rlm@0: rlm@0: Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters from FFX-2. I’m merely borrowing them. rlm@0: rlm@0: Author’s notes: The story takes place right after Yuna falls down the hole in Djose temple. Since rlm@0: in the game you get to see events for Yuna’s events, this takes place with the rest of the rlm@0: Gullwing members. Special thanks to Heather-sama (Amazoness Duo) and Forever3330 for inspiring rlm@0: me to write this fic. ^-^ Any comments/suggestions/flames/ e-mails saying how much my writing rlm@0: sucks can be sent to ximengwang@hotmail.com. Enjoy ^.^ rlm@0: rlm@0: I'll Always Be Your Guardian rlm@0: rlm@0: Phoenix rlm@0: rlm@0: Rikku paced up and down the bridge, glancing over at Shinra every few seconds. It had been hours rlm@0: since Yuna had fallen down into the hole at Djose Temple. As time slowly ticked by, the usually rlm@0: cheerful thief frowned with worry. rlm@0: rlm@0: “RUF SILR MUHKAN IHDEM ED’C TUHA? ” Rikku leaned over the rlm@0: shoulder of the boy genius, trying to see if the kid had made any progress. rlm@0: rlm@0: “RUMT UH… psshhh… E’S YMSUCD TUHA, ” Shinra didn’t even look rlm@0: up at the currently overemotional blonde girl. He turned the bluish sphere-like object in his rlm@0: hand before turning his chair over. “There! It should be able to get us a picture.” rlm@0: rlm@0: “So we’ll be able to see Yunie with this?” Rikku bent over at the waist to get a closer look at rlm@0: the commsphere. It didn’t look like there was anything special about the object other than the rlm@0: fact that Shinra had been working on it for the past few hours. rlm@0: rlm@0: “Yes. That is if she’s still down in that hole.” The Al Behd boy stated as he wiped his forehead rlm@0: with a suit-covered hand. The boy was about to set the sphere down gently when a loud screeching rlm@0: voice nearly made him drop the invention. rlm@0: rlm@0: “Yuna has to be there! Gullwings! Full speed to Djose Temple!” Brother finally rose from his rlm@0: laying position in the middle of the deck. He quickly turned around to face Buddy when he rlm@0: realized they haven’t even started to move. “GO! GO! GO!” rlm@0: rlm@0: Buddy imput their destination into the Celsius’ computer before rubbing his ears. Sometimes he rlm@0: wondered if Yuna, Rikku, and Paine had the easier job. Sure, he just sat in the Celsius while rlm@0: the girls were out risking their lives but then he also had to deal with Brother. Come to think rlm@0: of it, why was Brother part of the team anyways? The tattooed Al Behd didn’t seem to do anything rlm@0: except complain about Yuna taking too long on her missions. rlm@0: rlm@0: “Are we almost there?” Rikku looked at the sphere in the middle of the ship. The Celsius was rlm@0: probably the fastest machina in all of Spira but the flight seemed to take so much longer than rlm@0: usual. The young blond went back to pacing around the deck, realizing there really wasn’t rlm@0: anything she could do about it. rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: The Celsius landed at Djose temple minutes later although the young thief had jumped off before rlm@0: Buddy even got the chance to ‘park’ the ship. “Ohhh… Come on! Yunie needs our help! Let’s hurry rlm@0: and throw the commsphere into the hole!” As she spoke, the Al Behd’s arms waved about, rlm@0: illustrating her words. rlm@0: rlm@0: “I’m going to have a word with the Machina Faction. You guys go on ahead.” Paine’s words were rlm@0: barely audible as she ran off into the tent. The rest of the Gullwing nodded then ran towards rlm@0: the doors of the thunder cloud-like temple. They were used to this kind of behavior from the rlm@0: more mysterious member of the team. Besides, Paine always showed up if something happens so rlm@0: there really wasn’t much to worry about rlm@0: rlm@0: rlm@0: The team of sphere hunters gathered around the large hole in the temple as Rikku impatiently rlm@0: looked over the shoulder of the much smaller boy-genius. She watched him throw the commsphere rlm@0: into the hole with the fascination of a cat. Slowly, she stepped closer to the hole, peering rlm@0: into it’s unending depths. “Yunie… please be alright!” She thought to herself as she rlm@0: half-expected to hear a thud of some kind once the sphere hit the bottom. rlm@0: rlm@0: “Let’s see now…” Shinra mumbled to himself as he clicked a few keys on a computer-like box. He rlm@0: watched the screen intently as he tried to get some kind of signal from the sphere. rlm@0: rlm@0: “So where is Yuna? I-WANT-YUNA!” Brother’s impatience got the better of him once again as he rlm@0: yelled loud enough to even awaken the faiths. rlm@0: rlm@0: “So where’s the picture?” Buddy asked, his arms crossed across his chest. He raised an eyebrow rlm@0: as static started to slowly appear on the screen. It was progress at any rate. Some signal is rlm@0: better than none, right? rlm@0: rlm@0: “Is it working now?” Rikku asked, moving her hands in front of her chest like a cat scratching rlm@0: on a door. The depression and feeling of hopelessness she had felt all day slowly started to rlm@0: fade away as more static appeared on the screen. If Shinra’s invention works then maybe they’ll rlm@0: be able to talk with Yuna! That is if Yuna were down there and well. Rikku shook her head to rlm@0: clear her mind of those thoughts. Be optimistic! She told herself as she leaned closer to the rlm@0: monitor. rlm@0: rlm@0: The screen slowly started to get less staticy as the picture cleared except for the fact that rlm@0: all they could see was darkness. There didn’t seem to be any light coming from the dark abyss. rlm@0: Just when they were about to give up hope, a small pyrofly flew across the screen. rlm@0: rlm@0: “YUNA! I