Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X A New Beginning

Chapter One, "The End of The Beginning"

His arms shook. He couldn't move any part of his body. There was a ringing in his ears and everything around was dead silent from the impact. The blood trickled down his face and ran over his lips as he let out an agonizing moan. A million thoughts passed through his mind. Her eyes. The blue paint that had covered his bedroom walls, the cup he had been holding. He tried to push himself up with his arms but they wouldn't work. Smoke crossed his face and he began to choke. He felt the heat from a nearby fire beggining to build. Then all at once the sounds around him smashed and pressed in on his ears. His head began to ache. He had to get up. He had to get up...He heard a nearby cry. Extremely nearby. He looked down under his body. Yuna layed there, her eyes wide open with the look of death passing over her face. Now was the time. Tidus's face twisted with agony. "It's going to be fine." He tried to say over the commotion all around but his words were drowned out by the sounds of the crash. She smiled trying to tell him she understood what was happening and that she wanted to comfort him and tell him how much she loved him. She mouthed the words but could utter no sound. "I love you. You are so brave." Her face was pale with death. His blood poured down his face and began to run onto hers. She acted as if she didnt notice. She just smiled that smile...Tidus pushed harder with his arms. He forced himself to do something, anything. He had to hurry and help Yuna because he was running out of time. His body strained under the weight of the metal that was on top of him as it slowly slid off his back and crashed further down below him, somewhere he knew not. He had no sense of his surroundings. Only the tiny body that was giving up underneath him. He slowly pushed himself up on his knees. Yuna's emotions began to dwindle as she closed her eyes. "NO" Tidus screamed. "NO YOU CANT. YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME.....please. I need you." He began to cry and cursed himself for it. A smiled passed her lips again. "The pyreflies are so beautiful arent they?" Her words faded as she began to slip. "Yuna...Yuna...." Tidus shook her, held her face, anything he could do. "YUNA. PLEASE GOD SOMEONE HELP ME! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME??!!!" He sobbed into her chest as her breathing slowed and then stopped completely and the beautiful life he had come to know was snatched away from him. He layed there on her chest willing himself to die. This is a nightmare he told himself. This cant be real because this kind of thing doesnt happen to people. This is too horrible. He tried to die. He wanted to go with her.

Irvine's lungs felt as if they were collapsing. Every breath he took made his heart flutter and his sides ache. He was pinned under something crushingly heavy. He heard a nearby moan. "How did this happen?" he asked himself. He tried to move but let out a groan every time he tried to shake the dresser loose. He could feel the blood spreading across his chest. Rinoate Random thoughts started passing his mind, Rikku was with Gippal. Rikku...Pictures flashed across his mind. Her laugh, the way her eyes caught his. He shook his head trying to stop fading into the dark. He knew he was dying and was trying to fight it off. He didnt know why. It wasnt like him to put up much of a fight unless it was for someone else. His mind began to dwindle again..thoughts of his old house, sitting on the plains in the Calm Lands, his horse...Babeonee..she would be better off without him anyway. He heard Tidus's screaming rise above the wreckage. It shook his insides and made his body shiver. Yuna is gone. He knew it before he thought it. He had a second sense for these things. Wow this is really happening, he thought. He ached for Tidus, although they were never really all that close and he Rinoackly supressed his emotions, because that was the only thing he knew. The metal underneath him shifted and the dresser began to slide sideways. He concealed a scream as it tore across his ribs. As it slid off him he felt the reality of his pain. He closed his eyes. He wanted to find eveyone. He feared they were all dead. He just wanted to make sure Rikku and Paine were okay. Again, he wasnt sure why. Neither of them were his. He forced himself to sit up, looking around at the damage. Alot of his thoughts werent making sense. Oddly enough the first thing he saw made his heart leap with a mixture of terror and relief. Gippals body was thrown across the remains of the control panel, his body broken from the wreck. There was blood running down all the knobs and buttons and leaking down onto the metal below. He was definitely dead. The next thing that met his eyes made his hands go numb. Sora's arm was protruding out from underneath a large engine. He must have been downstairs. Irvine tried to hold himself together but he was slowly realizing how bad the damage was as his mind kept screaming that this wasn't real. He wanted to be anywhere but here. Wanted anything but this. He shook his head. This is not real. Tidus screamed out Yuna's name again. He winced as his eyes found where Tidus was, his head bent over Yuna, the blood running down his back. Tidus began to sob. Irvine's courage built up within him and though he wasnt sure why, he slowly climbed to his feet. "I'm here" he grunted as he started to move towards Tidus. He thought maybe him and Tidus were the only one's left. His insides ached. As he inched closer to Tidus his boot caught with something less solid. Rinoa layed below him, curled up into a ball. She was clinging to a door that lay beneath her in pieces. He dropped down beside her praying she was still breathing. He couldnt take much more of this.

