A/N: A big bunch of chapters coming up here. This is, once again, more of a scene-setter. However, I think you may like the content somewhat more than the previous chapters.

Also, a big delay (8 months to be precise); as ever, my apologies. Since my last update, I have finished up at work, moved back to uni, worked harder than I have since I joined uni, and began work on a truly fascinating engine design project that will, hopefully, have a genuine product coming out of the other end of it. Exciting stuff.

The bulk of this chapter was written in the autumn, before I hit a truly epic bout of writer's block. However, one positive did come from it: I've done another play-through of FFX (and let me tell you, it was right satisfying to be doublecasting -aga magic during the second fight with Seymour – that was new!), and found a little inspiration, particularly for the opening sequence of this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own FFX or X-2.

Mistake

Chapter 16: Spark

As it turned out, I wasn't alone in believing it was time.

"Hey," I greeted her with a smile just outside the operations room. Rikku had been standing there, a little bleary eyed and with her hair all over the place, apparently having just awoken. As soon as she heard my greeting, however, her eyes came into sharp focus and a light appeared to come on inside her head. After a beat, she grabbed my hand and began dragging me by it away from the room.

I had no idea where she was taking us, but she appeared to have a little more information regarding the layout of the area. She pulled me through three junctions, over a short bridge over a seemingly-bottomless chasm, and through a small storage area – much to the befuddlement of the store worker - before, finally, opening a side door and walking into a small, windowless room. The room was populated by a number of small desks, all facing a whiteboard on the front wall of the room. We had, apparently, stepped into one of the guards' training classrooms.

I raised my eyebrow at her in silent question, but she just shrugged. "I have no idea where we are, but it's quiet and away from the others," she explained. I nodded, accepting the explanation. I suppose she hadn't had in impromptu tour of the facility, then.

I looked at her seriously, and she seemed to get the point. Walking over to one of the desks in the front row, she sat down on top of it, leaning forward on her arms and appearing attentive. I smiled, appreciating the gesture.

"Right, it's about time we had it out, okay? No more games."

She nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. As I propped myself up against the lecturer's desk, my mind was transported back to the only other time we had ever tried to confront the proverbial elephant which had been in the room with us since day one.

Base Camp, Zanarkand Ruins

8.14pm

The sun had almost made its way beyond the horizon. I sat on top of the mount of dirt and rubble, taking in Spira's Zanarkand.

It had only really sunk in today that the Zanarkand which I had known and loved, the Zanarkand which had been my home for seventeen years, had never existed outside of the fayth's great dream. Sure, Bahamut had told me as such, but seeing it sprawled out before me was something completely different to being told it during a magically-induced slumber.

I'd be lying if I said it hadn't hurt. Despite all that I had learned, despite how much I had grown attached to Spira and those that resided within it, there had always been a childish part of me that just wanted to return home. Stupid, I know, but I'm only human.

As I rested my elbows on my knees and took in the view, I heard someone trudge their way up the hill. Not really paying attention to it, I jumped when the climber dropped themselves down next to me.

"Hey," greeted Rikku. "How are you holding up?"

I looked away, muttering "I'm fine," at her unconvincingly. At her snort, my eyes shot back to meet her unbelieving gaze. "'Not going to work on you', right?"

She chuckled lightly, nodding. I sighed resignedly, turning my body to face her. "Zanarkand, my Zanarkand... it's really doesn't exist, does it?" I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but I couldn't help it. Besides, she'd understand.

I had cast my eyes downward during my question, not quite able to look her in the eye as I asked it. After, she gently raised my chin with her index finger, all compassion and understanding. I couldn't bear the sight of it, and turned away. Hurt, she wrapped her arms around her waist. "Look, Tidus, I know a thing or two about losing homes," she began sharply. At this, I looked up, feeling like a right bastard. She softened instantly. "Hey, don't worry about it. You're grieving, and this is what friends are for. Now come here." She finished with a grin, and opened her arms out wide, inviting me in.

I couldn't help it, and barked out a slightly choked laugh as I let myself fall into her embrace. She held me tight, stroking my hair and whispering comforting noises in my ear.

I don't know how long we stayed wrapped up in each other, but the next time I took notice the sun had long since disappeared and night had fallen with a vengeance. The chill had started to creep in, though we hadn't noticed it too much, our shared body heat keeping us from feeling the bite.

