Chapter Two
Hurrying footsteps came to his ears before Tidus blacked out: I made it. I made it back to Spirea. Back to Yuna. He fell into blackness, knowing Spirean magic would heal him.
He awoke near sunset, after the summoners had worked the healing arts upon him. He was lying in a quiet room, open to the ocean air; the bed was draped in fine netting, giving his world a soft dreamlike focus on the view from the window.
Dara, the oldest summoner of the temple, was resting in a chair near his bed, quietly running a set of prayer beads in her hands. She spoke, her soft husky voice with its Besaid Isles accent comforting him: "We are so glad to see you here, and alive, Tidus-san; We have worked on your wound & it is nearly healed. Allow another 3 days of rest before taking on the world again, young man. Yuna herself has given her skills to healing you. She will come tomorrow."
"Dara, it is good to be home - I was so far away, in another place, a universe with a yellow sun & a place called Earth – I almost didn't make it here! The gatekeeper was corrupt, Dara – I'll need to talk to the head summoner. – How is the human? Is she badly hurt?"
Dara paused, seeing in Tidus' eyes hidden depths of emotion she did not see when he was with Yuna; trained as summoner, she also detected within the pitch of his voice, he was hiding something; neutral, truth seeking, she did as the temple training taught her: she sought the root cause, the full truth, in order to balance the cosmos.
"What have you done to concern yourself so with this human from another place? Are you responsible for her state? Is there a life-bond or a debt-bond between you two?"
Sighing, Tidus wearily admits: "She helped me get here. She was a..she called herself a good samaritan. She protected me from harm. There was an…accident at the gate, when the gatekeeper tried to take my head off. She came through & it was my fault."
"What caused her to go through the gate? How is it that you blame yourself? – reflect carefully, Guardian Tidus, so that I may help restore balance. If it is too much to speak of it, you can create a memory sphere. "
Tidus paused, mentally dragging his feet, then admits; " I used my father's chain maille to snare the gatekeeper, but it snared the human. I didn't want to bring her here! I didn't have to use the chain maille, I could have just gone through the gate, but I was injured & angry that I was betrayed by a gatekeeper." He kept silent about the chain being used once before, in another war of sorts between he & Christina. She doesn't need to know that – he argued with himself – it wasn't my wish to bring Christina here!
-Or was it? His inner voice slyly prodded in return.
Dara serenely gazed, but wryly thought: It was also your wish, guardian Tidus; the truth that is not spoken here is that your father's chain-maille did your bidding of your heart's desire, not your mind's desire. Finally, life will be interesting around here. Love is a sea, & one who hasn't swum in it will drown in its tides; it looks like you've just been thrown in, my young lovestruck man."
Christina was awake the minute she & Tidus hit the ground on Spirea. The chain had dug into her wrist, leaving deep bruises & skin tears. She thought it was a nasty piece of work & puzzled over why Tidus whiplashed her to his back at the last second. She figured the chain was somehow a blind drone, simply seeking body heat or some stupid thing like that, since it had bit her once already.
Dismayed, she tried to understand Spirean & could only pick up a few basic words. It didn't seem hard, there was just no English to Spirean dictionary out there. The head summoner took pity on her & took her back into the depths of the temple library, where he sat her at an ancient console & dropped a mesh on her head after pounding the screen to life. It seemed to replay a whole book of sorts at full speed & he motioned for her sit back & mimicked sleeping. So she tried & somehow, the sounds made sense; she concluded she had been force fed the Spirean language arts basics & with a sigh, she started to ask questions.
The head summoner at first welcomed her, and for half a day was truly enjoying learning about Earth & Tidus' adventure in her home. However, he turned very cold once she started to share the contents of her backpack. She was haughtily informed that machina were forbidden, and the contents of her backpack were seized. She was treated as a criminal from that point onwards. She was confined to the temple & was under guard for most of the day. She asked for Tidus over & over again, & when he didn't come after 3 days, she crumpled after the door was shut & quietly wept. She was alone on a hostile planet. Her simple Earth gadgets, her Ipod, The Sig Sauer that saved Tidus from Mori, all gone; all confiscated & probably crushed to bits of useless metal & plastic. She was stuck on this water filled rock of a planet with people who were fanatically afraid of machines. As she lay there in the night, she came to the conclusion she would fight & die trying to leave, rather than meekly give in. She was a human from earth, the daughter of a solider, & be damned if she were going die while bowing & scraping to a fat man lording it over a bunch of backwater island bumpkins. She got up the next morning & began to practice everything she remembered about the art of combat; she did pushups, dips, pullups to strengthen her body. Exhausted she would simply drop & sleep, then wake, dip into the little pool of water allotted to her cleanliness & start all over. They seldom checked on her, just simply brought a meal a day & jug of water; but she knew someone watching her beyond the door, observing her like animal in a zoo.
She began to feel odd after 4 weeks of Spirean food & water. She'd lost weight, certainly, & her breasts stood out from her body like firm apples instead of the soft sagging pillows she had arrived with. Her waist was slimmer, & her abdominal muscles were beginning to pop when she looked down. But there was something else happening she couldn't put a finger on; she felt…different. She began to feel somewhat ill, & one morning her digestive track suddenly writhed & she convulsed, retching up matter & excreting at the same time. Miserable, she dragged herself to the pool & washed herself in stages, passing out after trying to rinse her hair of the filth that came out of her mouth. A day later, her skin began to slough & peel in patches; she could pullout handfuls of dry lifeless hair & despairing, she concluded Spirea was poisoning her, & the summoners were letting her die. Sheer stubbornness was the only thing keeping alive after two more days. The third night she lay under the stars too weak to get up & move; cognizant of her mortality, she asked to make peace with her God. She quietly closed her eyes, & simply talked out loud to god: Abba, help me. help me die strong or bring me to life; you're in charge, no matter wherever or whenever I exist. Forgive my enemies, they don't know what they are doing to me. Forgive Tidus, his desertion of me; I was just a good Samaritan; there was no relationship or love to betray. Forgive him, please. I'm lonely; I wish I didn't have to die with strangers, but if it's your will, so be it. Please hold me in your hands, Abba.