Rikku couldn't feel her hands. It was really the only thing she could seem to focus on. She didnt have any other sense of what anything else meant or why things were this way. My hands must be gone...she thought in a nonchalant way, keeping her eyes closed in a half aware sleep. Something must have happened to me when I fell asleep. It didnt really matter to her. She didnt want anything else but to stay asleep. Unaware of what her reality was, She smiled to herself thinking of how she could sleep for as long as she wanted. She could just lay here forever if she wanted and no one else would even mind. It seemed a little too good to be true. Her nose filled with smoke. It ran into her mouth and choked her. A Fire! she thought jerking herself awake, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. As she looked around her she realized that this was a more serious matter than she had thought. She looked down at her hands but couldnt will them to move. This was such a nightmare compared to her peaceful dreams. She just stared at her fingers, horrified that she couldnt even make them twitch. She realized that much of her body was covered in black ashes. But from what? She had thought. What did all of this mean? She tried hard to remember. The only thought that she could summon in her mind was one of a girl laughing with her as they both sat in a large and sunny windowed room making shapes out of the clouds. Her smooth black her, her brightly shining eyes. She wanted her to be here with her now. But who was she? She had loved her. That much she knew. They had been close and had always enjoyed each others company. She just stared off into space, her eyes locked on a nearby shattered mirror as she thought about the girl in her mind. She became so lost in her thoughts that she forgot completely where she was. She could feel blood running down her back from the back of her head. It felt oddly cold. Suddenly, she saw someone stand to his feet in the distance. A dark figure, tall and powerful. A cowboy. She smiled to herself. She knew it was okay now. He was here to help. The light shone blindingly putting a silver lining on his outline pressed against the sky. He is a savior, she thought, though she didnt know why. But he was walking away...to where? She wondered but didnt really care. "Where are you going cowboy?" she asked dreamily. He couldnt hear her. It made her sad to know he wasnt coming for her.

Rinoa sat up so fast that her head started to spin and her mind faded in and out of darkness. Someone knelt down beside her and pushed gently on her shoulder, "You need to lay back down for a sec." Irvine said in a low tone that soothed her nerves. She lowered her body back down, "Where is Sora?" She asked him. Irvine didnt respond. Rinoa tightened her grip on his arm that she had self consciencely been holding, "Irvine tell me were Sora is. Is he alive? Irvine talk to me!" She was up on her feet before Irvine could grab her. She stopped and bent over going into a violent coughing fit. Irvine got up and went over to her helping her stand back up. "Rinoa you really need to sit down." He said as he watched the blood from her cough drip down her hand. "Ill be fine." She managed to say. Irvine watched as her whole face turned to horror as she started to look over the wreckage. He held her close to keep her from running, no reason to add insult to injury. Her whole body went limp as she sobbed. Irvine lowered her down to the ground and sat with her rocking her back and forth, stroking her hair and adding an occasional, "Shhhh, it will all be okay." He felt her tears soak his chest. "Rinoa, I have to get Tidus up, okay? I'll be back in a few. We are going to make it through this. I promise." Rinoa nodded knowing that he couldnt sit here and worry about her. She lifted her head and looked over at Tidus then she focused her attention on Yuna. Her soul tore in two when all she saw from the sweetest girl she knew was her empty eyes staring into space in a lifless stare. Irvine stood up then and went back to Tidus, he had to convince him of how much he actually needed him to get up right now. Rinoa looked over at the engine and sora's arm that seemed to be reaching for her. she stood but was Rinoackly knocked back down by another coughing fit.

Irvine stood horrified over Tidus. His back was split open and he was bruised from head to foot. Irvine wondered if he looked the same. As he stared past Tidus he couldnt help but notice the glassy look in Yuna's eyes. It was as he had feared. He had seen that look many times in the eyes of others before Yuna. His whole life had been nothing but a wreck of death and pain. But Tidus didnt deserve this, he thought painfully. And neither did Yuna. No one deserves this kind of pain but me. Again, thoughts that he had no idea were inside him. He could see Tidus's body shake with sobs. He didnt dare touch him yet. "Tidus...it will be ok." he said carefully. Tidus shrugged this off and acted like he hadnt heard him. He just continued to hold her body. "leave me. Help any others who have made it." Irvine wanted to move and obey but he couldnt. "Come help me...." he said putting his hand on Tidus's shoulder. He had no reaction. No emotions left. "Leave me here. I want to die." Irvine's heart fell. "You cant Tidus...I... still need your help." The words came out of his mouth but they didnt sound like his. He never showed weakness to any man. "we still need you..." he said. Tidus stopped sobbing but did not move. "If she cant have life than I dont want it either." he said bitterly. Irvine gave up. He didnt see the point. He didnt even want to be alive either. He turned and suddenly saw something that made his heart leap. He saw the glint of those green eyes in the dark. Those beautiful green eyes that had haunted his dreams for so long. Could she still be alive? The eyes disappeared for a second then lit back into life. She was alive! Suddenly his pain did not matter in the least. Nothing else mattered. He began to sprint over the wreckage, unaware of the danger below him. He dropped to his knees before her looking her over to assess the damage. Her eyes stared at him brightly and she smiled at him innocently. "I knew you were coming." she said closing her eyes. He couldnt help but smile. He lifted her up out of the wreckage. His stomach turned when he saw the gaping hole in the back of her head. There was something odd about it... She had a goofy smile plastered to her face and held his eyes for a long time. "My hero." she said jokingly. "...and my new cowboy." He laughed. "New?! Since when?" he asked her with laughter in his eyes. "Since today when you found me silly! Hey...do you think you could fix my hands for me?" she asked him in a serious tone. "Well...hands....now thats a serious problem." he said winking. "Well have to look in on that in a little bit." He sat her down away from the wreckage and began to wrap her head in what was left of his shirt. "Now I get to be a war veteran." she said smiling. "Can I have a gun?" she asked. "When your older." Irvine said mockingly, messing up her hair. He stood up and turned to the spot where Rinoa sat. She seemed lost in herself.

