This is the proofed, unbeta'd text. When the betas have done their thing, I'll replace this -No0ne

The air had changed. Gone was the familiar scent of salt and seaweed, something she had grown accustomed to since moving to the small island. Fear began to stir in the pit of her stomach; bile rose to the back of her throat. She swallowed a few times but could not get the acid to fall. The hair on the back of her neck stood erect. Sweat beaded across her forehead. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, begging her to run; to flee; to escape.

Escape what? Her eyes flitted left to right, combing the cream colored sand for the cause of her distress. She tried to slow her breathing but found it impossible. Her lungs were rebelling, trying to grab great gulps of air, sucking in every bit of oxygen they could hold as if they were storing it all up for some coming disaster. What had she not noticed that her body had? What was she missing? Her instincts were running scared. Should she?

A groan managed to sneak between her heavy breaths. She turned around to face whatever waited behind her, feet sinking further into the soft sand. The boardwalk was empty. No stranger waited to pounce. Her heart slowed, the bile fell, and she wiped the sweat from her brow; her mind had regained control. When she turned around, her eyes were filled with bright prismatic light.

Floating at eye level was a pyrefly, something she had never seen in her life before. Naturally, she had heard of them but she was too young to remember the time before Yuna's Eternal Calm. Shocked but excited, she reached out a hand to touch the multicolored ball. It dodged her approaching finger and began to swirl around her, bathing her with its spastic glow. She laughed and turned around with it, though not fast enough to catch it.

Another pyrefly appeared in her line of sight, this one floating above the edge of the water, its luminescence reflected and refracted in the ocean's waves. A shock of joy hit her. How lucky she was, being able to see not one but two pyreflies at once! Becoming euphoric, she ran towards the ocean's edge to try to catch this new ball of light. It shot away from her moments before she got her hand on it, zooming off to chase after the other pyrefly.

She watched them for a moment, feet slowly sinking into the soft, wet sand of the shore. The two pyreflies chased and circled one another, playing an aerial game of tag. She couldn't help but laugh and cheer them on, clapping and whistling and whooping. The glowing balls began passing each other at greater and greater speed until they collided, creating a sphere of light as bright as the sun. Her hand came to her brow, shielding her eyes from the light. The orb hovered, pulsating.

Eyes full of tears from the brightness, she turned and tried to blink away the spots clouding her vision. Above the expansive ocean hovered an incalculable amount of pyreflies, darting across the surface of the water and pulsating. Many of them were already joined, bright white orbs of light shining like stars from the distance. Their sheer numbers shocked her beyond joy. Her panic circuits reactivated.

Turning around once more, she glimpsed three more pyreflies revolving around the collided pair. They spiraled vertically upwards and then shot off into the sky at great speed, leaving a trail of light on her eyes. She closed them. When she opened them again, the white orb was larger and brighter. Now fully frightened, she started edging away from the shore and closer to the boardwalk. The orb followed her.

She screamed and started to run towards a set of stairs. The orb met her head on at the foot. Another scream escaped her. Using a stair-rail to push off, she darted down the beach and headed towards the village, waving her arms above her head and screaming at the top of her lungs for help. A few meters down the beach however, another bright orb floated in front of her. She slid a few feet before stopping, sending sand flying at the orb. It didn't move.

"What are you?" she screamed at it, swiping at it with a hand. The ball simply moved an inch out of the way of her hand.

Two more pyreflies floated beside her. She eyed them as they inched closer, no longer in awe at their beauty. The one on her right spiraled high into the air before diving back down into the large bright orb in front of her. The orb shuddered for a few moments and then grew in diameter. Its pulse quickened. The other pyrefly repeated the right's movements. When it collided with the white orb, it began to shudder violently, a low rumble filling the air. She started to turn to run but a great shriek pierced the air. A foul stench hit her nose and she brought her gaze back to the white orb. It shook and shot shafts of white hot light off in various directions. A moment later, it expanded into the outline of something very large.

She started running away from whatever was about to be birthed on the sand. She saw that the stairway was clear, and headed full speed for it. A laugh of triumph tickled her throat. She was going to make it. She mounted the stairs and started to climb.