She drifted off into darkness.
White heat & the taste of dust in her mouth awoke her. She was lying face down in a small primitive arena, stone slabs sticking up like broken teeth against the ever so blue sky of Spirea. She rolled & she found she could sit up. In fact, she felt oddly..well. She looked down & knew she looked a fright. But she didn't care. She was alive & she was going to leave this place or die trying.
The voice of the head summoner, rich & deep, rolled in the arena like a cloud blotting out the perfect cobalt blue sky of Spirea:
"You are found guilty of breaking the laws of Yevon, the father. You have forfeited your right to life, as you are tainted with the evil of machinas. We will perform the sending to speed your way back to Earth & may Yevon set the hounds of the underworld to feed on your tainted soul."
Oh yeah? Christina sarcastically thought. She stood up. "Do I have the right to any last words, O master summoner?" she sweetly called out. He looked askance at the other summoners; they shrug & he grimly nods.
"Molon Labe!" She sneers; & feeling her oats, raises her hand in that clearly derisive universal human gesture we all know & love. Of course, it was lost on these barbaric witch hunters! she thought, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.
Seated behind the head summoner on the north platform, Yuna turns to Tidus & says: "What does Molon Labe mean?" Tidus translates & briefly tells the tale of the Spartans behind it, just as the machina in Christina's apartment had said. "Well, she certainly is spirited – was she like this on her home planet?" Tidus turns red from shame, remembering his intense attraction & feeling like he has been made into a fool, he glares at the dusty, disgustingly dirty, taboo-breaker in the arena; the look wasn't lost on Christina, who measured him look for look with a feral expression. But inside, she was broken; she wanted to weep at the disgust in his eyes that had been full of fire for her, but she swallowed her tears, thinking: Christy girl, don't even think you had a chance with him. We're done. Kill it.
She turns back to the line of summoners & guardians entering the arena; puzzled, she watches as the summoners take up their staffs & began to move in the circumscribed moves to summon & send while guardians watch over them with swords drawn to ensure the task is not interrupted. The thrum of power is felt more than heard; it builds quickly, charging the atmosphere with ozone & static; crackling balls of energy are growing in their hands, & the crowd of temple dwellers are moaning over the scene in excitement; on cue they all zero in on Christina & swiftly pitch the spheres of energy, now fanning out into wide flat discs directly at Christina. She stands bravely as the crackle of energy hits her from 3 directions; a massive flare blinds them & then all is quiet.
Christina is still standing, somewhat puzzled, looking at her hands, then behind her & suddenly, it hits her. It's energy all right, biologically created energy, and she's NOT Spirean- she's a different biologic structure. Delighted, she realizes the energy just grounded on her. She didn't see the incredible colored protective Aeons the Spireans saw, because they were illusion, magic. Christina's world had no magic. She saw only bio-energy hurled at her.
She turns to the head summoner & cocks an eyebrow. "Is that the best you can do?" she sarcastically asks, enjoying the sight of all eyes on her, untouched by 3 summoner's aeons.
Shocked & angry, Yuna strides forward & calls "Let me, master!" Christina looks over, seeing the delicate tropical flower of a woman that Tidus loves, & sighs as he runs forward, sword in his hand, her guardian. His face is cruel, eyes like flashing blue crystal daggers of death, cold as ice.
Yuna begins her ritual of summoning & Christina starts to move, pacing, soon jogging around the arena, looking for a way out, a weakness, a weapon, anything to stop what's coming next after they see the 2nd summoning fail - a good old-fashioned lynching. She picks up a dropped sword from a young guardian who ran at the sight of an earth creature still standing after a triple blast of Aeons from three of the best summoners in the temple. The arena pit has exits, the eastern section is barely populated, she can make it, maybe. The crowd screams as Yuna draws up her mightiest weapon, her personal Aeon, a great winged creature; but all Christina sees is a ball of crackling reddish light expanding to a sparkling disc & spun at her; the great force created a wind in the small space & again, the ball hits with a blinding flare & fades to black.
Christina still stands. A deep rage settles in Christina; she is tired of this world, this ridiculous magic, & she begins to run at Yuna, sword in hand. Tidus moves into a defensive position, sword raised, but Christina nimbly runs halfway up the sloping arena wall & brings her sword down on his with her full weight, breaking the blade off at the hilt; she kicks him down, & savagely whirls her sword up in the falcon position above her head, then swings it down to Yuna's neck in an elegant, yet lethal decaptitation stroke.
The sword almost magically stops dead with the tightening of Christina's wrists; the blade edge breaks the skin slightly at the neck, a pale red stain of blood running down Yuna's china porcelain skin. She watches in shock that her aeon has failed her & her guardian has failed her.
Shaking with anger, derisive, Christina screams: "Primitive! Limited! I LIVE! And do you know why? Your magic doesn't exist for me! It's all just science! You see aeons, mighty saviors, & I see nothing but silly, useless balls of sparks!"
"You have been so unjust to me! And just for coming from a world that uses machines that run on energy, and not magic! You disgust me no end! I did not even want to come here to this godforsaken rock! But this one, this fool named Tidus ( the name spat out like a bad taste, furiously kicking sand in his direction) HE pulls me through the gate, without my consent! Do know what that's called!? Do you?! Abduction! Alien Abduction at that! You have broken every law & protocol about treating prisoners on my world & let me tell you, you are going to pay for that! Imagine a whole world of people who are immune to the magic of this goddamned backwater of a mudball coming here to get me! I am from EARTH, a citizen of the United States of America, the daughter of a goddamned Marine & I enact the laws of the Geneva Convention! As a prisoner, I demand a fair trial for whatever crimes you think I've committed!"
She throws the sword down in disgust & says: "Extradite me, you dumb bastards! Send me home to stand trial! I am going HOME. NOW. "
Suddenly drained & careless, she wearily walks forward & tries to open the east exit gate. It resists; she begins to kick & punch at it; unsuccessful in opening a rusted old gate, tears rise to her eyes. Her hands are gently caught by Dara, the oldest summoner, who disengages them from the locked gate with delicacy & she places her arm around the silent human with tears leaking from turquoise red rimmed eyes. "Forgive me" Dara softly asks. She slowly walks the weary woman out of the arena pit, Her eyes hooded as she passes by everyone – the 200-odd temple dwellers, Tidus, Yuna, the 3 summoners, 2 guardians, then the head summoner, who she fixes with an enigmatic stare of amusement.
And thus, Dara bore off with her prize, a creature from Earth, immune to Spirea's most powerful magic. What a weapon you are; What fine metal you are made of; she amusedly thought; no wonder Tidus clung to her. She doesn't know her own strength. Perhaps I will teach this Earth creature about strength.
Dara serenely awaited the head summoner's arrival while Christina slept, quietly passing the time with devotional reflection of her prayer beads clicking in her hands, turning them, as timelines, events, truths & truths within truths passed by in her mind. He arrived within two hours, and after gazing at the sleeping form in the bed, indecision in his face, he sat heavily on a bench by the window. The man took off his headdress, ran hands through his hair & distraught, says with his usual staccato brevity: "Yevon, I've misjudged her. What a guardian she'd have made. Did you see the move she put on Tidus? The blade, snapped right through to the hilt. When she wakes I will atone. I must set the example here, yes? But I think we should keep the machinas hidden until she finds a way home. Exelion contacted the Luca Temple & the gate is closed. Who knows when it will open again. How do I tell her she can't go home? "
And so, the change in the Besaidan temple attitude started when she awoke. She came to in a quiet room, open to the ocean, with none but Dara to keep her company. She found Dara restful & genuine; she held back nothing when Dara gently proceeded with her temple-trained root cause analysis; Christina felt the woman could make any problem a solvable riddle when she talked with her in the long lonely afternoon.
The summoners were devastated; they sat in the great council room of the temple that evening, puzzled & dejected as they tried to justify what they had seen & heard against their now shaken beliefs. Yuna was deeply ashamed, and in a fit of despair, she cried she would quit the summoning priesthood. In the silence, old Dara stepped forward & clearly rang out: "No, Yuna, you shall not."
"But..I could not defend us! My Aeon failed!" …And my guardian failed… She thought.
"No, Yuna you did NOT fail! We in the temple, we all saw the Aeon! – Did it ever occur to you that the cosmos is made up of more than one kind of substance? That there may be more than one pattern? The human said the Aeons were "energy", then were "sparks" – so does it not stand to reason that she may be just simply made of different material than us Spireans? Perhaps we are simply connected to the cosmos differently than her race of earth-people?"
"She - the human- she believes in a higher power, like us! I heard her pray the night before the sending. Does evil pray to forgive its enemies? She did! She is not evil. She is just a kind of traveler we have never seen before."
The head summoner interjected: "Dara, I never doubt my temple in truths, but…do you have…proof?"
Dara nods & brings forward her memory sphere that she had created when she was set to guard the human after arrest. When the sphere ceased its whirling, the summoners were as stone; some were seen with silver tracks of tears running down their faces. They were witness to the fear & confusion of the human; they felt the isolation, the homesickness, underlaid by the sting of desertion by the only friend she thought she had here. Her thoughts on her body dying slowly, poisoned by Spirea affected them on many levels.
Too late, they had seen the nature of the human, her dignity of her being illustrated in her last prayer to the infinite; they saw also that there was truth to what Dara had said – she was simply a traveller who was made differently than they were; their own bias of non-magic had blinded them.
The head summoner decreed that the temple would atone with the ritual of reflection & stated any acts of forgiveness could be done at will, until it was time for the annual barraz for Besaid. Dara wisely suggested that the human stay on the temple grounds & that she be invited to discourse daily on her planet, & the nature of "energy" – they could also teach her about their beliefs, their planet – after all, she'd make a formidable guardian, yes?
Several summoners began to brighten at the thought of a new discourse, some snickering at the thought of the memory of the guardians, some running away, some foolishly standing there mouth agape as a fish, a certain one with a sword broken at the hilt by a skinny dirty Earthling; and so, mood lightened, a course of action was decided.
In the time that the summoners debated Christina's future on Besaid, Christina had slept deeply & woke up oddly weak & ravenous. She was covered in powdery grit from the summoner's petite arena & it made the peeling skin look like she was the walking dead. Carefully, she sat up & zeroed in on a basin of water on a table. Once there, she clumsily knocked it, spilling water everywhere, her tattered clothes now a stinking sodden mess. She began to cry as a novice came running in at the sound of the breaking basin. The novice, taking pity, gently led her to a hot spring on the temple grounds, wound in an old cloak with a hood to deter curiosity. The warm currents of volcanic-warmed water moved at a good rate, so dirt & grime were soon stripped away & the soothing warmth had its healing effect on Christina's psyche.
The novice stayed, and shyly handed her a dish of soft oil mixed with sea salt, scented with the novice's own blend of plant oils. The fresh clean woody scent invigorated Christina & as she relaxed into a small smile at the memory of pine trees, the novice was encouraged. She saw the smile as a crack in Christina's mental armor; and then, preening a little at the human's obvious enjoyment of her custom blended scent, she began to help Christina scrub away the filth of the arena. A good twenty minutes later, the novice sat back on her heels & preened herself a little more as her work had uncovered a jewel of Yevon under the dirt & dead skin: a supple, long limbed body, glowing golden, faintly reddened by the vigorous scrubbing; thick ropes of hair, streaked deep honey amber where still wet, golden Benedictine where dry, and two aqua jewels of eyes set in a face that bespoke of high-blood, but had an alien cast that also bespoke of a sensual amusement at the world. The novice pointed at her reflection in the water & Christina leaned forward to look; she saw herself, but changed – with a shock, she appeared to have slid backward in time, to age 20, but with eyes of her 35 year old self peering out under outrageously long, lush lashes. It was her, just more so, brought to optimal health & beauty.
This planet has changed me – the sickness, it must have been metamorphosis, not dying…whatever has happened, I know am changed at a level beyond the surface. How do I ask about what is happening to me? What will I change into? What if I can't leave Spirea? Will I be a monster, like one of those horrible sci-fi movies I watched back home? Ohhhh, Christy girl, get a grip – you're living in a sci-fi film right now. Deal with it.
Christy continued to reflect on her physical changes as the novice clad her in a soft tunic & loose pants with a long veil about her face to hide her alien-ness from the casual observer on the temple grounds. It was made in a plan white fabric, but the veil was sewn with thousands of minute sparkling crystal beads in a water pattern. Neither material or beads were expensive, but the hours spent making it justified its value.
Christina was handed over to Dara, who escorted her to the council room of the temple, where the summoners were gathered to express their atonement. Dara was secretly delighted as the novice at the image of loveliness that was about to be presented to the Besaid Islanders.
Christina's golden skin was set off by the whiteness & her ocean aqua blue eyes were a revelation beneath the veil. Indeed, when Dara drew off the veil & let it fall carefully into sculpted folds on her shoulders, more than one man thought her eyes were enough to slay a man with desire. It was a shock to see her so close; they wondered if some illusion had been summoned about her; they couldn't believe that the water goddess-like creature sitting in front of them was the same dusty, insane, derisive devil-creature of the arena.
She stood quietly before the council table & each summoner approached, saluting her with the formal half bow & the peculiar gesture of two hands clasped one above the other at the solar plexus. Each of the 24 summoners & their guardians formally asked forgiveness of her; some even improvised some small statement or personal thought to comfort her. The head summoner was last, and in a kingly manner, he took both of her hands & stated his flock would do all they could to improve relations between the two worlds; she was formally invited to stay at the temple until a gate off world could be found to take her home. In the time in between, he invited her to study the Besaid Isles & hopefully, would be open to discoursing about the planet Earth. He then signed documents that formally cleared her of any taboo breaking with machinas, easing the atmosphere in the great council room.
Christina took a formal tact in responding, conscious she was an ambassador of Earth & simply said:
"We have much to learn of each other – please let us be peaceful with each other from this day forward. I hold no grudge in myself against Spirea after these heartfelt words all have offered in mutual trust." Except for you, Tidus, She thought. Her chin lifted a little higher as she performed a graceful Namaste.
Just once. Tidus suddenly thought, & he whitened under his Besaidan bronze as she was looking straight at him with her eyebrow sardonically cocked at the mutual memory of how he gauchely ran through 3 protocols in another place, another time.
Yuna approached Christina again the next morning with Tidus, & she began a formal apology, faltering as tears rose to her eyes at the memory of her unfounded judgements she had made based on her fears. Christina quietly listened, not wishing to reduce the girl's dignity, but could not help herself as Yuna tried to bow, shaking hands missing each other as she tried to perform the peculiar one hand above the other clasp. Christina strode forward, gently taking the trembling porcelain hands & simply held them for a moment to calm her. Yuna, pleased at the formal intimacy offered, also formally went ahead with her act of atonement & offered her Tidus to be her guardian while a guest here; after a pause, Christina carefully replied: "You would have me receive your guardian's loving acts of protection? That is not something that can be given; it is only earned, Yuna-san. I would elect that Tidus-san remain as yours, as he is…yours. – He often spoke of you while on Earth & it would be wrong of me to accept such a magnificent gift, because, simply said, – I haven't earned it."
"Your quality of soul is now known to me & I hope we will become as friends. I acknowledge your extraordinary gift to me, and humbly I must refuse it – it is simply too great for a simple Earth girl like me." Gently embracing her, she whispered: "Come see me someday soon, pretty jewel of Yevon. I need all the friends I can get here."
Yuna walks back to Tidus; now light as bird in the sky & freed of her burden of debt to Christina, she gently pushes Tidus forward.
Tidus also follows protocol with the half bow & peculiar hand clasp. He looks for the awesome blinding white sudden smile, cool as an amused water goddess, but it is not to be found. Yevon, she stirs me still! What has happened? She is changed! Spirea must agree, or it is working its magic upon her very flesh. Excelion is right, her eyes would slay a man with desire. He gathers his thoughts to the task at hand & begins: "Christina, how can you ever forgive me, how can I – "
She cuts him short, breaking protocol, flatly stating: "I don't."
Openmouthed, he stops, then begins again, with all the sincerity he can muster in his voice: "Christina, I humbly apologize, please forgive me my-"
"Tidus, are you deaf? Or just stupid? I don't. I don't forgive you."
"Why?"
