So there we were, Tidus, Yuna, and Myself walking around a large circular room to the temple we were exploring, and I ticked Tidus off with my openness about Shawna’s being with the group. I could feel the self guilt stab at me constantly.

So there I was with them, feeling guilty. I wanted to apologize to Tidus but I knew from previous experiences, that trying to talk to him when he was hot headed, wasn’t that good of an idea. So I left him alone.

Being inside this temple, which was now in ruins, reminded me strongly of the days when I would sit on the steps leading to the cloister of Trials back on Besaid Isle. My mind had started to wander, as my thoughts drifted like sand through fingers, as I recalled that day where I met the old Man in a Temple that was full of activity and then wasn’t. I never had given it much thought, but now I did. It occurred to me, that after I had met the old man the Temple on Besaid Isle remained empty and full of echoes. Abandoned, and no longer used, but preserved because it was a place that Yuna seemed to have good memories about.

So why was it, that when I first went in there it was filled with people? It was just a thought that surfaced to my mind. So as we walked, I thought about that.

My thoughts must have been readable on my face.

"Something on your mind?" Yuna asked me as she looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"Maybe." I said as I jammed my hands into my pockets as we walked up a flight of stairs to what was probably the upper balcony of the once beautiful domed Temple.

"Want to talk about it?" Yuna asked as she turned her attention to the stairs.

"Not really, but perhaps later. When I have more of a grasp of what’s going on with myself." I said.

"Alright." Yuna said as we continued up the stairs in silence, and then turned right and looked down at the Main floor from the balcony. We could see Tidus sitting on the floor in the center of the room, seemingly just staring at the remains of a fire, long dead. We watched him in silence, and it was then that we felt the very Temple shaking around us. We could not only feel vibrations, but we could see the very walls shake as even more rubble fell from the walls.

" I don’t know about you Yuna, but I think we should go on back downstairs and get the heck out of the Temple. It feels, and looks like it’s about to come down around our ears." I said as I turned to her, and then jumped back from a stone that nearly hit my head.

"No argument there." Yuna agreed, as we both ran, covering our heads, back towards the flight of stairs. We did manage to get down the stairs without injury, and met up with Tidus who was making his way towards us.

"What’s going on here?" He said over the crashing sounds of bricks and random chunks of building falling to the floor around us.

"Not sure, but whatever is going on, I think we should get out of here before Rikku and the girls have to call in a searching party to come rescue us. It’s too dangerous to be in here."

"Got to admit, I agree with her." Yuna said as she too jumped back as another rock nearly missed her head. "Tidus lets get out of here before we end up being buried alive!"

There was no argument, we were all of the same mind. Get out, and get out as quickly as possible.

So we ran, as the floor under our feet started to shake with extreme violence, making it difficult to run. We were nearly back to the entrance we had found, when Yuna had tripped, and fell. Not thinking I turned back to help her, as did Tidus.

It was at that very moment the rocks and rubble fell, baring our way of escape. As the dust settled, we turned to look around at our surroundings.

"We’re trapped." Tidus said as he sat down. "Not something I was actually expecting to happen."

"So what do we do now?" Yuna asked as she pulled herself up to a sitting position, and started to dust herself off. "Is there any way out of here?"

"Don’t know Yuna. Last time I was here, there wasn’t an exit till Rikku showed up with some Albhed and helped me fight off a fiend. She used something to blow open what was our exit. Now our only exit out is buried under rubble."

I had never seen Yuna’s Face look so down before.

So there we were, the three of us, trapped inside what was probably once a majestic temple. Yuna was quiet, lost in her own thoughts, Tidus silent and looking moodily at the ceiling, and myself wondering just what exactly to expect from any of this.

I’m not one to be an ice breaker in situations like this, but the silence was killing me. I knew Tidus was upset with me, for shooting off my mouth about his apparent girlfriend, but enough was enough. We couldn’t just sit here and not try to get out.

My resolve settled I stood and marched over to the rock pile that now covered our one and only exit. Surveying the way the rocks were piled up I realized that the only way to get anything done with the mess, was to start small and work my way down.

Thus I started my work, to get out of the place that held no secrets, that is unless you were already dead.

"Tina, what are you doing?" Tidus said as he looked at me as I started to move rocks and chunks of stone out of the way.

"What does it look like?" I asked as I continued on with my work. "I’m digging our way out. If whatever caused this cave in is still around, I doubt the others will be able to help us, so logically it is up to us to dig our own way out." I said grunting over a rather large piece of rubble. "So are you just going to sit there and watch me, or will you help?"

Tidus stood up and walked over, and started to move aside pieces of rubble himself as he spoke to me. "I admit you have a point, we’re probably responsible for ourselves. Besides, we have nothing better to do."

"Don’t be such a smart ass." I said as I motioned him over to help with the large piece I was having trouble moving. Without a word, he walked over and helped me move it aside, as small pebbles fell to the ground around our feet causing more dust to fly up in the air.

In a monotonous cycle we moved rocks and pebbles, toiling and digging our way out, trying to make an exit so that we could at least rejoin the camp. We must have been at it for an hour when my hand poked through to the other side between two large rocks.

"We’re just about there Guys!" I said as my excitement mounted. "Just a little more..." I said grunting trying to move one of the rocks that barred our way. "If we can move this all of us can squeeze out of here."

"Here, all three of us should do this together." Yuna said as she took up a place next to me, pulling the large rock with all her strength.

