~The Aeons' Call~
Chapter 1
"The end draws near." Kefka Palazzo, Final Fantasy VI
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X. None of its characters belong to me. The quotes I use are the property of Square Enix and Final Fantasy's respective creators, and are not owned by me in any way. I make no profit off this work of fiction. This is only to amuse me in my spare time and to hopefully be enjoyed by those who choose to read it.
"Looks, Als, I just don't think it's gonna work."
It's Aly, said girl thought in annoyance. She pursed her lips as Owen pulled his hands back and shook his head. She couldn't wait to hear what he had to say. It was just too ironic. Too bad she already knew what he was going to pull. She leaned back in her chair, raising her eyebrows in expectation as she looked him over. What did I ever see in you? His shaggy black hair, a trait she'd once found sexy, looked unkempt and greasy. Owen had a handsome face and a great body, a slim runner's build that always, without fail, served to turn Aly on no matter what kind of a guy he was. But he bit his nails, a habit that Aly despised, and the smiles he used to give had too much lip. "I mean, we barely see each other anymore, you're always busy with blitz-"
"And you've been seeing someone else behind my back." Aly sneered as he blanched. "What, you think I didn't know? You're an idiot." She pushed herself out of the chair, her smirk turning into a glare. "Don't bother. I think we both knew where this was going to go. We'd have sex, you'd get bored. Guess you had a change of plans."
"Als," he protested, also rising. "I didn't mean for it to turn out this way."
"And that's supposed to be my fault?" She demanded, pissed that he had the gall to look hurt when he was the one cheating.
"If you'd just-"
"Oh, please, go there," Aly challenged. "Tell me it's my fault you can't keep your dick in your pants. I'll have another reason to kick your ass." Owen opened his mouth and closed it, fish-like, before throwing up his hands and leaving. "What, haven't got anything to say now?" Aly shouted to his back. "Bastard," she muttered under her breath. If they'd been at her house or his, he would've said something, but they were at the mall. Owen always wanted to keep the dramatics to a minimum. We wouldn't have meshed well, she realized far too late.
She turned around and spotted one of the paparazzi trying to sneak into a nearby store without her noticing. She snorted, waiting for him to turn his back to her. The man pretended to be wholly absorbed in one of the tacky romance novels that were all the rage at the moment. She strode up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he saw her he yelped. "Top story: dickwad boyfriend wanted sex, cheated when Aly didn't deliver." She stormed out of the store, her mood growing fouler. She didn't have time for this. The blitzball match was just a few hours away. Blowing her bangs out of her eyes, she quickly headed out of the mall and towards the train station. A few people stopped and gawked, but Aly was used to that by now.
Just get home, she chanted inwardly, the mantra sustaining her on the short train ride back to her apartment. Several passengers approached her and gushed their excitement over the match happening that very night, and she did her best to be friendly though she was sure her smile was a tad too forced to be real. When she stepped off the train she saw the gawkers glancing at one another. Just get home.
The apartment complex where Aly lived was home to two kinds of people: the wealthier families of Zanarkand and blitzball stars. Her apartment had been one of the second scenarios, having once belonged to her foster family before Jecht disappeared and Stella passed away. Tidus had adamantly refused to live there once Stella was gone, but Aly didn't like being near the docks, which was exactly where Tidus had decided to live. She never could explain it to him, her dislike of the sea. "You swim in water for blitz all the time!" He'd exclaimed when she'd told him of her uneasiness.
"It's not the same," she'd protested. "A blitz arena is smaller, and a lot more contained than the friggin' ocean!" He'd looked at her like she was crazy before dropping the matter. Aly had never felt calm around open water. Being near it for too long made her anxious to the point that she made herself sick, panicked enough that everyone around her knew never to force her on a boat or go near the docks. When asked, all she could do was shrug. She didn't have a real reason to be afraid, she just was. Auron was the only one who hadn't pressed her for a reason. He didn't like being near open water either.
Once she was in the apartment, the door locked securely behind her and her phone unplugged, Aly let her angry shield drop. The hurt bubbled up in her, tears stinging her eyes as she allowed herself to feel everything she'd pushed away. She had known that Owen wasn't her soul mate or anything like that, but every time she dated and it didn't work out she knew that it was mostly her fault. True, the guys she picked turned out to be jerks, but Aly couldn't bring herself to do more with them. She could make-out with a boy, she could cuddle on a couch and watch a movie with a boy, she could go out clubbing with them and dance the whole night long, but deep down inside Aly couldn't shake the feeling that she genuinely didn't like them, not where it counted. That was why she didn't sleep with anyone, though most of the idiots she dated called her a cock-tease because of it. She tried; no one could say she didn't. But she never felt fireworks and she never felt comfortable enough to tell anyone all her secrets.
Aly gave herself an hour. When her tears finally stopped she plugged her phone back in and went to wash her face. "He's done now," she told herself softly. "Focus." There were four hours until game time: just enough for a quick nap, dinner and pre-game exercises. She headed towards her room, scooping up the blanket she'd thrown on the couch, when her phone rang. Sighing, already knowing who it would be, she considered not answering. But if she didn't he'd panic and come over, thinking she was distraught or pissed at him.