"Human hearts don't work that way. You could have stopped all this drama & angst with some simple truths about what your experience on Earth was like, but you did not. You pulled me here, & left me to rot in a temple cell & let me be executed, Spirean style. Is this how you reward your friendships? I wouldn't wish what you did on my worst enemy, Tidus. So take your pleas for forgiveness to your Yevon, not me, today."
She bows to Yuna with another graceful namaste, now supple as a young reed muscles rippling at the narrow waist that made Tidus inwardly warm with desire; with a formal parting phrase, she adds: "Lady Yuna, you are a welcome guest at my door any day, but please, kindly leave this guardian at the door." The sparkling white water goddess smile appears, directed at Yuna, & she feels its warmth of spirit & wishes to bask in it, no matter how vicarious it felt. Bowing with every step, Yuna backs out the door, dragging Tidus the unwelcome.
At a final glance upwards from her last delicate bow, Yuna glimpses Christina's fading smile in a transformed face of sadness as she pulls her water goddess veil over her face, the beads sparkling like water drops from her sacred well. What was that really about? What did she mean about human hearts? What truth is Tidus hiding?
Lady Yuna wisely held her tongue on the road back to her house & simply avoided any mention of the now- wonderful human and her intriguing ways & protocols. She saw Tidus restless, unable to concentrate; she quietly held his hand as they walked along the beach at sunset & delicately caressing his handsome face, she laughed & lightly spoke, hiding her advisement within a task for him: "Old Dara seems to have taken over the task of managing the human; I think I'll invite this Christina for tea soon; she seems to understand something about the delicacy of protocol & might enjoy learning the tea protocol, Tidus. Will you kindly stop in at the temple & see Dara about it tonight? She might know how to best approach the human about many matters. I always went to her for advice when I was a novice."
Satisfied at having handled the problem of Tidus' hurt pride neatly, without him ever having to realize it, she smiled up at him, a delicate blossom swaying in the wind. Tidus softened at once, chastely kissed her hand, & ran to do her task, leaving Yuna to walk back to her house, light as a feather, segueing into a little dance every now and again in the soft evening in honor of her cleverness.
Tidus, having delivered his message, was sitting with Dara in the soft evening, pouring out his version of the events like a bottle of intoxicant spilling across the table. Secretly amused, she pretended she did not see the obvious attraction that had happened between the Christina & Tidus, pushing her truth seeking root cause questions at him until he saw he was hiding truths; then he caved in & told her all of it, from the moment of rescue from the water creature to the sting of knowing his act of atonement had been refused. With a witness. Dara was going to enjoy herself; she hadn't seen anything as complex & passionate like this since Shuyin & Lenne's legend & she knew her part; now, all she had to do is direct the future legends in their roles….she suspected Christina was far more in tune with what was happening than Tidus, so she started with him:
"You young fool of a man, I should have thrown you back in the gate once you came through. Who else has done for you that the human has done? You think all is over between you & she? No,it is just begun. The why, the truth, behind her refusal is simple; & the way back to her is also simple; hear me out, Guardian Tidus."
"Christina-human is far from indifferent to you; everything she has done was for love of you & for her own survival as the only species of her kind on Spirea. Think of how it must feel, to be thrust into a strange land without it being her choice – did you not go through the same experience? And were you treated by her like an enemy? Yevon, No! she treated you as an equal species, yes?"
"She also was thrust into ways far different than her Earth – imagine being in a world of no magic all of your life, then being hurled into a world that runs on magic; then the one friend she has, the one she breathes for, turns away from her. She thought she was alone, surrounded by enemies, & did as any warrior would have – defended herself – yet, she held back, she could have killed Yuna! She chose the lesser – she told me her warrior arts laws, which start with: "Do not kill when you can maim!" Is that the action of a barbaric race, a lower life form? She held back because she knew you loved Yuna. Here is a bond greater than debt-bond or life-bond here; it is more akin to soul-bond, and you have attempted to sever that, Tidus-san."
See him blanch under the weight of her words, she waits for him to recover, then ruthlessly continues: "I tell you, the root cause is simple: You turned on her, sent her away from you & made her wait; now, it is yourturn to be turned upon, sent away, & to wait. "
"Remember, there is a way forward, without the angst of repercussion or years of atonement, if you can humble yourself to it. Court her. As the lover. If your heart is true, hers will also ring with the same note. Do it secretly. Worry not over Yuna, or your friends. I will be the go-between, the conduit. Express love for her in everything you do for her. Do not hammer down the door with kicks & blows; it will stay firmly shut! Prevail upon her woman's nature - excite her curiosity. Invite her to open the door & see what is outside. Then walk in, guardian Tidus."
Tidus stares at her, wondering where to start – he thought of a world of gifts & favors he had received to court him in past days when he was a simple blitzballer in Zanarkand, but none seemed like the right thing to offer; so he sighed & asked Dara: "I have no idea what to offer as the first parry – what do you suggest?"
Dara smiles serenely. " She is a creature of water, yes? What flowers in the water, guardian Tidus?"