I looked up at Rikku, my head in her lap, taking her in. Once again, I couldn't help but be thankful to her; through everything, she had remained my closest friend in Spira. She hadn't commented once on Macalania, or asked for any details, but I expected she knew all that she thought she needed to. I hadn't brought it up either, worried that reminding her would only serve to sever our friendship for good, and that was a result so dire that I could not even begin to consider it.

So, it had remained taboo between us. And, to be fair, the status quo had worked thus far. We had gone back to how we were before Bikanel, before those nights lost amongst the sands, and before I had cut whatever-it-was short.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing I hadn't been able to talk to her about. It wasn't just Zanarkand that I had been grieving; this was the first opportunity which I'd had to truly think about my own existence, and the precarious position it was in. In fact, I hadn't yet mentioned it to anyone, telling myself that it was best to first get my own head around it and settle myself with the idea before I started saddling others with it.

Trouble is, I wasn't sure I'd ever come to terms with it. Maybe when it was staring me right in the face... nah, probably not.

She could tell I was troubled; her eyes flickered over my face and body, her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what was bothering me. When her eyes eventually returned to mine, I tried to smile reassuringly. However, by her response I was pretty sure that it appeared pretty fake.

She settled herself down a little further, twisting sideways so that she could put her hands on either side of my face and look me dead in the eye. "Ti, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice truly concerned.

With her staring at me like that, I almost couldn't help myself. I caught myself just before I slipped and told her everything. For if I did, there was no way she would allow me to go any farther. Most likely, she'd pin me to this very hill for the rest of my days.

No, none of them could know. Not until it was already done.

Seeing her still watching me, her concern quickly spiralling out of control, I realised that I had to give her something. Looking back, I definitely chose the wrong option. In my panic, my mind jumped upon the other thing I really didn't want to discuss right now.

Our taboo.

"I never meant for it to happen," I rushed out, before my mind caught up with my mouth. Well, nearly. "I mean, I was just trying to give her some reassurance, and then it spiralled out of control and-"

She wrenched herself away from me, getting to her feet. Before she could turn away, I caught the look on her face, the barely-restrained fury that had written itself all over her usually happy features.

It was clear that what I had said had fallen perfectly into one of her already-drawn conclusions, and it was not one which would have a pleasant outcome.

"So, what is it then?" she hissed, whipping herself back toward me, her voice low as she was mindful of the others camping not far below. "Was I just a fuck-toy for you, or are you now playing Yunie's emotions? Pick one." With that, she glared at me with all her might, her all-of five foot-nothing frame twitching slightly as she held herself back from manhandling me.

Hurt, but not surprised, by her accusation, I sputtered, "Neither. Rikku, I-"

She span away from me as soon as she head the first word out of my mouth. "Save it." Her tone allowed for no argument, and, as she stalked away from me back toward the camp, I felt a small part of me crumble. For her, that was it.

We had never had the chance to discuss it again, not before I had jumped from the airship in a cloud of pyreflies and bid Spira behind for good, or so I had thought.

I braced myself against the desk as best I could, settling myself before breaking our taboo once again, two years since I had first done so, albeit accidentally. I hoped that, this time, she would be a little more willing to hear my explanations.

"You were wrong, that evening in Zanarkand. It was never either of those choices." I looked up at her, feeling slightly exasperated. Luckily, she was leaving me to it thus far. "Gods, Rikku, you know how much you mean to me; you were never a plaything to me. You're my best friend. I'd like to think that I'm a good enough human being to not do that to you, of all people.

"Yuna... I was just trying to comfort her. The girl was in hysterics, and I had no idea how to settle her back down. So, I just gave her a little kiss, right? Break her out of her rut, get her back on her feet, and away we go." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "But, I guess she was pretty into me." At that, Rikku laughed disbelievingly, and I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I'm a teenage guy, we're pretty oblivious beasts. How was I to know that she'd jump right on it and pull me in? After that, it was pretty obvious that I couldn't just pull away and send her on her way with a pat on the head; that would only put her in even more of a depression. So, I let her continue..."

Rikku watched me closely, waiting to see if I'd keep going. When it became clear that I had run out of steam, not able to find the words to continue, she gave me a first glimpse into her response.

"So, you told her little white lies for the rest of the pilgrimage?" she asked, her voice tightly controlled and her face betraying no emotion.

Oh yeah, she was pissed off.

"Well, it was either that or risk breaking her heart as she strove toward what was, supposedly, her own death," I countered, barely pausing for breath. "I mean, I couldn't very well go up to her and say, 'Yuna, you're a great gal and a fantastic friend, but I'm actually in love with your cousin. Do you mind if you, you know, shift out of the way?'"

When my frenzied response received no quick reply, I checked myself and looked to Rikku, wondering what was holding her up. She was frozen, her mouth slightly open, as if she had stopped short of saying something. Her eyes were blinking rapidly, moving all over my face.

"Rikku?" I asked concernedly, moving closer to her. As I brushed one of her braids out of her eyes, she seemed to break out of her stupor.

"You..." she began, before trailing off and doing another fish impression. Swallowing, she seemed to find her voice. "You l-love me?"

My heart melted instantly. Her voice had sounded so small, so hopeful, that one knock would probably shatter her. As gently as I could, I rested my hands on her cheeks and caught her eyes with mine.

Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly...

This is it.

"I do. I love you, Rikku."

Well, if ever there was a perfect time...

I could hardly keep the shit-eating grin off of my face. She sat directly across from me, as we waited for Baralai to gather his thoughts over the commsphere we'd placed on the cabin table. I fought it down as best I could, before I caught her eye and saw that she was having just as much trouble as I was.

"I love you too."

Hiding my happy blush behind my hands and trying my best to pass if off as tiredness, I vigorously shook my head. After all, the actions decided upon in this meeting could decide the fate of all Spira.

It was a losing battle.

"I thought you said you hated me?" "I did... but you know how I can't stay mad at you."

Schooling my expression with all my might, I chanced a glance up. It was no use. Within five seconds, I'd caught her eye again, she'd smiled prettily, and I was a gooey mess all over again.

Get a grip, I told myself.

"Alright, this is how we're going to make our move," Baralai began, finally breaking me out of my sappy stupor. His image had stopped pacing, and now stood before a three-dimensional holographic representation of a number of pathways leading down towards a central platform, a large portal burning at it's centre. "This, as you three -" he pointed to the girls "- will be aware, shows the various paths down from the chambers of the fayth to the heart of the farplane."

That made me sit up and pay attention; I'd yet to lay eyes on this, only having heard a brief account of what had transpired in the land of the deceased. Yuna, seated between myself and Rikku, was staring unblinkingly at the model. I couldn't blame her; a few days ago, she had probably thought that she'd seen the last of it. Paine, leaning against the wall to the side of our table, remained impassive as ever. There was little doubt in my mind that, with Nooj and Gippal now back at their way to their respective headquarters, it had fallen upon her and Baralai to finalise the plans for this operation. I don't think any of us would have been comfortable with Leblanc being a key player in the planning of a make-or-break operation. She and her team had remained behind, electing to assist Baralai and his Palace Guard in holding the underground.

"We will need to time this well," Baralai continued. "If we blow that pipe too early, then the shades may have enough time to regroup before you make your move into their rear ranks. If we strike too late, then you may be discovered." He turned and gestured toward the model of the farplane. "Our technicians here have co-ordinated with Shinra, and generated a simulation of your expected progression down toward the abyss." As he finished his sentence, four little holographic people appeared at the top of one of the paths spiralling down. He pressed a few buttons on a panel to the side of the hologram, setting the figures into motion. "Based on our predictions, if you encounter minimal resistance then you should reach the farplane within five minutes; it is a short descent, distance-wise." As he space, the figures ran unhindered down toward the farplane abyss, stopping once they reached the bottom of the path.

"If the resistance is a little more significant -" he continued, the figures restarting their journey at the push of a button. "Then we would expect your journey to take approximately ten minutes." This time, the figures were fighting off a few packs of Aeshma, Monolith and Wight on their way down.

"Finally, if you encounter major resistance," Baralai went on, resetting the model with a sigh, "then you should expect to take twenty minutes, perhaps more." This time, fiends attacked from all sides, almost overwhelming the four models. "If this is the case, then you should retreat to somewhere where a commsphere or radio would function – namely, the chamber of the fayth – and inform us of your struggles. We shall then delay the operation, perhaps sending you over to another side." Baralai paused, looking down momentarily as he considered his words. "We cannot afford to have you hanging around the edges of their forces. We cannot risk losing any of you." He glanced at the simulation one last time before turning back to us, "We will therefore adhere to the law of averages, and set the timer for ten minutes."

We all nodded, touched by the passion in his voice. My respect for the man had grown in leaps and bounds over the past few days. When I had first met him, I had expected him to be like most of the other Yevon leader I had met in the past; a man who had a way with words and less morals than most savages. However, he had proven that he was a good man to the core, standing up for Spira in the face of an unknown threat gathering beneath his very palace. He had, it could be argued, been the one who had truly kept us all working together in these stressful times. Without him, I have little doubt that we would have had a much less co-ordinated counter for the shades.

Above all, I definitely owed him a beer for all he'd done.

He continued on, informing Yuna of the information he had received from the temples around Spira. Apparently, the fiends had all been seen fleeing from the various temples, the lands for miles around now being devoid of them. Cid had – reluctantly - picked up one of the New Yevon strike teams and taken them to Baaj Temple, allowing them to scout the area. They had also reported no sign of any fiends.

Most importantly, none of the temples had seen anything resembling the shades, despite all the chambers of the fayth being exposed and scouted.

We had, of course, chosen the Sunken Cave as our point of entry for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was the nearest available fayth entrance to Bevelle itself, with only a short airship hop over the Calm Lands to take us almost to it's doorstep. We would be able to run through the cave itself in no time, and access the chamber far more quickly than if we had to run all the way across either Besaid or Kilika Islands. Djose would have been a quick run from the airship, but, being such a great distance away to begin with, that advantage would be negated.

Besides, we hoped that the relative lack of human activity on the still-living side of the farplane portal would fail to draw the attention of the shades, giving us a clearer run down to the abyss.

"Baralai, what will you do if they overrun you?" Yuna asked him worriedly, "If even a small group of those things escape into the city -"

"We will stop them, if it is the last thing we do," Baralai interrupted firmly. "If we fail, then our people will at least have some warning. The evacuation of Bevelle, though it will take some time to complete, is already well under-way." Though Baralai spoke confidently, Yuna hardly looked reassured. "Now, I must prepare my men for battle. I will carry a commsphere with me at all times, should you need to get in touch. Luck, my friends." His screen went dark.

I sat back, rubbing my face tiredly as I tried to eradicate some of the strain from the last few days. Now that the operation was finally upon us, it almost felt like a relief. The limbo that we had experienced up in that conference room had been nigh-on unbearable. After stretching my neck out, releasing a few satisfying cracks in the process, I looked around at my companions.

Yuna, she looked harried. He brows were drawn, her mouth a thin line. It was a look I had seen all too often on the pilgrimage, her caring nature leading her to prioritise her concern for others over her concern for our own mission. Paine, I hadn't yet known long enough to get an accurate read on. Her mask was set firmly in place. And Rikku... well, she appeared to be in a similar state to myself. Nervous, apprehensive even, but with a knot of happiness that could not be dimmed.

Neither of us could restrain ourselves after laying our cards on the table like that. We had kissed, hot and frantic, shortly after. It had felt like returning home once more; I hadn't truly realised quite how much I'd missed her, that longing ache that had settled into my chest more than two years ago finally lifted.

Damn, it felt good.

After a few minutes of heavy petting, we reached a unanimous decision that we were separated by far too many layers of clothes. From there, it was inevitable that we'd... devolve, and resort to our more primal instincts.

We were lucky that the room Rik had selected for our 'discussion' had been so far away from innocent ears. Neither of us held back in the slightest, and, had anyone been within shouting distance, they might have been in for a rude awakening.

Not that we wished for it to remain a secret for much longer. After a knock-out at the end of round three, we had taken the time for some pillow talk.

New Yevon Guard Barracks

One hour earlier

We were panting heavily, her lithe form curled into my embrace as she rested in my lap. She had always been on the short side – as I was prone to reminding her – and we had both taken a liking to our current position, finding that her petite stature was a perfect fit like this. As she had so many times during those cold nights at camp during the pilgrimage, she sat astride my lap, her whole body curled into mine. I held her tightly, as if fearful that she'd disappear. Truth be told, with all that had happened, an irrational part of me was.

Of course, when we'd done this on the pilgrimage, we'd usually been wearing more clothes and had been rather less worn-out. That certainly would have drawn some funny looks from the others.

