Final Fantasy X: The True Adventure

[Maha1930]

"Don't think I didn't realize," Katsu said under his breath as Kimiko walked away. But before she could muster a reply the group walked up the stairs together and it was time to adventure across the road stretched before them.

"Can we take a break from fiend slaying?" Katsu asked, receiving a dirty look from Auron who he still didn't even know that well.

"I agree," Wakka replied. "Let's rest up there." An Al Bhed shop stretched out before them as they continued to walk up the road with not a fiend in sight. "Oh, it's an Al Bhed shop, never mind."

"What's wrong with the Al Bhed?" Auron asked inquisitvely.

"Oh, uh, well they kidnapped Yuna!" Wakka said standing his ground.

"Well, I'm tired," Auron replied and walked inside. It wasn't worth Wakka's energy to fight so the rest of them went inside and got rooms. There were only four rooms with two beds each. Auron and Kimarhi took one room, Lulu and Yuna took the other, which left Tidus, Wakka Kimiko, and Katsu to decided who got which room.

"I call that room!" Katsu shouted, practically running into the room and grabbing Wakka along with him. Which left Kimiko and Tidus to share a room together.

"Well...this is sufficiently awkward," Tidus said laughing nervously.  

[Ashley_Winston]

Kimiko sensed his nervousness. "Hey, no worries. As long as you keep to your side of the room it's fine with me." She said laughing a little and nudging him with her elbow. He looked at her. "Oh relax! Jeesh!" Kimiko said.

They walked into their room and with a sigh of relief, both plopped onto their beds. "Ugh. Fi--na--lly..." Tidus said, yawning. Kimiko laughed. "Agreed." She got up and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Doing everything she needed, she came out to a snoring Tidus.

"Great. He a snorer.." She sighed, walked over to him and put a pillow on his face to cover some of the annoying snoring. Making her way over to her bed, she crawled under the covers, while covering her head with a pillow to try and drown out Tidus.  

[Maha1930]

The morning light poured in throught the window, spilling across Katsu's smooth face. He lifted his eyes open with such great distaste. Oh, how his body craved for more sleep, just one more ounce of rest. But, the pilgrimage went on, as did he. With a large yawn Katsu kicked his legs off of his bed, but before they hit the hard, wooden floor, they hit something else. A loud thud crashed out of Katsu's bed and onto the ground below. A chuckle wormed its way up through Katsu's chest and into the room.

"Not funny," Wakka replied, standing up and making sure his body was intact from his dastardly fall.

Katsu smirked, peering into Wakka's eyes. "Hey, I didn't know you were in my bed. What were you doing there in the first place?"

Wakka's shoulders shrugged. "Why so many questions, ya? You looked cold during the night."

"So, you thought you'd warm me up?" Katsu chuckled again as he rose and gathered his things for the day ahead. "Maybe it would have seemed more innocent if your own little guardian wasn't standing at attention."

Wakka quickly covered his crotch with both of his hands. Shielding the part of his body that had seemed to have waken up far before he did. "Uh, sorry about that."

"Don't apologize," Katsu replied as he opened the door to leave, "who said I was complaining?" As Katsu reached the main entrance of the inn a shriek was heard outside among which the ground started to shake.

"Trouble," Auron said appearing beside Katsu already dressed. "Young guardian, we should see the source."

Katsu nodded and the two opened the door to the outside to witness Chocobos fleeing the premise. Turning their bodies and heads they witnessed a large teal creature, it's menacing arms encompassing the entire width of the inn, along with it's equally menacing...tongue's. "What is that?" Katsu asked.

"Like I said," Auron replied un-sheathing his sword, "trouble." The two guardians were quickly joined by the rest of their party along with Wakka who stumbled out of the inn still adorning his clothes.

"We shall draw it back!" Auron shouted. "It looks too eager to brace our backs to the cliff!" He motioned to the cliff-face that was not too far away from their backsides. As soon as he said this however, the creature geared up it's momentum and pushed all of the party backward, almost close to teetering off the edge of the cliff-face.

