Author's Note: Hey, kiddies! Here's that story that I've been saying that I'm gonna write...FINALLY! I finally got around to it while I was playing FFX/FFX-2 HD Remastered (the graphics are BEAUTIFUL in HD!). That game really got my butt in gear with writing this chapter. It's just the prologue, but hey, it's a start! And I'll definitely will post more once I get some interest...who knows...maybe I'll just update regardless! XD
Anway, enjoy! And yes...I used a Doctor Who Quote for the title. Hey, I thought it fit!
Disclaimer:I do not own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy X. HP is owned by J.K. Rowling (the movies by Warner Bros. and her, naturally) and FFX is owned by SQUARE-ENIX. However...I do own copies of the books and movies for HP and I now, once again, own a copy of FFX! Thank you PS Vita!
I'll be a story in your head, but that's okay, because we're all stories in the end.
Just make it a good one, eh? Because it was, you know. It was the best.
~The Eleventh Doctor, The Big Bang, Series 5, Episode 13
Prologue: A Silent Goodbye
Silence. That was all you could hear in the English countryside. There was no breeze, not a cricket chirping. Just complete silence. Nothing disturbed the grass or the residents of the Burrow. One would forget that the world was still suffering from the last years of war.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, the tall weeds rustling from being blown with such small force. A bright light shone through the darkness of the night, and then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
Thankfully, Mrs. Weasley was preoccupied with finally getting her youngest to bed. She would have sworn that the Deatheaters had found them.
If anyone had been paying the slightest bit of attention, they would have noticed two strangely dressed men standing where the light had disappeared (and that's saying a lot considering what happens in the Wizard World). Both men walked through the meadow in between the Burrow and a large expanse of woods, both heading towards the latter. One was carrying both of their weapons—one an extremely large katana and the other a large broadsword—while the other, the taller of the two, carried a small bundle in his arms.
"Are you sure?" the younger of the two asked.
"Relax, Auron," the other technically not-much-older man said. "Trust me. These are good people. We can trust them."
"Hmph," Auron breathed with a small smile on his face. "Don't know how many times I've heard that."
"Well, what's that supposed to mean?"
"How many times have you said that and then something goes wrong?"
"Well, nothing's gonna go wrong this time. They'll be able to help us."
The two men walked on, passing by a glistening pond and into a more secluded area. Hidden by a group of trees was a small cottage. The lights were on and smoke was coming from the chimney. Someone was home.
"Thank Yevon for that."
Auron looked at his companion with a raised eyebrow. The man ignored him and walked on. Auron followed him, despite feeling unsure about the arrangement. Standing beside him, he watched the small bundle move slightly and sigh.
The man knocked on the door three times and they waited patiently.
"How do you know these people, Jecht?" Auron couldn't help but ask.
Jecht looked at his friend and smiled. "Well, it all started when—"
The blitzball player-turned-guardian was interrupted by the opening of the door. Both friends looked to see a man with peppered brown hair and dark brown eyes, a goatee gracing his features. To both of them, he seemed very weary and exhausted. But upon seeing Jecht, however, he smiled and the exhaustion seemed to melt away.
"Well," the man said. "There's a face that I haven't seen in many years."
"Good to see ya, Phil," Jecht said. He took a deep breath and then asked, "Is Mira cooking?"
The man chuckled. "As always."
"Mind if we come in?"
"But of course." He motioned for the two friends to enter the house. Once inside, he looked around outside and then closed the door quickly. Turning to Jecht, he added, "Pardon the apprehension, Jecht, but with Voldemort's followers still at large, we have to be careful."
"No worries," the blitzer replied. "I understand."
The man known as Phil chuckled and, upon seeing Auron, pointed out, "You brought a friend this time." Extending his hand, he introduced himself. "Phil Tyler."
"Auron." Hesitantly, he shook Phil's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise."
Sitting down in his prized armchair, Phil looked to Jecht and asked, "What brings you to these parts? Last time you were here, we both didn't think you'd come back. I'm surprised that they even let you."
Seems like they brought me back here for a good reason, Jecht thought. He sighed. "Straight to the point, huh?"
"You know me too well."
"I need to call in that favor."
This time it was Phil who sighed. "You couldn't have picked a worse time to ask, Jecht."
"Why do you say that?" Auron, whose curiosity was peeked, asked.
"It's been years since the war, hasn't it?" Jecht wondered.
"Yes," Phil agreed. "But Voldemort's followers are restless. They keep fighting, and have been since his downfall."
Auron nodded, even though he didn't completely understand. "They never do."
Jecht nodded in agreement. "I'll trade any of his followers for what we have to deal with."
Auron looked at him with understanding. Anything was better than that.
Phil didn't. "What do you mean?" Being an Auror, he had personally dealt with quite a few Deatheaters. Some of them were a nasty bunch. They were still trying to capture the worst of them, Bellatrix Lestrange.
Jecht sighed. "It's a long story, Phil, and I don't have time to explain. Spira is in danger and I can't leave her there. Even if she has a place to stay…I don't think that she would be safe."
Phil was confused. "She?"
Jecht carefully shifted the bundle in his arms and pulled back what was a blanket. This revealed that the bundle was, in fact, a small child of seven, sleeping in the blitzer's arms. Phil was surprised.