Stroking her bangs away from her forehead, I planted a sweet kiss there, prompting her to nestle into me even further. She sought my hand, interlacing our fingers and catching my eye. I was momentarily stunned; I hadn't seen her eyes gleam like this for a long time. The genuine elation and love that shined from them was breathtaking.

The fact that I had made her that happy... Well, I hoped my Mum and Old Man could see how far I'd come...

… Except with more clothes on.

"I don't want to hide this. I won't hide this," I whispered as her lips quirked into a contented smile. Unable to help myself, I stole another kiss, which she returned with equal fervour. Reluctantly, I broke away, drawing a disappointed moan from her. "I want to shout it from the rooftops."

"Hmm... better put some clothes on first," she grinned back, shifting so that she was now straddling my lap, and settling her hips against mine with a saucy smirk. Minx.

"I'm serious," I continued, battling to keep my concentration despite the trail of kisses she was now leaving down my neck. "I'm not going to go out there and continue that charade. It's not fair on any of us." She mumbled an affirmative into my shoulder, her hands tracing idle patterns on my chest. I retaliated, bringing my hands to her chest, making her sigh and lean herself back, giving in to the sensation.

Unfortunately, that would be the extent of our adventure for the time being, as, just as I was about to replace my hands with my mouth, our radios crackled into life.

"Hey Rikku, Tidus," came Buddy's voice, local interference creating a sharp white noise that made it somewhat difficult to make out his words. "Do either of you copy?"

Rikku huffed in frustration, agilely jumping to her feet and walking over to the pile in the corner where we'd each left our tops. With not a hint of contriteness, I noted that the rest of our clothes had been strewn all over the room. Amusingly, her bra dangled from one of the lights hanging from the ceiling.

"Hey Buddy, this is Rikku. We're both here. What's up?" she replied into the radio, resting her free hand on her hip as she held the radio up to her face. Feeling mischievous, I got up and stood behind her, brushing her hair over one shoulder and kissing and sucking my way down the other. She leant into my touch, sighing contentedly. I wrapped my arms around her, determined to break her composure as Buddy's reply came over the speaker.

"We're heading back to the Celsius, A-S-A-P! Yuna, Paine and Baralai finally managed to come to an agreement on the plan for our little operation, and we're heading for the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, right now!" Buddy sounded equal parts excited and terrified. Though he hadn't taken part in the actual combat down in the Bevelle Underground, the destruction and suffering which he had bore witness to in the aftermath had clearly spooked him.

"Copy that, Buddy. We'll meet you at the transport terminal in a minute," Rikku replied, trying to keep her voice steady as I did my best to distract her.

"Copy. Over."

As soon as Buddy confirmed the conversation over, she threw the radio back down on the pile of clothes, span around in my arms and attacked my mouth with hers. But, before I could get too excited, her fervour tapered off and she finished with a series of feather-light kisses.

Pulling away, she whispered, "We should go." I nodded begrudgingly.

It took me a few moments to find all my clothes, but it felt all too soon that we were both standing by the door, fully-clothed, hands clasped. I gave her one last searing kiss, eliciting a contented moan from her, before turning to the door with a sigh. Rikku stopped me short.

"Hey Ti, do you think Yunie will forgive me?" she asked, her voice quiet and concerned.

Truly, I had no idea just how Yuna would react, besides badly. I had little doubt that she would forgive us eventually. But, on the other hand, I doubt she'd want to be anywhere near the two of us once she found out. 'Space' and 'time' would be the orders of the day.

When I looked to Rikku, it was clear that she shared my concerns. However, like I had said before, it was about time she thought about her own happiness.

Yuna would recover. She's far too great a woman not to.

"Yeah, I think she will. She always does," I replied, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

With that, we left the room, hand-in-hand and heads held high.

We were fast approaching the northern edge of the Calm Lands. We had passed the travel agency a while ago, and were now almost within sight of the end of the line. As I watched the ground fly past and Mt Gagazet loom larger and larger on the horizon from my perch on the deck, the wind rushing past me, I took a moment to breathe and collect myself.

It had been a roller-coaster of emotion since I had returned. With luck, this mission would bear fruit and we'd be able to force back the shades, perhaps even cut them off before they could settle themselves in the mortal world. If we failed, well... I could only hope that the three faction leaders could rally all of Spira together to fight them off.