WANT TO SEE YUNA! SHOW ME YUNA!!!” Brother once again started yelling. Now that it was rlm@0: clear they could receive images from the sphere, he was more desperate than ever to see the girl rlm@0: of his dreams, even if he wasn’t the man of hers. rlm@0: rlm@0: “LYMS TUFH! ” Rikku snapped, at the idiotic ‘leader’. She had been fed up with his rlm@0: whining ever since Yuna had fallen down the hole. It was bad enough that Yuna was gone but being rlm@0: worried while hearing Brother’s high-pitched voice was not a combination Rikku wanted to try rlm@0: ever again. rlm@0: rlm@0: After making sure the older Al Behd had calmed down, Rikku went back to staring at the small rlm@0: monitor on Shinra’s invention. “Please Yunie… please show up!” She mumbled to herself in a whiny rlm@0: tone of voice. She had been waiting for the boy genius to finish his sphere every since the kid rlm@0: had suggested it but now she didn’t really know if finishing it was really a good thing. Before rlm@0: she had at least been able to hope that Yuna was still alive but now… now she really didn’t know rlm@0: anymore. rlm@0: rlm@0: A few more pyroflies flew across the screen then it was back to pitch black-darkness. Slowly, a rlm@0: small clicking sound rang through the speakers. Rikku nearly pounced when her sensitive their rlm@0: ears caught on to the sound. They sounded like footsteps! But who’s? Yuna’s boots usually didn’t rlm@0: make the kinds of sounds that were being played by the speakers. The young blond leaned in closer rlm@0: to the screen, almost to the point of pressing her nose against the cold glass. There seemed to rlm@0: be a shadow-like movement from the far horizon. Even in bluish pictures transmitted by the rlm@0: commsphere, Rikku could still pick out the small movement. rlm@0: rlm@0: “Is it… Yunie?” she asked softly, her hopes rising higher than they ever had before. Maybe Yuna rlm@0: was alive and well? rlm@0: rlm@0: “Let’s try to zoom in,” Shinra quickly pressed a few buttons on his invention as the screen rlm@0: slowly started to make the shadow bigger and bigger. At the maximum magnification, the body was rlm@0: still covered in shadows but it was definitely humanoid. rlm@0: rlm@0: The shadow slowly moved closer, taking it sweet time as if it’s sole purpose was to taunt those rlm@0: who were watching it. Just as its body started to clear up, a haze of pyroflies flew across the rlm@0: screen, knocking into the commsphere. The echoes of the deceased played across the speakers of rlm@0: Shinra’s machine as the pyroflies kept on flying past until the screen returned to static and rlm@0: the sound faded. rlm@0: rlm@0: “What happened? What happened?” Rikku asked frantically as she towered over the young boy. rlm@0: rlm@0: “The pyroflies must of have hit the commsphere. The receiver and microchip might of have gotten rlm@0: damaged.” The young boy explained as he turned off his invention. He looked around at the rest rlm@0: of the Gullwing crew. Brother had gone back to his fetal position while Buddy stayed calm and rlm@0: collected as always. Rikku on the other hand seemed to look more worried than the young boy has rlm@0: ever seen her in the two years they had been together. rlm@0: rlm@0: “Is there any way to fix it? That could of have been Yunie down there!” The blonde Al Behd looked rlm@0: almost on the verge of tears. Her last hope of contacting Yuna had just been shattered. All she rlm@0: had ever wanted was to protect her dear cousin but now, like last time, she had failed. rlm@0: rlm@0: Shinra looked at Rikku for a moment before shrugging, “I’m just a kid…” His voice was barely rlm@0: above a whisper as he grabbed his machine and headed towards the exit of the fayth chamber. rlm@0: Buddy wasn’t far behind the child prodigy as he half carried, half dragged Brother with him. rlm@0: rlm@0: Rikku watched her other team mates leave one by one. Are they going to give up that easily? Are rlm@0: they just going to leave Yuna down in that whole while she may still be alive, the odds were rlm@0: slim but still possible. Yuna had done so much for Spira by risking her life to fight Sin but rlm@0: now even those closest to her were leaving! The young Al Behd girl slumped to her knees as she rlm@0: stared down into the bottomless abyss… but could anything survive if it fell down from there? rlm@0: “If anyone can, then Yunie can! She may not be a Summoner anymore but I’ll always be her rlm@0: Guardian!” The young girl slowly got back to her feet. She blinked her eyes a few times, making rlm@0: the small tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes slowly run down her cheek before rlm@0: landing on the temple floor. Taking a deep breath, the blonde girl took a few steps backwards rlm@0: before staring back at the large hole. “I’m coming Yunie. I’ll be the one to save you this time!” rlm@0: Without further delay, the young thief started running towards the hole at full speed. For those rlm@0: few seconds, only the one she loved occupied her mind. She would gladly die for the brunette if rlm@0: she had to but if she couldn’t save the one she loves then at least she could die right alongside rlm@0: with her. And so the former Guardian ran. She was inches away from the hole when a voice rang rlm@0: through her ears, making her heart melt with happiness. rlm@0: rlm@0: “Yuna here, reporting for duty.” rlm@0: rlm@0: Those simple words stopped the thief from her mission. Yuna was alive! She was alive and well! rlm@0: Tears of joy threatened to spill from the Al Behd’s eyes as she turned around and ran back to rlm@0: the Celsius. Except this time, she was running to get closer to her love in this life instead of rlm@0: joining her in the farplain. rlm@0: