„Ga...Aaaah!"

As every day in the last 2 years, yet another peaceful Besaid afternoon is ruined by an ear-shattering shriek echoing from a clumsy, but agile red headed fellow. As he rushes through the beach path, under one of it's heavy and loud waterfalls, his long hair, now partly soaked, covered his eyes, enabling him to make a staggering slip which, along with messing up his groove almost made him fall off the edge. Yet, he runs as if he's possessed, firmly grasping his loaf of bread as if it were the last thing he would ever eat. Why is our hero so desperately enriched in his ungraceful quickening? Well, why don't we ask the dingos chasing the poor lad? That is, if they were something other than fiends. But, even though this rustle and bustle created quite a ruckuss along the way, the condors are almost non-flinching, as if used to the daily cat-mouse game these two share in their timely routine. The flans, long gone and extinct, have little to say on the subject, while the garudas are soundly sleeping on their hilltops.

The boy suddenly sees the end of this long road, the fork he hoped to see. „The beach can't be far now!" But he had to take his dingo problem under close consideration. He quickly jumps on down from a small ledge, turns to his right and closes in on the mystery door in the wild, locked by a machina. The boy quickly taps in the 4 digit code which by now he knows by heart, quickly slips in behind just as the dingos came into view again. Like every day he managed to conceal himself in this dark cave. Like every day, the dingos gave up fairly quickly. And like every day, the loaf of bread he carried got wet from the cave's dripping waters. „Oh, he's gonna kill me again..." But, having come this far, it makes no sense for him to risk another dingo encounter just to get another loaf from the village. No, he bravely steps out of the cave, proudly raises his square shaped head and aligns his simple cotton clothes to perfection. He is now ready.

Stepping on the yellow sand he takes a look around. The ship docked on the small wooden port is just leaving, meaning he is not late for the arriving one from Kilika. But then he faces completely onwards, towards a small uplift towering above wooden boats and other sailing material. As he takes his first steps, a thought comes to his mind: „So, this is how the old summoners felt before facing Sin." As he reaches the uplift, he climbs it, steadily, without a problem. There waiting him, a lad one year younger than he is. Through his spikey brown hair he pierced our brave hero with his blue eyes simply stating: „You're late, V." The boy flinched a bit, thinking „could THAT have been the ship we were waiting for?"

„I am sorry bud, the dingos again." – responded the red head boy.

„Oh well..." –suddenly smiled the brown haired boy, laying the stylish red sword he was leaning on seconds ago to the side. „ I guess the bread is wet too?"

„Guilty as charged." – the read headed boy frowned. The other one made a benevolent sigh.

„It's too bad though... Aunt Lu's heavenly bread soaked in cave water. Well, in any case, you're just in time. The ship will be arriving in moments."

„But... Didn't you just say...?"

„I was pulling your leg man, take it easy."

The red haired boy frowned again. „You're cruel Jecht. I thought you would make me swim my butt off again. If the Aurochs crossed as much as sea as me they would be champs again in a second."

„First of all," said Jecht lifting his index finger, „ I can not understand how the hell you are older than me. Second of all," raising the second finger, „ I thought you wanted to follow your dads footsteps?"

The boy looks away. „Well, yeah... I did. But seeing how much work it takes I don't think I'm cut out for it, ya? And don't you be giving me lessons about age. I am not the one bossing his best friend with an age old sword."

„Oh just shaddup. You remember why we're here, right?" The boy suddenly snaps back to his calm self. „There's bound to be a few girls from Luca around. Phew, Yevon sure blessed those I imagine. Damn them curves."

„Yeah..." –said the read head with a dreamy look.

And so Jecht and Vidina spent yet another dull, boring yet enjoyable day on Besaid, gazing at people from afar, wondering when they will be old enough to visit the places they only heard about.

Continued...