"Ifrit!" Yuna shouted twirling about her staff. A red glyph appeared on the ground and out of it birthed a giant, devil creature, covered in flames. His claws thrust the creature back a few feet. But the creatures resilience appeared too formidable and the creature pushed the party again, this time too far. Everyone was sent cascading off of the cliff as Ifrit's fayth dissipated and returned to Yuna's power. Lulu quickly cast a gravity spell, cushioning the party just before they hit the ground, ensuring them a safe landing.

"Whew!" Wakka shouted. "That was a close one ya? This morning has certainly been eventful!"

"I agree!" Katsu replied.

"We move," Auron addressed the group, already heading off in the direction that the Chocobos had fled to.  

[Maha1930]

Katsu groaned rather loudly as the group ventured onward. "Where are we headed anyways?" He asked aloud hoping from an answer from someone.

"I believe I heard Luzzu and Gatta talking about some operation taking place on the Highroad," Lulu spoke up.

"And that's where we're headed?" Kimiko piped up.

"Yes," Auron answered before Lulu could interject. "I also overheard someone named Captain Lucil say something about Chocobos taking place in this operation as well."

"Remind what Chocobos are again?" Kimiko said laughing to take away from embarrasment of even asking the question.

"They're those cute yellow birds we saw running away from the Inn," Yuna perked up. "They're simply adorable! I wish I could have one for my own." Her voice suddenly trailed off as she was no in some far away place.

As the group continued on the road Wakka and Katsu lagged behind the rest of the group.

"So.." Katsu spoke breaking the silence.

"So.." Wakka repeated not knowing what to say next.

"Thanks for keeping me warm last night," Katsu said smiling widely at Wakka.

"Oh, no problem. Anytime," Wakka smiled back.

"Next rest stop...I'd like you to do it again." Katsu finised awkwardly. He was no good at this relationship talk.

"Sure." Wakka replied uncertain of Katsu's tone.

"Looks like we hit a toll," Katsu laughed, breaking attention from their conversation and to the crusaders baring their path.

"You shan't pass," a crusaders with a deep voice said holding up his hand to bar their path.

"Oh? And why not?" Auron asked him with an undertone of sarcasm.

"The crusaders and Al Bhed are preparing for Operation Mi'Hen," he asnwered back.

"What! Al Bhed?!" Wakka shouted hearing this. "Why are the crusaders working with blasphemers?!"

Katsu sighed. "It's not like our whole relationship is against Yevon or anything. But sure, let's be an a*****e to the Al Bhed," he said under his breath.

"Huh?" Wakka asked turning his attention towards Katsu.

"Oh, nothing." Katsu replied. "Surely a summoner and her guardians can pass, we're just on our way to the temple," Katsu addressed the guard.

"Is there a problem, Yuna?"A familliar voice crept up behond them. Seymour and two guards approached the party from the way they had just came from.

"Yes your grace," Yuna replied bowing automatically out of respect.

Tidus walked over to Katsuand whispered in his ear. "I still don't trust him." Katsu agreed with an eye roll and a nod.

"I'll handle this," Seymour replied walking up to the guard. "Please allow Lady Yuna and her guardains pass through. I will take full responsibility of their actions."

"But-," the guard protested. "Alright," and he walked away from his post to let them pass.

"Thank you your grace!" Yuna said bowing again.

"He seems creepy," Kimiko whispered in Tidus's ear.

"I just told K the same thing," he replied as the group followed Seymour further down the road.  

[Ashley_Winston]

Kimiko hung in the back with Wakka, Katsu and Tidus. After some silence of watching Seymour flirting with Yuna, Kimiko couldn't stand this guy. "What's the big deal about this guy anyway?" She asked Tidus.

"Dunno..Clueless as you." Tidus said shrugging. Kimiko sighed and kept watching Seymour.

"I just have this uneasy feeling about this Seymour guy...Am I the only one?" She looked at Wakka, Katsu and Tidus once again for an answer.

They all nodded their heads in agreement. Then suddenly the party came to a halt. "Huh?" Kimiko looked around. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly, Wakka? Isn't all this equipment against Yevon or something?" She asked Wakka.  

