Chapter 15: Flower Girl

Informing our friends about everything that'd happened in Zanarkand hadn't gone as well as I'd hoped. At first, they'd seemed receptive to most of what Tidus and I had revealed. From learning I was an ancient Mystic to Tidus' new memories. We'd even managed to convince them early on that I really had travelled to Dream Zanarkand. And, of course, they were excited to hear about my pregnancy.

But when we got to the part of Yunalesca draining me of the life-force I'd consumed and what that'd meant for Spira… Well, that's when everything changed.

The room had grown tense and somber, sparking difficult questions that'd led to undesirable answers. Things had gone from bad to worse, however, when I revealed my controversial plan to save the people of Spira.

Learning we'd have to build a fleet of starships and abandon Spira had been hard enough for them to swallow. But when they'd realized we'd be helping to drain the planet's life-force in order for us to do so… Well, that'd been their breaking point.

Baralai had stormed off, clearly unable to reconcile with the news, and Paine had followed, once she'd voiced how opposed she'd been to my idea. My cousin, on the other hand, had sunk to the stone floor in what seemed like a catatonic state with Gippal at her side, skewering us with a glance.

So much for unity in dire times…

At that point, I'd had about all I could take since my return and hurried out of there, retreating over into one of the cabins outside headquarters. Once inside, I flopped onto the queen-sized bed, clutching that teddy-bear to my chest as Tidus curled up next to me.

That's when I finally broke.

The culmination of everything I'd gone through those past several weeks, along with the enormity of all I'd yet to face, came crashing down on me in an emotional tsunami, reducing me into a fit of heaving sobs.

All I'd ever wanted was to protect my friends, my family, and the people of Spira. For so long that'd been my driving force—what'd defined me. And I'd felt like such a failure in that moment. The only solution I could offer them all was to abandon their home.

Holding me close, Tidus cooed into my ear in an effort to calm me as I quaked in his arms from my deluge of emotions. Nothing would work at that point though. I needed the emotional release.

After a while, exhaustion had set in and those violent sobs diminished into sniffles. The gentle caress of Tidus' fingers combing through my hair had begun to finally have the desirable effect, lulling me to sleep, one soothing stroke at a time.

At least that's what I thought had happened—that I'd fallen asleep. But now…I wasn't so sure.

Somehow, I'd ended up in that strange, dark metropolis from my earlier vision, attempting to sell flowers on the street corners. That eerie, green light mixed with the smog above, only heightened my anxiety in this perpetual state of confusion I now found myself in, unsure of what was happening to me and why.

Was I dreaming? Or was this… something else?

Someone pushed past me in a hurry right then, and I stumbled to the side as a result, bumping into someone else.

"Hey! Watch where yer goin'!" the man barked, throwing me an angry glower over his shoulder.

Right… As if I knew where I was headed or why I was doing this in the first place. And yet, there was a strong sense of purpose to it all that I just couldn't quite understand.

The city's denizens continued to rush by preoccupied, not even sparing a glance my way at times. Those few who'd stopped at my greeting though had been polite for the most part but very… timid. Then there were others who'd shoot me a venomous glare and grumble as though my mere presence offended them somehow.

In a lot of ways this place reminded me of Zanarkand's A-East—dark, gloomy, and slightly rundown. And I had to wonder if a tyrant similar to Maroon dwelled in the grand tower that loomed off in the distance, making everyone so miserable.

" Excuse me sir, would you like to—"

"Piss off!"

Another happy soul wandering about. Just what kind of world was this?

The longer I wandered those streets, attempting to sell flowers from the basket hooked on my arm, the foggier my mind became. That's when it finally dawned on me—it wasn't actually me wandering those streets.

Forced to be a spectator through someone else's eyes, my thoughts grew muddled and unclear as though I were struggling to remain a separate consciousness. And I suppose I had been at that moment.

It was…a bit jarring to say the least.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any more disturbing, a pack of cloaked entities appeared and began to swarm us, their gray ethereal forms whizzing by in what looked like clouds of smoke. Then came a gasp that was not my own. But the foreboding sense of dread consuming me at that moment sure was. Whatever was happening wasn't supposed to occur—that's all I knew. That's all I could think about.

By then, I'd noticed one of the cloaked beings had stopped to look at me. There was no visible face underneath that dark hood, but I could sense the entity's wrath as though I threatened the very fabric of reality. The malice it was directing at me felt like some sort of attack, threatening to crush my existence. Heavy and suffocating, it grew stronger and stronger to the point where I thought I'd come apart at the seams.

Just as I thought I'd burst from it all, I unleashed an agonizing howl and slipped into darkness.

" Yuna!"

My eyes snapped open upon hearing my name. It took a moment for my vision to come into focus, but when it did, I was met by my fiancé's worried expression, and his hand gently stroking the side of my face.

"Hey, you okay? That had to be one hell of a nightmare."

