Hey guys. It's been a long time since I've written a FFX fanfic, but this time I wanted to revise one of my old ones since I decided not to continue it. Anyway, there's a lot of changes I wanted to make from the plot, but it'll still be the same pilgrimage that you all know and love. There was a whole lot of mistakes in my old fic anyway, but since I don't have the documents for those, I thought I ought to rewrite it.
Ch. 1 Bye Zanarkand
P.S. By the way, looking back at my old fanfic, I can see so many mistakes that I'm kind of embarrassed.
All I could see was pitch black darkness. To be honest, I wanted it to stay that way because my body was exhausted. It was a long day at school, and I didn't want to get up. In fact, I don't even remember going to sleep. What's going on?
"Wuh...?" I groaned as I got up. Looking around, I saw huge buildings with bright lights in the night sky. I realized I was on a bridge because the buildings continued down from where I were. But when I got up and went to the side of the bridge to see how high I was, I gasped. I couldn't even see the ground.
I looked at my clothes, which was the same as I what I wore coming back from school. I have black hair, with brown eyes and the same colored skin. I wore a black jacket with a blue shirt underneath, with blue jeans and white tennis shoes. Plus, a katana was strapped to my back.
"Whoa..." I muttered in awe as I drew it. It was a plain katana, but it was pretty heavy so I had to use both hands to carry it.
Going back into the story, I looked around again. For some reason, the area seemed oddly familiar but I couldn't remember. Then it struck me as I saw one giant picture of Jecht on one building.
"I'm in Zanarkand!" I shrieked, hopping up and down like a schoolgirl.
Suddenly, I heard a loud, ear-splitting ringing from nearby. Turning, I saw a large stadium, bigger than any other building I've seen so far. If I remember correctly, than this must've been the blitzball stadium! And, at the corner of my eye, I saw a blitzball in the air, and a young man jumping for it.
Just from playing FFX, I could tell who he was despite my bad vision. He had blond hair and tanned skin similar to mine. He wore a yellow jacket and black overalls, with yellow shoes. "That's Tidus..." I muttered.
Then I gasped. "That means-"
Suddenly, a large energy beam zoomed past me, striking my side barely. "Aghhhh!" I screamed in pain.
The entire city was in a panic. Buildings were on fire, people were running away, and machines went haywire. My eyes widened while I was moaning on the floor when I saw a huge blue bubble-like thing floating above the city...
I heard a familiar shriek. Looking up, I saw Tidus hanging for his life at the top of the stadium. That too, was falling in ruins. And he continued to scream as he lost his grip and fell to the ground. But I don't blame him. I would've screamed as well.
But y'know, in the game, it doesn't really show what happens when Tidus falls. All it did was stop the cutscene and show him on the ground. But I didn't want to see either, so I closed my eyes and looked away. Then I heard a thump. A loud thump.
Looking up, I saw Tidus, groaning in pain on the ground. People didn't care about him apparently even though he was the blitzball star, because they just ran past him for their lives. Going to him, I helped him get up.
"Wh-who are you?" He asked, still gasping for breath.
Not wanting to give him my real name, I told him the name of my favorite video game character. "I'm Naoto."
He was pretty heavy, so I used a lot of my strength just to get him to stand. After a few seconds, he was able to walk around normally. "Thanks... I'm Tidus..."
After he regained his senses, he spotted an old man with graying hair and sunglases. He wore a trenchcoat with a HUGE sword strapped to his back. In his other hand, he held one of those drinking jugs.
"Auron!" Tidus cried happily as if he found his parents. "What are you doing here?"
"I was waiting for you." He said. Then he turned to me. "Who are you?"
"Naoto." I said, a little startled. This guy was THE Auron, probably the best (and strongest) character in the game. Just his presence made me feel reassured that I survive this.
"Wait a sec, Auron." Tidus said. "What's going on?"
The legendary guardian simply ignored the question and walked off. Tidus and I looked at each other before following after him.
As we continued to run from the city's destruction, Tidus lost his balance and tripped over another person running away. He got up and got confused at the direction he was running. I hollered to him to come this way, but suddenly, time froze... for like five seconds.
It seemed like that for some reason, but I couldn't really tell. Tidus could though, as he looked around, confused. "What the...?" Time resumed back to normal. I could tell that he just encountered the Fayth. Anyway, on with the end of the world!