A heavy mass, something much heavier than her, made contact with her chest, knocking her back to the sand. She gasped and found herself face to face with what looked like a rabid pig with a dog's snout and great white tusks protruding from the lower jaw. The creature roared into her face, pelting her with stinking saliva and hot, rotten breath. She screamed.

--------

The crowd was thunderous, their din easily penetrating the Blitz sphere. Gary could hardly hear himself think, let alone Jimma and Bobba's commentary. He would have to rely on his keen sight and instincts to keep the Beasts from scoring. If he could stave off this last attack, the whistle would blow and he and the Aurochs would be champions. A brown speck appeared in the distance, driving towards him. Gary's muscles, honed and conditioned from years of practice, tensed. His eyes expertly followed the Beasts' player through the water. Gary turned right, hoping the feint would lead his opponent into a kick to the left. The player leaned back in the water and bent his leg. Gary braced, followed the ball's arc, and dove.

His head collided with something hard and metallic. Stars burst to life behind his closed eyelids. A warm, sticky liquid seemed to be seeping from a crack in his scalp. He raised a hand and ran his palm over the wound, feeling nothing but hair and skin. Just to be sure, he brought his hand to his face and, seeing no blood, grunted and gripped the edge of his desk. As he slowly stood, the laughs of his fellow soldiers began. He shot their indistinct blue blobs a menacing snarl and bent down to right his chair.

"What in the Farplane did you just do?" asked his commanding officer, Sergeant Mela, between guffaws.

"Looks like he was goalkeeping, sir," replied Gary's subordinate and patrol partner, Private Adel.

"I fell out of my chair. Let's just leave it at that," Gary growled, sitting back down behind his desk.

"That's the last time I let you fall asleep with a game on the sphere," Mela said, leaning over and flipping the audio device to a news channel. "Yevon-damned Beasts lost me twenty Gil."

"Shoulda bet on Vidina," said Adel, nodding sagely.

"There are other players on the Aurochs, ya know."

"Oh, I know, but Vidina's the only one that matters. He scores all the goals!"

Mela laughed. "Point well made, Private."

Adel stood and snapped a salute. "Yes sir!" he grunted before falling back in his chair and giggling.

Gary cradled his pounding head in his hands and groaned.

"What's the matter?" Mela asked, already knowing the answer.

"Gary isn't a Blitz fan, sir."

Gary sighed. "Thank you, Adel, for once again giving a voice to the obvious."

"Are you anything at all, Weston?" asked Gary's CO.

"Bored. And tired. Tired of all the Blitz talk. Can't we make it through one day without mentioning that cursed game?"

Adel rolled his eyes.

Mela cleared his throat. "What would you have us do, Weston? You two have already patrolled twice. There's no crime, no war, no Sin, no crazy idiots in power. We keep the peace. Don't blame me if we have nothing better to do than listen to and talk about Blitzball."

"And," Adel added, "we're aware you don't like Vidina very much. So, of course, we have to talk about him."

"Pricks," Gary mumbled as he stood shakily, still woozy from his fall.

"Where're you going?" asked Mela, standing as well.

"Hawker's."

Adel clicked his tongue. "Drinking on the job, Gary? Shame."

"No," Gary contradicted. "I'm getting away from Blitz, you two, and this cramped closet of an office. At least Hawker bans Blitz from his place."

"Yeah, because he can't stand to watch the Beasts lose," Adel replied.

"If you need me," Gary began, putting his hand on the door knob.

"We'll find you," finished Mela. "Don't drink anything but water."

"Can't afford anything but water," moaned Gary as he exited the building.

"Go that right," Adel sighed.

--------

Gary sat at his normal spot, directly below the Vid Sphere behind the wall of various bottles Hawker had carefully stacked atop an entirely too ancient and unstable shelf. The Vid Sphere was the newest part of the bar and had been, at least at first, its biggest attraction. Unfortunately for Hawker and his patrons, the Kilika Beasts were long past their glory days. Nowadays, the bar mostly attracted non-Blitz fans like Gary. That suited Hawker just fine. He couldn't stand to watch the Beasts lose anyway.

