Disclaimer, All recognisable characters and places do not belong to me, they belong to Square-Enix.
Summary, Tragedy befell them at a time of war and suffering, but it was their love that destroyed them. He would do anything to save her from the front lines, and she would do anything to protect his life. In the end, they were each others fall.

1: A Hall of Forgetting

Shuyin ran fast down the street, dodging in and out of the dwindling crowds. Everyone was heading to the concert hall, and he was no exception. His heart pounded hard in his chest, not from exertion but from anticipation. To see her face again would be the highlight of his night, and to know she was his would be the cherry on top. He weaved in and out, making sure not to hurtle into anyone. Faces turned and shined up at him, everyone excited about this one beacon of light in a night of darkness.

The war had only just begun, but the casualties that Zanarkand had suffered were great, far greater than the ones that managed to land on their attacker, Bevelle. But tonight no one would be thinking about the fight, or their loved ones, or their lost ones. Tonight they would sit and watch a performance by one of the greatest songstresses Spira had ever produced, and they would forget. Every week Zanarkand looked for an escape. It was a shame a permanent one was harder to find than the temporary one.

A small boy stood in Shuyin's way as he rounded the next corner and spotted the stadium ahead, lights dotting the sidewalk dimly, so not to draw attention to itself. He clutched a Blitzball in his hands, staring down at it glumly as he trailed after his mother and sister. Shuyin sped around him, accidently knocking his arm as the kid moved in front of him.

"Hey mister!" the kid shouted angrily, turning around to face Shuyin. Shuyin had already scooped the ball back up and was in the process of handing it back to the kid, when the child's face lit up. "You're Shuyin, the best Blitzball player on the Zanarkand Abes! Hey, hey! Sign my ball for me."

Shuyin grabbed a pen from his back pocket, a necessity when you had fans all over the city, and scrawled his name across the ball. He smiled at the kid as he dropped it into his arms, watching the way the child carefully held it against his chest. "Take of that ball for me, kid."

"Will do Mister Shuyin!" the child called back, watching as Shuyin resumed his run to the stadium.

Shuyin knew the doors to the stadium would be closing in ten minutes, and he knew he was late, but he was determined that he wouldn't miss this concert. Lenne had arranged for him to be seated in the premium box, alongside other Blitzball players, fancy businessmen and their wives, and Zanarkands other celebrities. Not getting there in time was a thought that hadn't even crossed his mind.

The door loomed up ahead, with the last of the concert-goers handing their tickets over to the doormen. Shuyin grinned at one of them, who tapped his watch as he undid the rope that held back fans without premium tickets from climbing to the box. Shuyin mouthed a quick word of thanks, taking the stairs two at a time. He reached the box just as the supporting act were leaving the stage, attracting the eyes of all the other watchers. He ignored them, moving to the seat that had a resigned sign and a backstage pass on it. He hooked the pass around his neck, eyes glued to the floating platform in the middle of the stadium.

Thank God I made it, he thought to himself as he settled back. A second later, he was back on his feet, cheering and whistling more wildly than the fans below him.

A young woman stepped out on stage, and the crowd fell silent, all eyes eagerly waiting for her to start singing or dancing. The first notes of her newest song started floating around the still air, and she looked up, her wide brown eyes seeking out every face in the crowd, before settling on Shuyin's. He smiled widely, encouragingly, and she dipped her head back down. A whisper amplified around the stadium as she spoke into the microphone, her long brown hair shimmering as it fell around her face.

She looks so beautfiful, Shuyin thought as he watched her move across the stage, her purple dress billowing out behind her as she swiftly moved to the beat of the music. She's never looked more beautiful to me, he added. Cheers were beginning to rise again around the stadium, though they never matched the volume of her voice.

"Tell me what you want to hear and I'll say the words. Tell me what you want to feel and I'll play along," she sang, the crowd joining in when she reached the chorus. Sometimes Shuyin wished they wouldn't, so he could sit still and listen to her voice forever, but tonight he sang along too, out of tune but passionately. "Tell me what your heart desires and we're share the moments that you want," she continued.

She swayed in time to the music, walking forwards delicately because it was a slower song. "Tell me what you want to hear, and I'll say the words you need," her voice rose in pitch, the note climbing higher and higher, the sweetest sound that Shuyin had ever heard. Lenne spun as the song finished, her fingers holding the mike carefully as if it might break. Shuyin smiled as he recognised her summoner's dance, joining with her soft voice.

The song ended slowly, dimming out into nothing as the crowd jumped up and down and again, cheering and screaming. Lenne bowed a little, smiling nervously at her admirers as the musicians on stage with her began another song, a faster one. Shuyin leaned over the banister, reaching out as far as he could, and she turned to wave at him. He waved back, all arms and enthusiasm, before he fell back, a smile playing on his face.