I had to smile a little, because I was understanding what was going on. Soon we'd have to face the first boss of the game, and my body was super excited that it was shaking. My hand was on my katana's hilt as we neared the end of the road. Then I screamed as I saw a building collapse.
"Quickly!" Auron yelled to us as we continued to run. We nodded, but I let out a little 'meep' when I heard another building collapse.
More running, and we saw a huge, aquatic sphere in the air. Tidus's mouth was wide open as he saw it, and mine was a little. Seriously, I mean, who wouldn't be freaked out over a giant, blue ball in the sky.
"We call it Sin." Auron said.
"We do?" I asked.
Suddenly, I jumped as I saw a tentacle shoot out of Sin's body! It slammed into a nearby building, and unleashed several egg-like things onto the road in front of us.
"Sinscales!" I shrieked, drawing my sword.
However, before I could do anything, Tidus ran ahead, trying to scare the monsters... with his hands. He was trying to shoo them away, as if they were flies. He didn't even touch them. The Sinscales looked at each other confused, until they decided to tackle him to the ground.
Auron drew another sword concealed in his coat. This one was odd-shaped, sorta like a fish hook. It was colored crimson as well, probably blood-stained. Whoever had the blade must've been a crazy man. He handed it to Tidus. "Take it."
As Tidus got up, he took the sword in one hand. He made the mistake I almost made, as the blade's weight made it almost fall to the ground. He managed to grab it before it landed on the ground, though.
"A gift from Jecht." Auron aid.
Well, that proves my crazy man theory.
"My old man?" Tidus asked.
He swung the blade one-handed at the Sinscales, this time making them feel threatened. They hissed menacingly at the blade as he got closer to them, but that caused him to get scared. He backed away and fell to the floor. Auron and I ran to both his sides.
"I hope you know how to use it." Auron said.
Tidus nodded, more determined than ever to fight down his home's invaders.
A small grin began to form on my face. This is my first real battle! My body was shaking with both fear and excitement. I couldn't wait to see my overdrive!
The battle system here was different than the one in the game though. Instead of turn-based, we were allowed to attack whenever we want. With four Sinscales in our way, the battle may have seemed unfair. However, we had powerhouse Auron on our side, so that just gave them the disadvantage.
"These ones don't matter!" Auron yelled. "We cut through!"
With one swing of his heavy katana, he easily slashed through all four Sinscales in our way. Both Tidus and I gawked at his power, but continued on.
Two more appeared in our way. Tidus ran towards one, and easily struck it down. I, however, went all gung-ho on it, hacking, stabbing, spearing, anything that had to do with striking the Sinscale as much as possible!
"Uh... Naoto... you don't have to keep hitting it." Tidus said. "It's already dead." It's body was reduced to pyrelies.
"Oh."
Even more Sinscale eggs dropped in front of us and took form. Geez, these things were like small space UFOs, except they were bugs. More appeared from behind as well.
"Don't bother going after all of them." Auron commanded. "Cut the ones that matter, and run."
That meant, take down all the Sinscales in front of us.
Before I could react though, one Sinscale fired spines at me right at the side of my body where Sin struck! I winced in pain and fell to the ground. Tidus managed to strike down that one before it could fire more spines, and Auron destroyed the rest.
"You okay?" Tidus asked.
I nodded, and slowly got up. However, I ran for my life as soon as I saw more Sinscale eggs being fired toward us.
So we continued along the chaos, Sinscale filled road until we heard an explosion. We looked down the road and saw that tentacle Sinspawn sitting between us and the road to freedom. There were other Sinscales with it. Auron simply kept running.
"Hey wait!" Tidus called to Auron, but he ignored him.
"Let's go!" I yelled to Tidus.
The three of us got into battle-ready position, with our swords out and ready. Before we could do anything after that though, three circular, dark orbs surrounded us and zapped away some of our life force.
"Ack... Demi!" I coughed badly. It was a spell that took away 1/4 of our life force, but it could't kill us.
Tidus, however, was pissed off greatly. "Get out of my town!"
"Some can't wait to die!" Auron said with an evil grin. Personally, I think what he said was way cooler than what Tidus said.
Jumping into the air, Auron speared his hefty katana right into the ground while shouting, "Dragon Fang!" Suddenly, the ground exploded under each of the monsters, easily destroying all the Sinscales and damaging the Sinspawn. Tidus and my mouth dropped. Now, I REALLY want to try out my overdrive!