"I’ll help." Tidus said as he took up the position on my other side. The three of us pulled at the same time. At first it did not seem like the rock was going to move, but gradually it did start. Little by little.

Eventually we did get the rock moved, and we squeezed through the small opening we made. Once we had gotten out what could have very well been our prison, we took a few moments to rub our aching muscles while Yuna said a Prayer for a minor group healing.

As our pains from our labors went away, we started to trek our way back to the camping grounds, our thoughts once again becoming sperate streams of individual memories, like ghosts fading from view as we walked on.

The camp wasn’t very peaceful.

The camp was in fact, a hive of activity, and it wasn’t the positive kind either. Rikku was off standing talking to some Albhed rocking back and forth on her feet in nervous energy, as the Albhed talked in low voices. Pain on the other hand, was standing in mute silence, arms crossed over her chest as she listened with the keen interest that of a seasoned warrior, already having said her peace.

Whatever was going on it wasn’t good.

As we made our way over to the group wondering what had been going on, we soon realized that many among our group were injured. The closer we got to the camp the more we picked up on the situation.

People were hurt, and they were hurt badly, and they needed to be transported back to Besaid island to be looked after.

Rikku having spotted us, made her way over, biting and chewing on her lips in thought. Her eyes echoing the thoughts of those that were being said in broken English by the Albhed.

"Yunnie." She said when she reached our small group of three. "We have a problem. Alot of our Albhed helpers got hurt in a series of fiend attacks, but that’s not all." She said as she looked at Tidus and then quickly away to look back at the group. "Shawna’s Hurt, and it’s bad."

Tidus took off like a shot, and Yuna bit her lip, holding herself back from running after him. I got the feeling she still cared for him. Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I walked towards the group.

Rikku had not been kidding when she said Shawna had been hurt badly. Looking askance at Rikku, I pulled her aside and asked what was on the minds of everyone.

"Do you know what happened?" Rikku nodded her head, and started to pace back and forth.

"When we came back from our own explorations, not empty handed mind you, we noticed that Paine and Shawna weren’t at the camp. So we decided to look for them. We eventually found them splashing over there, in the water." Rikku said as she stopped and indicated an area of water where several long and green looking fiends jumped out of the water every now and then. "It’s the area where Wakka, Tidus and I fought the fiend that nearly ate Tidus when he first Arrived here." She said as an after thought, as she bit her lip and looked back at me.

"Okay, so how did they get into the water?" I said verbally pulling Rikku back on to the topic at hand.

"Oh, well. I talked to Paine about that. She said Shawna was upset and had decided to go exploring on her own. So Paine Followed, to make sure nothing bad happened. According to Paine, the ground shook a whole lot as they were out walking along that thin curved pillar over there, above the water. They fell off as did some bricks from the pillar. One of the bricks hit Shawna on the arm. It’s broken, and it’s her casting arm."

"So she’s got a broken arm." I said, trying hard to keep my elation at this news from showing. "So she needs medical attention, and we can’t provide that kind of care?" I asked.

Rikku nodded her head. "Well, we can, if we use a standard Curaga spell, but Shawna’s been getting on my nerves, and I really don't want her around." Rikku said in confidence, "Not to mention she wasn’t really included in the plans for this, and we just can’t afford the extra supplies to keep her around." She said with a sigh.

"This coming from the girl, who always tries to look for ways to have fun." Paine said as she sauntered along to see what it was Rikku and I had been talking about. "Dare I say it, Rikku’s thinking like a responsible Adult?" Paine said as she once again crossed her arms over her chest. Rikku pouted in thought and nodded her head.

"I have to be honest. She’s getting annoying. I always thought Leblanc was bad, but Shawna’s worse. She acts like some kind of hyper active teen with her hormones on overdrive!" Rikku said as she emphased her point by scowling.

"Well then," Paine said in thought. "How do you suggest we get her to leave then?"

"Simple." I said as I tried not to let a grin come onto my face at this sudden revelation from Rikku. "We tell her that she has no choice in the matter. You yourself said that there were others who were hurt in your group, Rikku. How bad off are they?" I asked Rikku as a plan started to hatch within my mind.

"Well, at least ten of the crew are seriously hurt, worse off then Shawna herself. If we sent them back to Besaid.." It was at that moment that She blinked. "I get it! She’s able to take care of them. We can call for Brother with the Gullwings communicators. We get the Celsius here, and send Shawna packing for home under the premise she’s the only one capable of making sure they receive the first aide they need."

I nodded my head and smiled. "Rikku," I said "I was thinking the exact same thing."

I looked back towards the group and then back at Paine and Rikku. "It’s the best shot we all have. I’m telling you this in confidence, I don’t much like her myself."

"You saying that, could mean many things." Paine said as she shrugged her shoulders. "So who tells our lucky girl she has to go back home?"

"I’ll do it." I said. "Rikku’s too bubbly, and Shawna will know somethings up if she tries, and You Paine, give off a cold demeanor, and don’t speak much. That would be cause for suspicion, at least I think it would be for Shawna. While myself, I am blunt to the core. I can tell her like it is. Leaving out of course that we don’t want her around. If she accuses me of that, I’ll just tell her that she’s a liability, and could get hurt even more worse then she already is."

"Alright." Paine said turning on her heel. "Sounds like a Plan. Rikku, you contact Brother."

"I’m on it!" Rikku said as she bounded off towards the group of Albhed in charge of the camp. Leaving me standing by myself, wondering just how I was going to approach this situation.