[Maha1930]

"What in the names of Yevon is this?!" Wakka ran up to one of the Machina, giving hit a swift kick with his foot and then crying out in pain.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?" Katsu asking resisting the urge to burst out laughing at how embarrassing Wakka had just looked.

"They're Machina," Seymour answered in reference to Wakka's outburst.

"But why are they here?" Lulu asked. "They're forbidden by Yevon."

"Pretend you didn't see them." Seymour responded.

"What?!" Wakka shouted. "You can't be serious!"

"Did he really just say that?" Katsu whispered to Tidus.

"Then pretend I didn't say it," Seymour said turning to stare down Katsu. Apparently the Guado's hearing was much better than it appeared to be. "Now I'd appreciate if you joined me in the command center. Take your time if you must however since the operation begins shortly. Till then Lady Yuna." Seymour bowed and trudged along the road with his faithful guards.

"I don't like this," Auron interject as the group followed in Seymour's wake.

"Me neither," Katsu replied walking alongside Auron. "Why didn't we just go with Seymour though? It's seems pretty weird that he told us to meet them later."

"It seems as though Seymour didn't care for taking care of the fiends along this road for us." Auron replied. "No matter, since it is our job."

"What a loser," Tidus said as the party merged to the left side past the sign entitled "Mushroom Rock Road."

"Hey, what's that ya?" Wakka spoke up after awhile. Everyone stopped to see what he was talking about. There was a strange glyph on one of the rock faces, it just looked like a nice carving into the surface but it was glowing now as the party neared it.

"It's nothing, we best be going," Auron said and continued on followed by everyone but Wakka, Katsu and Kimiko who seemed to be the only three fascinated by this trange symbol. Wakka reached out his hand to touch it but Katsu slapped it away.

"You don't know what that thing does! What if it sets off an avalanche?" Katsu yelled as Wakka ignored his swat and response and touched it anyways. Before Katsu could muster a word of protest he suddenly felt incredibly sleepy even though they had just woken up not even hours ago. Kimiko fell suddenly along with Wakka, Katsu could feel himself wanting to help his fallen friends but his eyelids were falling. Heavier and heavier they got until he too felt himself hit the ground. Darkness. It was then that Katsu awoke to a dark, cold, stone encrusted hallway. He looked around but there was no one at his side. He wasn't even on the road anymore.

"Guys?!" Katsu screamed his voice bouncing off the walls. "This can't be real."

"Jecht." A voice said off in the distance as it reverberated back against the walls and into his eardrums.

"Who's there?" He stood up, using the wall as a guide and grabbing which seemed to be the only torch to light his way as he continued onward.
"  

[Ashley_Winston]

"Kimiko, sweetheart. Where are you?" Kimiko heard her mother calling her. She opened her eyes to a all too familiar bedroom. What the...? Kimiko got off her bed and ran down stairs, excited to see her mom again.

"There you are!" Her mother said. "I've been calling you for hours. Why haven't you answered me?" Kimiko just stood there. Not believeing what was going on. "What? So now you're just going to give me the silent treatment? Kimmy," Kimiko's eyes windened as her mom called her her nickname, "I know you're mad at me. But listen, I did it for your own good." Her mom said.

Yet, Kimiko still stood there, watching her mom just continue her cooking. "I ain't mad at you." Kimiko said, not understanding what her mother was talking bout, nor what she was talking bout when she replied automatically.

"Good, I was beginning to think you hated me." Her mom replied, not turning around. Kimiko ran up to her mother and embraced her at the waist.

"Mommy, I could never hate you. It's too hard and not worth the waste." Kimiko said, as her mother turned around and going down on her knees to get a better hug from Kimiko.

With out any warning, Kimiko's mother started to dissolve into the air. She backed away from her mom and cried out "Mom! What's happening!" Kimiko felt so confused and helpless.

"Kimmy...There are things I've never told you. For your safety and well being. But as of now, it's too late to help. You must continue on, please." Her mother said, in a hurry.