"Her name is Aria," Jecht explained. "I needed to bring her somewhere safe and the only place I could think of was here with you."
"There wasn't someone you trusted back home?"
"There is, but we're all going into battle…one where there's no going back."
"The only other person he seems to trust," Auron interjected. "Is you."
Phil nodded, understanding Jecht's situation. "You want me to look after her." It was a statement, rather than a question.
"Please."
Phil sighed. "I don't know how much safer she will be here, but alright. You have my word that I will keep her safe."
Jecht couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks, Phil."
"Don't mention it," he said. "I'm sure if it were me in this situation, you would do the same."
"You know me too well."
"Let's get her settled in, shall we?"
Phil stood up from his armchair and led them both down the hallway to a small bedroom that was usually reserved for guests or, in Phil's case, refugees who needed someplace to hide. Curiously, from Auron's point of view, he pulled out a long stick that looked to be maybe thirteen inches long and a dark color, and muttered something in a language he didn't understand (that's not Al Bhed, he thought). Within seconds, the end of the stick began to glow and then he raised it for Jecht to see. Jecht walked in and carefully placed little Aria down on the bed and covered her back up. She stirred just a little, barely opening her eyes only to close them again. She burrowed herself into the cushy-looking mattress and continued to sleep.
That's when Auron saw something that he never thought he'd see. A look of pure adoration on Jecht's face.
That's new.
He watched as Jecht pushed back some of her black locks from her face so that she could clearly see that she was sleeping peacefully. Jecht whispered something to her and then stood up. Looking to Auron, he nodded and said, "Let's go."
The younger guardian nodded in agreement. As they returned to the living area, Mira, Phil's wife, had brought them their tea. Both took it without question, all the while explaining what was going on to her. Phil never did like keeping things from her.
With understanding, Mira nodded and said that she would help in any way she could, even if that meant making sure Aria knew who she was and where she was from. Jecht thanked them both, saying that should the chance arise, he would come back for her to take her home. The witch and wizard agreed, and with that, gave them a hearty farewell.
As the two guardians made it to the top of the hill overlooking the cottage and the Burrow, Jecht couldn't help but look back one last time. He had the aching feeling that he would never see her again.
Auron, noticing his friend's hesitation, tried to reassure him. "She will be fine, Jecht. She's a lot like you."
Jecht couldn't help but smile at that. Turning to the other, he said, "Let's finish this."
"Yes. Braska is waiting for us…in Zanarkand. He's probably already obtained the Final Aeon by now."
The blitzer nodded. "Let's save the world."
Both men turned and walked away. The wind picked up once again and the same bright light shone in the darkness.
Little did they know that only one of them would come back. Only one of them would watch over her and watch her grow in the coming years. The same man who would see that she made it back to Spira…and save it.
xxx
~Moments Earlier~
Jecht nodded as Phil used his magic to light the bedroom so that he could set Aria down onto the bed. He covered her up with the blanket and watched her get comfortable. He smiled, something he didn't do very often anymore…not when he knew what was going to happen next. The only thing he was concerned with at that moment was her. He could have easily have left her with Yuna in Bevelle, where she would have been cared for by the temples. But with everything that he knew, he realized that Aria was better off here, where there were no secrets.
As she shifted, some of her hair had fallen in her face. Gently, he pulled it behind her ear and chuckled. Although he was already down on one knee, he went ahead and sat down with his legs crossed. To say that he wasn't nervous was a lie…he wasn't really good at giving grand speeches or even telling his own son that he loved him. But by Yevon (why did he keep doing that?) he was going to try anyway.
"Look," he said quietly so as not to wake her. "I'm not really good at these things, so I'll make it quick. I'm not sure that I'll make it back, so I'll make sure that Auron checks in on ya once in a while, when he's not too busy looking after my son. I know you're gonna be fine…you've got good people looking after ya. And I looked after ya, too, after all. Just don't forget where you come from. I…I love ya, kiddo."
There was no response from the little girl, of course. The only sound coming from her was her soft breathing as she slept. Jecht stood up from the floor and then headed for the living room with the others.
He never told Auron what he said to her that night. But Phil had heard him the entire time, being the closest to him. He could also see him better thanks to the spell he was casting using his wand, and what he saw surprised him.
A lone tear leaked from the blitzer's eye and trickled down his worn and weary face. But he was quick to hide it, so as to avoid any jests from Auron. But even that wouldn't have mattered. He had a bad feeling that he wouldn't be coming back…that he would never see her again.
And he was right.
A/N: Thank you for reading! If you have never played Final Fantasy X, I recommend just watching a walk-through or play-through (whatever you want to call it) on YouTube. I would say play the game because it is awesome, but it is a 45+ hour game, so...yeah...just watch the videos. Or you can ask me questions! This is a suggestion for those of you who HAVE NOT played the game. I understand that most of us here have indeed played the game, but let's be fair to those who are new to or haven't played or even heard of the series.
ANYWHO...I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you think...did you love it? Hate it? Let me know! Reviews make me very happy and inspire me to write more. Please...think of the chocobos...
Ihdem haqd desa, baabc! (Until next time, peeps! That's in the Al Bhed language from the game! :3)
~Xanthe :3