The cabin was now lit by the soft glow of the oil lamp on the nightstand, suggesting I'd been asleep far longer than I'd wanted to be.

"What… What time is it?"

"Quarter after ten."

Adjusting myself up against the wooden headboard, I released a long breath and rubbed my brow, trying to make sense of what I'd experienced.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Tidus asked, rubbing a gentle hand over my thigh. "Might help some."

"I… I want to find Zeltic and Brie. They may be the only ones who can help me at this point."

"Are you saying that whatever happened just now was more than a bad dream?"

"I'm not sure what to think to be honest. I… I was back in that strange city I saw earlier. But this time it was like I was…inside someone else's body. And then there were these cloaked entities that were attacking us— me or…I'm not sure. I was a threat—that much was certain."

"Y'know… You've been through an awful lot in a very short period of time."

I shot my fiancé an accusing glance. "You don't believe me?"

"I didn't say that. I just think we shouldn't jump to conclusions right away."

"So was I jumping to conclusions earlier?"

"C'mon Yuna…" Leaning back against the headboard, Tidus stared over at the door with a pensive look on his face and expelled a troubled sigh. "This is all so messed up. I dunno what to think. Even dealing with Sin on your pilgrimage wasn't this complicated."

Something we could definitely agree on. Life sure had a bad sense of humor where we were concerned. Then, something Tidus had mentioned earlier had crept into the front of my mind.

"What if you're right? What if I am connected to someone like me in that strange world I keep seeing? What does it all mean though?"

"I dunno…" Pausing to contemplate my question more, Tidus licked his bottom lip then pressed them together into a thin line. "Maybe it's fate. Maybe all of this was supposed to happen for some crazy reason we'll never understand."

"I don't think so," I disagreed with a slow sweep of my head. "The whole time I was with whomever that was felt… It felt wrong! Those cloaked entities were making it clear to me. And how can you say it's fate, knowing how Shinra and Yunalesca meddled with time? If we hadn't left for Djose that day, and if Shinra had never created that Quantum Bender, none of this would've ever happened. And if I hadn't drunk what was inside that vial…"

"That's a lot of ' if's', Yuna," Tidus broke in, sounding slightly agitated from my last comment. "We dunno what would've happened for sure. Maybe Rin or someone else would've created the Quantum Bender and this would've all happened at a later date." Folding his arms, my fiancé huffed then peered over at me with an empathetic smile. "Look, there's no use dwelling on it. All I know right now is that we need to go forward with your plan or there's no future for any of us."

A loud knock came at the door just then, interrupting our heavy conversation.

" Yunie?"

I sat up straight and glanced over at Tidus, hopeful. "It's Rikku!"

"At least she's speaking now," he muttered, hurrying off the bed. "So, I guess that's a good sign." Unlocking the latch, Tidus opened the door and gestured for my cousin to come inside.

Rikku cautiously entered the room with her brows pinched in regret and came to the foot of the bed where I stood to greet her.

There was an awkward silence that followed, until Rikku finally spoke. "Um… I'm really, really sorry for earlier, you guys. It was all just a bit too much, y'know?"

"I understand. Really, I do."

Latching the door, Tidus made his way over to us and laid a comforting hand on my cousin's shoulder. "This isn't easy for any of us, trust me."

"Yeah, no kidding. This all makes Sin and Vegnagun seem like a day at the carnival—a super-psycho carnival," she emphasized with a touch of pep before growing serious once again. "I just never thought we'd ever have to face something so..."

"Catastrophic?" I offered.

"Yeah…that."

"Neither did we," Tidus lamented, slipping an arm around my waist. "So, I'm guessing Gippal's still coming to terms with things?"

"Oh… Yeah, well he's… adjusting to everything inside headquarters with Baralai and Paine."

At the mention of our friends returning, I was filled with a renewed sense of hope. "They came back!?"

"Uh-huh." Rikku perked up a little. "Once they had a chance to calm down of course. We spent the past couple hours discussing everything and came to the same conclusion."

Tidus and I remained quiet, patiently waiting for Rikku to reveal whatever that would be. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I was nervous of the answer.

Inhaling deeply, Rikku hugged her arms and offered me a tight smile. "We know you'd never suggest abandoning Spira if there was another way. And as much as we hate the idea of leaving…just as we Al-Bhed never wanted to blow up Home," she paused to wince at the painful memory, "we know the alternative is not a viable option. We'd be condemning everyone to oblivion."

And I had a feeling Rikku had been the voice of reason in regards to all this, just as she'd been on my pilgrimage at times, surprising everyone around her.

"So what now?" Tidus asked, breaking the silence.

"Everyone's waiting for you guys inside headquarters. They wanna discuss our next move and apologize."

"Yuna needs to see a doctor. We need to know if the baby's okay."