The next morning, Christina wakes to the sweet scent of a kymara – a common water-bloom, with an intoxicating scent & tight, bell shape of soft spiked petals in rose or white, opening to a heart of intense purple-blue. It was ancient plant with an equally ancient folk tale: it was the flower of the water goddess, created by the god Oceanus when she was being courted by both Oceanus & Helios, god of the sun. Oceanus created it so she would be reminded that his eyes, the same deep purple blue of the ocean depths would always be upon her. It sat there, by her bed, in a simple dish of water, filling the room with its heady fragrance; Dara dressed her hair & gently placed the flower in her loose knot at the back of her neck, leaving the bloom to shyly peep out from the loose tresses against her neck. The distinctive scent clung to her throughout the day, & the people occupying her time all leaned forward appreciatively to inhale the seductive nectar-like scent as she drew near. She noticed Tidus glanced up at her under his dark lashes & something in his glance belied his formal guardian's greeting, underlaid with the formal, bland murmur of "Kymara- the flower of the water goddess" told her it wasn't coincidence. Distracted, she plucked it from her hair & began to examine the blossom. She found herself comparing the blue inner petals to his eye color & blushed, remembering her comparison to the cobalt hue of the heart of the flame once. She came back to the present, & surreptitiously looked around, hoping no one noticed her idleness; her blush returned when Tidus imperceptibly lowered his outrageous lashes & glanced through them again with the same appreciative expression. He said nothing further, nor approached her, leaving her wondering, What was that about?
Kymara blooms began to show up in unexpected times & places from that point on. By her documents at the great gathering table the temple council met at; in her bath; on the stone statue in the garden where she walked every day; in her head-garland during a formal dinner; even once on her pillow, fresh with the dawn's dew. It continued until the people expected to see her with a kymara bloom about her.
One day, at a blitzball game, Tidus stepped out into the proclamation pre-game show; he never did the age old habit of carrying someone's favor or dedicating moves, shots, or wins to anyone, citing it was a game, too many unknowns & he didn't want to ever disappoint. He charmingly announced he was dedicating his game in gratitude to the good Samaritan, whom he never thanked properly for bringing him back to Spirea; then after a stunning, brilliantly played game, swam up & boldly threw her a kymara from the winner's garland. The crowd was charmed by the gesture & being used to seeing the lady Christina with a kymara about her, they began to take it as a symbol of her.
They were paired by each other at a dinner feast that night, & he casually asked: "How like you the kymara, lady?" Her blush was evidence enough to Tidus that he had won the first move.
The rest of evening she kept her distance, but oh, how her eyes would steal glimpses of their own accord at him, lit by the flickering flames of torches during the feast.
There were singers that night, all chanting exquisite verses about love & one came up, garlanded in kymara around his youthful gilt head; he was a honey skinned blonde with a pure silver tenor that entranced everyone. He sang just six lines:
There is an hour, at twilight, too heavy with memory.
There is a flower that I fear, for your hair has its fragrance.
I squandered a treasure, & its hope & its promise, until I came to my senses
Before you wandered, careless, away from my useless passion.
But what is the use of my speech, since I know of no words to recall you?
I am praying that Time may teach, you, your Cruelty, me, Forgetfulness.
He was given much acclaim, & though they attempted to persuade him whom wrote the lovely lyrics, he would not tell, saying he did not know the donor, only the color of his metal.
Christina, restless after the feast, lay there along time in the dark, turning the words over & over in her mind; bemused, she rose from her bed, & left her room to walk under the stars by the ocean. She wanted so badly to surf, but had no board. The Spirean surf was lovely at night, phosphorescence lit the waves at certain times of the month, the water was warm as milk, & no predators roamed the water in Besaid. She shrugged off an old summoner's tunic & dove in. She swam hard, bodysurfing the crest sof the smaller waves to tire herself out, so she wouldn't keep turning back to Tidus, his eyes tonight, the song, Tidus' eyes during the execution summoning….Stop thinking Christy girl…no mind...too much mind, just move, & breathe.
After scrambling back into her tunic on shore, she looked out over the water, homesick, longing for her surfboard; a dark shape was off to the right in the surf, near the point where the old statue of Oceanus stood with his water goddess, weathered by centuries of waves. The dark shape took the form of a man, phosphorescent water running off his nude body. The shadow-man pulled on clothing & turning, squatted to watch the night surf. He paused when he turned to Christina on the shore, then slowly turned as if he didn't see her. The shadow man then melted into the shadows of the statue, leaving Christina blinking, wondering if what she saw was real or dream.
5 days later, after the discourse of the day at the temple was done & they sat idly socializing at the great table, a pounding shook the meeting room door. A voice screams: " SURF'S UP!"
Christina, forgetful of her surroundings, simply jumps up & runs for the door before thinking; the people grin or laugh at her trained reaction; slyly, they nudge each other whispering with smiles & nods. "Open the door, Lady" one calls. She opens it, and propped up on a wall, a surfboard leans. It was carved from a piece of bolsa tree, grained regular as honeycomb, its sap an oily water repellant, used for docking piers & perfect for a surfboard. Of course, the fins were positioned wrong, the shape wasn't quite centered, it was painted all over with primitive water designs, which would peel off in the salt water within days: Spireans love paint & gilt, & this gift was no exception to the rule. but …it WAS a surfboard!
Christina's heart suddenly melts, Tears come to her eyes at the thoughtful gift & she turns, saying "Who – who do I thank for this gift?"
Several voices chimed in to eagerly inform her it was a gift from the temple; she wondered how on earth they could have come up with a surfboard without seeing one, then she remembered the memento of earth she had stuffed in Tidus' backpack – the tiny gilt surfboard on waves. Her psyche took wings at the thought that he, Tidus, had secretly done this for her. For the past 3 months she was breathing mud; Now, I can breathe again, she exultantly thought. It was like he had read her innermost heart, which was swelling with a wicked joy with the thought: He wants to surf-with me, not Yuna.