I closed my eyes, breathing evenly. In. Out. In. Out. Not quite.

I opened my eyes and returned to the bridge.

Brother had been uncharacteristically silent as we had boarded, marching off to the helm with Buddy and Shinra in tow, while the rest of us had headed for the cabin. As I walked down the stairs and onto the bridge, he was staring stonily ahead, watching our approach to Gagazet and outright refusing to acknowledge the presence of the rest of the Gullwings. He was clearly terrified of what might happen, and I couldn't blame him. Buddy was in a more talkative mood, standing over Shinra's shoulder as he helped to calibrate the radio connection; as we'd be taking our radios and attempting to continue transmissions deep underground and within the farplane, they had some work to do.

Yuna and Paine were resting near our blades and munitions container, checking and re-checking their weapons. Yuna had disassembled her twin pistols, cleaning every component she could, including many which did not need to be pristine in order to operate effectively. I resolved not to disturb her, seeing the hard set of her shoulders and the hunch of her back. This must be her way of settling herself, and I had no intention of impacting on her focus.

Picking up my sword and collecting a whetstone from a bag inside the container, I went and sat next to Paine, who was sharpening her own blade. Wordlessly, I rubbed the whetstone down the edge of my sword, honing the edge as best I could whilst avoiding disturbing her, unsure as to whether she wished for company. Brotherhood, Wakka had called the sword, and the name had stuck. It had served me well throughout the pilgrimage, and I was touched to see that Yuna had kept it close at hand while on her own quest. Not only that, but she had kept it in good condition, the edge not dulled by time and the grip recently refreshed.

We sat in silence, the only sounds on the bridge being the dull hum of the engines and rushing wind, the quiet mumbling of Buddy and Shinra and the grind of stone on metal.

It took me a moment to realise that Paine had stopped sharpening her blade. I glanced over to see her throw the whetstone back into the bag and settle her sword across her lap. She gently ran her finger down the edge of her curved blade, checking it's sharpness and searching for any imperfections. When she reached the tip, she ran it back the other way. Her finger came away with a thin cut, making her grunt in acceptance. She looked my way, cocking an eyebrow at me and glancing toward Rikku, standing slightly behind Brother and staring out of the window.

It was rare to see her standing so still, such was her usual level of energy and enthusiasm. Her eyes were closed, her breathing steady. She, too, was attempting to implement the technique Auron had taught us all while we toiled our way through Macalania forest. He had claimed that we were a far from cohesive unit on the Thunder Plains, and he had been right. We had not worked as a team, merely playing to our individual strengths, with many of us trying to win the battle single-handedly. We had, above all, lacked focus in a fight.

As soon as we had cleared the endless thunderstorms and and driving rain, he had taken the younger of us in the party, namely Yuna, Rikku and myself, aside and taught us this technique. Yuna had quickly settled into it, the approach largely similar to that which she used to pray for an aeon. Rikku and I, on the other hand... we'd never been ones for meditating.

However, pain is a great motivator, and we were experiencing quite a lot of it in battle as we stumbled over each other and the rest of the party. We spent hours in the tranquil Macalania Forest evenings trying to settle ourselves, sitting by the campfire and letting the crackling of the it take us away.

Eventually, we learned, though it would always take us longer, such were our natures. Though he had his own way of showing it, I knew Auron was pleased.

She turned, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her energy returned in a flash, and caught my eye. We shared a grin, full of promises and a shared commitment. She was ready.

Seeing what we Paine and I had been doing, she strolled over and picked up her own daggers and the stone that Paine had tossed back. Taking a seat on the floor next to me, she leant against my legs, resting her head on my thigh, and began running the stone methodically down the edge.

I reached down, tangling my fingers in her hair and massaging her scalp, causing her to give an involuntary moan of pleasure.

I met Paine's gaze with a smile on my face. She returned it wholeheartedly and clapped me on the shoulder before rising and joining Buddy and Shinra.

After she left, I laid my head back against the wall and let my eyes fall closed once again. I settled my breathing, focusing on the feeling of her soft hair and scalp under my fingers.

In. Out. In. Out. My old mantra overcame me once more as time slipped away.

I opened my eyes, the light momentarily dazzling me.

I was ready.

A/N: I hope this wasn't too sappy, but I felt that it was about time that they got themselves sorted and had a bit of a happy break.

Big happenings up next as arc two reaches its climax.