"Mom! Don't leave me by myself! You're all I've got left!" Kimiko cried, trying to grab her mother and keep her with her forever. Her mother smiled and shook her head.

"Don't. Just promise me that no matter what happens from here on out---" But before her mother could finish, she completely disappeared and was gone.

Kimiko stood there, not know what to do. "Wait! Promise what?! Mother!" After minutes of standing there, waiting for her to appear again and make some kind of joke, and nothing happening, Kimiko ran up to her room and fell on her bed.

Then the images and colors and the scene around her changed from her being a kid, to a teen. Kimiko was in a new home with some foster parents. She was sitting on her bed, using her laptop and listening to music.

Knock, knock Kimiko heard someone knocking and called, "Come in," as she took out her earphones. Her foster Mom walked in smiling. "Is there anything I can get you, dear? Food? Drink?" She asked. Kimiko thought for a second. "No thanks, I'm good. I plan on going out to hang with some friends for a few hours." Kimiko hated lieing to her foster parents.

"Ok, well I'm just a phone call away if you need something." She said. Kimiko nodded and smiled to act fine. Her "mom" left the room and Kimiko alone.

Kimiko hated feeling like this every day. Shitty. Useless. Alone. And in the way. Her foster parents had given up their own time just for Kimiko. Sure, she was to feel special and very thankful. Kimiko is thankful. But no where close to feeling special.

Kimiko got out of bed, changing into black skinny jeans, a red tank top, and purple ankle-high converse. She grabbed her keys, laptop putting it in its carrier, black sweater, and ran downstairs and out the door after waving bye to her parents.

She trudged along the side walk and up into the cemetary. After a few minutes of walking left, right, and every which way, she finally reached the one grave she was looking for and sat down in front of it.

"I miss you.." She said, putting a red rose on the grave stone. She looked at her mother's name as she thought about all her fun moments with her mom (of which right now Kimiko does not remember outside of these memories).

Hours later still sitting at her grave, the wind started picking up and throwing loose dirt around. Kimiko pulled her sweater on and the hood over her head. The wind got stronger, pushing dirt off of her mother's grave.

"Stupid wind! Cut it out!" She yelled. It picked up eve stronger, as if replying angrily at her. Kimiko gave up and looked down at the messed up dirt. Then she noticed a white piece of paper folded under some dirt.

Kimiko picked it up, unfolding it and reading it's contents.

Dear Kimiko,
A lot of things must have happened over these years I've been gone.. I do apologize for what happened 10 years ago. Want me to be honest? I knew it was going to happen one day. Just hoping not that soon. Anyway, something of great importance is going to happen to you. It is very important that you don't run from fear. Chase it. I ask that you seek out a master. He will teach you everything you need to know. Then when you're done training, you must head to the world of Spira. There, you will acompany a group of people. They are all important and will help you with your journey, as they will need yours. Their names I can not say, for which it is against the terms here. Nevermind that though. You must promise me this and not let anything get the best of you. Just keep moving forward. Promise me. Now.
Love,
Mother

Kimiko sat there, stunned. She shook her head to help herself from getting dizzy and blacking out. She re-read the note over and over again. "I promise, Mom. I won't let you down!" She said softly.

The wind settled into a soft breeze, as if caressing Kimiko and thanking her. She smiled and got up, leaving the cemetary and heading back home.

It was late by the time she got back. Probably after midnight. Kimiko quietly snuck upstairs into her room, closing the door and locking it. She headed over to her closet and grabbed a suit case and put it on her bed as she gathered clothes and anything else she might need. Kimiko stuffed it all into her suit case neatly, closing it and opening her door and quietly tip toed down the stairs, and went into the garage.

She grabbed her keys from her back pocket and hit the unlock button on it, unlocking her car. She put the suit case in the back seat and got in the drivers seat. Kimiko turned on her car and opened the garage door with a button on the roof of her car. It opened noisily, which made Kimiko worried it would alarm her parents. But she couldn't care at this point since she left a note for them on the kitchen counter.

Leaving the house and heading in the direction her gut and mind told her to, Kimiko sighed and relaxed a little, knowing that where ever she was being taken was a good place for her to be.

