The Fantasy Games (Final Fantasy Fanfiction)

Chapter One: Nightmares or Visions?

Fire. It surrounded her on all sides in a massive sea of red, orange and yellow. It stole the air from her lungs and replaced it with its acidic offspring of smoke. Her lungs burned for oxygen, but none would come to her. She crawled along the lush green grass. Why was it green? Why wasn't it burning? Why was she the only one suffering? She glared down at the forest grass, but the plush pink flowers only seemed to smirk evilly back at her. She tried to escape the ring of fire around her, but something snagged on her ankle and brought her back down to the hell of flowers and greenery.

She felt herself grow cold and begin to slowly sink downwards as the ground seemed to open its great mouth and swallow her whole. She was powerless against it. A cry of terror escaped her lips  and she only inhaled more smoke in the process making her throat burn and her eyes water. She could feel the cold mocking vines of grass tickle her cheeks as she took her final look at the ash laden sky. Silent tears fled rebelliously from the corners of her eyes as they closed for the last time-

Mismatched eyes flew open almost instantly as beads of sweat ran down smooth pale flesh, making her soft, brown hair stick to her forehead. Her clothes suddenly felt wet and uncomfortable on her body. Lungs greedily filled themselves with oxygen while the seventeen year old took deep ragged breaths. She could feel a hand gently rub her back in an attempt to calm her down. Her racing heart beat heavily in her chest as if to test the strength of her ribcage which was slowly wearing down with each thump.

"Yuna? Yuna? Yuna?"

Yuna raised her head at the sound of her name. Blue and green eyes met the kind and concerned ones of her teacher, Isaaru. His thick chocolate eyebrows were slanted downwards and his lips formed a thin line in an expression of concern. The colorful priest robes of Yevon were splayed across the cool temple floor as he knelt beside his dazed apprentice.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly as he placed a supporting hand on her back and helped her sit up slowly, afraid she might faint again.

Her hands trembled uncertainly in her lap but she steadied them with great effort and managed to sit upright. When she felt the cool smooth tiled floor under her delicate palms she suddenly became aware that she was in a heap on the floor. She looked around her as her bi-colored eyes adjusted to the dim light of Valefor's chamber. Everything was as it usually was. The circular stone walls looked enormous from her position on the floor and the symbols decorating them seemed extremely dark against the wall. Valefor's statue of her powerful wings and strong body glowed beneath the shimmering dome as if a piece of heaven had fallen from the sky. She looked to the area above the statue expecting to see the familiar transparent girl floating above her sculpture but the pig-tailed child was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?" she asked hoarsely as she turned back to her teacher with a confused expression.

"I think only you know the answer to that question," Isaaru replied calmly, though his worried yet calculating expression did not waver. Yuna unconsciously shrunk back slightly under his intense stare. She hated when Isaaru didn't give her a straight answer – which he rarely did – and then to top it off he gave her his trademark stare to unnerve her further.

"I... I don't... I can't remember..." she began uncertainly as she stared down at the polished floor of the chamber, refusing to meet her teacher's eyes. "Why am I on the floor?" she asked suddenly.

"You were praying or talking or... whatever you normally do with that ghost girl and you just fainted," came a different, more boyish voice to her right. She turned slightly to see Tidus, her childhood friend and blitzball buddy, looking down at her with his trademark smirk etched across his tanned face. He wore his usual attire, his blitzball uniform which consisted of his yellow boots, navy shorts with one part coming to his mid-calf and the other to his mid-thigh along with is yellow shirt and navy dungaree style belt. Both his hands were covered, one by a metal glove that was attached to a red elbow brace and the other by a simple leather glove that ended at his wrist. His silver chain rested on his toned chest and glinted slightly in the dim lighting.