ten, frankly."

Michael smiled, "I know. I'm still healthy, though, so no one really worries about it. It's good to see you again, Miss Rayne. Fereria was starting to get frantic."

Rayne laughed, then turned to Nooj and crossed her arms, "Meyvn Nooj, it's a pleasure."

Nooj smiled and nodded, "As it is to meet you, Miss Rayne. Fereria talks about you frequently, though she always manages to leave out all of the important details."

"She knows I like my privacy. Anyway, hey, Fer," Rayne smirked at Fereria, "I think I've broken some record. Three of the worlds leading faction heads, all met in one day."

"You met Baralai and Gippal today?" Fereria blinked, "The Praetor I can understand, but the Al Bhed?…"

Rayne shrugged, "Djose is just down the road, so I thought I'd stop by and check on the temple. I have to admit, for being a cocky little punk, Gippal does know how to care for a fayth stone."

Seeing the frown Nooj was giving Rayne, Fereria lowered her voice and muttered, "See, Rayne used to be a guardian, so she has a deep-set respect for the fayth and the aeons." Smiling, she raised her voice again and laughed, "I remember she was always wanting to check on Bahamut's fayth stone whenever she visited Bevelle."

"Let's go inside." Nooj said suddenly, glancing at the angry faces around the camp, "I don't think this is the best place to talk about these things."