She stared at the engine that loomed over Sora's body as the tears poured silently down her face. Her children had been there with him downstairs. Both of them. She knew this and the thought tortured her. They are all I had and they are all gone...How could this happen? None of them needed this. It was just starting to be normal again and now here she sat looking at the only thing left of the love of her life. What she wouldnt give to go back and change what had happened. Sora had always said that they should move out and start a normal life. She would always look at him and see the wolf in his eyes and then say that they would never live a normal life. Besides she couldnt leave with Yuna and Rikku always begging her to looked away not able to stand the nawing on her heart. Tidus leaning over Yuna came into her sight. She wanted to help him, to stop his hurt, but she didnt know him that well, she didnt know how to approach him in any way. Irvine stepped infront of her gaze and offered her his hand, "I hope you can stand now." She nodded feeling the familliar warmth inside her that told her that she was free to take more damage if need be. Rinoa took his hand and he pulled her up. She stood for a minute just to make sure that she could breath. The breathe filled her lungs and slowly she walked with Irvine to the spot where Tidus sat. They both sat in a respected silence. There was no sound except the wind blowing wildly across the mountains they had crashed in. Deep and hollow. No one dared to breathe a word. Tidus stared at Yuna's body in an empty way. He no longer cared about the world around him. "Tidus..." Rinoa said softly. "It's time for us to go..." The minute she spoke these words, rain began to pour from the sky. Coming in soft sheets, dousing the wreckage and quenching the fire. It ran over everything, making the mountains stand out even more eerily, looming over them like a monster waiting to eat it's next victim. "Come on, we will get you out of the rain." She tried again. Irvine checked on Rikku in the distance, she was now staring up at the sky in a puzzled and angry sort of way. He couldnt help but smile at the look and went over to her. As another gust of wind came somthing hit his foot and he looked down. His black cowboy hat was up against his leg, clinging to it like Babeone and Lance did when he was leaving. He bent down and picked it up, it smelled horibbly like smoke, but he knew that it would fade the more he wore it outside. He knelt down beside Rikku and placed the hat on her head. She smiled and pushed it out of her eyes. "Now I'm a cowboy soldier." Irvine smiled at her and sat down beside her leaveing Rinoa to her work. He knew she was good at talking people through things and that she would soon get Tidus back on his feet.

She looked down at his torn body and held back the tears, maybe if she was strong that would convince him that he needed to be stronger, she knew he was competitive. She looked off into the distance at the woods and then she knelt down so she could be one on one with him, they would die without him. She didnt know why this kept jumping into her mind, but she guessed it was the truth. "Tidus.....I....I know it's hard,but.......but we really need you." She had to try harder to keep her emotions out of this and to make sure that she still had control over her mind to make sure that she got him up. "It is just you, me, Irvine and Rikku now, we all need to go and get out of the rain.......Please." Tidus slightly moved his head but she could tell that he was only half way hearing what she was saying. She sighed trying to think of what else she could say, she did have a bad habbit of saying things at the wrong time. She hesitated then reached out and gripped his shoulder and waited for him to push it off, but he didnt make any motion to. Then she spoke again. "We.........I need you Tidus, I need you to get up and help us, please."

Tidus let out an angered and emotion filled yell. He knew he would have to get up, because his body was not ready to die. But his mind longed to stay here with her body…Ever so slowly he pushed his hands underneath Yuna's body and slowly stood up, cradling her lifeless body in his arms. He ignored the pain. At this point it meant nothing compared to the pain he was feeling on the inside. He slowly looked around him, looking for anything, and suddenly…he found what he was searching for. Laying Yuna carefully on the ground, Tidus slowly walked over to the remains of the kitchen and started digging intensly for something that was on the bottom. Irvine could see him struggling and hurried to help him. Rinoa was suddenly struck with the realization that it was practically night around them. Darkness was spreading rapidly as the sun set behind the jagged mountains that surrounded them. As the guys continued to dig in the near darkness, Irvine suddenly realized what they were digging for and his first reaction was to be horrified. They both reached underneath a piece of sheet metal and began pulling the kitchen refridgerator out from under the wreckage. Carefully they sat it in the grass and Tidus pulled it away from the steep drop off that was just feet from where they stood. He opened it up and began tossing the remains of food that had been in the refridgerator.

Rinoa, thinking Rinoackly, began to gather the food up and place it in a backpack that she had found in the rubble of Rikku's closet. Tidus started tearing at the shelves, tossing them angrily off the cliff and suddenly, he took out his sword and starting completely gutting the refridgerator angrily. Rikku looked on Rinoazically and had the expression on her face that offered the thought that Tidus just might be a crazy person. Irvine didn't even watch because he knew that Tidus was on the edge and he knew that he was liable to snap at the next thing that bothered him. So instead, Irvine began to dig through the wreck to find anything that might help them survive through the night. Rinoa gathered all of the food and started trotting over to Rikku. Rikku put on a great big smile and said a simple "hi." Rinoa looked down at her a little puzzled and started to wonder if Rikku was really all there. "Rikku…do you remember who I am?" Rikku began to process this thought, but no reaction passed her face. "well…um….honestly? No." she frowned and put on the 'don't hurt me' look. Rinoa couldn't help but laugh at this look. "Okay, well my name is…." But she didn't get to finish her sentence because suddenly she saw something that made her heart leap. A pair of yellow eyes were glaring menacingly at her through the darkness. Then abruptly she saw another pair of eyes appear…and another, until there were at least twenty eyes glinting through the darkness all around them. And instantly, a long, mournful howl pierced the night sky and sent shivers down Rinoa's spine. "Rikku lets get up now." But the wolves could smell the blood running down Rikku's back and were leaping bravely out of the darkness now, snapping their hungry jaws closer and closer to them. "Irvine!" yelled Rinoa.