"How 'bout an ale?" Hawker asked, walking up to Gary with a big, fake grin. Gary knew the bartender had been informed of the game's outcome.

"No, thanks," Gary replied, waving a hand. "Just a water, please."

"Sure, I don't need any Gil to run this place. Just drink free ol' water," said Hawker, rolling his eyes. He pointed at Gary, frowning. "Don't eat anything, either. I ain't got any mouths to feed."

Gary sighed. "Whatever."

Hawker pulled a glass from under the bar and dipped it into a bucket of icy water. He slammed the wet glass on the marble bar top, spraying water onto the front of Gary's uniform.

"Your water, sir."

"Thanks a lot, Hawk," Gary said, wiping the front of his royal blue shirt. "Sorry the Beasts aren't going to Luca this year…again."

"Yevon-damned hacks. Calling themselves a damn Blitzball team. Shit!"

Gary took a sip of water. "Let's keep it civil, now," he suggested.

"Sorry, just hate to hear that my team lost."

"So they're still your team, even though they suck?"

"Yeah. Can't watch 'em but I can still pull for 'em. That Vidina though. Shame that son of a bitch won't leave the Aurochs."

"Let's discuss something else," Gary said, finishing off the water in a long, loud gulp. He burped and added, "Like why your ale is now fifty Gil a bottle."

Hawker sighed and took Gary's glass, pouring out the ice and wiping it down with a towel. "Nothing I can do about it. I have to have Gagazet wild cherries to make it. Without 'em, it's just shitty tastin' water."

"But fifty Gil?"

"It's those FNS bastards. I have to pay my supplier triple, sometimes quadruple, the normal price so he can hire mercenaries to protect the carts. The FNS controls the pass between Gagazet and Memorial Park. You'd think the Ronso wouldn't let that kinda shit happen, but the Yevon-damned beasts are scared of 'em. Ronso scared of people? Ain't right."

"From the sounds of some of the news reports, I'd be scared of the FNS too," Gary said with a shudder.

The Vid Sphere flashed white and the Spira Sphere News network's alert chimes sounded. A well-dressed woman appeared on the screen with Al Bhed and Spiran text scrolling beneath her. Next to her head was a map of the Calm Lands, separated in three parts. The red section consisted of the lands to the west of the Calm Lands Memorial Park and was labeled "USL." The lands to the east of the Park were colored green and were adorned with the letters FNS. In the center of the map was the Calm Lands Memorial Park, colored yellow and labeled "CLMP."

"Breaking news out of the Calm Lands. A contingent of FNS soldiers broke into the neutral zone today, killing two armed men suspected of being mercenaries hired by the USL. No confirmation has been given by the Calm Land Preservation Group, but sources have revealed to SSN that the two men were formerly of Yuna's peace keeping army, the Crusaders. SSN contacted Crusader headquarters in Besaid to confirm the men were former members, but the organization had no comment.

"The USL has condemned the killing, calling it a quote 'murder of innocents.' The families of the two men were unable to be contacted by this network." She turned to another camera, where a new image appeared by her head. Vidina smiled down at Gary.

"In sports, the Besaid Aurochs beat the Kilika Beasts today seven to zero, eliminating them from the coming Luca Tournament. Star Auroch Blitzer Vidina, son of the legendary guardian Wakka, scored six of the seven goals and took home, for the fourth week in a row, game MVP honors."

"Ugh," groaned Hawker. He stood on tiptoe and flipped the device to another channel. "Enough about that asshole."

"Here, here," Gary agreed, rubbing the bump on his head. "How's trade?"

"Bad as it's ever been. As you can see," he motioned to the almost empty bar and sitting room, "no customers besides you. And all you ordered was water." Hawker turned around and began needlessly rearranging bottles underneath the Vid Sphere.

"What about the boardwalk? No tourists or locals wanting to grab a bite?"

"Not with that nasty smell outside" replied Hawker, turning back around and tapping the side of his chin with an index finger.