Lenne's smile played on his mind, a sparkling picture that stood out above all else. His love for her burned brightly in his chest, consuming him until he could feel nothing else, not that he wanted to. He loved her more than life itself and would do anything for her.

Anything.

"You were beautiful tonight!" Shuyin exclaimed, spinning Lenne around her dressing-room. Her purple lips stretched in a soft smile that was all heart and no teeth. Her eyes were alight with pure pleasure as she leaned down to rest her head in the crook of Shuyin's neck. "A perfect performance. You really wowed them."

"So you liked it, my new song?" Lenne asked eagerly, adrenaline in her voice as she finally found her feet on the ground. Shuyin bent down to place a chaste kiss on her lips. "Tell me Shuyin," she cried impatiently. "Did you like my new song?"

"I loved it. I love everything you do Lenne, you don't have to ask," Shuyin replied, eyes glowing in the light. "The only thing that could have made it better was a dedication to me!"

"Ah, that ego of yours. How did I ever fall in love with it?" she asked, her voice light and teasing as they entwined their hands. They set off towards the dressing-room door, only for a figure to dart in and stand in their way, filling up the frame. Lenne froze, her eyes scanning the familiar figure as he moved in towards them.

"Where you going in such a hurry son?" the gruff voice was harsh and cold, eyes calculating as they took Shuyin in. He instinctively moved her behind him, appreciating the small hand that rested on his wrist; the one that was preventing him from pummeling his father on the spot. The old man watched the display with an amused smirk, eyes flickering between his son and his girlfriend.

"None of your business. And why are you even here? You shouldn't have been allowed in," Shuyin snapped back, eyes looking beyond his father for the security guard who was posted on Lenne's dressing-room door. He was no where to be seen, and this ignited a further spark of anger in Shuyin's chest. "Tell me what you want."

"Can't a father come and see his son without getting insulted?" the old man asked, moving into the light. It threw shadows under his eyes that elongated the permanent bruises he wore, and made his face look more worn than Shuyin had ever seen it. He felt no sympathy. The man had made his bed and he could rot in it for all Shuyin cared. "Since you asked, I'm fine, and it was the security guards who let me in. They're old fans of mine, and they knew I was related to Lenne's boyfriend," the last word was a sneer, and Lenne's hand tightened on Shuyin's wrist.

"You never come to see me for parental reasons, and I will tell the guards that next time I see them. They'll never let you in backstage again. Now what do you want? I don't want to stand here all night repeating myself, especially when you know I'm going to refuse you," Shuyin replied through gritted teeth, eyes trained on the old man like he was a fiend.

"I need some cash." The old man didn't beat around the bush, spitting out the request as if it were poison that burned him. Shuyin just stared at him in disgust, waiting for him to explain the circumstances, some last ditch attempt for pity. "I owe Java big time, and he's coming down to meet me tonight. If I don't have at least five hundred gil, he'll rip my face off. You wouldn't want that for your old man, would you son?"

"Sounds like they should get the money back by charging front row seats to your beating. I'd pay," Shuyin responded coldly. "Why is it that you only come and see me when you want some cash? You've never had any, even when you were at the top of your game as a Blitzer. Well, me and Mom never saw any of the cash. She worked herself to death covering for all your mistakes. In the end, her love for you killed her. So why do you think I'm going to help you?"

The old man's face creased in anger as Shuyin spoke each word, deliberating over each of them to deliver a punch. "Because we're blood. Would you really rather see me dead than see me well?" Shuyin's expression told him the answer, and he clenched his fists. "Java'd be all over you if he knew I had a son with money. Show me some gratitude for keeping you out of this. Two hundred and fifty gil. Half the money."

"I bet that's not all you owe. I bet it's a deposit to save your wasted face from more damage. And if I pay you once, you'll want more. So here's an idea; get a job, old man, and pay him back yourself. Stop living off of me. That's what you used to tell me when I was a kid." Shuyin tugged at Lenne moving her around his father as if he were diseased.

"At least I'm not a crybaby," the man spat back, watching as Shuyin made to leave. "At least I'd fight for my city if I could. At least I'm not hiding in Zanarkand, playing Blitzball and living the high life. At least I don't let my girl fight for me, defend me!"

"If you're so much better than me, then why don't you prove yourself. Go sign up, and fight for the city you live in. Maybe then Java'd leave you alone. Maybe you'd die a hero, instead of wasting away like the loser you are," Shuyin shouted back, the anger bursting out of his chest like a fiery being.

"I don't need this," his father retorted, stalking past him and down the hallway. "Go back to your cushy life son, and enjoy your evening with the lovely Lenne. She's better than you deserve."

