The world of Spira was joyful. From Bevelle to Kilika, from Mt. Gagazet to Guadosalam, everyone was celebrating. Sin had been defeated, and this time it was gone for good.

Celebration, happiness, and peace spread to every corner of the world, save one small tent on the island of Besaid. There, in silence and darkness, the High Summoner lie in fear.

It was not a mortal fear. Yuna knew the others would call it a silly fear, a childish fear. But, for perhaps the first time in her life, she didn't care what anyone else thought about her. They had their happiness; she had her fear.

Fear, and sadness, and hurt. She cherished the emotions because they were all she had left of him. Her fear was that she might forget him. His body had faded so abruptly from the world, would his memory fade from her mind in the same way? Not if she could help it. She replayed every word he said, every moment they shared, over and over in her mind.

She tried to think only of the moments, and not of the whole story. Because the story wasn't fair. If she thought about it too much, she would try to rewrite it. Try to find the moment when they could have turned away, left Sin for someone else to deal with.

They'd even talked about it. Alone under the starlight, when he'd held her in his arms, they'd talked about running away together. Even as they spoke, Yuna had known it wouldn't happen. The course was set; she wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she had run away. But that was only because she hadn't understood the consequences. She'd been fully ready to sacrifice her own life to bring other people happiness. She'd never agreed to sacrifice his life.

Yet her life was spared and his was forfeit. She lie in the dark, alive and alone. And he… he was in her heart. He always would be.

Tidus opened his eyes. That was his first surprise. He hadn't been sure he'd even have eyes to open anymore.

Is this the Farplane? He looked around, puzzled. "Auron?" he called. "Jecht?" He'd expected he might see them, the ones who'd passed before him. "Braska?" But they weren't here. No one seemed to be here.

It was far more lonely than he'd expected the Farplane to be, but also much more real. He'd expected nebulousness, an evanescence, if there'd been any sensation at all. He'd even felt it coming on, when he'd notice the glow to his hands, when the pyreflies had gathered. But now he felt...altogether normal.

The world, however, was not familiar. It certainly was not Zanarkand, and, although he hadn't traveled the entirety of Spira, he didn't think it was that world either. The landscape was utterly barren, the ground cracked as though from drought. The sky was not that of day or night; it most resembled the partial darkness of a mild storm. But there were no clouds, no rain, no weather of any sort. Not even the whisper of a breeze.

Not knowing what else to do, he began to walk.

Tidus stared at his hands as he walked, trying to imagine Yuna's fingers still intertwined with his. Then he remembered her hands passing through his. His jaw clenched and he dropped his hands to his side, trying to push away the memory.

"Yuna!" he yelled, not expecting a response. He didn't get one, not even an echo. Long ago—at least, it seemed long ago—he'd told Yuna to whistle if they ever got separated. He figured there was no harm in trying. He brought his fingers to his lips and whistled.

Nothing.

Was this really the end of his story? To be trapped in this empty world, forever alone?

He whistled again, as loud as he could manage.

"Where are they?!" Selphie stamped her foot and spun in a circle. "They have to be here somewhere!"

"You're certain this is the place?" Quistis asked, exiting the broken-down orphanage and walking toward the field of wildflowers behind it.

"Positive!" Zell declared. "I was standing right here," Zell moved to just outside the doorway, "And they were standing where you are now. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I was just there to tell them we had to leave, and Squall said, 'If we ever get separated, we'll find each other here.' Or something like that. Like I said, I wasn't trying to listen, I just overheard."

"Then they should be here," Selphie said. "Right here!"

"I don't want to be the one to suggest the worst," Zell began.

"Then don't!" Selphie admonished, but Zell continued anyway.

"…But I'm pretty sure we would have found them by now if they were here. It's not like they've got a reason to hide."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe they want to be alone," Irvine suggested.

The four of them—Quistis, Zell, Selphie, and Irvine—had arrived in the quad of Balamb Garden after defeating the Sorceress. They'd waited for Squall and Rinoa to appear. And waited. And waited. Eventually Zell had remembered the overheard promise between Rinoa and Squall to meet in the field outside the orphanage. The four had boarded Ragnarok and headed for the orphanage immediately.

"Did you hear that?" Selphie asked. The others shook their heads. Selphie moved towards the sound, into the field. "Angelo!"

Rinoa's dog was lying in the grass. She stood and trotted over to Selphie when she called.

"Where's Rinoa?"

Angelo whined and looked out across the field.

"How did you get here?"

"Angelo was with us during the battle. She couldn't have made it home alone, could she?" Zell asked.

"I don't know—what's this?" Selphie squatted on the ground near where Angelo had been resting. There, in amongst the flowers, were white feathers. Once she knew what to look for, Selphie noticed there were dozens of them, strewn all around the area. She gathered a few in her palm.

"Feathers?" Zell asked. "I don't see any birds."

"They aren't from birds," Quistis said, taking a feather from Selphie to study it.

"Then what—?" Zell was momentarily puzzled before realization hit. "They're Rinoa's feathers?"

Quistis nodded. "That means she used her sorceress powers here. She must have come back here, with Angelo, and then…"

"What?" Zell asked

"I don't know," Quistis replied

"What about Squall?" Selphie asked.

Quistis scanned the field once more. "I don't…I don't see any sign that he ever made it back."