"What?" asked Gary, confused.

"There's this terrible smell coming from the boardwalk, right beneath my deck furniture. That's probably why no one's been around. I've cleaned the deck four times, but I guess it's coming from underneath the boards. Can't sell nothing out back."

Gary laughed. "Sad, Hawker. Really sad."

Hawker waved a backhand at him. "Get out of my bar if you're gonna laugh at me. The Beasts ain't got no luck, I ain't got no luck. Ugh."

Acting offended, Gary slid off the barstool and backed up. "If that's how you treat your customers, then I don't blame people for not coming here."

Hawker rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Go get back to your post. I'm sure Mel's missing you by now."

"Hey, I could arrest you."

"On what charge?" Hawker challenged, bowing up in mock anger.

"Assholery!"

"Chocobo shit."

The two laughed.

Gary walked back towards the bar, arms crossed. "How about I go take a look?"

"I don't want to impose."

"Hey, I don't have anything better to do anyway."

Hawker smiled. "Thanks. There's a free lunch in it if you can rid me of the smell."

"It's illegal to bribe a Crusader, but I think I can look past it in this situation," Gary said with a wink.

--------

A billion suns bounced up and down on the ocean's waves, their glare blinding Gary as he exited the back of the tavern. Gary squinted away the white glow of the world, but not soon enough. The toe of one of his clunky standard issue boots found the crevice between a chair's two nailed-to-the-deck legs. His balance leaving him, he gripped the edge of the nearest table and found that, much to his chagrin, it was not nailed down. The clatter of his sword's sheath slipping through the floor and hitting the ground drowned out the thud of his back against the decking. Muttering curses under his breath, Gary got back up and righted the table he had knocked over. He heard Hawker laughing behind him.

Gary pulled his sword from a space between two deck boards and took a deep breath. All he could smell was the salty sea air and a distant beach grill. His stomach moaned. Chocobo steak didn't sound too bad. He turned around, took another deep breath, preparing to ask Hawker where the smell was, and then it hit him.

The stench was potent, able to storm through his olfactories straight to the gag reflex. Gary choked on the breath and bent over coughing, his lungs fighting to expel the intruding pungency. His next breath only increased its strength. He lumbered back into the pub through the rear service area Hawker had led him through.

"Strong, ain't it?"

"No. Kidding," Gary replied between retches.

"Here." Hawker unlocked a bottle and waved it beneath Gary's nose.

Gary's gags subsided as the sweet aroma of Kilika Ale filled his nasal passages. "Don't make me thirsty," he growled after finally managing to clear his throat.

"What'd it smell like?" Haker asked, putting the ale bottle back onto a shelf and crossing his arms.

"Fishy," Gary lied. Remnants of the smell lingered on the roof of his mouth. It was a bitter mixture of rancid meat and flatulence, with a slight touch of almonds and congealed blood. Gary realized that it was the smell of death. He knew Hawker knew better too. Spirans, mostly a coastal dwelling people, knew the smell of dead fish.

"Right…" Hawker replied, not looking directly at Gary. "Is that the Crusaders' official opinion on the matter?"

Gary smirked, knowing he'd been caught. "No. It's probably a beached sea creature or a piece of a dead Shoopuff or something."

"Uh huh."

"I'll clean it up. Just need a trash bag."

Hawker nodded and opened a nearby cupboard. "If it's something bad…"

"It won't be," assured Gary.

"Right…" Hawker handed Gary the bag.

With the bag in his left hand, his right covering his mouth, Gary ventured back out onto the boardwalk. The stench easily broke through his defense. His eyes watered and he started gagging once more. Determined and aware he would have to follow the smell to its source, he fought the urge empty his stomach of its contents and soldiered on.

The smell turned out to be near a trash can. Gary laughed and bent over the can, expecting to be knocked out. Instead, he found himself relieved. The day's garbage smelled like roses compared to the foul odor rising from below the can. Whatever was reeking was under the boardwalk, directly below the can.