Irvine looked up from his search surprised to hear her saying anything at all and suddenly realized the situation. "Tidus…I think we might have a problem here." He said. Tidus completely ignored this remark and continued with his work. Irvine, a little confused, said again, "Tidus?" and suddenly he rounded on him without warning. "WHAT DO YOU THINK I GOT THIS FRIDGE FOR?" and at that moment he scooped Yuna's body from the ground and layed it gingerly in the refridgerator, closing the lid tightly. "um…that's great Tidus… but what about us? We can't all fit in that refridgerator for the rest of the night." And at this Tidus began to laugh loudly, madly, and Irvine knew all at once that Tidus didn't intend on making it through the night at all. Irvine knew everything was on his shoulders. He would have to pull them through this. He pulled out his shotgun and started firing madly behind Rikku into the hoard of piercing eyes and foggy breath, the drool dripping off their clacking jaws as he heard the unlucky victims among them howl with pain as the wounded were torn apart and devoured by their own. They must be extremely hungry to be taking such risks, thought Irvine. Normally they would have backed off by now. He ran to Rikku and scooped her up off the ground, walking back toward the wreckage. The only thing he knew that might keep the wolves back was fire…and in the rain there would be no chance of building one. He thought wildly for anything that might save them. Anything at all. Tidus had sat down against the fridge now and was sobbing into his knees. He had no reason left to live. Nothing left to fight for. He didn't care if all of them were picked apart by wolves. Irvine sat with him, setting Rikku beside them and covering Rinoa in front of him. He didn't see a way out of this. Maybe if he could just kill enough of them to feed the rest of the pack…He began picking them off in the dark, the numbers just seeming to keep coming, and slowly, slowly, he began to lose courage. Gradually, he began to hear an awful sound coming from behind them and he knew that the wolves were picking Gippal's body apart. He could hear the awful sound of crunching and tearing and couldn't help to think that could be them in a few hours time. Then, from somewhere in the wreckage he heard a dreadful scream erupt from amongst the rubble. Someone else was still alive. Everyone jumped at the noise and instantly looked in the direction of the cry. They could see the wolves digging and tearing at a heap of debris. Irvine suddenly felt Tidus leap to his feet beside him and watched him draw his sword, swinging wildly at the bodies closest to him. He could hear the wolves shrieks as Tidus tore through them towards the cry. He cut with such force and anger that many of them were instantly torn in half or beheaded. As he came upon the pile, he could hear someone sobbing through the metal. He began to cut and peal it back until he could see a mass of shining silver hair. He reached down and pulled Trunks from the rubble, her surprised look matching his. But they Rinoackly felt a trembling beneath them. He could hear Irvine fighting off other wolves in the distance and could smell the gunpowder from his shots. He suddenly felt himself shifting to the left and knew instantly what was happening. The gigantic mass of metal that was left of the ship was sliding ever so slowly off the neverending drop to their left. He could hear the metal twisting and whining with the sudden movement downwards and before they knew it, they were sliding rapidly toward the edge. Tidus did the first thing he could think of and threw Trunks to safety as the force of sudden movement knocked him to his knees. He clung on to part of the ship's floor and he knew this was the end for him. He was going to be able to die with her. But then, out of the darkness, Rinoa came sprinting through the wolves, Rinoackly leaping and reaching out for him. He felt her hand close around his arm as she pulled with all of her force, jerking him off of the falling floor and onto the ground. He landed on his back in the grass beside her. She turned towards him with a look of triumph but was greeted with a look of pure hate. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" He yelled in her face and jerked her up from the grass, inches from his face. "CAN'T YOU SEE I DON'T WANT TO LIVE!" he shook her and tossed her back onto the ground like a ragdoll, as tears began spilling down her face. "IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" she screamed back saying the first thing that came to her mind. "NONE OF THIS IS MY FAULT! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT WERE ALL HURTING JUST AS BAD AS YOU ARE?! WE CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU!" she ran at him out of rage and pounded her fists into his chest, knocking him backwards. At that moment she didn't want anything but to hurt something. Take her hate, anger, and pain out on something. She climbed on top of him and raised her fist to hit him again but was suddenly jerked backwards. Irvine had grabbed her around the waist and flung her away from Tidus. "STOP IT!" he yelled to both of them. "NONE OF THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE ANYTHING, SO JUST STOP IT. Fighting wont bring anyone back to life!" he looked at Trunks who was looking longingly off the cliff, her beautifully pale face covered with black soot. She was mumbling Zell's name off the edge of the cliff and rocking back and forth.

