Yuna has a dream that is not really a dream and finds herself face to face with a very dangerous foe.

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. Things begin to get ridiculously AU here. Two chapters today because I'm feeling celebratory.

Thank you for the follows/reviews.

italics = denotes thought or memory

Not Mine

A Dream of Echoes

Inside the airship Yuna stared at her perfectly made bed and quickly changed into sleeping garments. As she did she noted that Tidus turned a blind eye and allowed her to change in private. When she was done she slipped into to bed allowing herself to finally relax after such a taxing day. Her head hit the pillow and sleep overcame her quickly, her body so worn out from the day's activities that it took mere minutes for her to fall asleep.

Only for her to awaken in an unfamiliar place.

The room was dark and a spotlight was the only thing that lit her path. She started walking, trying to find a way out in the darkness. Eventually she reached an open area with no paths forward. From above another spotlight punctured through the darkness and lit up a man who was dressed in a golden robe adorned with the symbol of Yevon on the fringe. On the shoulders were red tassels. His hair was a shining silver color. Next to him Seymour appeared. They both looked at her and eventually finally the man with the silver hair spoke, "Welcome lady Yuna, my servant here has told me all about you."

She looked over at Seymour and noticed his blank glassy stare. Worried for him but not sure why Yuna glanced back up at the the unknown man. He had noticed to whom her eyes had traveled and glanced down at the Seymour who could only be described as puppet like - a blank slate for any master to imprint himself upon, "What have you done to him!" Yuna demanded to know.

He smiled, "You would think that he would have been smarter than to try and take me over, but in the end he failed, they all fail don't they?" the man told her.

Seymour disappeared and a Tidus cloaked in darkness appeared next to him. It seemed to want to devour his body. Yuna tried to reach out to him but an unseen barrier stopped her. Holding her in place whenever she tried to move. Tidus looked up at her and she could see him, struggling to reach out to her as she had to him. But they were both trapped in the game that this man had seemingly created for them, "Who are you?" Yuna asked.

A grin broke over his features and as the darkness started to dissipate, she found that they were in a grand city. Lights shone all around them almost blinding her. She looked over the platform they were on and gasped as platform sloped downward into an abyss from a height that made her dizzy. She looked back at the man who's crazy gin seemed to consume him, "I am Yu Yevon, and welcome to the inner workings of Sin!"

He spread his arms wide as if trying to show off his city to her, and it was then that she noticed the silence permeated every nook and cranny of where they were. Not even the city made noise. she shivered, and then glanced back at Tidus, "I will save him."

Yevon laughed, and it filled the city, echoing around and around. Sending chills through Yuna. He looked up at her and then the city was silent again, "Him? He's happy to be here. He talked of coming home, now he is. What is there that he would want to go back to?" Yevon sneered.

Yuna bit her lip and glanced around. He was right, the more she looked at it the more she realized that the city that surrounded them was Zanarkand. Tidus was finally home, why would he want to be saved? Why would he care that she was trying to saved him? All he had wanted was to go home, and now that he was, what was she to deny him that pleasure? She shook her head. No, she had to save him, this was not his true home. He wanted to be in the home where he had been happy, his Zanarkand. And this was not his Zanarkand. This place belonged to this man standing in front of her. She looked up at him, "This is not his home! This place, this place belongs to you. He wants his Zanarkand!"

Yevon ruffled Tidus's hair and then looked up at her, "You will have to kill him to save him. He knows that, why can't you figure that out?" he mocked her with his words.

This Yuna knew to be the truth. The absolute truth. The one she hadn't wanted to speak off, Tidus had been sent to the gallows the moment he had decided to become Sin. Whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not. And she couldn't help but agree with the person who called himself Yu Yevon, to save him, to save Tidus, she was going to have to kill him. Tidus seemed to sense her realization and his head suddenly stared up at her, breaking the tight control Yevon had on him, "Thank you." he said.

And then he was silent again. Yevon looked at him and backhanded him into the wall of the platform. Finally the bounds that had kept Yuna tied down disappeared and she ran towards him. Yevon saw this and he looked honestly surprised at her - perhaps she was stronger than he had suspected. When she reached him she lifted Tidus into her lap and looked up at him, using her own body as a shield, "Don't touch him." she said angrily.