"What I need is to find Zeltic and Brie before something else happens to me. Besides, this isn't Zanarkand. There're no doctors available at this time of night, only healing mages."

"Wait, what—what's going on!?" Rikku's brow was now dipped low in concern. "Whaddya mean something else happened to you? And haven't those two gone like poof," she illustrated, using hand gestures, "since Dream Zanarkand went kaboom?"

"Zeltic and Brie weren't dreams," Tidus reminded her from our earlier conversation. "They were both unsent. I thought I mentioned that earlier, but I dunno, maybe I didn't."

"Tidus believes they may be hiding out in Spira somewhere—that they haven't gone to the Farplane yet. And…I think I may be connecting to another Mystic in the future…from another world."

"Umm…" With a finger to her lips, Rikku proceeded to ask, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Well…" Tidus scratched the back of his head, searching for an answer. "We're not really sure just yet."

"Then we'd better shaky, shaky on up to headquarters to tell the others and help ya find those two unsents!"

Leave it to Rikku to throw herself into a task. At least she seemed to be back to her chipper self from it.

"C'mon," she chirped, bounding for the door. "We gotta lot of work to do!"

And deciding on where to start would certainly pose a challenge.


It was just as Rikku had mentioned—all our friends had finally had a change of heart in regards to my plan and apologized for how they'd initially reacted to it. But that also meant answering some tough questions with even more controversial answers.

"So what of all the souls residing in the Farplane?" Baralai inquired. "Will they be forced to endure a fate worse than death?"

A question I knew all too well that would surface. Thankfully, I was prepared for it. "I may have a solution for that."

Gippal lifted a brow. "Do tell."

"I've been waiting to hear this myself," Tidus added with an encouraging nod. "Go on."

"Okay, well…"

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the living?" Rikku rudely interjected, earning several glowers. "I don't mean to sound cruel or anything, it's just—"

"Let her speak," Paine jumped in, shooting my cousin a look that would melt steel.

"Okay, okay… Geez… Touchy!"

All eyes were on me again, and I couldn't help feeling the anxiety start to swell inside my chest. I really didn't want another repeat of earlier.

"So, um… Right, okay." Digging into my satchel, I pulled out a dressphere and brandished it in my hands for them all to see. "As you all know, spheres are created out of water infused with pyreflies. And we use them for many purposes. For instance, our dressphere's are infused with the abilities of fallen heroes. The pyreflies—the essence of what had once been a living person, at least a part of it—already resides inside these, just as Lenne had been a part of my songstress dressphere."

"Whoa, wait a sec," Gippal interjected with a wave of his hand. "Are you suggestin' what I think you are?"

"If we want to save the souls in the Farplane, we need to make them into spheres, yes."

Paine's eyes widened. "That's a lot of spheres, Yuna."

"Not to mention a lot of water we'd need to transfer over into the Farplane," Baralai indicated with a touch of concern.

Folding his arms, Tidus disagreed with a shake of his head. "Not really. The waterfall there is endless from what I remember."

"Can we even use that one though?" Rikku piped up.

"I don't see why we couldn't," I mentioned, pocketing the sphere. "The Farplane is powered by the Lifestream. As long as we make the majority of the spheres before we start draining the planet's life-force, it can be done."

With a huff, Baralai rubbed the back of his neck, seeming conflicted. "I'm not sure how I feel about all this. We're entombing all those souls inside spheres, even the bad ones like Yevon."

"And Seymour!" Rikku warned with a shout.

"Regardless," Baralai continued, "none of us had ever given it much thought before. How are those souls going to feel about being entombed into something so small? Won't that make them restless? What kind of fate is that?"

Tidus gave a cynical snort. "It sure beats being obliterated."

"He's right," I calmly interjected. "Existing in some form is better than not at all. Besides, we don't have any other options to choose from. Even if they were to survive, they'll be consumed by Yunalesca. What kind of peace would they have in that demon's corrupted soul?"

Paine agreed with a nod. "She makes a good point. And who's to say whatever world we end up settling in wouldn't have something like the Farplane there? At that point, we could release them into it."

"I never thought about that," I admitted with a faint smile. "So there's even more hope for them."

Rubbing her chin in thought, Rikku glanced my way and arched a brow. "So what're we making them into—dresspheres?"

"We should keep it as simple as possible," I advised. "We're not even sure what they'll form into once infused with the pyreflies. Shinra had mentioned before that sometimes the pyreflies decide. It's best we don't mix them up with the other spheres."

"Then maybe we should give them a different name," Baralai suggested.

"I know!" Raising a fist into the air, Rikku trumpeted, "Soul spheres!"

Paine winced as though the suggestion had physically harmed her in some way. "That sounds very… cringe."

"Heeeyyy! I thought it was good! Whaddaya think, Yunie?"

"Well…" Honestly, I hadn't given it much thought. There was one name that came to mind though. One I hadn't been grateful for at first. But since Tidus had been able to recover his memories, I suppose I owed her something for that. "How about… Materia?"

