Looking to the Stars
Evening was fast becoming night over Spira. The oceans, by day a bright, innocent blue, now an exotic mixture of orange, pink and a darker shade of blue as the sun set. On the beaches of Besaid, in direct view of this strange, yet mystifying sight, a young man was training. He swung his katana blade in graceful and fluent movements, as if he were dancing to an unheard melody. He was around 18 years of age, and was lean, slender and athletic in build, dressed in red and black. He's dark brown hair, fluttered in the evening breeze and his magnificent yet; mysterious green eyes were filled with concentration. His name: Kai the older brother and guardian of the High Summoner.
Kai guided his blade through the air in masterful and precise movements, very few could ever hope to copy, yet alone master. Training, something that had just been daily routine for him, both before and after that fateful Pilgrimage to Zanarkand, now something he couldn't seem to let go along with a number of other memories. Kai began to quicken his movements, slashing his blade faster and more aggressively as these images flooded into his mind. He tried to force them from his head, but there was one that always stuck, always aggravated him, and always drove him: Seymour.
Kai's eyes narrowed as thought of Seymour Guado persisted in his mind. Never in his life, had Kai hated someone with such passion as he had the half-Guado. Seymour's voice, his face, his eyes even his blue hair was enough to ignite a spark of rage within him. But in truth, it was the all the trouble Seymour had caused them on the Pilgrimage. Murdering his own father, forcing Kai's sister to marry him and trying to become the source of all the pain of Spira: Sin in an attempt to "save it".
Kai's face curled into a snarl, as another image played in his mind, a more pleasant, but all together just as painful picture, of a friend and fellow guardian: Tidus. Kai, by this point, was moving as if in battle, his blade slashing and stabbing the air, as if trying to find an unfortunate victim, as the thought of his friend drove him to the edge. Tidus, the true reason Sin had been defeated. If it were not for the young Zanarkadian, the cycle of death that long plagued Spira would not have been broken, and Yu Yevon will still be in existence. Tidus had given them the will to challenge the traditions, to overcome their fear and to destroy Sin. But what would have been considered a victory came at a terrible price. Tidus had been forced to vanish with the Fayth, to go to the Farplane while in the prime of his life and having his story cut short.
With a roar, Kai swung his blade down catching the sand, sweeping a cloud of it in the air and brought his blade back up. A crescent shaped blade of red energy, erupted from his blade and flew out to sea. The water seemed to be sliced in half, forming walls on both sides, and then cascaded back down, into the positions it once held. Kai lowered his blade, his chest heaving as the question played in his head, the same question he'd been asking both on the day, and days after Tidus had disappeared: Why? Kai sheathed his sword and sighed. Tidus had been his friend and losing a friend left holes that could not be filled. Kai felt something on his cheek, and held out his hand to catch a tear as it fell from his eye. One tear shed, on the memory of a hero. Kai began to walk from the beach back to his village, the memory of his friend still burning in his mind. There was a saying "memories are nice but that's all they are". It was an Al bhed saying, but to Kai and four others, Tidus was not memory, he was a friend, a brother. But to one other, he had been more than a friend.
By the time he reached the village it was dark, no-one was in the village centre, nor was there a camp fire. Kai walked to the former crusader tent, and left his katana on his bed, then made his way to the temple.
The temple no longer played what was known as the Hymn of the Fayth, something people were still getting used to. The fires were still burning, but not brightly dimly so as not to disturb the occupants of the temple. Kai made his way to the room on the left of the stairs that led to the cloister of trials, and paused to gaze up at the statue in front of him, the one of High Summoner Braska, his father.
Kai had always admired his father, even as a child, while he barely knew his mother, Braska was a father most children would die for: kind, gentle, caring and loving, yet brave and stubborn. Kai missed his father, who sacrificed himself for Spira along with Jecht, the father of Tidus, and often found himself hoping he could live up to his father's name. Bringing his gaze down he moved to the door and quietly opened it.
Inside the room, slept a young woman, 17 years old. She had short brunette hair that fell to her shoulders. Under her closed eyelids were bi-coloured eye's, one green, one blue. She was a beautiful young woman and was kind and caring like her father. Yuna, Kai's little sister and in his mind, the only remaining family he had asides from Rikku. She had kicked off some of the covers in her sleep, and was shivering in the cold Besaid night. Out of all those on the Pilgrimage, she had suffered most. First the forced marriage to Seymour, the betrayal of Yevon and most of all, the loss of Tidus, the person she loved most out of her Guardians and friends. Kai moved slowly and sat on the side of the bed. Yuna shifted slightly, and Kai paused, afraid of waking her. When she continued to sleep, he took the sheets and gently covered her with them. Leaning down, he gently kissed her on the forehead. He got up to leave, satisfied she would sleep, but as he reached the door she spoke in her sleep.
"No, please" Kai didn't have to guess what she was dreaming about "No Tidus please don't go, not now" She began to toss and turn, tears falling down her cheeks as she continued to plead "Please let him stay, no I love you Tidus, don't go, please NO!" Yuna shot up as she was shouting, and breathed heavily as the image of her beloved vanishing in front of her played in her mind. She looked up and saw her brother at the door, a look of hurt and sympathy on his face.
Kai once again moved to the bed and sat down next to her. Yuna, tears still streaming down her face, fell against him, sobbing openly. Kai gently wrapped his arms around her, as she cried. Tidus had been Yuna's first and true love, it didn't take a lot to notice to how much they loved each other, the way they had looked at each other, the way they spoke to each other, only he and Kimahri the Ronso guardian of Yuna, seemed to notice however. He drew back and looked at Yuna as her crying subsided.
"You dreamt of him again didn't you?" Yuna nodded
"I know he was the dream of the Fayth but…" Yuna faltered then spoke again "Tidus was more than that to me, he gave me the strength and will to carry on, and now he's gone" Yuna felt tears, silent this time slide down her cheeks "I don't know what to do, its been three months since that day and it still hurts" She looked at her brother, and saw only understanding and love in his eyes "I love him Kai and I miss him so much"
"I miss him too" Kai replied "But Yuna, Tidus will always be with you, here" he pointed to her head " and most importantly here" he pointed to her heart "Tidus left his mark on all of us, I think sometime, somewhere, somehow, he'll come back" Yuna looked at him in surprise "remember, he didn't truly die, so I think there's a chance, he'll be back" Kai didn't know why he thought this, it was a slim chance at best, but it was a chance, and one he was willing to take.
"Kai, I'm not moving on" Kai looked at Yuna with an unasked question "Tidus and I made a promise, to stay with each other always, if there is a chance he'll be back that's what I want to hold on to, I don't care what others say, I love him… and only him" Kai smiled and drew Yuna into a hug, which she returned.
"Ok then, now little sister, get some sleep" Yuna nodded and lay down, quickly falling back to sleep. Kai gently brushed a stray strand off hair from her face, then got up and left the room. Kai walked out of the village to look over the sea and sighed. He truly hoped Tidus would come back but the chances were….
" Tidus…without you…where do we look? Where will we turn?" Kai spoke out loud and gazed out over the sea. To his surprise, he heard a familiar voice reply with softness and confidence
"To the stars Kai…to the Stars" Kai whirled around, finding nothing. It couldn't be could it? Then from the night sky he heard a high-pitched whistle, and he looked up. In the star filled sky, shone the Zanarkand Abes symbol as brightly as the moon. Kai smiled, now he knew, Tidus would be back someday.
Kai turned and walked back to the village, as the symbol continued to shine in the night sky, unseen by others, yet there was another who could only smile, as he awaited his chance to return to Spira and to continue his story.