Hi everybody. Here's chapter 2 of this fanfic. We'll skip ahead a little bit now, this chapter picks up after everyone gatecrashes Seymour and Yuna's wedding to rescue her. Now we'll take of from where Yuna's guardians complete the Bevelle Cloister of Trials and reach the chamber of the fayth. As you'll have gathered by reading the last chapter, Tidus is not with them, he's gone off on his own.

Also, please forgive any grammar mistakes I might make, I noticed quite a few in the first chapter. I'll try my best to make sure I don't make any more (good luck to me on that lol).

I do own Final Fantasy or any of its' characters, this purely a fanfic written for fun.

…...

The group burst into the chamber of and began looking around for Yuna. She wasn't there, but the door which lead to the fayth's chamber indicated that it was in use.

"Yunie must be inside," said Rikku pointing towards the chamber door.

Wakka nodded in agreement. "I guess… we just have gotta wait for her to come out ya?"

"I hope she isn't long," Rikku said now. "And I hope she's okay."

Everybody nodded in agreement to this before all taking various places to wait like they normally did. The one person who never did wasn't present. When they normally had to wait for Yuna whilst she received her aeon from the fayth Tidus would be the only person who'd pace around the room, unable to keep himself still. It felt sad that he wasn't here to do that this time.

After a few minutes of tense silence somebody finally spoke up again.

"What do you think we should tell her?" asked Lulu aloud now. "About Tidus I mean."

This was a question they'd all been asking themselves over and over. How could any of them possibly explain to her that Tidus had left the group. Everybody had noticed how close the two had become during the pilgrimage. Perhaps even too close. It was clear that there was something unique about their friendship, it was quite possibly love. How could they break Yuna's heart now by telling her that Tidus no longer wished to be her guardian.

"We tell her truth," Auron stated eventually. "We tell exactly what he said, she has a right to know." He said all in "and that's final" tone and nobody disagreed with him. He was right when he said Yuna should know the truth, no matter how much pain it would surely cause her.

Just then the door which lead to the fayth opened taking everybody by surprise. Everybody looked in its' direction and saw her, still in her wedding dress, leaning against the wall for support. She was so exhausted.

"YUNA!" everybody except Auron shouted in unison. They all rushed towards with Kimahri grabbing hold and offering her support.

"Yuna, are you alright?" Lulu was the first ask, her voice of course full of concern.

"Yes…" she answered slowly, still leaning against Kimahri. "Yes, I'm fine. I just need… a little rest."

"You had us so worried Yunie," said Rikku in her little girl voice. Yuna nodded and then said

"I'm sorry everybody. I'm sorry for putting you all through so much. And thank you. Thank you all so much for coming to rescue me. I could ask Yevon for better guardians or friends."

She looked around the group into the relieved yet sad faces of the group. From Kimahri, to Lulu, to Wakka, to Rikku, to Auron. It was only then that she first noticed that somebody in particular was not present.

"Wait, where's… where's Tidus?" she asked now sounding worried. She had previously not noticed his absence up on the temple steps.

Everybody dropped their heads, not suddenly unable to look in her eye. She noticed this was shocked. She forced herself out of Kimahri's grip and stood up on her own.

"What's wrong? What's happened? Where is he?" her full now full of determination. Determination to get the answers she wanted. Everyone in response turned towards Auron, he surely should be the one to tell her.

Yuna noticed this also and now rushed towards Auron, stopping directly in front of him.

"Sir Auron please, tell me. What is wrong? How come Tidus isn't here?"

Auron in his usual way of doing things took his time before answering.

"There is much you need to know Yuna, a lot has happened since you were kidnapped. But not now. We must get out of here, Yevonites will be through that door any moment."

"NO!" demanded Yuna now. "Tell me right not where Tidus is, I want to know what's happened right now."

Auron sighed as he realised that he had no choice. Yuna was so much like her father Braska, calm and gentle usually, but a determined fire burning inside.

"Yuna, Tidus….. (sigh) Tidus has left. He's left and I truly do not know if he'll ever return."

Yuna was aghast at this. Absolutely speechless. Surely this wasn't true? Tidus wouldn't do that, would he?