"Seriously!?" Tidus drew back in surprise. "You're gonna name the spheres after that goddess?"

"That goddess was more helpful than you care to admit. We owe her some sort of gratitude. This is the least we could do."

"If that's whatcha want," he conceded with a heavy sigh. "Materia it is then. Any objections?"

My cousin instantly raised her hand to which Paine responded with a deathly glare.

"It's way better than Soul Spheres."

"Oooh, fine!" Yanking down her hand, Rikku folded her arms and began to sulk. "I still think it was a good name."

"Okay, well… My next question is—where do we store all these spheres once we make 'em?" Gippal inquired. "I'm assumin' they're gonna need an ark of their own."

"A whole ark!?" Shooting her man a doubtful look, Rikku breathed a laugh then gestured over to the doors leading down to what had once been the chamber of the fayth. "We could store them all below where the trials used to be. They're just spheres, not bodies."

"Even if we ran outta room, we could store the other half under the temple in Bevelle," Tidus broke in. "And I'm with Rikku—I doubt we'll need an entire ark just for the spheres. Of course we're gonna need to start building the arks as well."

Barking a laugh, Gippal laced his hands behind his head and poked the inside of his lower lip with is tongue. "You guys realize this all ain't gonna happen in a matter of months or even a few years, right? This is gonna take a long-ass time to accomplish. Sure, using Spira's life-force will speed up the process a couple centuries but… I'm thinkin' this'll still take a couple decades to achieve."

"That long!" Rikku whined, shoulders sagging in defeat. "How long do we have until that succubus gobbles us up?"

"I… I wish I knew. It all depends on how quickly she can drain the life-force from this planet. I think that's a question better suited for Zeltic and Brie. That's if we can find them."

Baralai threw me an inquisitive glance. "That's the pair of unsents you met in Dream Zanarkand, correct?"

"Mhm… I'm sure they have the answers to a lot of the questions we have right now."

From how Rikku was hopping from foot-to-foot, I could tell she was just bursting to tell everyone what I'd experienced earlier. And of course she didn't disappoint.

"Yunie thinks she's connecting to a Mystic from another world in the future!"

Gippal drew back in shock. "Wait—what!?"

"Is that true?" Paine asked.

So I told them everything I'd experienced earlier and what I'd thought had been a dream, garnering several stunned reactions.

"So now we have this to contend with as well?" Gippal groused, earning an elbow to the ribs from my cousin. "Ow! Hey!"

"Dontcha ' hey' me mister! This isn't Yunie's fault!"

"I'm just frustrated, okay?" Gippal threw me an apologetic look. "Sorry, this is just a lot to process."

"I… I understand. For what it's worth, I don't suspect this connection I have will affect Spira in any way, just me."

"Still, you're our friend," Baralai emphasized. "And we shouldn't leave anything to chance. This could be some sort of trick of Yunalesca's. There's no way to know for certain."

That vile creature was not above mind games—that's for sure. Though I doubted she alone had the power to pull my consciousness into another world. Which begged the question—who did? Or was I somehow doing this on my own? I wasn't sure what to think anymore.

Snaking an arm around my waist, Tidus pulled me close and pleaded to me in a hushed tone, "I wanna getcha back to Luca. You need to see a doctor."

Ugh… Really? "Not now, Tidus."

"What's wrong?" Paine asked, clearly noting my sudden agitation.

"We need to get Yuna back to Luca," Tidus answered out of turn, only irritating me further. "She needs to see a doctor. And I'm sure that's where Brie and Zeltic are hiding out. They're not the type to live off grid. And they sure as hell wouldn't go anywhere near Bevelle. So Luca is the obvious choice."

Upon hearing my fiancé's full intentions, I managed to simmer down, now knowing we'd be searching for Zeltic and Brie while we were there.

"I can have Brother here first thing in the morning with the Celsius," Rikku offered. "Unless you guys wanna leave tonight?"

Well, it's not like we could go banging on doors at this hour. This wasn't Zanarkand.

"It's late and I'm…tired." Glancing up at Tidus, he gave me an understanding nod. "First thing in the morning is fine."

"You got it!"

With a loud yawn, Paine stretched out her arms and cracked her neck to the side. "Yeah, it's been a long day. We all should turn in and try to get some sleep."

Somehow I doubted they'd get any rest at all. And it was all because of me.

"I, um…" Clasping my hands behind my back, I expelled a long breath and bowed my head in apology. "I just want to say that… I'm truly sorry for everything."

"It's not your fault, Yunie!"

Yes it was.

Baralai and Paine both issued me a sympathetic glance. "This is all on Shinra and Yunalesca," the praetor expressed in earnest. "We don't hold you responsible."

"Besides," Gippal chimed in with a yawn. "We're family. And as a family, we're gonna save everyone in Spira together. Just imagine the stories we'll get to tell our grandkids."