Tidus' head was noticeable only by the absolute stillness in which held himself, so carefully turned away from her, lightly conversing with a dark robed acolyte. After a moment, he looks up & over in a casualness that did not match the state of his mind. He finally sees a glimpse of the Christina held in his heart finally surface from under the polished armor of a steely warrior-ambassador. Suddenly her blinding white on gold smile appears, bringing a wellspring of refreshing happiness to the room; she bows deeply, then pulling her skirts up, she picked up the board & merrily ran out the door with it to the beach. She wasted no time stripping down, improvising a coverup that left her free to move in the water & hit the waves. Curious, knots of people gathered on the shore to watch Spirea's first surfer take a set of waves; they acted as a crowd should, cheering when a ride was successful, groaning when a 16 footer sucked her under. When she finally came ashore, it was near sunset & few people were left observing her. Her eyes were drawn to the ancient Oceanus statue seaside, but the gilt head she looked for was absent.
Sighing, she propped her board up & watched the sun lower in the sky, warming her chilled limbs. Another beautiful set of waves were coming in, & she couldn't resist the pull of the ocean, diving back in for one more ride before sunset. She paddled out, & took the drop on the third wave; the board thumps & rattles; shaken, she fears she has hit an outcropping, or the badly placed fins broke; but no, two bronze hands steady her & she realizes someone has jumped on her wave with her. Tidus adjusts to every move as they drop into the rolling tube of water, & like a memory, places his hand by hers, trailing in the wall of water, until they come out of the tube; with a splash, he dives off, a dark shape in the water, receding. She squinted against the sun & saw his silhouette against the sunset, climbing out of the water by the oceanus statue.
Silently she rides the board to shore, never realizing she was mouthing the silent words: thank you, oh thankyouthankyouthankyou….Tidus, thank you…I can breathe again...I can live here & bear it…thank you…
A delicate scrap of paper found its way onto a stem of kymara the next morning:
When you breathe on the ocean, I breathe with you
Suddenly exultant, her mood bounded. She smiled, her step was lighter, & she nearly ran to her bath house that afternoon to prepare for the Besaid social event of the year – an old-fashioned Besaid Barraz.
The barraz was in full swing by the time she arrived; a mass of bodies were stamping & twirling to drums, intoxicants were being passed around with abandon; she was immediately handed a cup & she had to swallow it down, and another two were thrust at her; it was custom to toast three times when entering the barraz. Throat burning, senses escalating, she moved into the party.
It seemed everyone was riotously drunk & on acid all at the same time; this night & the next three, everything was acceptable, nothing was forbidden; it was a festival to remark the end of the season of reflection, as it was called; now, they said, the gods called out for them to enjoy the fruits of the world they had created for their pleasure; and the gods would feed upon the pleasure the people had in the things created for them, so it was a must to laugh, to dance, to eat, enjoy a thousand things, to ensure the year was happy & prosperous, all debts & discord were forgiven to bless the coming season of growth.
There were odd couplings, people who were in disagreement the day before were hanging on each others' arms & singing songs together; the shy plain washer-girl, the one with a limp, was being lifted in dance by the gorgeous goalkeeper of the blitzball team, both sparkling with love for each other; a mature summoner, rumored to be over 200 years old was being fed honeyed nuts by a saucy barwench of a bare 15 years; she glimpsed lovely Yuna absolutely smashed, eyes dreamy, as she was twirling in the dancing mass under the torches, close to the drums. She was spun in & soon was twirling with Yuna; surprisingly, Yuna pulled her close, then poured in another toast of strong drink; Christina, now on her way to being fairly smashed herself, poured one in hers; Yuna began to dance in the old way, a silent invitation to join with her & she did, careless what anyone thought. Yuna murmured drunkenly in her ear she wanted to make love to her, she was like the sun & she, Yuna was her moon…Christina thought, Hell, why not? & and decided she was going to kiss her, But the mass of people had them pulled apart & were carrying them on their shoulders, like the wedding feast dance. More cups were thrust at her & she drank; looking for Yuna, she saw her off in the distance, now being carried off into a tent of food by a pair of huge temple guards who normally followed Yuna every day. She felt lifted from shoulder to shoulder, they were screaming for her to dance, to drink again; Laughing, she pats the shoulders to let her down. Sliding in a swirl of silk to the unsteady ground she is clasped against a warm bronze body with gilt hair, wildy spiked. "How wasted are you?" Tidus asks in her ear. "Pretty drunk so far!" she manages past the sudden lump in her throat. "Then that's NOT drunk enough!" he laughs. He pulls her through the crowd & finds the cask of the really strong stuff, the blitzball of intoxicants, the drink only known as the black. It was actually distilled 5 times until pure & clear as water, but so potent you simply saw black after drinking three cups.
Tidus held out his hand for a cup, was handed one & theatrically brings it up high, screaming it was the human's first taste of the black; he slowly brings it to her mouth & quietly says to her ears alone: "Drink quickly, its the fumes that intoxicate, not the liquid." She takes it in, gulping as quickly as she can, foolishly sucking in air after each swallow & gets hit with a bounce to her reality; eyes swimming, senses reeling, she gasps; everyone around her roars approval & then is immediately followed by cries of Another! Tidus is handed another cup, and again he tilts it down her throat for her; she drunkenly sways as the second imbibement hits her bloodstream, the crowd moans in consternation, then cheers as she holds her cup up & she slurs "One more, you blitzballing son of a bitch!" Tidus eyebrows raise, and the cup is passed once more; she tilts the 3rd cup down herself, & they all wait to see if she passes to black; Christina relaxed her throat to let the libation slide down like a shot of old fashioned Earth Rum & for a few dangerous moments, she sees stars as a rush of warmth fills her bloodstream, spilling the black through her body. She fought for control, & got it. She upends the cup, firmly slaps it down on the cask in a victory salute & turns to an incredulous crowd: "Weeellll now, master guardian Tidus, that's how Earth girls drink! Can't ya'll keep up with us or what?"