I got in front of Tidus to do my overdrive. However, I didn't know what to do, so instead, I did something anybody would do in that situation. I ran up to the monster with a battle cry and slashed it once, hoping something would happen. All it did was piss of the Sinspawn even more, and it Demied me to the ground! Tidus his a smirk, but I saw it anyway.
He did a cartwheel before doing a backflip, slashing the enemy as he descended. Apparently that was supposed to hurt really bad, and it did, destroying several mini tentacles at its head.
"I call it the Spiral Cut!" He puffed up his chest. I'm jealous...
I grimaced, realizing I didn't know what to do. I started thinking about every shonen anime or manga I've ever watched/read: Naruto, Bleach, Reborn, Hajime no Ippo, Rurouni Kenshin- wait a sec. I know what to do!
I placed the sword back in my sheath and stared straight at the Sinspawn with great focus in my eyes.
"What are you gonna do, Naoto?" Tidus asked.
"He's gonna attack with everything he's got." Auron simply answered.
Gripping the sheath of my sword at the side of my body, I quickly drew my blade. I did it with lightning-fast speed that only Auron could see the blade as I swiftly pierced through the Sinspawn! This last overdrive destroyed all the tentacles, leaving only pyrelies.
"Whoa... what do you call that?" Tidus said.
I couldn't call it it's true name cause it's pretty long. "I'll call it... uhh... Lightning Draw?" That was all I could come up with.
Yet again, we continued down the road. Now that I thought about it, this road is longer than I thought from the video game. The traffic here must've been atrocious...
At one certain part of the road, we passed by the screen picture of Jecht (Tidus's father) on a building. Tidus scoffed. "What are you laughing at, old man?"
The three of us stopped. "Auron, let's get outta here!" Tidus exclaimed.
Auron looked around. "We're expected..."
"Huh?"
Crap, Sin's near.
"Give me a break, man!" Tidus telled, but Auron ignored him and just continued to run like he always did.
A few Sinscale eggs flew behind us. "Ah... that isn't much." I grinned. We took down the Sinspawn leader, so obviously there wouldn't be much.
Suddenly, it rained Sinscale eggs in front of us, creating an entire army of Sinscales loaded with spine attacks. "AGHHH! HELP ME!" And what's worse is they all hatched the second they landed!
"Hmph. This could be bad." Auron remarked. I was stunned, how legendary guardian Auron could actually say something like that. Then he noticed a machina with a single core connecting the parts lying near the edge of the bridge. "That! Knock it down!"
"What?" Tidus shrieked.
"Trust me." Auron reassured. "You'll see."
I instantly took action, because I was too scared of the Sinscales. I started hacking it as if my life depended on it (which it did) while Auron and Tidus took down the Sinscales. Eventually, the core exploded, making one part fall into the flame-consumed ground.
BOOOOOOOM!
A huge explosion occured there, making the building with the picture of Jecht on it fall right towards us and the Sinscales! I pulled Tidus away just in time as the building smashed into the bridge, destroying that one area and the Sinscales on it.
"Go!" Auron ordered both of us.
The three of us jumped on top of the falling building, using it as a bridge to make it on the other side. The rooms of the building made mini explosions where we were running, making us dodge each one.
Auron was able to make a complete jump to the other side, but the two of us were still running. We made a leap of faith as the building fell to its doom...
...And we made it, barely! Our hands were able to grab the edge of the broken bridge. However, because of the unnatural amount of sweat produced from all the fighting, our hands were starting to slip!
I looked up and gasped. Auron was looking down on us, and so was Sin...
"Auron! Auron!" Tidus screamed at him.
"Help us!" I begged him.
Suddenly, the bridge was pushed upwards by Sin's power! That made me wonder, why was I gripping for my life now, because I knew what was going to happen next. But if you were in our shoes, you'd be so scared right now!
"You are sure?" He asked the giant, aquatic orb known as Sin as it continued to suck up the city of Zanarkand.
Auron took us by our shirt collars and pulled us up. "This is it. This is your story. It all begins here." And he was sucked into Sin as well!
I grinned a little, because I knew we were about to be sent to Spira. Then I gasped, realizing that we were gonna be sent to Baaj Temple. The place where lots of water exists. And I can swim now, but not very far.
Tidus started to scream as we were sucked in. I was screaming too, because of the water!
Crap. I hate water.
The end of the first chapter. Like I said before, please review and tell me how I did! There was a whole lot of changes made, and it would be fun if you read both versions to see how bad my spelling and sentence structure was!