Auron continued;

"He told me whilst on board we we're on board Cid's airship. He said he couldn't go on with being your guardian any longer."

"But….. why?" she just about managed.

"It's because he knows," Auron replied in his trademark matter-of-fact tone. "He knows about the Final Summoning. Let's just he say he didn't handle it very well."

"Yuna….." said Lulu now placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yuna, we're sorry," said Wakka sadly now.

"Didn't? DIDN'T ANY OF YOU TRY TO STOP HIM!?" she gasped now looking around her friends. Yuna very rarely let her emotions reach the surface and get the better of her. This was definitely one of those moments. Tidus, she couldn't even begin to comprehend the idea of him leaving like this. They had become so close during the pilgrimage, a sort of closeness she didn't have with any one of her other guardians. Closeness she'd never had with anybody ever.

"We didn't even speak to him Yunie! We only heard about all this from grumpy there just like you now," answered Rikku sadly whilst placing her own hands on Yuna's shoulders.

"I…. I was the one who told him the truth about the Final Summoning," the Al Bhed girl confessed. "In Home when we were searching for you in the summoner's chamber, (sigh) I told him."

"He was pretty upset," admitted Wakka now. "He actually looked on the verge of tears."

"Well why wouldn't he be!?" snapped Rikku now turning around to face him. "He just found out that Yunie was gonna die, damn right he was the verge of tears."

"Stop it Rikku," said Yuna. She turned back to Auron and asked;

"Sir Auron, please tell me. What else did Tidus say?"

Auron then proceeded to continue with his explanation. Yuna and the others hung on his every word.

"He's gone Yuna. He's officially abandoned his responsibility as one of your guardians during your pilgrimage. He didn't come here to Bevelle with the rest us to rescue you, he went of his own way. I have no idea where in Spira he could be now."

Yuna lowered her head towards the floor to hide her tears. She didn't want her friends to see her lose composure. After everything she'd been told she kept asking herself over and over again; "why did he leave like this. Is he angry with me for not telling him the truth?"

"Do you… do you… think he's… angry with me?" she asked now. She trying to hold it together on the surface yet, on the inside, she was desperate for comfort and reassurance.

Auron thought about this question a little before answering. Everybody else remained silent, waiting for his answer.

"No," he said eventually. "He's not angry with you Yuna, or any of you. He's just struggling to cope with everything that happened to him."

"What's happened to him!?" Wakka burst out now. "Whaddya mean what's happened to him? Nothing's happened to HIM. He's had a pretty easy ride from I'm standin'."

"If you say so," Auron answered almost dismissively. He then looked around the chamber and at the door.

"We must go, Yevon will be through that door any minute now."

"Yes Yuna he's right, we must go," agreed Lulu.

Yuna slowly nodded and from there the summoner and her remaining guardians left the chamber.

….

Later

The group had fled Bevelle to the sanctum of the Macalania woods. This would be a safe place for them to regroup, Yevonites would never think to search for them here.

They had started a campfire and Auron, Rikku, Wakka and Lulu were all sitting around thinking about this situation. Yuna however wasn't with them. She had gone off (with the ever-present Kimahri) to have some privacy and think about things herself. Still in her wedding dress (she had nothing else to change into) she sat by a stretch of water with Kimahri stood a few meters away.

"Tidus… why have you left me like this?" she kept asking herself over and over. She turned around to look at her Ronso protector and decided she wanted to ask him something.

"Kimahri," she began softly. "Did… did Tidus, did Tidus say anything to you… about me?"

The Ronso shook his head.

"Tidus not speak to Kimahri," he answered. "Kimahri shocked with everyone else when Tidus leave."

"I see," she said sadly.

"Kimahri never leave Yuna. NEVER. Kimahri promise."

"I remember," she replied managing a very small smile. "Thank you."

….

A little later

Lulu had gone to speak to Yuna. It was getting late.

"Yuna," said Lulu standing behind her, Yuna was still sat by the water.

"It's getting late Yuna, you need to get some rest. It's been quite a day."

"Yes it has," Yuna replied dryly.

"Yuna," Lulu settled herself down beside the young summoner and placed her hand on her shoulder in big sisterly fashion.

