Author's Note

Man, it's been quite some time since I bothered with fanfiction; in any case, I feel the urge now, though I won't make any promises. My track record says it all. I've started numerous stories in the past, and never gotten around to finishing them. I dunno whassup with that, but since this story is about my all-time favorite game in the universe for eternity, I might actually finish this one. I'd probably feel pretty dang guilty if I didn't, after all. Also, I plan on keeping this story relatively short. With all my other fics, I set out with the hopes of writing a long, epic tale. With this, I want to create more of a personal, perhaps contemplative story as opossed to a long adventure. So, yeah! Hopefully I pull through, and if I not, I'm a shame to mankind, amirite?

Rated T

Jecht's a rough-spoken fella, so there will probably be a few unsavory words uttered here and there. Maybe some violence and suggestive content, too; I dunno, man, I have yet to write a thing, how about you lay off and let me do what I need to do? Heh, I jest, I don't hold you responsible. You can rest easy.

Just to let ya know...

Like I said, I'm not out to write a big story here. I expect to keep it pretty short, and it's not going to be a very linear narrative, either. I plan on jumping to different times, places, characters, et cetera with pretty much each chapter. This is more about Jecht as a character than anything else, so I plan on highlighting the important events in his life and the effects his actions had on the people around him. And whatnot.

Disclaimer

I do not own FFX, Square Enix does. Well, I own a copy of the game, and I'm surprised it still works, to tell the truth. Heh, I've had it since it came out, and man, lemme tell ya! There are so many dag nab scratches etched into that baby from spinning around in the ol' ps2 that I'm surprised it hasn't shattered into multiple shards of glass in a manner akin to a random encounter in the game itself. Seriously, I think it's because my love for the game is so dang all-encompassing that it shields the disc from suffering from any mortal injuries the cruel world inflicts upon it over the passage of time. I mean, I pretty much play through the entire game at LEAST once a year, sometimes twice. I could go on and on, and if you're still reading this, you're a pretty big sucker. Why would you still be reading this, sucker? Man, don't even get me started on how much I love FFX. That's probably what I'd write about if I ever wrote a college thesis. 100+ pages about how much I love FFX. Did I tell you I'm probably the biggest fan of this game in existence? If you care to debate this FACT, I welcome you to a duel, good sir (or lady). That's right, you don't get any special treatment if you're a girl. When it comes to FFX...! Man...*chuckles* Uh...yeah, that's enough of that, sorry.

Prologue

Waiting


How much longer?

There was no need to speak; there was no one to hear him. All this time, there had been no one. The loneliness was something he had learned to cope with, something that was initially unbearable. Once upon a time, he had thrived on the company of others, even if he hadn't realized it at the time. He drank it up, never questioning why, never stopping to give it thought.

Before, there was no shortage of distractions.

Dealing with adversity was never a problem, before. There was always something to take his mind far, far away from what troubled him. Sure, it came with a price; in itself, the running created more adversity. But it hadn't stopped him. Now, he realized that had he stopped to think for a moment, to dwell on it, maybe it would have been too much to handle.

He was weak.

He had always thought of himself as the strongest, the fastest, simply the best at everything. No exceptions. Whenever something came up that could hinder his progress, whenever he identified even the slightest chance of failure, of someone other than himself rising above, he had to fight it with all his might.

But he wouldn't ever admit that. He had to maintain the Jecht that everyone else knew. The Jecht everyone else had always raised on a pedestal, the Jecht that eclipsed everything. In that life...

But it was over. Zanarkand was an entirely different reality. He opened his eyes...he had been thinking a lot lately. He was tired of it. Not that he ever had much else to do, here...he looked around, taking in the surreal landscape that had been his home for...

"How long...?" He muttered, the words sounding faded and distant to his own ears.

The sky, at least, looked the same. The number of stars, the hue of the darkness, even the taste and smell of it all. Even the silence of night rang true to the Zanarkand he once knew.

But it wasn't...it wasn't Zanarkand at all. It was an illusion, born of his own subconscious, perhaps. A mass of familiar settings torn asunder, kept frozen in time; a portrait of disaster, perpetually unmoving. He thought of it as a reminder.

Of what he had done.

Perhaps it was all to mock him, perhaps it was to remind him of how important it was that he saw this through. He chuckled. "Not like I have much of a choice..." He muttered, gazing forward. The familiar sight of cold steel met his eyes as the gigantic sword kept firmly rooted in the ground came into his line of sight.

He had accepted his fate, but it wasn't for naught. He sometimes felt an immense hopelessness, but he couldn't let that side of himself ever see the light of day. Not even in his solitude...because...

"He'll show up any day now...right, Auron?"

He wasn't content to let the cycle of needless death and rebirth continue. Sin was merely a vessel, albeit one that contained unimaginable powers...powers that could tear lives apart in the blink of an eye. But a vessel regardless.

One that had been manipulated far too long by corruption and a vast, uncompromising fear of change. He was sure that by this point, the boy had realized what he needed to do...he was his son, after all.

Jecht looked up at the stars, the only thing that seemed to move in the bizarre, timeless place that he called home.

"At least you're moving..." Jecht practically whispered, grinning slightly as light cascaded against the darkness in the sky.

He waited a bit more. He wasn't sure how long, and it didn't really matter. He was used to it. Finally, he felt it, and a moment later, heard footsteps behind him. He didn't turn around, not at first. If he did, what he had been hiding all this time might slip loose. He couldn't show weakness, not now. He had a job to do. "You're late, Auron."

He could hear the slump of Auron's shoulders behind him, as if his old friend had been lifted of a great burden. Auron sighed softly before responding. "I know."

No more thinking.

Jecht turned and faced his son.

Well, I hope you liked it. 8D

I'll try and upload another chapter later today. Until then, I bid ya farewell! Review if you like it, if you don't mind.