A dark cloud surrounded her and her eyes turned black, pools of red inside of them. Her hair, for just a moment flickered felt rage overcome her and she struggled to keep tight control on her emotions. But it was becoming too much. She wanted to tear into the man in front of her and rip him limb from limb for what he had looked up at her and pulled her head towards his, "Don't. You're only doing what he wants you to do. Don't tap into that dark power, don't become part of him."

Yuna looked down surprised to have heard his voice, "Tidus?"

He smiled at her, "I'm okay for now, thanks to you. You were able to break his control on you a moment ago - and that weakened him. But, he's stronger than he should be. He's ready to attack, ready to rend destruction on Spira."

Yuna looked terrified, "But that's should happen in ten years. Not this early!"

Tidus looked sad, "He has more than one power source now, you, me, Seymour, himself, and the Aeons you get since they too are a part of you. He has all the power he needs."

Yuna looked up at the man who was staring at them oddly. He smoothed the wrinkles in his robe and straightened, giving her the full brunt of his ire. He glared at Yuna but she didn't flinch. Tidus suddenly disappeared from her arms she looked back up at him, "Bring him back!"

He glanced at her unbothered by her outburst, "He is mine. He belongs to Sin, part of the never changing spiral of death that makes up Spira. You must accept this."

Yuna looked up at Yevon and made a face, eyebrows knit in determination "I will change this spiral. I will change this ongoing suffering. This time, I will kill Sin," she looked down at the trembling Tidus as he appeared again in her arms, her power overcoming Yevon's once more, "and if it comes down to it I do what needs to be done." she couldn't quite say the words yet.

She felt warm tears on her hands, and for a few seconds she thought they were Tidus's. But she found that they were her's. Tidus looked up at her, his blue eyes asking her to stop crying. Asking her not to be sad for him, for the path that they had chosen. But she kept crying. He sighed and seemed to close his eyes, Yuna tilted her head and looked at him unsure of what it was he seemed to sense. Finally he smiled and looked at her, "He's coming. He'll get you out of here" Tidus told her.

Yuna shook her head, "No! I have to save you! I can defeat him here and then we can escape we can be…" she seemed to trail off realizing that he efforts were futile.

Tidus smiled sadly, "No, this is a dream Yuna. Killing him here will do no good, only serve to lure your further in. Now is not the time, save your strength. A better time will come, a time where you can truly end this."

He lifted his hand up and wiped off the tears that had appeared on her face and she nodded. As her tears dried a suddenly a mask of confusion appeared on her face, "Who's coming?"

As if answering her call a swirl of wind appeared to the left of her and she turned to find Auron standing there. He blinked a few times to steady himself and then looked left giving a curt nod, "Yevon."

Yu Yevon nodded back as if this was an occurrence that he was used to, "Auron. I didn't think you would be back here so soon. Not after your last meeting with Jecht. But you're connected to this boy too aren't you?"

Auron smirked at Yevon, "Consider it luck."

Yuna watched this exchanged in confusion, not knowing what to make of it. And then Auron walked over to Tidus and kneeled down next to him, "I knew you would do something stupid like this."

Tidus chuckled, "Just like my father right?"

Auron sighed and then looked at Yuna, "It's time to go Yuna. You can't stay her any longer."

She looked up to him both eyes staring into his brown ones, they showed sadness. They were choked with it. Once again Auron wished there was something he could do, but once again found himself relegated to the position of an observer - unable to change the tide in the way that the living could, "Can't we do anything here?" Yuna asked of him.

"No, we must live to fight another day," he looked down again at Tidus, "may we meet again."

Tidus's face darkened, "I hope not. Next time, it will be on the battlefield. And next time, the only thing that will happen will be death. Let's hope that the day is very far from us."

"You've become wise." Auron commented.

"Being Sin does that to you."

Auron then grabbed Yuna and pulled her up away from Tidus. She grabbed onto Tidus and Auron looked down at her sternly until she finally let go. Auron looked down at the boy and then the wind picked up, Yuna looked back at Tidus one last time and then yelled, "I'll be back! And I'll save you!"

Then she was swept away.

Yuna woke up in a cold sweat, one thought on her mind. She threw off her blankets and quickly changed, not noticing the silence in her mind - how quiet Tidus had become. She slipped a pair of shoes on and then marched down to Auron's room. She pushed the door open and found Auron waiting for her sitting in a chair next to a table, a glass for water already ready for her arrival, "I knew you would come." he said.

A/N: Actual forward plot progression, who would have thought we would make it here. Form this point on most chapters have at least some forward plot importance.