"My Zell...all gone..." She began to sob, and still holding her knees, feel sideways and layed in the grass, the rain pouring over all of them. Tidus lept to his feet, charging at Irvine and Rinoa, and instantly Rinoa's face turned to fear as she began backing up. She couldn't ever remember seeing a look like this in Tidus's eyes. He drew his sword, ready to cut Rinoasitis into a thousand pieces in front of everyone. Irvine, unable to think of anything else, charged right back at Tidus, and put out his arms, pushing him back towards the cliff. Suddenly, it was a battle of will. Tidus began to push back, and they were both locked in a stale mate of brute strength. Before he knew it, Tidus was gaining headway, pushing Irvine back towards Rinoa. Thats what I get for drinking all that whiskey...thought Irvine, almost humorously. He suddenly shoved Irvine sideways, falling onto his side in the grass, and made his way, Rinoackly towards Rinoa. She knew there would be no point in running now. She stood her ground, ready for the death that she knew was inevitable. And suddenly, he was on top of her, shoving her hard into the dirt below them. His anger was building and building, as he raised his sword, ready to plunge it into her chest. He loomed over her, fire in his eyes, as Rinoa began to go into another fit of coughing, the blood splattering onto the grass beside her. He had her pinned in the grass, and this was his moment to get even..He held his sword, ready to do it...but something would not let him. He held it in the air over her, fighting himself inside. He continued to hold it as Rinoa became puzzeled. All of a sudden she realized that Tidus could not, and would not, will himself to kill her. She herself had built up her rage now and her next words, she spit in his face with conviction..."Do it you coward," she dared him. The silence loomed on.. "Your nothing but a selfish jerk, so just go on AND DO IT IF YOUR MAN ENOUGH!" Tidus looked into her eyes and knew he was finished. He let out another angry yell and plunged the sword, good and deep, into the grass two inches from Rinoa's head. She held her breath, thinking he had really stabbed her. Tidus lept up suddenly from his hold on Rinoa and ran at Irvine, pounding his fists into Irvine's side, which were already cracked from the wreck. His anger was too much for him to handle. He began beating Irvine, not giving him a chance to say anything. Irvine held his gun underneath him, knowing he could kill Tidus at any minute, but knowing that if it helped Tidus, than he would let him do whatever he needed. He took the beating, Tidus swinging mercilessly, thundering blows on every inch of Irvine's body. And he took it without a word, or yell, or scream. Though his sides throbbed every time Tidus's fist made connection with them, he refused to show the pain. Tidus beat Irvine for a good five minutes before falling, exhausted, onto the grass beside him. Both lay broken and bleeding, and both of them fell into an unconsious state from sheer exhaustion. Rinoa knew nothing she could do now..Rikku stared at her with fear through the darkness, and Trunks lay still, not apparently affected by what was going on around her and not so much as moving a muscle. Rinoa feared that she was dead. Rikku made her way towards the rest of them, noticing that most of the wolves were leaving now, taking the wounded and half devoured to finish later when hunger set in again. It was completely black around them now, and none of the girls had any way of dragging Tidus or Irvine to safety. Rinoa half wanted to look for her kids, to be sure they were really gone...her mind dwindled again and she sobbed into her hands. They had nothing. Nothing left. Not even each other. She sobbed harder, and broke into a full on cry. Rikku, unaware of the nature of the crash, walked over to her and knelt down beside her, placing her hand on Rinoa's shoulders. "hey...it will be okay..you will see. He doesn't really hate you." Rinoa nodded, not wanting to upset the confused Rikku anymore. She willed herself to push on..Trunks didn't move an inch, the only thing she wanted at this moment was a few bottles of Skyy Vodka to soothe her pain. She wanted her Zell back. She fumbled around in her pockets for a few minutes before pulling out her cell phone, and looking through her contacts for someone who might be able to supply her with alcohol. Rinoa snapped her head up at the sound of buttons being pushed on Trunks's cell phone and stood up. "Trunks?! You have a cell phone and you didnt tell any of us?!" she walked over to her and snatched it out of her hand, holding it like gold. But who to call...she wondered. She stared at the guys, both unconscious beside each other. Who did they know in this world that could possibly come and get them? She looked at Irvine and knew instantly that it would have to be Irvines dad or Rikkus dad...and given the choice between the two she was definitely going to pick the first. She walked over to Irvine and began to shake him gently, to get his dads number from him. She hoped that he could remember it by heart. She looked at Tidus's face, at peace for the first time since they had crash landed, and instantly felt regret for the way they had confronted each other. She sincerely hoped he wouldnt wake up for awhile. She couldn't take dealing with his anger again.

She turned her attention back to Irvine, shaking him harder. "Irvine, Irvine you have to get up and look at me." Irvine's eyes opened just a little and he grunted in pain. Rinoa put the phone gently in his hand, "Dial your dad, hurry." She made is sound urgent so he would just do it without asking questions. Rinoa knew that Irvine's past with his father wasnt the greatest. His fingers moved slowly across the keys and then he fell silent once again. Rinoa picked up the phone and pressed talk. It rang once, twice, and then a scruffy old voice sounded on the other end of the line, "Hello?"

"Hello, um, this is Rinoa, do you remember me?" there was a slight pause, "Yes, the black haired girl...What do you want?" he asked. Rinoa was happy that he was a man that got to the point, "Well the air ship we lived on...you know...well it crashed today and we need a ride into town so we can find a place to stay." she paused realizing how fast she had said all of this and was not reassured by the silence at the other end of the line.

"Sure, where ya at?" he asked after a minute or two. Rinoa looked around, she hadn't thought about where they where. Calm Lands, she was thinking, thats the only area the wolves are always a problem. She could smell the ocean, so it had to be close to the shore and the woods. She decided to go with it. "Calm Lands. I think. The only cliff I have ever seen by the shore in the Calm Lands is.......Lucifer's Fall! We are at Lucifer's Fall in the Calm Lands. Do you think you can come this far?"

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be there in a few." he hung up the phone as did Rinoa. Things seemed to be looking up. "Alright, Irvine's dad is coming to get us." she said and put the phone back in her pocket so that she could know where it was. Rikku stood holding her hands together and shifting from foot to foot unsure of everything that was going on. Rinoa felt bad for her...after all, it must suck to lose your memory. She looked towards Trunks, she looked so pitiful over by the cliff by herself. Rinoa grabbed her necklace and felt the two rings there, her moms ring that was given to her the day she was born, and Sora's ring, his promise to always be there for her. Now they were both gone.

Once again she had to look after her and keep her eyes dry for everyone else. She slowly made her way over to Trunks and sat down beside her. Trunks did not look up. She just laid there in a ball, silently crying.

Rinoa ran her hand along Trunks back, she wasnt very good at this kind of stuff. Trunks didnt move so Rikku came up beside Rinoa and sat down as well. The three girls sat in silence, thinking about what had just happened to them. After about thirty minutes of much needed silence, a horn honked suddenly and headlights lit up the girls, black marks and blood were lit up across the ground with the light. An old dented and dusty truck sat parked in the same place the ship had once sat after crash landing. Rinoa got up and held her hand out to Rikku. "You ready to go?" she asked her softly, and Rikku smiled and nodded reassuringly.