That got a chuckle out of everyone and made me feel a little more at ease.

"C'mon," Tidus whispered, leading me over to the doors. "Let's go."

But as tired as I'd been, I was honestly a little afraid of falling asleep, unsure if I would wake in that strange world far into the future where those ghastly entities were waiting to devour me whole.


Lying in that bed, trying to sleep had been like attempting to fight a flan without magic. I kept tossing and turning, unable to shut off my mind. All the horrible scenarios played themselves out in rapid succession, filling me an ominous sense of dread.

My restlessness had kept Tidus awake as well, even though he'd been insistent that I hadn't been the reason. But I knew better.

Lying there, unable to sleep, we both finally gave into our desires in a lustful reunion that I thought would never happen a mere thirty-six hours ago. I'd escaped death once again. And I intended for all of those in Spira to as well. For us all to be known as the generation that defied death and escaped that demon's wrath.

It was a little strange—the time gap that'd happened. For Tidus, the last time we'd made love occurred several weeks ago. But for me, it'd only been the night before last. And even though he remembered the encounter well, it was still something that'd happened years ago for him and was not as fresh in his mind—not that it'd made a difference.

Tidus was still the amazing lover he'd always been. Perhaps even slightly better in some ways, having known me longer now than before I'd travelled to Dream Zanarkand.

Of course this mature version of my fiancé was preferred over his needy, younger self, who I'd lived with for seven weeks. Don't get me wrong, I loved every aspect of Tidus, who he'd been and who he was now. But it was the man who'd been through so much, who'd grown exponentially throughout the years that I'd needed now more than ever. This calmer, more rational, less impulsive version of Tidus that knew me better than anyone and what I needed above anything else.

And I was so happy to be with him now in the throes of passion…

Our bodies spooned together, my leg draped over his, those moist lips on my neck, his hand gently massaging my breast as our hips moved in tandem with the beating of our hearts.

There'd never been anything that ever felt so good. His loving, tentative touch had me at the crest for what seemed like hours now, just at that verge but not going over. It was a pleasurable torture that I rather liked and didn't want to end.

"Omigosh…" I breathed. "You feel… Ah! Sooo… Oh… Omigah…" Those titillating tremors began, threatening to throttle me over that edge.

An amused chuckle vibrated against my neck. "That's it. Let go." His voice caressed my ear in a husky whisper, sending pleasurable sparks down my spine and straight to the center of my desire.

" Tidus…" As soon as his name left my lips, I tumbled over that blissful edge with an erotic cry, dragging my fiancé along with me.

" Ahh… Yuna!" Those sexy groans were accompanied by several forceful thrusts, penetrating me in such a way that I erupted like a geyser as I'd done so many times before.

Sliding a hand under my chin, Tidus turned my head and smothered my lips in a slow, sensual kiss that lasted for almost as long as it took for us to recover from our powerful orgasms.

I turned and shifted into his arms, noting how his lips were curved into an affectionate smile, eyes glazed over with emotion.

"I love you so much. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, y'know?"

And in a lot of ways I'd beg to differ. But then, I remembered Auron's lecture that night he'd whisked me away to the Delmont. Despite how I'd felt, Spira and all those I loved would not be better off if I hadn't existed.

"And you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. After all we've been through. We're still here…together. It's like we're…soul mates."

"Soul mates, huh?" His grin widened. "Does that mean you believe in fate now?"

" Ughh…" I groaned. This man and his teasing. Though I suppose he was right to a degree.

Lying in his arms with my head resting on his chest, I felt so at peace that I began to slip in and out of consciousness, until he issued a troubled sigh.

"Are you…alright?"

"Yeah, it's just… Well… We're still gonna go through with the wedding in a couple weeks, right?"

My body tensed, having almost forgotten about the blissful event. "I, um… I suppose."

"Mmm… You don't sound so sure."

"It's not that. I was just thinking about everything. And what Gippal had said—how all of this is going to take a lot of time. That's what I'm most worried about— time and it running out."

"So… Are you sayin' you wanna postpone?"

"No, not at all. I'd honestly forgotten about it because of all that's happening. As far as I know, Rikku has everything booked and ready to go so... We still have lives to lead and a baby on the way, right?"

"That's right. And more than anything, I wantcha to finally be my wife."

An irrepressible grin tugged on my lips. "I want that too. And for you to finally be my husband." The dampness of the sheets had finally taken its toll on me though, making me feel uncomfortable and icky the longer I laid there. "I think I'll draw myself a bath and soak for a while."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll change the bedding while ya do. There's an extra set in the closet somewhere."

"Thank you." Peering up at the man I loved, I left a lingering kiss on his lips, before rolling off the bed and making my way into the bathroom.


The warm water had been a welcome relief to my sore, achy muscles—not to mention the perfect way to unwind after such a harrowing couple of days.

Head resting on the back in the tub, I struggled to keep my eyes open as the hypnotic sound of the water dripping from the tap echoed in my ears.

Drip… Drip… Drop…

Drip… Drip… Drop…

My eyelids fluttered shut, despite my desperate attempts to keep them open. Then, came a female voice—one I'd heard once before…

Please lend me your strength. I know I'm doing this wrong.

With a gasp, I opened my eyes but I was no longer in that brightly-lit room, soaking in a warm bath. I was fully dressed and floating in darkness. A darkness I'd become all-too-familiar with that was normally accompanied by that sinister ancestor of mine.

The area suddenly brightened with the planet's essence. Those aqua-colored streams wound through the air, twisting in every direction before converging on a particular spot.

I was fully-expecting Yunalesca to emerge from them like she'd had in the past to confront me on what I'd been planning, or even finish the job she'd failed to complete when we'd last met. Instead, I found a young woman around my age wearing a red coat over a pink dress, her long, cinnamon locks were woven into a loose braid, head bowed and hands clasped in prayer while she knelt among the Lifestream.

Mom never taught me how to pray. And as the last living Cetra I may never learn.

Her thoughts—I could hear them as though they were my own. And that voice…

"It's you… The one from that strange world. The one who I was…trapped inside." Floating closer, I swooped down and smacked my face off the invisible barrier I'd forgotten about. I groaned at my blunder and rubbed my nose, stealing another glance at the beautiful, young women praying on the other side. "Hello? Can you hear me at all?"

All I want…is one thing. To keep the others safe. They mean so much to me. So please…tell me how to do that. I'm begging you.

This young woman's selfless prayer touched me deeply. It practically echoed all the ones I'd said to the fayth during my pilgrimage. That's when I knew… We were connected. In fact, I could sense it.

"Your world's in danger, isn't it? I want to help! How can I help?"

But there was no response. She couldn't hear me. She didn't even know I was there.

Please…grant me the means to summon Holy. It may be the only way.

Summon Holy? But…Holy was a spell. I was confused by her thoughts. No one could summon a spell—it had to be cast by a mage or someone who knew how to wield that particular form of magic. Then again, this was a different world far into the future. Who knew what kind of technology they possessed or limitations on magic they'd have compared to us.

Then, I felt it—that insidious presence full of contempt that could only belong to a certain deranged Mystic.

The air grew heavy and thick. So much so, I began to pant, unable to suck enough oxygen into my lungs.

With a hand to my chest, I momentarily shut my eyes, trying not to panic.

Suddenly the temperature dropped, along with the suffocating air, allowing me to draw a normal intake of breath. But my relief was short-lived when I heard a familiar swooshing sound increase around me.

Goosebumps popped up on my arms and my stomach coiled.

When I opened my eyes, the Lifestream was gone and all I could see was a vortex of those cloaked entities swirling around me in a blur of gray and white.

Every inch of my body was tingling. But it wasn't my body…not anymore. I was connected to her once again, and those cloaked entities were anything but happy about it.

A curious black feather suddenly floated down in front of my face. I wanted more than anything to look up to see where it came from, but I couldn't. It was not my body to control.

Just when the air grew insufferable once again, a sharp, burning sensation penetrated my back and spread to my chest, stealing my breath. At the same time, I heard the primal roar of a man. A man who I sensed was determined to protect me. No, not Tidus, but someone else. Someone connected to the young woman who I was… inhabiting at the moment.

By now, I came to the realization that she'd been lanced by a sharp object—a sword perhaps. And yet, the excruciating pain radiating from my chest had begun to ease as though it'd never happened.

There were several blinding flashes of light that followed. Visions of a life… No, several lives I'd never led before played out in front of me. It was as though I'd split into many different versions of myself—or I should say, the young woman I was connected to.

Whatever was happening, it felt… wrong as though something had disrupted the natural order of things. And I had a feeling my presence may have played a part in it all.

That heavy pressure returned to my lungs. And suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I… I couldn't breathe!

Yuna!

A strong pair of arms latched onto my shoulders and yanked on me hard.

Coughing, spatting and gasping for air, I found myself back in that brightly-lit bathroom, sitting up in the tub with Tidus at my side, eyes wide in alarm as he stroked my back.

"You okay!? What the hell happened—didya fall asleep!?"

Breaths heavy, I coughed and spat once more before answering in a strained voice, "Not quite."

"C'mon, lets getcha outta there." Yanking out the plug, Tidus stood and pulled me up into his arms. "Don't move," he instructed, leaving me briefly to grab a towel off the rack. "Here…" He returned to wrap it around me then proceeded to carry me out of the tub and back over to the bed.

My thoughts were a frenzied blur. But one thing was clear. If Tidus hadn't been awake, I would've surely drowned, stuck in some sort of dreamscape between worlds. Whatever was happening to me, we needed to figure it out quickly.