Getting to the spot was easy. Comprehending what was there was not. Gary needed only a glance at the viscera that lay upon that sand before his breakfast vacated his stomach. The smell, unbearable before, was now toxic. There was no fresh air, only death-laden atmosphere. Three more times Gary retched. The fourth was a half-effort; he was out of food and bile, so, unable to expel anything else, his stomach quieted down. More tolerant of the smell, he wiped away the tears in his eyes and gazed nervously at the ground.

Three toed animal tracks led to and away from a large, dark red amorphous shape of stained sand. At the top of the blob of red were the remnants of a human hand, the tips of its fingers gnawed meatless, white wrist bones jutting from shredded flesh. To the right of the hand was the head of a beautiful woman, fully intact from the neck up. She had stark blonde hair tied in a pony tail, brown eyes, and a pale complexion. Connected to her neck was a red mass of muscle, sinew, and bone. It looked to be half her clavicle and what remained of her left shoulder. Sticking out of the neck were ten or so segments of her spine, bits of gore still clinging to it in places. Lying next to the head was Gary's sword sheath.

--------

Gary opened the door to the Crusader office and was immediately greeted by Adel.

"Gary! You got a card from Wakka! He wants you to come to a surprise wedding anniversary party for your parents. He even signed it! The legendary Sir Wakka. Can I keep it? Please? With sugar on to-" He stopped in mid sentence, just noticing Gary's dour expression and the trash bag hanging over his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Gary, too disturbed to be concerned with either the party invitation or the fact that Adel had opened his mail, looked to Mela and said "Get a black bag and then sphere next door. We'll need a private exam room."

Mela nodded and rushed to the closet.

"I'll sphere the infirmary," Adel said. "You want a private exam room. Anything else?"

Gary shook his head and followed Mela.

It seemed so cold and heartless, but it was all regulation. Gary took several sphere images from different angles of the remains as Mela examined them with his keen observation skills. Adel stood by and took notes, not risking a glance at anything but his notepad.

"Female, age indeterminate. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Cause of death not apparent because most of body missing. Teeth marks found on exposed bone and muscle tissue. Head and part of shoulder intact. Hand of victim also found. Exhibits same teeth marks. Suspect animal attack, but no evidence to support or contradict conclusion."

"Animal attack?" Adel asked, resolutely staring at his notes.

Mela nodded. "Could be."

"On Kilika Beach?" Gary didn't like the idea. Animals that devoured humans weren't typically beach goers.

Mela looked to Gary. "Maybe. Could you get a shot of just her face? Make sure you don't get any gore in the shot."

Gary nodded and obliged.

Mela motioned for the sphere. "Now, I'm going to develop the face image. We're going to have to find out who she is. We'll need to canvas the island. She has to have a connection here somewhere."

"I'll spend the rest of the afternoon asking around town," Gary offered.

"No," Mela replied, placing the sphere on top of a rectangular device. "You're going to that party."

Gary laughed humorlessly. "Is that an order?"

"Yes," Mela replied without tone. "Everyone on Besaid will likely be there. I know how you Besaiders celebrate. You're going to see if anyone there knows her."

"Great," muttered Gary.

"Besides," Adel piped in. "You haven't been back there in like, what, a year?"

"Two," Mela replied, pulling three small photos from underneath the device. "Here," he said, handing an image to each of them. "Adel, you cover Kilika Woods and Temple. I'll take the town and docks. Gary?"

"Yeah," Gary replied, giving his sergeant a look that lacked any respect.

Mela smiled. "Enjoy yourself."

"Sir!" Gary snapped into a salute and exited the room fuming.

--------

Two Crusaders flanked the rear entrance to the Crusader Lodge and Bar. Gary, in a suit and unknown as a soldier to the men, held out his invitation without word. The soldier on the left, completely disinterested, nodded and pulled back the tent's flap.

"Gary!"

Vidina jumped up from his stool at the bar and jogged over. Even with a suit on, Vidina exuded machismo. Tall like his mother; wide, muscular, tanned, and red-haired like his father, Vidina was an imposing figure. The suit scarcely hid his strong frame and chiseled physique. Gary imagined the suit was tailored that way on purpose.

Gary, also tall like his mother and stout like his biological father, Gary's own musculature was well maintained, but his suit alluded to it not. It, unlike Vidina's, was not Lucan custom-tailored. It was mass produced by machina in Mi'hen and adhered to a universal sizing system setup by the Crusaders during his adoptive father's war to hasten the manufacture of uniforms. It was also cheap. Gary frowned.

"Sorry, dude."

"Huh?" Gary asked.

"About the Beasts. You must've been converted up there in Kilika. Those fans are brutal. Maybe next year, ya?"

Gary wanted to strangle him. "Nah, I don't really care about-"

"Gary!" called a sultry and excited feminine voice.

"Hello, 'Rena," Gary said, oomphing as the daughter of Tidus and Yuna wrapped her arms around his middle. He eyed Vidina as he hesitantly returned the hug. Vidina and Gary had spent most of their teen years competing for Harena's affection. Vidina had won that battle and, though Gary would never admit it, even to himself, the thought of Vidina and Harena together had always made him sick to his stomach.

"How're you?" she asked, locking her beautiful blue eyes onto his. He could tell by the sincere look in her eyes that she was genuinely concerned about him.

"Fine," he lied. He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs that life had failed him. He had thought engineering with the Al Bhed would have led him to success. When it didn't, he quit and joined the Crusaders, hoping to get to see all of Spira, not just Besaid or the Calm Lands Memorial Park. Instead, he had languished in Kilika, "keeping the peace" for seven years. The job was his only link to the man he called father, the man he had once worshipped before he strangely returned ten years after his "death." Gary loved Charles Weston, so much so that he had willingly accepted the man's silly sounding last name. Now, he could hardly say he was close to the man, having been gone for nigh two years without so much as a sphere call or letter.

Gary, at least from his own perspective, had pulled the lame card in life. He had lost the dreams of fame and glory; Vidina had those. He had lost Harena; Vidina had that too. He was left behind; a transition element stuck between old Spira and new Spira. Vidina and Harena were six years younger than he and both twenty one, in their prime. At twenty seven, Gary had the Crusaders and a deteriorating relationship with his parents. A soldier without a war, a hero without an enemy, a gun with no ammo, Gary felt utterly useless around his home island and its inhabitants.

"A lost cause," Gary whispered.

"Hmm?" Harena asked, her piercing eyes appearing as if they were reading every one of his thoughts.

"Nothing. Just stressed out about work."

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"Yeah," he replied. He flicked his eyes to Vidina, who had returned to the bar and was animatedly reliving a Blitz moment with his father.

"Well," she began, looking to the spot he was staring at. "I guess I better go save the bartender."

He nodded without a word and watched her walk away. She shot him one last worried look over her shoulder before sitting back down beside Vidina.

Gary could see a stage near the side entrance to the Lodge. He deduced this would be where his parents would enter and found a seat at a table near the rear of the arrangements. The place quickly filled, with many people Gary was sure he hadn't known during his time in Besaid calling him by name and asking him how he was. He always gave the same response "Fine" and always feigned interest in the inane news that was told to him. He never once remembered a name. He was, he quipped, truly disconnected from the place he had spent eighteen years living in.

Wakka, dressed in a gaudy blue vest and a yellow shirt with matching tie and slacks, took the stage and whispered into the microphone, "Shh, everybody. They're coming! Be all quiet like, ya? When they get in, yell 'surprise!' at 'em!"

The crowd gave a dissonant murmur of understanding and stood up. Gary did his part by remaining seated and setting his head on the table. Though apparently well known to many people, no one had decided to become his tablemate. This suited him just fine.

"Surprise!" everyone yelled. Gary stood and saw his parents being led on stage by a posse of famous individuals. Lulu was in front, leading them up on the stage. Behind them, looking very regal, were Tidus and Yuna. Following them was his father's best friend and war hero Gatta.

