"The lads say hi," Wakka said as he walked through the door some time later, as Lulu was telling Yuna about the time they all thought she and Tidus had lost it when they both started laughing loudly that one time in Luca. Fond memories.

Wakka had been to see his old friends from the Besaid Aurochs and was beside himself with glee. They had all been training so hard throughout the year and had gotten a lot better. And he got to see a tiny champion in the making too; Leygo, Letty's little boy.

"How you doing?" he asked her as he approached her. He leaned down next to her. "We'll find him."

"Thank you, Wakka," Yuna replied. "I know we will. Lulu and I were just saying that we'll make plans as soon as you got back, to look for Tidus. Are you okay to start now?"

Wakka sprung to his feet and beat his fists on his chest.

"I'm ready for anything!" he boomed. "And you know me, I'll do anything for my friends." He turned to Lulu. "You got any idea where we're headed first?" he asked her.

"Yes. First of all, we'll ask around. Someone may have seen something. We'll follow leads if there are any. If not, we'll check the temple and the jungle. Afterwards, we'll take it from there."

"Besaid's clear," said Wakka. "I told the boys what had happened. None of them have seen him there."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lulu asked Yuna.

"I'm ready. I have to do this. I know it's going to be hard, but what is harder for me to bear is the thought of sitting here feeling sad when he could be out there in trouble."

"I understand," Lulu replied. "But take it easy, okay? If you need rest, we rest. This is on your terms."

"We don't want your baby to pop out prematurely because you did too much!" Wakka interjected.

Yuna started to laugh. It was so typical of Wakka to say something like that and even though he sometimes didn't exactly intend to, he perked her spirits greatly.

A true friend Yuna thought.

She looked at Lulu and found that she was laughing too. It had already happened to her, and she had lost her children. Worse, she'd kept it to herself. But she was right, she was strong. That much was evident.

"How far are you anyway? You're getting massive!"

"Wakka!" Lulu yelled. "Do you not think before you speak?"

"What did I say?" He looked around gingerly.

Yuna just giggled.

"Six months, now. Three months to go and I'll be able to hold my baby in my arms, with Tidus right next to me."

"That's the way to think!" Wakka said excitedly.

The sun was hot on their skin as they left the house. The sky was crystal blue and cloudless and a warm wind blew through Yuna's hair. For the first time since the storm and Tidus' disappearance, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She didn't know why; whether it was the heart to heart with Lulu, or the fact that she was now ready to look for him. Whatever had caused the feeling, she was eternally grateful, and she didn't want the feeling to ever end.

They asked around, but hadn't come across any leads to his whereabouts. Yuna hadn't expected to, not in Kilika. If he was this close by, someone would have seen him. If he was this close they both might have been brought together already.

"Ow!" cried Yuna as they approached Kilika jungle. "It kicked me!"

The baby kicked again and again, only stopping for the briefest of moments. The pain, while not severe, was enough to make her stop and kneel.

"It's too soon. We should head back," said Lulu soothingly.

"No," replied Yuna. "I'm okay. Honestly, I'm okay. The baby has been moving about a lot just lately. I think it can sense that something isn't right. I think it wants me to carry on. The baby wants to see its father."

"Yuna…" cooed Lulu. "You mustn't overexert yourself."

Wakka stepped in and said, "But if she says she's fine, then she's fine. She's pregnant, not ill."

"He's right. I'm fine. Come on, let's carry on."

She could understand why Lulu was overly concerned. To lose one baby, let alone two, was a pain that no expecting mother should ever have to go through. It was clear that Lulu didn't want her to jeopardise her baby's future and her own well-being.

"Lulu, you're a good friend, but I promise you, I'm fine. There are lots of inns we can stop at on the way. Besides, Luca isn't far away and we might find him there."

Lulu smiled and nodded and then put her arm confidingly across Yuna's shoulders, gently squeezing them.

"Come, then. We'll both look after you. Right, Wakka?"

"Right!" he replied with a beaming smile.

The baby was calm as they traversed through the steamy jungle. On their way they had passed a few travellers, none of whom had seen anyone matching Tidus' description. Some, upon seeing Yuna's condition, offered them gifts – potions mainly, but also a beautiful coloured elixir that was the shade of aquamarine. The traveller that handed it to Yuna, a young woman with jet black hair and silvery eyes said that it gave hope to a person when all hope had gone.

"Do you believe in that stuff?" asked Wakka as they reached Kilika Temple.

"Not usually, no," Yuna replied. "But I think I might start to, for Tidus' sake. If I start to lose hope, I'm going to drink this."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Wakka.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it could be anything. Could just be a funky coloured health potion. It could be harmful to the baby," said Wakka, his face full of concern.

Yuna took the potion from her shoulder bag and looked at it. It had such a soft glow to it, like the surface of the sea when she sun shines on it. Just looking at it seemed to give her hope. It didn't seem right to think of the potion as harmful. But Wakka was right. It would be foolish to be so careless, especially as she was carrying her and Tidus' child.

"You're right. I'll hold on to it instead. It can be a keepsake. My little glimmer of hope."

"That's a beautiful idea," Lulu chimed.

Kilika Temple was a serene place, quiet and holy, where people from all over Spira prayed to the spirit of Ifrit. After the downfall of Yevon, many people had lost their faith. Slowly but surely, however, people began to take solace in the many fallen aeon's of Spira, and chose to worship them instead.

"Hi there," said a young woman with long blonde hair that came down to her waist and large blue eyes as she approached the trio from the mouth of the temple. It was Manika. She was full of vitality and always had a smile on her face, even though her past was wrought with tragedy. She had lost both her parents and her brothers, all five of them, in the Sin attack that had devastated Kilika two years ago. She was a very inspiring woman and meeting her here today, Yuna thought, gave her even more hope.

"I do hope you're okay," she continued. "I've been worshiping Ifrit's spirit for the last two days, but I heard the news that Tidus has disappeared. Yuna," she said, holding out her hands so that Yuna could hold them, "Is there anything at all that I can do?"

"Thank you for your concern, Manika," replied Yuna. "There's not much anyone can do at the moment, but it's lovely that you thought about me."

"How about a prayer?"

"I would like that very much," replied Yuna. "Thank you."

"Okay! I'm going to rest, but I will pray to Ifrit in an hour or two. Blessings of the Aeons upon you. Yuna. Wakka. Lulu."

She bowed her head at the three of them. When she rose, she smiled lovingly at Yuna, said her goodbyes and skipped off into the direction of the jungle.

"I don't think I've ever seen her sad," mused Wakka. "She's got some guts after what she's been through, I'll tell ya."

"She's a wonderful woman," said Yuna. "It's a lovely gesture for her to pray for us."

"Do you think the Aeon's really do look after us?"

"I would like to think that their spirits live on, yes. I witnessed a terrible thing, my Aeons dying right before my eyes, but I could sense that they weren't gone; that a part of them remained. Ifrit may have looked fierce, but he had a good heart. I think Manika could help us by praying to him."

"It can bring solace when you believe in something," said Lulu. "Hold on to that belief, Yuna."

"Thank you, I will," she responded, smiling dreamily. She stroked her bump and whispered, "We'll find your father. Even if we have to travel the ends of the world, we'll find him. I promise."