Kimiko put on of her hands on her pendant her mother gave her years ago and thought for a long moment (Yes while driving). Then just as she was going through a 4-way, she heard screeching and everything went black..

---

Kimiko shot her eyes open with a startle and found herself falling. "s**t!" She grabbed anything she could on the side of the bluff. A root bog enough to hold her.

She pulled herself up enough to wrap her arms around it to hold on. She blinked, clearing her eyes. She noticed she was back where she was originally. Spira. "Someone help me! I'm haning off the freaking bluff!"

Kimiko heard someone running above her. She looked up to see Tidus. "Kimiko! What the hell happened?" He called down to her. Kimiko gave him a "are you serious?" look and said, "I think now is NOT the time for chit chat! Just help me please!"

He nodded and wedged his feet into the ground under him, bent ove the edge and extended his hands down to her. "Grab my hands!" He said. She thought for a second, before hearing the root starting to snap. She had little time, so Kimiko felt around with her feet, feeling the wall of the bluff.

"Perfect." She said. Kimiko let go of the root as it snapped and rocketed down into the ocean, using her feet, she pushed herself up enough to grab Tidus's hands. "Pull me up!" She yelled over the ocean roaring below.

Tidus nodded and pulled Kimiko up back on top of the bluff. He let go of her as she fell back onto the dirt and stared up at the sky. It was silent for a few minutes.

Tidus said, "What the hell were you doing at the edge? Don't you know how dangerous that is?!" She didn't look at him, just ignored him. Kimiko finally got up and headed to a tent. "Hey wait!" Tidus grabbed Kimiko's arm, keeping her from walking away.

She didn't turn around. Just stood there. "Let me go." She said sternly. Tidus shook his head, "Not till you answer me." Kimiko didn't say anything for a second.

"Ask Wakka. What happened was his fault. He shouldn't have touched that stupid glyph in the first place!" She said, wretching her arm from his grip and storming off, wanting to be alone to think about what the hell just happened to her when Wakka touched the glyph.  

[Maha1930]

Katsu's eyes squinted ever-so as the torch light bounced off of the surrounding walls. He heard the voice again "Jecht." It echoed even louder as he got closer and closer to the source of the eerie voice. Finally the torch light had something new to reflect off of as it danced around a circular room. Katsu still couldn't make out anything but the hair on his back and arms twinged. He was not alone.

"Hello?" He spoke, his voice boomimg off the walls.

"Hello," a small petite voice answered back.

Even though there was no figure to look at Katsu's eyes grew wide. "Uh, who's there?"

"No one is here and yet everyone is here." The room exploded into a light show all at once. Buildings erupted from the ground, towering hundreds of feet above Katsu's head. They simply glittered with lights, there were cascading waterfalls stretching across over buildings and bridges. Katsu knew then exactly where he was.

Zanarkand.

Katsu forced himself to swallow as his throat grew dry from gaping, jaw-wide, at his surroundings. "This isn't possible." He said aloud. "This isn't possible! I was just traveling with the others. Where am I?!"

"You are asleep." Katsu followed the voice this time to a little boy draped in a small purple cloak. He recognized him.

"I know you." Katsu said taking a step towards him which made the boy retreat back.

"You mustn't come closer, for I am not supposed to be here. This is a hidden place, a hidden place where your body and mind was not supposed to find."

"Body and mind?" Katsu replied scratching his head. "What do you mean?"

"You are asleep, yet you are awake. What does that make you?"

Katsu scratched his brow a bit more before replying. "Dreaming?"

"Precisely. Only through dreams can I communicate like this. But you must want to know why I am here, am I right?"

"Yes."

"That I'm not too sure of. You've stumbled upon something you weren;t supposed to find. My senses tell me that even I do not know the answer to this." The boy turned and started walking away.

"Hey!" Katsu yelled after him. "You can' just leave me here!"

"You'll find a way out," the boy called back as he disappeared. "Just wake up."