Wakka stood and began speaking. Gary tuned him out and watched Vidina place his hand on the small of Harena's exposed back. Her dress, open backed, was a deep royal red and sparkled in the light from the lanterns overhead. Gary looked away, chewing his jealousy down, and tried to hear what Wakka was saying. He instead saw that Gatta was now behind the mic.

"I was best man at the wedding and let me tell you, I thought I'd never get Weston out of the bathroom!"

The crowd laughed.

Harena turned back, catching Gary staring at her. She motioned for him to come forward. He smiled and shook his head. She turned back around and whispered something into Vidina's here. He turned, shot Gary a look, and then turned back around, waving an arm in the air. Gary hastily retreated from the tent, hearing Gatta call for him to come to the stage as he walked out.

--------

Gary had lost track of time sitting on the bench in front of the fountain in the moonlit village square. A minute ago, maybe a half hour, he had pulled the image of the woman from his inside breast pocket and was staring at it.

"Girlfriend?"

Gary jumped up off the bench, free hand shooting to the handle of his concealed side arm.

"Easy, easy. Didn't mean to scare you," Harena said, unable to hide the hint of laughter in her voice.

"Sorry," he said, latching his holster.

"So," she said, coming closer to him, trying to see the photo in his head. "Who's she?"

"Dead," he replied dryly. "A case I'm working."

"Oh," she said, hand coming to cover her mouth.

"I'm supposed to be asking people if they recognize her." He handed her the photo. "Look familiar at all?"

Harena studied it for a moment before handing the image back to him. "No. Sorry."

He stuffed it back into his pocket and sat back down on the bench. She plopped down next to him. They sat in silence for a little while, Gary staring up at the bright moon, Harena staring at him worriedly.

"They're looking for you," she said, breaking the silence.

"I know," he replied. "I'm not going back in. I can't face them right now."

"Why not?"

"It's been two years. I haven't been the best son lately."

"So? They love you."

"But I'm a disappointment to them."

She sighed. "No you're not."

He nodded. "Yeah, I am. Couldn't hack it as an engineer, couldn't live up to my dad's reputation…"

"Gary, you're not supposed to live up to your dad. You're supposed to live up to yourself. Live the life you want to live."

He chuckled bitterly, letting his head fall. "Rena, I can't live the life I want to live."

She put her arm around his shoulder and lifted his chin with a finger. "Why? You can tell me."

Inches from the lips of the woman he had always yearned to have, Gary knew that his one chance to let his feelings be known was here. All he had to do was move his lips another half foot…

"Rena."

"Yes?"

He stared hard into her eyes, mesmerized. "Rena, I –"

"Rena!"

Wakka came jogging into the square and stopped a few feet from them, panting. "They…they need ya on stage."

Harena slipped her arm from behind Gary and stood. "Why?"

Wakka shrugged. Gary noticed that the former Blitzer was having a hard time keeping the corner of his mouth from turning up.

She turned back to Gary. "Walk me back to the tent?"

Gary thought a moment, angered by the interruption, but realized that his chance might not yet be gone. If he had to face his parents, so be it. Maybe tonight was destiny.

"Yeah," he said, taking her arm. Wakka smiled and took off back to the tent in a blaze of speed Gary had never seen before.

"Wow," she said. "Wonder what the rush is?"

Gary shrugged.

By the time they reached the tent, Wakka had already made it inside. Harena ducked in, leaving Gary outside, taking deep breaths, trying to pull courage from the air through his lungs.

A collective "Ooh!" escaped the crowd and Gary coughed out a breath. He stuck his head through the flap. On stage, in front of the table where his parents sat with their closest friends, was Vidina, kneeling beside a shaking Harena. Gary noticed a ring box in one of Vidina's hands, a microphone in the other.

"Rena, you're totally the light of my life. I figured now, on this night of marital celebration, would be the perfect time to ask you this. Will you be my wife?"

Gary's breath caught in his throat. The crowd, too, was breathless. After a few silent and agonizing moments, Harena burst into tears, nodded, and threw her arms around Vidina's neck. She took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. Gary pulled his head back out of the tent. He straightened his coat's lapels, rolled his neck, jutted his chin, and started the long walk back to the airship dock.