"I know that there's nothing that any of us can say to make you feel better about what's happened, but what's done is done. I'm not going to pretend that I have any idea about what he was thinking we left, nor am I going to pretend I know whether or not we'll ever see him again. I know the two of you had become…. close. But Yuna, you must remember what is important."

Yuna remained silent, her thoughts racing around frantically in her mind. She eventually stood up;

"Okay, let's go back."

Lulu nodded and the two of them (along with Kimahri) headed back to the campfire.

…...

A few minutes later

Yuna, Lulu and Kimahri returned to the others who set up a makeshift campsite around the fire. The party had never been forced to rest in conditions like this so far, normally they rested at a local inn. However, due to the obvious circumstances it would be very foolish of them to go to a public place.

Yuna, after all the thinking she'd been doing, had something to say.

"Everybody," she began (everyone immediately gave her their full attention). "I want reassure you that I despite everything that's happened in these last few days, I still plan to continue my pilgrimage."

Rikku attempted to speak up and argue but Yuna quickly silenced her.

"Before any of you say anything please let me finish. I want to make sure that you all understand that there is nothing than anyone can do or say that will get me to change my mind. All of what's happened has only made me even more determined to defeat Sin and bring peace all across Spira."

She took a deep breath and then continued on;

"I'm as devastated as the rest of you that Tidus… that Tidus has… left us," she just about managed. "I've been doing some thinking and I've decided, I've decided that I want go look for him."

Everyone was left a flabbergasted at this.

"Er… Yuna," said Wakka awkwardly, scratching the back of his head whilst he talked. "I don't that's exactly a good idea ya."

"Wakka's right Yuna," said Lulu from beside her. "I think it would be best if we just…"

"Just what?" interrupted Yuna.

Lulu sighed. "Yuna, we don't even know he's gone too. He could be anywhere and in our current circumstances we cannot go out and publicly search the whole of Spira for him."

"No, I'm with Yunie!" piped up Rikku now. "I say we go look for the big doofus. Whether he likes it or not he's one of the team. I mean it's not like we don't have time to look, right?"

She looked at Yuna and then around at everyone else. Something she'd just had really struck a chord with all of them. If they did go out to look for Tidus then that would lengthen the pilgrimage. If the pilgrimage was lengthened than that meant the time Yuna had until she had to sacrifice herself for the Final aeon lengthened too.

"What do you think, Sir Auron?" asked Yuna now turning towards the old warrior. All eyes were on him yet, as usual, he retained his ice cool composure.

"We do whatever you want us to Yuna, it's your choice. If you wish to go search for him then that's fine, just as long you plan to continue your pilgrimage like you say."

Yuna nodded determindley in response.

"Then it's decided," stated Auron firmly. "We search for Jecht's son. We leave these woods at first light. I will stand guard."

He then walked off towards the entrance to the clearing. Everybody else remained still, thinking intensely.

"Well okay Yuna. If you wanna go look for him then that's what we'll do," said Wakka.

"Fine," merely said Lulu.

Kimahri just nodded and but Rikku exclaimed loudly;

"Okay, let's go get 'em! He can't have gone anywhere too far. I bet he's gone back somewhere we've already passed through."

"Yeah, like maybe back to Besaid," Wakka offered. "Or, maybe back to Luca where's there's Blitzball," Rikku suggested.

"We need to get some rest," declared Lulu firmly now. "If we're going to be up at first light then we need made sure we have our energy. Everybody just find place and try to get some sleep."

"Easier said than done," replied Rikku miserably as she parked herself down against a tree trunk not too far from the warmth of the fire.

"Yuna, come one," said Lulu leading her over to the fire. The women sat down close to get themselves warm.

Kimahri then parked himself down next Yuna and lowered her head down on his frame, allowing her lie back.

"Thank you," whispered Yuna softly to her Ronso protector.

"Lulu right, Yuna need rest," answered the Ronso. Yuna nodded, lay back and closed her eyes.

"I don't where you are Tidus, but I'll find you. I promise." These were her last thoughts before dropping off to a peaceful slumber."

Hey guys, hope you like chapter 2. Chapter 3 will be up in the week or so where we'll be catching up with Tidus and finding where he is and what he's doing. Until then, smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!" XD