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