Rinoa kneeled down and shook Trunks. "You need to come on, okay?" Trunks shook her head. "No, just let me see my phone and I'll call someone else. I need to get away." she rolled over to look up at Rinoa. "Let me see my phone. Right now."

Rinoa reached into her pocket reluctantly, pulled out the phone and handed it to Trunks. "We will be in Zanarkand if you need us. Same hotel, the number is in there okay?" Rinoa hugged her friend and stood up as Trunks thumbed through her contacts again. Rikku stepped closer to Rinoa, took her hand, and they walked silently, hand in hand, up to the truck where Irvines dad stood, arms crossed, his face scarred and worn from the years of hard horse back riding and many fights. His brown cowboy hat hung over his eyes. "Where did the damned thing go?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth. Rinoa looked around a little confused as to what exactly he meant. Then suddenly, she remembered. "The ship? It....uhh.....went over the cliff. After we crashed." she pulled Rikku over to the guys. Irvine's dad chuckled, "They dont call it Lucifer's Fall for nothin I guess." His eyes focused on Rikku and he spit on the ground at her feet before looking her face over, sure for a second that he had seen her somewhere before. He began to mumble something about Al Bheds all looking the same, as Rinoa stood over Tidus.

Rinoa grabbed one of Tidus's arms and Rikku grabbed the other one and together they started to drag him over to the single cab truck. "We..... will have...... to put..... them..... in... the back." Rinoa grunted. Rikku just nodded in agreement and kept pulling. Irvine's dad just watched in amusment. Tidus said somthing about not wanting to live as Rinoa and Rikku faught to get him into the bed of the truck.

When they finally got him in they where both sweating. Rikku turned back to the wreck, now it was Irvine's turn. Rinoa slowly trudged back over to Irvine and took a deep breath before grabbing one arm and motioning a reluctant Rikku to grab the other. His arms jerked out from their grasps and suddenly he jumped up, looking wild eyed. "Holy WOW!" Rikku said, surprised by his sudden awareness. He looked at her, a little confused as to what was going on, then settled down when he realized what was happening. He looked at the old pickup in front of them in disgust. "What is he doing here?" his expression turned ice cold when his dad came into his sight. "Irvine," Rinoa broke in, "he is here to take us to Zanarkand." Irvine didnt break his gaze from his father. "I can walk, you can walk, Rikku, Tidus, and Trunks; we dont need his help." his fists clenched to his side. Rinoa sighed, "Irvine, Tidus is still out. You cant carry him. Please, it is just for an hour or so. Unless you would rather Cid came and got us..." Irvine's dad suddenly snapped up, all of his attention on Rinoa. "What the hell did you just say?" Rinoa looked affronted, not exactly sure what he meant. "I...um...said that Irvine can't carry Tidus?" Irvine's dad came closer suddenly, almost an inch from Rinoa's face. "No..the damned name you just said...what name did you just say?" There was an akward pause before Rikku suddenly piped in, "She said.." but Irvine stood on her foot suddenly and interrupted. "What the HELL does it matter right now?! Just take us to Zanarkand already before I lose my damned mind again. Ill sit in back with Tidus. Rinoa you sit in the middle." Rinoa could tell he was desperately trying to change the subject, Rinoackly. He turned around and walked toward the back of the truck. Rikku looked at Rinoa puzzled, and Rinoa just shrugged. Irvine always had a stange way of saying 'im in charge now' but it was usually good advice.

As Irvine jumped in the two girls slid in beside Irvine's dad. He put his truck in drive just as another car pulled up. Rinoa guessed that this was the car for Trunks. It was hard to worry about Trunks, she was a fighter and new exactly how the streeets worked.

Irvine held on as the truck moved back onto the bumpy back road, increasing the pain in his ribs with every bump. He looked behind him and watched the girls closely. He new his dad's past and didn't want him doing anything that he used to do. Irvine couldn't help but notice the blood staining through the bandage he had wrapped around Rikku's head. At least she was okay for now. He shifted his vision down at Tidus. How lucky Irvine was that he hadn't lost his whole reason for living in that crash, as Tidus had. He looked at the back of Rinoa's head thinking...she had lost all she had too, but she wasnt losing her marbles Rinoate like Tidus was. Her head turned and they caught each others eyes. She smiled at him genuinly and then turned to Rikku beside her and laid her head on her shoulder. Rikku laid her head on Rinoa's as well and they both sat still for a long time. Irvine sighed and pulled his hat off, pulling a worn out picture from the inner band of the hat, and he unfolded it. There stood his kids, stuck in time by the photo. He smiled and then folded it back up and returned it safely for his hat to keep.

Irvine put it back on and turned his attention to the asfalt rushing away underneath him, his mind wondering to times before this. Good times, that they would never get back. He knew it was wrong, but couldn't help but be overly happy that, for one, Gippal was dead and never coming back, and two, Rikku didn't remember him at all.

Tidus sat, leaned up against the back window and looked miserably at his hands. He didnt care where they were going or who was taking them there. He could care less if at that very moment he fell off the side of the truck and broke his skull all over the black top. His mind willed him to push on. 'Today will be the worst day..,' he thought, trying to help himself through the rest of the night.

The ride was silent, calm and chilly as they travled the roads around Mt. Gagazett and slowly made thier way into the bustleing city of Zanarkand. Rinoa sat up with temporary excitement as they stopped at a red lght and looked around. People were laughing mechanically and Rinoa wondered what it felt like to talk about things in a normal life. She turned and looked out the back window just to see a matted, blody mess of blond hair. 'Well at least he didnt jump out.' she thought to herself.

Rikku sat up too, yawning and stretching her arms, and gave Rinoa a tired smile. "Good morning." she said and rubbed her eyes. Rinoa smiled back, "Good moring." she replied. Irvine's dad yawned also and pulled into the first trashy motel he saw. "Ride stops here." he said and parked under the canopy that lead to the front desk.

Irvine looked around himself and sighed, he was super tired and above everything else, had never been more ready to climb into a bed and sleep for hours. Tidus half heartedly climbed out and put his feet on the concrete, wondering what the point of doing anything was. Rikku and Rinoa got out of the truck and as soon as the door creaked shut, the truck rumbled off. "Thanks you asshole." Irvine said and started digging through his pockets for money. Rinoa started doing the same while Rikku looked up at the sky nonchalantly. Tidus sighed and pulled out his debit card and trudged inside, not wanting anything but to lay down and never wake back up. He felt like a wind up toy, going through the motions, but not really caring where he wound up. They walked inside the small building and stopped at the front desk. There were cracks forming on the walls and an old, baggy eyed woman sat behind the counter hitting roaches angrily with a disgustingly dirty fly swatter. She looked up noticing the raggedy bunch that had just walk in and frowned a deep frown. Tidus sat his credit card on the surface and looked down at the floor. Irvine sighed, "Three please," he looked at the girls. "You two can sleep in the same room." Rikku and Rinoa both nodded and smiled at one another. "YAY!!!" said Rikku bouncing up and down with enthusiasm. "Just me and my new best friend." The old lady swiped the card and placed it back on the counter, then she grabbed two keys from behind her and laid them there as well. Irvine took one, then Tidus, and Rinoa took the last one.

Rikku looked the place up and down then frowned. "This place is....different." Irvine sighed and headed up some old metal stairs. The others followed persuit, looking around for thier rooms. Rikku spotted hers right next to Irvine's and Tidus's was on the other side. They all opened thier doors and walked inside. Rinoa made a beeline right for the shower and Rikku just sat on the bed and started flipping through the only three channels the hotel had. She turned it off, bored, and started rummaging around. She flipped up the covers and looked under the bed, then she hopped back onto the bed and took off her boots, careful not to spill the contents. Rinoa's voice came softly out of the bathroom as she sang My Immortal in a slow mournful tone. Rikku listened for a long time before slowly starting to slip into sleep, going over todays happenings in her head.

Irvine pulled off his worn boots and slowly laid himself down in the tub with all his clothes on. Might as well wash everything at once. He carefully turned on the water with his foot and the steam started to fill the room as the hot water relaxed the spazing muscles in his side. His ribs were cracked, he knew that for a fact, but everything else seemed to be intact. He had gotten off lucky. He pulled his hat off and sat it in the floor. Then his trench coat, gloves, jeans, and wife beater. He laid in his boxers in the hot water. The relaxation of it made his eyes close and his whole body turn into jello. The blood from his clothes began to wash off of him and slowly creep through the water like a snake, Rinoackly turning the bath water blood red. This wasn't the first time he had climbed into the bath like this to recooperate. His mind began to drift off as he started half dreaming of past things in his life. He began to have a nightmare of things from his past, when he lost all consiousness and gave in to the urgent call from his body for sleep.

Tidus lay in bed. His mind wide awake, yet his body completely exhausted. There was no way that he would get any sleep on this night. This was the worst night of his life, and there would be no way of getting around it or taking any short cuts. This was his reality and his new beginning. He had no one to share the silence with. The familiar laughter and smile of the beautiful girl he had loved with all of his heart was gone. And was never coming back again. The only sound in the room was the steady ticking of a beat up old clock that was hanging on the wall. The sound taunted him. Drove him crazy. He lay there, tossing and turning, his back screaming with pain and annoying him extremely, when there was a sudden knock on his door. It made him jump, but he didnt care enough to move and open the door for whoever was beating on it. He would rather just lay here for an eternity. Lost in his memories of Yuna. Why were they destined to be apart? The knock came louder, and so Tidus forced himself to climb out of bed and slowly drag his way to the door. He opened it without caring to see who it was, and headed straight back for the bed. A mild female voice asked him timidly, "Tidus...do you want me to help you fix up your back?" Tidus pondered this thought for awhile before sitting slowly back up and staring hard at the floor. A not-so-polite but still trying, invitation for her to do what she wanted to help him. She tiptoed her way into the room carrying a first aid kit that she had borrowed from the front desk, a bottle of whiskey, and a couple of shirts she had bought from the gift shop, and shut the door behind her, Rinoackly heading to the bathroom. She began to wash the sink thoroughly and after being satisfied, started to fill it with the whiskey until it was about an inch deep. After doing this, she began to tear the T-shirts into strips, long enough to cover Tidus's wound. He watched her in a peculiar way from the bed, his eyes following her every move. Watching how she did everything as if it were an everyday occurance. She carefully placed the strips into the whiskey and let them start to soak. "Okay," she said as cheerfully as she could manage. Her main concern was for Tidus's mental health at this point. It was a goal that she had set for herself, to keep her mind off of everything else and keep herself sane at the same time. She slowly walked toward him, barefoot, and picked up his huge and slightly rough hands in hers, tugging on them lightly, motioning for him to walk with her. He followed like a servant, mindless and uncaring of what was going to happen. She led him, walking backwards, into the bathroom and walked him to the side of the tub, where she made him sit backwards, his wound facing her. 'His feet looked much smaller with his boots off,' she thought to herself. She couldn't help but notice his attractive build, all of his muscles on his back that she had never really noticed before. He felt her run her hand lightly over his back, around his wound, feeling the damage, and he couldnt help but get shivers down his back at her touch. His wound felt icy cold and hard, sticky from the drying blood that lined it. She shook her head and began to clean it out with a few of the strips, careful not to press to hard. He winced and groaned with the pain that the whiskey brought, as it burned the infection away. Rinoa reached around his chest and pressed her hand on it, unable to ignore the firmness of his abs, 'What was wrong with her?' and slowly whispered in his ear, "Okay Tidus, this next one is going to hurt really really bad, so try really hard not to pull away or fall forward into the tub." He just nodded, his toes tingling from the touch of her lips close to his ears. He didn't understand why his body could be acting this way. Suddenly, she pressed hard into his wound with the whiskey, scraping as much dried blood and pus off with it as she could. This was necessary to continue the blood flowing to his wound, as part of speeding up the healing process. He yelled out, trying his hardest not to pull away from her. But he was burning on the inside. She whispered that it was okay and that she was almost done, her voice soothing him, inside and out. Something about her voice just made him almost feel okay inside. He felt like a traitor for these feelings, but none the less, couldn't Rinoate help it. She used the antibiotic ointment and smeared it over the wound, taking the rest of the wet strips and started covering it. Not professional, but the best she could manage. She then applied two large strips of dry shirt on the outside, and taped them up with the medical tape, taking her time with dressing the cut. For some reason she couldn't explain, she wanted to stay in Tidus's presence. Just him being there made her feel better. She let him know he was all done and he carefully climbed out of the tub, his back throbbing. "Now, in the morning you can take a shower and I will dress it again.." He stood, inches from her, his face close to hers, watching her clean the bathroom. He wanted to do more, but his mind screamed at him to walk away. He wanted to make her feel better. Help her stop her pain inside too. He shook these thoughts loose and headed toward the bed, feeling much much better.

