Wakka departs, and Yuna collects an important but mysterious ally.

Other than a massive amount of editing for grammar/sentence clarity and a few new sentences added here and there this chapter remains mostly untouched. One of the biggest and most important AU elements in this fic begins in this chapter, I hope you won't find it too jarring when it eventually comes to fruition.

Thank you for the follows/reviews.

italics = denotes thought or memory

Not Mine

The Raven-Haired Girl

Yuna stood looking over the little island of Besaid, behind her the large leaves of the local trees rustled in the breeze. She hadn't been back here since she had been declared a traitor and just seeing it put her mind at ease. She had never thought that she would ever be able to come back here, she should've been dead - and yet here she was. Tidus had made this possible for her and in that moment - despite the fact that he was her enemy now, she had never loved him more. Still he wasn't here to visit her old friends, they couldn't be allowed to know that she was here. If they found her, she would be marked and thrown in jail again. And she couldn't accept this as an option, her first jailing had been unjust and had made her loathe the Yevon jailing system. The jail had been dark and damp and all it did was remind her of those who were dead. She hadn't been scared but she had felt chilled to the bones: something about that jail had been off. Today she had come to Besaid for one reason and one reason only, and that was too see Wakka off - to say goodbye to a man that she would most likely never see again. She wished it had not come to this because she loved Wakka, he was like a big brother to her. It hurt to see him throw his life way for lesser things. He we was above this, and she wished he knew it. She looked over the island and took in the breeze of the air around her, the scent of the ocean. Memorizing every detail, every sight and every sound. She felt Rikku come up behind her, "What's the matter Yunie?"

Yuna stopped looking at the town where she had grown up to stare at her green eyed cousin and smiled slightly. Her mouth a small line, "I'm going to miss this place," she felt the memories of what this place symbolized tug on her heart and knew that it was Tidus mourning for a life he would never again lead, "he does too."

Rikku had been the first of her guardians to accept that she was connected to Sin, to Tidus. That they had something that no one else had, because Tidus's love had saved her - had protected her from a death that up to that point had been seen as inevitable. And she had thanked her cousin for that. No one understood (not really) what it was like to be connected to something so evil and yet so kind at the same time. And it was so hard to focus on things in the same way as she once had, for she now saw the world with two different eyes. One of evil and one good. The good side was fighting back as hard as it could. Tidus was fighting to keep her afloat and to keep that evil out of her heart. Rikku brought her out of her thoughts by sitting next to her, "I bet he does. This is where he met you? Remember?"

And she remembered, how she had just been a young summoner who didn't know anything. Who had trusted with her whole heart. How she had come out the chamber aching all over, her body covered in a cold sweat. She had looked up and seen him there - had wondered who he was, because he had looked at her as if he had known her his whole life and loved her the same. Her body had grown weaker as she stood there, and then she only remembered words, and falling. And seeing him run to try and catch her only to be beaten by Kimarhi, wonderful and kind Kimarhi. It had been the thought that had really mattered to her, "Yeah I remember." she said.

"You're not the only one." Tidus spoke to her softly.

Yuna smiled at the voice that only she could hear. She was still smiling when Auron walked over to her and looked down at her, "It's time to go."

Yuna nodded and they started up the path back to the airship. It was half up the path that Yuna heard the scream and took off running to where the sound had come from. Rikku followed behind her trying to keep up with her cousin. A cousin that seemed hell bent on getting to the scream in time. They reached the bridge and found a woman with short raven hair in the middle of battle. She was surrounded by condor vultures, the sharp talons of two of them digging into her arm and not letting go. The two girls didn't think twice before jumping into battle to help defend the struggling female. Yuna pulled out her staff and Rikku her specially customized red daggers. Rikku twirled them as she got ready for battle. The Raven-haired woman seemed surprised to see the two girls come to help her and then was even more shocked at just who the two girls were, "You're the traitors aren't you? The ones that they are hunting down?" she asked.

Yuna looked up at the woman in front of them, taking in what she was wearing. It was a black leather outfit decorated with shiny baubles. She had huge black boots, and on her face was a look that Yuna had never seen before. The woman wore a look that could only be described as inscrutable, a blank slate that was still being written. Yuna didn't know what it meant but she felt comfortable with this woman who was an absolute mystery to her. She attacked one of the condors that was gnawing on the shoulder or the raven-haired woman, her rod hitting it sending it flying off their new friend. The condor - seeing a new threat came around on her aiming to tear her to shreds. Before it could come in contact with her she swung her rod hard causing it to burst on contact.

Rikku on the other hand was taunting her enemy and dodging its attacks while stealing from it, and her pockets were starting to look heavy and full. She had a grin on her face feeling utterly unstoppable - she hadn't been hit yet. The Raven-haired one looked at Rikku and as if she had known the girl all her life despite only knowing her for a few minutes, spoke, "Don't get cocky."