"What!" But the boy was gone now. Katsu now stood, alone in a dazzling city of buildings and waterfalls. Completely lost. A sharp pain suddenly shot through his head making his knees buckle. He screamed clutching his head as images poured into his consciousness. Tidus, Sin, and some man with long, dark hair flashed into his brain. Again and again the word Jecht echoed in his head louder and louder and louder and louder until all thoughts in his head came to one single thought.

"Jecht is the key, Jecht is the ruiner, Jecht is the salvation, Jecht must be killed." Katsu's lips seemed to form the words with no conscious control, he talked as though possessed by something. "Yu Yevon must be stopped. The Lady and the Lord are reborn anew." Katsu's eyes rolled back into his head and his body hit the ground. When he finally came too Wakka's face was the first thing that poured into his vision.

"Hey, you okay?" Wakka asked as Katsu blinked trying to realize where he was.

"Where am I?" Katsu groaned.

"Good question," Tidus answered walking over with Kimiko. "Idiot here touched some Glyph and now we're stuck in this forest place. Me and Kimiko thought it looked a lot like Kilika forest, trouble is that it's not."

"What are you babbling about?" Katsu said sitting up and rubbing his head. "I feel like I just had a bad dream, the last thing I remember was...Wakka touching that Glyph and then poof. Now I'm here."

"Ya, sorry about that." Wakka said laughing nervously. "I can't seem to find the rest of us so I think it's just us four that are stuck here."

"Even though we still don't know where exactly here is." Tidus complained. "All we know for sure is that there's a path from this campsite that goes deep into the forest with not end in sight."  

[Ashley_Winston]

Kimiko let them try and figure it out while she walked a little into the distance.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Tidus yelled at her.

Kimiko turned and looked at him. "I need to be alone to figure out some personal matters." She said sternly as she continued along the path Tidus saw. "Don't come looking for me. No matter, unless its a life or death situation."

Kimiko walked down the path for awhile, listening and following these whispers she's been hearing ever since she left camp and the boys. It was like the woods were talking to her, calling her to them.

Kimiko started dozing off while following the voices, as her feet guided her. About an hour passed when all of a sudden, her feet jerked to a stop, with her still in her daze.

Kimiko fell forward, putting her hands out to break her fall. She pushed herself up and sat on her knees. Looking up at what's infront of her, her eyes widened.

Kimiko jumped to her feet and ran back towards the camp. Eventually coming to a fork in the path. "Oh great..." She said, grunting. "What if they went looking for me and took the other path?" She asked herself.

Kimiko thought for a second and decided to head back to camp to check for them. She ran as fast as she could to find all three of them sitting around a fire.

Kimiko sighed in relief and bent over, putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She walked over to them saying, "You guys. You'll never believe what I found!"

They all looked at her.

"What is it?" Katsu asked.

"I found this huge building. It looks like a temple! Come one guys! I'll show you." Kimiko started heading back to the path, the boys getting up and following.

"I don't know how long it took to get there, as I had kinda dozed off..." Kimiko said, looking back at the boys behind her.

Wakka snorted.

"BUT! I do know the way back!" She counteracted.

An hour later Kimiko realized where they were and she ran to the area. As she got there, she gasped.

"Kimiko..What are we looking for again?" Katsu and Tidus both asked.

She ignored them and panicked. "It was JUST here! Where could it have gone in just an hour?!" Kimiko started flipping out, but calmed herself down.

"Well, what do you remember on your walk here?" Katsu asked.

"Well...I remember leaving you guys, pissed off at Wakka.." Wakka glared at her, "Hey, you touched that stupid glyph even AFTER Katsu told you not to! Anyway! As soon as I was probably a good few hundred feet from you guys, I started hearing whispers. Next thing I know, my feet are controlling themselve and I start dozing off. It felt like sleep walking. Then sometime during that, my feet stopped, I fell, looked up and BAM! Instant temple right infront of me. It was HUGE!" Kimiko stopped to catch her breath from her long explanation.

'And did you hear those whispers again?" They all asked in unison.

Kimiko giggled. "Umm...No, I don't think I heard them this time.. IDEA! You guys walk away about a hundred feet away and I'll call you back if it works."