Sitting next to me on the mattress, Tidus raked a hand through his tousled hair and blew out a sharp breath. "You really gotta stop trying to die on me, y'know?"

"I'm not trying to die on you ."

Those gorgeous, cerulean eyes held my gaze. "What happened?"

"I saw her."

"Who?"

"The young woman I'm connected to. She's…a part of me—a part of us—far into the future in this strange world. I could sense it. She… She's a type of Mystic. Not quite like Yunalesca and I, but…very similar. Perhaps a mix of something else exclusive to wherever it is that she's from. I'm… I'm not certain. But she's the last of her kind. And…she needs help."

"Lemme guess—you wanna be the one to help her?"

"I'm… I'm not sure if I can. I don't even know how I'm doing all this—connecting to her, experiencing these things through her eyes. All of this is coming at me a mile a minute and…I may have already done more harm than good."

His frown deepened. "Whaddaya mean?"

"She was praying and…and something happened—something horrible. I'm afraid my presence may have…changed things. Disrupted the natural order of that world and what was supposed to occur."

"So…kinda like defying fate?" There was a bit of a smirk on his face, almost taunting me at the notion. "Is that what you're saying, Yuna?"

"I… I suppose. And those cloaked entities were almost like arbiters of it, determined to stop me at all costs."

"Arbiters of fate, huh? " His face split into an amused grin. "Oh man, the irony."

"This isn't funny!"

"Okay, I get it." That grin of his made a quick retreat, forming into a thin line of concern. "But we're not gonna be able to make heads or tails about any of this until we find Zeltic and Brie."

"And what if we can't?"

Tidus wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Don't worry. We will."

There was no doubt in my mind that Tidus would follow through on his promise, even if that meant turning all of Luca upside down to do so. I just wasn't certain about anything anymore. It was bad enough having to deal with Yunalesca and what would happen to Spira. But now this…

Then, something finally struck me.

"Tidus…?"

"Mm…?"

"Do you suppose it's possible to…split timelines?"

"Well… You kinda already changed this one a little by travelling back to when I was in Dream Zanarkand and shacking up with me," he quipped with a chuckle. "I have these new memories now that I didn't have before."

"Yes, but… That hasn't impacted all of Spira."

"Mmm…" His body tensed as if he were hesitant to say what was on his mind. "Yunalesca sure had an impact on things though."

Right… And these strange occurrences were a grim reminder of that.

"Shifting timelines isn't the same as splitting them though."

"Are you saying that your connection to whoever that is in the future may have created new realities?"

"Not my connection necessarily, but my presence inside her as a separate consciousness may have."

"I'm not sure how it would. Then again, we're not experts on this kinda stuff."

"And with Shinra gone…"

"We'll find Zeltic and Brie. I promise, Yuna. We'll figure this out."

Just as we'd settled into a comfortable silence, there came a soft knock on the door.

" Hey, you two awake?"

Tidus glanced down at me, brow creased with worry. "It's Gippal."

"What do you suppose he wants at this hour?"

"I dunno, but it must be important." Scrambling off the bed, my fiancé shucked on his shorts then tossed me my clothes that were scattered onto the floor. "Yeah, just give us a sec!" he hollered over at the door.

I quickly changed into my gunner outfit, anxious of what would warrant a visit so late from our Al-Bhed friend.

After fastening the remaining buckles on his blitz uniform, Tidus peered over at me to check if I was decent then proceeded to open the door.

"Top of the mornin' to ya." Gippal greeted us on the other side with a teasing grin. "I didn't interrupt anythin' too kinky, did I?"

"Why—need some pointers?" Tidus returned, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" Breezing past my fiancé, Gippal gave me a curt nod then frowned at the sight of my sopping wet hair. "Should I even ask?"

"Probably not." I grabbed the towel I discarded onto the bed and began to dry my hair with it. "Has something happened?"

"Nothin' bad if that's what you're wonderin'. Couldn't sleep, so I went back into headquarters and decided to snoop around Shinra's room. I figured he wouldn't mind too much since he won't be returnin' and all."

"Didya find anything interesting?" Tidus inquired, now leaning against the closed door with his arms folded.

"As a matter of fact I did." Digging into his trouser pocket, the Machine Faction leader pulled out a curious piece of paper, unfolded it, and held it up for us to see. "At first, I thought these were just some random numbers. But the more I looked at it, I realized they weren't. They're coordinates."

"Coordinates to what?" I asked, nervous of his answer.

"That's what I wantcha guys to come inside headquarters to see."

Tidus groaned and stepped away from the door. "Can't you just tell us?"

"Trust me—you're gonna wanna see this." He then cast an amused glance my way. "Especially you."

Whatever Gippal had found must've been pretty important for him to show up outside our door in the middle of the night. And judging from the grin on his face, it was something I would be excited about.