Shuyin stood perfectly still and watched his father exit the stadium through the fire door. He was trembling from the effort of holding himself back, and it was only Lenne's continued hold that was keeping him from finding his father and ripping him apart before Java even had a chance to. He looked down at her, taking in the worried expression that had creased her carefree face. Her brown eyes changed from fear to worry, and Shuyin pulled her into a tight hug.

"He won't bother us again, Lenne," he murmured. "I promise you I'll never let him bother you again."

Lenne watched the muscles in Shuyin's back flex and relax in turn as he moved about in their bathroom, his tan skin marked with scars and signs that told of his past as her guardian. He'd always stood by her side for the minute he'd met her, promising her protection and love and shelter all the while. He'd thrown himself in front of her more times than she cared to remember, and he was fiercely protective. If he knew that she'd been called up to fight on the front lines, she knew he'd lose the careful hold he had on his temper.

She loved Shuyin more than words could ever say, and she'd tried many times to tell Shuyin how she really felt. Her heart always seemed to race whenever she thought of him, closing her throat up when she tried to say those three little words, so she'd always sung about how she felt about him. It was indirect, and lacked the personal intimacy she wanted to have when she finally managed to say I love you. It was always easier singing to thousands of people than it was talking to one, her emotions bursting out of her in a way the spoken words couldn't handle.

Shuyin walked into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist as he surveyed her, concern glinting in his blue eyes. He always seemed to be worried about one thing or another, and with the war just beginning, Lenne could see why he saw danger in every shadow and around every corner. It made her feel safe, being with him, but guilt tainted the security. It wasn't fair that he should constantly be on the alert for her, even though he would tell her that it didn't matter to him. Only she did.

"What's wrong Lenne?" he asked, immediately sensing the bleak mood that had wrapped around her. The concert had been a good distraction from the letter she'd received, but that was all it had been. Seeing it again on her dresser had brought back her fear in telling Shuyin. "Has someone hurt you?" he added, eyes flashing with a hint of rage.

"No. No one's hurt me. I'm just worried about the war. It's getting out of hand, and we're not on the winning side. Bevelle have so many machines backing their soldiers. I'm just scared, I guess." Maybe it was wrong of her to tell him she was scared. That would only reinforce his desire to keep her away from the fight, away from the front lines. "You can't pretend it doesn't worry you. I've seen it in your eyes."

He crossed the room, dripping rivulets of water down his chest, the drops landing on the carpet. Lenne gazed at the dark stains, seeing blood instead of water, shivers racking through her as she remembered fighting fiends on her pilgrimage. She was brought out of her thoughts when Shuyin dropped onto the bed beside her, an arm snaking out around her waist. She didn't mind that he was damp, she just craved the closeness.

"War isn't pretty, and everyone wants to forget it's going on. I forget myself that you don't. You want to know what's happening, because you care about people. You want to help them. But you have to understand that you are helping people Lenne, so you don't need to worry," Shuyin replied, his voice soft and reassuring. "It's what you do as a songstress. You sing and people forget, if only for a little while."

"I know that, but sometimes I want to do more." She paused, not sure how to progress. Shuyin was still, too still, and she didn't want to breach the storm that was swilling in his eyes. "Maybe I should be doing more. I am a summoner, after all, and though I trained in peaceful times, summoners are built for war. In a sense. I mean, we have the Fayth behind us. And within the Fayth are the aeons ... "

"Are you thinking about signing up to fight? I heard the call for more summoners too Lenne, don't think I haven't." Shuyin didn't sound angry, he just sounded weary. "But summoners are symbols of peace and healing. About trust, and about the bond between a living soul and a dying soul. It's a religion, and you don't need to fight."

"Not yet," countered Lenne, straightening up. "But it's getting to the point where the soldiers aren't enough. More mages are being called forward, and the summoners will be next on the list. I feel like I should be there, before it gets worse. Maybe I can help stem the flow, stop the Bevellians from getting closer to the city centre. The edges of the city are falling, one by one."

"What aren't you telling me Lenne?" Shuyin asked, startling her. "There's something you know, and it's been eating you up, but you haven't come outright and told me. I know it has something to do with the war. Let's get the worst over. Tell me the truth."

Lenne watched his expression, noting the creases in his forehead and the shadows under his eyes. He looked at her deeply, urging her on, and she swallowed back her fear. She needed to tell him, and more than that he wanted her to tell him. Once it was out, they could deal with it together. Lenne took a breath in.

"Shuyin, I do have something to tell you. And it is about the war." She hesitated, watching his expression carefully. It was safe to carry on, and the next words rushed out of her in a hurried breath. "I've been called up. I have to join the war."