The crowd roars & they all start to crowd the cask again to get their cup of the black. Tidus loudly states: "But Lady Christina, I 'm in training!" Prompting more laughter; He pulls her closer & quietly starts moving her through the crowd; she dreamily notes this & with a quizzical drunken look, comments: "You're not as drunk as you appear, guardian Tidus!"
"You're right!" he grins; "You can pour all the black you want down my throat tomorrow night, but not tonight, my sea goddess."
"Is there more barraz this way?" She sees the landscape is less populated, more open spaces.
Quietly he laughs & comments: "No, but we can go back if you really want to; I thought it was time we ended our season of reflection the right way. See? Here is the temple."
The temple is deserted, all are away at the barraz. Tidus found the back chamber, the one with the blue lamps outside the door, just as Dara had quietly told him would be there. She had set the scene well; the chamber was lit with a soft multitude of candles & torches, reflected in the small pool of volcanically heated ocean water before the low altar, which was left as is from the morning devotional, a wealth of wilted kymara flower petals tumbling down before the statue of Oceanus.
As she stared at the statute of Oceanus in this chamber, she saw the god was beautifully modeled in the likeness of a young man; & remembered Tidus striding out of the sea at night, nude as the statue before her. She was curious as a cat about the recent kindnesses to her & thought: Christy girl, just forgive & let it go, that's what this festival is about, to remind Besaid to let go of anger & I've been pretty angry. She turned to Tidus, intending to apologize for the way she had turned away his well meant advances of friendship. She stopped dead at the sight of Tidus, looking over at her as he finished stepping out of his clothes.
For the third time in her life, she felt that invisible push of power in the room & this time, she stood up to it & said to herself, Let it come. Come, Tidus. I can take it. Give me all you've got. Let's see how the Spireans really get their freak on.
Silently, he stood before her, his eyes questioning; she gave an imperceptible nod, & let the evening unfold. Tidus began by gently placing his hands on her shoulders. A rush of warm wetness rolled down her thighs; he inhaled sharply, as if he could smell the surge of emotion swelling in her, then swiftly slid his hands under her arms, picked her up off the floor & stepping closer, he lowered her in a fluid move down, down, his smooth torso until flesh met flesh that was hot, dry & throbbing. He shifted his weight & gently but firmly thrusted until he was in her, buried to the hilt; her legs rose up with the change in altitude & wrapped around his waist; he simply caught her under a thigh, and walked over to the low altar, stepped up on it & sank down to his knees.
She was laid back gently onto the altar, her hips resting on his thighs as he knelt there, as in seiza. He was relaxed now, a glimpse of the confident man emerging from the guardian-boy she saw every day. He quietly enjoyed the view of her lying across his thighs, beautifully exposed from the waist down, the skin stretching like satin over her pelvic girdle; the wrapped fabric of the dress was simply pulled away slowly, exposing the carved torso with its slim waist & high firm breasts. His right hand began to travel over her body, appreciative of the dip in her collarbone & the tautness of her core, before dipping down further between her legs. His thumb began to softly stroke & circle as he imperceptibly began to move in a rhythm old as time inside her.
And so the Spirean-human journey through the traditional Temple five gates of ecstasy began between Tidus & Christina; the first was joined in a face to face copulation, Tidus sinking deeper & harder with every stroke in, letting her know without a doubt this is what he enjoyed; The second & third gates were the breasts, teasing each into a searing white hot peak until she sank her teeth into her hand to keep from screaming. The fourth gate was a fierce exercise in the second position of copulation, where Tidus took the position of the vanquishing warrior; The fifth gate was the mouth & the kisses be bestowed upon her were indescribably sweet, deep, & underlaid with a sensual abandon that brought her to another explosion of passion; as Tidus ended the journey with the traditional touching of her hands to his forehead & heart, she began to ask: " Tidus, what…what about your pleasure? How can I…?"
He cut her off with a kiss, and quietly said, "No, this night is for your pleasure; whatever it takes to please a woman, it will be given to me threefold in return, when I ask for it. That's what we all get taught in the temple - that's what I know, & it's true."
He softly laughs: " I have this feeling you'll be like drinking the black, earth girl…"
He tenderly stroked her cheek with a finger & lowered himself for one more kiss; she pulled him to her, with sudden strength. This brought a sharp white hot spike of pleasure in his brain & the air took on a haze as the bubble of power hummed & tightened, rose in a subsonic pitch until a crackle in the air sparked a jump of static electricity, as their hands met to intertwine & clasp. The spark ran down in the altar & a subtle flicker ran over the temple walls.
Amazed, they both saw the energy crackle across the spiral carvings & disappear into the walls, leaving with a dim blue flare & the smell of burnt ozone. Equally amazed , they realized they had just done something incredibly satisfying; Sticky & covered in kymara petals, they climbed into the sacred hot spring & soaked away the remaining intoxicants in their systems, until the bell rang for midnight in the town. He quietly got up to go, slowly pulling on clothes, dragging out the moments of time with her. Silently, hand in hand, they walked through the deserted temple into the streets of night, where celebrants were lying passed out or engaged in their own versions of the barraz with each other. The roar of the night surf filled Christina's ears & she broke contact to run to the ocean; she dove in, & stood in the surf, smiling at him onshore until she could no longer resist the waves & dove back into her ocean; he laughed softly & shook his head, bemused at the human disappearing in the surf with the savage innocence of a goddess. Tomorrow, he said in his heart. Tomorrow. And I will receive it threefold. Yevon, oh Yevon, I'm on fire for her.
In the dawn, Dara serenely lifted her eyes after her prayer of devotion & sniffed the remainder of burnt ozone underlying the sweet scent of bruised kymara petals. AH…I was right…life will be very interesting soon; it smells of the divine presence already.