They all nodded and ran back about 2hundred feet.

Kimiko sat down on the dirt path, closing her eyes and waiting. Minutes passed as the silence went on. That's when the whispering started up again. So, Kimiko took her chances, "Please, I need you to bring the temple back. We need to see it and figure this out. Please."

The wind blew gently. Kimiko opened her eyes when the whispering stopped. There was the temple.

Not taking her eyes off it in fear it would disappear again, she called "Wakka, Katsu, Tidus, it's here come back!"

They all ran up and then stopped dead in their tracks beside Kimiko. "Woah" She heard them say.

"Yep." Kimiko replied. She walked of the temple and opened the doors.

"You guys coming? Or ya going to be wusses?" They all scowled at her and followed her in.  

[Maha1930]

Katsu and the others followed Kimiko inside the temple. The main hall was massive. There were no pews like a more modernized temple of Yevon, just a red carpet leading all the way down to a rather large stairway which was home to a single door. Katsu grew uneasy as they ascended the stairs, finally reaching the door. About waist height carved into the door's stone surface was the same glyph Wakka had touched earlier on the road. Before anyone said anything however Kimiko's arm snapped out and touched it. She seemed to eager to know what was on the other side. All that was inside the room from what they could all see was an empty room with a pedestal in the middle. Kimiko stepped forward into the room but as soon as Katsu and the others started to follow, their footsteps were barred yby an unseen force, preventing them entry.

"We can't follow you," Katsu called after Kimiko. But she seemed too preoccupied with the pedestal. Perhaps seeing something else just like the voices she claimed to here before. Katsu felt his stomach knot a bit as he watched Kimiko get closer and closer to the pedestal. Once she touched the pedestal the door slammed shut and the others were knocked unconcious, tumbling backwards down the stairs. Katsu's eyelids lifted, his body seemingly unhurt from the tumble he took and saw Lulu staring concerningly into his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Lulu asked helping Katsu up. He was back on the road, the same place he remembered being whisked away from. "Was I...dreaming?" Katsu managed to reply.

"It seemed so," Lulu replied. "We turned around to find the four of you knocked unconcious. Are you sure you guys are okay?"

"Others?" Katsu replied groggily turning around to see Wakka, Kimiko, and Tidus getting up and dusting themselves off.

"What happened?" Wakka and Tidus said yawning.

"You mean you don't remember?" Katsu asked them but they shook their heads.

"I just remember walking and then I just woke up now," Tidus replied yawning again.

"Wakka?" Katsu pleaded, hoping for at least some clarity about the images that were flashing inside his head.

"No idea Katsu," Wakka said shrugging his shoulders. "I guess we were just tired?"

"So tired that we passed out?" Katsu replied a little peeved. "Kimiko? Do you remember anything? You look a bit unsettled. What happened?"

"Are you sure you guys are okay?" Lulu asked again joined shortly by the others.

"Yeah we're fine," Katsu replied walking over to Kimiko. "I'll catch up in a bit." The others walked on while Katsu asked Kimiko if she remembered anything again.  

[Ashley_Winston]

Kimiko looked at Katsu, then nodded looking back down at the ground. "I remember a lot more than I wish I do."

She stood there, just thinking. Replaying everything in her head. Up to the point where the boys were held back. That's when everything went dead black and she woke up back here.

"Everything, except for the last few minutes in the temple we found. But my main question is, was it all real? Or just dreams...?"

Kimiko looked at Katsu for his opinion. "Well?" She asked.  

[Maha1930]

Katsu could feel his palms sweat as his body tried to struggle with the reality of the entire situation.

"I'm not sure." He finally replied back to her. "It certainly felt real. I just don't understand why neither Tidus or Wakka remember it. I mean Wakka's the one who got us into the weird mess. I dunno, maybe we're special or something?" Katsu laughed nervously scratching his head as he did so. "Well, we should keep going anyhow."

Kimiko nodded and the two of them rejoined the group, still heading down the mushroom rock road and towards the operation's encampment.