"Alright." I nodded. "Lead the way."


Headquarters was just outside, and Gippal's office was on the main floor, so it didn't take us long to get there. Tidus, of course, had whined the whole way about how tired he'd been, finally feeling the effects of sleep deprivation. But Gippal promised whatever information he had would be worth it in the end.

That office of his had seen better days though. It was a chaotic mess with half-built inventions scattered in every corner, diagrams and schematics pinned on the walls, and a large desk buried underneath several stacks of paper.

"Nice digs," Tidus teased, giving the room the once-over.

"Yeah, yeah... It's been a crazy month. What can I say?" Our Al-Bhed friend took a seat in his over-sized leather chair and hit a strange button at the side of his desk, bringing up a holographic computer screen.

Rounding the corner of the wooden structure, I joined Tidus on the other side to have a closer look.

"What exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" Tidus impatiently asked.

"Gimmie a sec here." Swiping his fingers across the holographic screen, he pulled up an image of what looked like a constellation of stars and… planets?

"Is that what I think?" I asked, leaning in close.

"If you're thinkin' a map of our galaxy then you'd be correct. It seems our little scientist was scouring the cosmos lookin' for inhabitable planets."

"But…why?"

"Maybe he knew somethin' we didn't."

Tidus drew back, a haunting look now marring his boyish features. "You don't think he knew about Yunalesca, do you?"

"That's what I'm thinkin'. My question is—why didn't he warn any of us?"

"Maybe that's why he created the Quantum Bender," I offered. "He was trying to find a way to stop her and save us all."

Tidus cast me a doubtful look. "Or maybe he was working with her the entire time."

"No," I disagreed with an ardent shake of my head. "He wouldn't do that. Why would he do that? We were his friends—the only family he had left."

"Did anyone ever have a deep conversation with this kid?" Brow drawn low, Tidus' gaze darted between me and Gippal. "He locked himself up in a room here the majority of the time and before that he was hangin' out with Rin in the Farplane. Maybe Yunalesca presented him with an offer he couldn't refuse—a way out to create the world he envisioned elsewhere."

"No," I protested. "He wouldn't side with her."

Eyes narrowing into that scrutinizing slit, Tidus shook his head and scoffed. "It's staring ya right in the face. You just don't wanna see it."

Now, that set me off. "I was part of the Gullwings! I travelled with him for over a year! I think I know Shinra better than you!"

"Really? What's his favorite color? His favorite food?"

I… I really didn't know. "This is all trivial stuff!"

"Gippal, what's Yuna's favorite color?"

"Oh man…" He winced. "I really don't wanna get involved in—"

"C'mon, gimmie a break here. Just answer, please."

"Pink. And blue comes in a close second."

"See!"

"I hate to burst your bubble, but not knowing someone's favorite color doesn't prove you don't know them," I refuted.

"Okay, who were his parents then?" Tidus persisted. "What was his life like before joining the Gullwings?"

Unfortunately, those words hit me like a two-ton behemoth. I really had no idea about Shinra's life before then. He'd never mentioned it. And we'd never asked. Even more so, Auron had me question Shinra's loyalty as well. And back in Zanarkand, I'd begun to suspect that our little Al-Bhed friend hadn't been who we'd all thought. But this… This I hadn't imagined.

Trading a tense look with Gippal, my fiancé rubbed the back of his neck and huffed. "Face it, Yuna—Shinra sold you out. He sold all of us out."

And I couldn't argue against it. Tidus very well may have been right. Tightening a fist at my side, I released an aggravated breath, angry and saddened that someone who I'd considered to be such a good friend would be capable of something so sinister. I didn't want to believe it. But I could no longer discount it being a possibility.

"Y'know…" Gippal finally broke the silence. "I actually brought you two out here to share some rather good news. Not sure if y'all wanna still hear it or not though."

"Yeah…" Face softening, Tidus leaned in on the desk once more and threw me an apologetic glance. "Yeah, we do."

"Okay then." Our Al-Bhed friend resumed his previous activities and zoomed in on a particular planet. "So, this right here is not just an inhabitable planet, but one that is actually thrivin' as we speak. Shinra had been doin' some extensive research on it for the past year—air quality, oxygen levels, and so on. In his reports, he believes it may already have a population there similar to Spira, but slightly more primitive."

"Could the starships we construct feasibly make it there?" I queried.

"Since it's in the same galaxy they should be able to. It'll probably take a couple years of travel but… It looks like it's our best option by far."

"Then I suppose this will be our new home."

"Did he name it?" Tidus piped up. "The planet—did Shinra give it a name?"

"Well, he's got somethin' jotted down here." Gippal pointed to the text on the screen beside the image of the mysterious planet. "Gaia. It's called Gaia."

That name... Something about it resonated deep inside and made my whole body tingle.

Gaia… That's your home, isn't it, flower girl?