He sat on the edge of it, staring at the floor again, his mind wondering away. Rinoa stood in the bathroom doorway, staring at him, and felt horrible for everything that had happened. She wanted to make him feel better, but knew not to intrude on his space. She picked up her things and headed to the door. Suddenly his voice broke the silence, "Dont go.." She turned back to him, watching him crying to the floor, his heart completely broken. "Please...I just dont want to be alone anymore..." his voice broke and Rinoa, deciding what to do, Rinoackly sat down everything and ran to him, wrapping her arms around him, and pulling him into her chest. "Tidus, I know your heart is broken. Mine is too. But I am here to take care of you. And you can take care of me. We have each other and I will help you through this. I will keep you strong because we have nothing else left. I'm here now and I promise that together, we will make it through this. Just like everything else." He sobbed into her chest, holding on to her and letting everything else go. He had no other choice. This was what he had left to work with, and for the first time, he was greatful to have her holding him. His body completely let go and they sat there for a long time before he finally pulled away. He looked at her ragged clothes and couldn't help but smile. "Come on, we will walk to the gift shop and find us something else to wear." She couldn't help but laugh, and they both laughed together for what seemed like an eternity. Tidus couldn't believe what was happening. He wanted to try to enjoy the rest of the night because he knew as soon as morning hit, he was soon to be hit in the face by reality. 'Tomorrow will be the worst day.' he thought. He stood up, and slowly walked with her to the door. They both headed into the lobby and down the hall, to the gift shop, where an outrageous amount of clothes greeted them. Tidus was thankful for this. "Bet you a hundred bucks they dont make Irvine size clothes here." Rinoa busted out laughing at this and began to pick through the girls clothes. "Hes like 10 feet tall, I can't really blame them," she said with a smile. They picked out a few sets of normal clothes, and a few sets for Rikku and Irvine, Rinoa grabbing an ungodly amount of T-shirts to prepare for her bandaging sessions with Tidus and Rikku, and they headed back up the stairs towards their rooms with thier arms full of clothes. Tidus pounded on Irvine's door, shaking him from his sleep, in the now cold water. He was kind of surprised at still being in the bathtub and Rinoackly got out of the tub, wrapping a towel around himself. He opened the door widely and was greeted by a mound of clothes, Tidus underneath them. "Delivery," Tidus said throwing the clothes on his bed. Rinoa followed suit smiling with her own armful of clothes and tossed them on the second bed. Irvine looked at them with a shocked expression, unsure of why they both seemed so chipper. "Are...uh....you guys okay?" he asked. Rinoa just looked at him puzzeled. "Yeah, why?" he looked her over noting the sincerity in her voice. "Oh, nothing." Irvine answered, shaking it off, assuming that they had both just gone off the deep end. Rikku poked her head out of the room next door. "Say...whats the big idea? Having a party without me." she smiled and bounded into Irvines room, noticing his lack of clothes. "oh...a naked party huh?" He just smiled a big smile, unaffected by her attempts to embarrass him. "Nothing you haven't seen before." Rinoa shot him a warning look. "Whatcha talking bout?" Rikku asked. Irvine Rinoackly looked off into space pretending not to hear her, turning his attention to the clothes. He snatched a pair of jeans, boxers, and a plain T-shirt and headed back to the bathroom. Rikku and Rinoa both grabbed tank tops, Rikku's green and Rinoa's blue, a pair of undies, and a pair of jeans a piece. Tidus just laughed as they stared at him, and he pushed open the door to the bathroom, fighting Irvine to cram inside. "Scoot over...." Irvine just fell on top of the toilet cursing. "Dammit Tidus, we can't both fit in here..." The girls just laughed at this scene, and Rinoackly began peeling off thier clothes. Rikku and Rinoa were just about to button thier jeans when they noticed Irvines' head poked out of the bathroom door. "HEY!" said Rikku, running across the room. "YOU PERVE!!!" she started to swing for his face, but he just laughed, ducking back inside before her hand reached him. "too slow." he said mockingly from behind the door. Tidus felt his stomach growling. Irvine looked at him in shock, surprised that the sound had come from his body. "So...Tidus...you a little hungry?" Tidus just smiled that smile....


End file.

Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Adventure, Fantasy