Rikku looked up from her battle a little taken back, and this gave the bird just the chance it was looking for. It stuck quick and deadly sending Rikku to the ground. The bird now seeing another opportunity to attack dove beak first and Rikku kicked out at it as it attempted to eat her face off. It was thrown off her squawking madly. Yuna rushed to where Rikku lay and cast cure on the slightly damaged girl and then watched as the new woman took down another bird, leaving one left. Yuna cast a devastating Holy spell on the final bird, wanting to end this quickly and they watched as the bird turned into pyreflies. Yuna finally turned around to look at the raven woman, "Yes. We are the traitors. But we did nothing wrong, and I will take nothing back."

The raven woman nodded, "I know, I've heard all the news and know the government's ways first hand. They are nothing good. Names' Paine by the way."

Yuna nodded and stuck out her hand, Paine regarded it for a second as if unsure if she really wanted to shake back, like she was weighing the whole world on her shoulders, before finally shaking it. Yuna smiled and Rikku just bounced around her cousin watching the exchange take place. By this time Auron had caught up with the two girls and tensely watched them interact with the total stranger. He felt wary but knew that once Yuna made a friend she stuck with it, so he just let it happen. Yuna had a way of picking just the right people to travel with her. It had worked with Tidus, who was he to say it wouldn't work now? It was a little too late anyway. Rikku saw him first and shuffled over to him excitedly, "Isn't she it neat? Her name's Paine!"

Auron smiled, for all her extreme happiness and how overbearing it could be, Rikku never failed to make him smile. And as they had gone further down the road that their first pilgrimage had taken them he had come to lean on her for that. Even if she didn't know it. Because the group needed someone to remind them to smile, and she did that all the time - reminded him to smile. Even if he was sure it made him look strange, "She seems nice." he said.

"I like her too." Rikku answered.

He didn't really mean it but for now he would say it, because it was what Rikku wanted to hear, and he didn't want to break her heart.

Auron looked at both Yuna and Paine both who happened to be chatting admirably over something and moved so that he was near them. He found that they were talking about what they had brought Yuna here, after all Yuna wouldn't have someone on her team that didn't know what had happened to her. In some ways Yuna was very kind, she was the sort that demanded obedience because if she couldn't trust you to protect her then what were you doing there at all?. As she spoke Auron could see a desire in Paine to open up and eventually Paine spoke a little about why she was her as well. Paine wouldn't say much to Yuna, only that she too was being chased by the Yevon government and trying to get away. Yuna was nodding and was paying rapt attention when she felt Tidus explode inside her head, "Yuna, we need to get off the main road. Now!"

Tidus's voice caused Yuna to blink confused, then his words hit her and she looked at her small party, "We need to move. And quick."

It didn't take much for the group to jump off the bridge and onto the road beneath them. A few seconds later the sound of Chocobos and men talking was heard. The sounds stopped atop the bridge and all those under the bridge remained totally still, fearing for their lives, the voices above them continued to talk, "Are you sure you saw them?"

"Yeah, the sources said that they were somewhere on the island."

"We'll find them. We have too."

"Let's keep pressing forward. Check the town."

The sound of voices started to die down as the chirping of the birds moved away and finally the group under the bridge was able to come out from hiding. Rikku took this time to laugh, "That was close." she said between gaffs.

Yuna nodded and then turned to Paine, "I know we just met, but I could use all the help I could get as I have lost many people dear to me, will you be my guardian?"

Yuna could see Auron's displeasure at that, he didn't like anyone he didn't trust near him but this wasn't his call it was hers. Paine's voice sounded shocked, "You'd still try to be a summoner after all they did to you?"

Yuna shook her head, "It's not that. Sin killed the one I loved in his becoming, this time, it's personal. It's not about Spira, I want to protect what was mine."

Paine studied Yuna for a few seconds trying to understand this quiet serious girl, and then nodded, "Okay fine. But if this is just some sort of Yevon trick I won't be staying around long you can bet on that."

Auron huffed at Paine, and Rikku smiled and had to cover her mouth to hold back a laugh - his huff always made her want to giggle. Yuna took a commsphere out of the pouch on her belt and spoke into it. A few moments later an airship flew down to get them. It opened its hatch and Paine, Rikku, Yuna, and Auron climbed up the ramp. They were met with a very fussy Lulu who had found upon awakening that everyone was gone, and that she had not been included. She looked rather cross at Yuna who just shrugged and pointed at Rikku who then pointed at Auron. At this Lulu let out an exasperated sigh and went back into the airship.

Everyone gathered at the bridge and paid attention to Yuna waiting to find out what their next move was, "What do we do now?" Rikku asked.

Yuna looked at all of them from where she stood on the bridge, "Well Tidus and I have been talking it over and we both agree. Macalania needs a new high summoner. If we can get them on our side, and then get the Aeon there we will be in better shape. I know getting them on our side will be hard considering that we killed their last high summoner, but I think it's worth a shot. They are just as desperate now as we are."

The others agreed with her rationalization, because they all knew that they needed some allies to survive the coming days, the course to Macalania temple was set on the ship's console. And the group of renegades continued their journey.

A/N: A bit of important movement in this chapter but not an excessive amount. Mostly just character beats that will eventually manifest later on.