"Hey."
"What the hell?" She pulled the phone away from her ear, rolling her eyes as Tidus ranted on. "I've been calling for the past twenty minutes! You tell the paparazzi that he was a bastard and not me?! I've only been saying that forever!"
"It only just happened," she told her best friend wearily. "He was cheating on me." Tidus let loose an explosive sigh, static crackling loudly in Aly's ear. "I know what you're going to say. You were right, he's an idiot, and I deserve better."
"No," he protested, sounding a little hurt. "I was going to say that he's a stupid bastard and I'm going to kill him. And you do deserve a hell of a lot better than an idiot like him." Aly snorted, smiling at his vehemence. He chuckled, and when he spoke again his voice was much gentler. "You okay?"
"Not really," she admitted. She could fool him and others pretty well about personal matters, particularly the paparazzi, but not now. Her throat tightened painfully as she took a deep breath, resting her forehead on her free hand. "It just seems more and more that I'm destined to be alone in the world."
"Shut up. You know that's not true," he scolded.
"Tidus, I've been dating since I was fourteen, how much does it take to find someone who I can actually stand to be around for longer than a couple months?" Aly was nineteen, two years older than he was, and it was getting exhausting. She'd considered more than once just giving up on the dating scene, but then the assumptions came from all directions: she was a cold hearted bitch, she hated guys, she was trying to push everyone away. It wouldn't be the first time the press made up a story to explain her actions.
"I've dated that long and haven't found a soul mate either!"
"You're a guy, it's different and you know it."
"Yeah," he admitted after a long pause. "I'm sorry, Aly."
"Thanks," she said, smiling a little. "I'll be fine. Our game will take my mind off things."
"Yeah it will!" He exclaimed. "Secret move tonight!"
"You know it!" She responded with forced enthusiasm. Thankfully, Tidus didn't notice. Aly loved him, he was as much her brother as her friend, but he was too easy to fool as long as she put the effort into it. "I'll meet you at the stadium, okay?"
"Sure thing," he answered happily. "It's gonna be great!" A click resounded in her ear before the dial tone began to drone. She hung up as well, glad to have avoided further talking. Owen was the last thing she wanted to think about, let alone speak of. Feeling her eyes beginning to sting again, she strode out of the living room towards her bedroom. Blitzball matches were exhausting, not to mention the party that would go on afterwards celebrating the winners of the tournament. She wanted to be able to stay awake for at least half the party before excusing herself.
Aly snorted to herself. She sounded like an old woman complaining about too much noise. Just last year she'd went to parties that lasted until dawn and never cared about how tired she would be afterwards. Undressing to her underwear before climbing into her unmade bed, she pulled the blanket around herself and tried to rest. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath, imagining each pull of air entering her mouth, flowing down her throat and to each of her limbs before ending at her fingers and toes. Auron had taught her that if she took the time to truly concentrate and breathe, she would be asleep before she managed seven full breaths.
After twenty breaths she gave up. Throwing the blanket off her in annoyance, she peered at her bedside clock. She had been lying there for an hour. Close enough, she groused, standing up and striding towards the kitchen. She now had a little more time to eat before doing her exercises and heading towards the stadium. Tonight's the big night, she remembered her coach saying ardently the day before. We've given it all we have, and now we have to push it a little more! Aly also remembered vowing that if she were ever to become a blitzball coach she would never use the phrase 'push it a little more'. The man was good at strategies, but his motivations were corny. He mostly left that to Tidus, the team captain and a lot more relatable than a forty-something past his prime.
She looked in the fridge half-heartedly, knowing she should eat something with a lot of carbs, before realizing that someone was in her kitchen. Someone was in her kitchen and she was wearing nothing but her underwear.
"Put on some clothes, Aly."
Aly blew out a long breath, convinced that her heart was going to burst. Snorting derisively to hide her embarrassment, she strode back to her room and picked up her blitz outfit: a pair of skin-tight black pants with zippers for the knees and the Abes symbol stitched on a pink patch covering the right leg, her favorite black shirt with sleeves that ended at her elbows, and a white vest overtop. Coach hated it, but he stopped demanding that she wear the customary yellow jersey after she continually refused to wear it. "I don't get how you think you can swim like that," he'd said darkly when she first arrived in the outfit.
"The fibres are stretchy," she'd replied just as coolly. She only looked good in certain colours due to the vibrant colour of her hair, and refused to wear the jersey because she looked like one of the hot air weather zeppelins soaring over the beach. After putting them on she rooted around for her gloves, finally locating them, oddly enough, on her bedside table. She was never so organized. Slipping the tight black leather over her hands, she flexed her fingers experimentally. Taking a deep breath, hoping the red in her face had faded, she strode back to where he had been sitting. Auron was at the table with his typical jug of sake at his elbow, not looking at anything in particular.
"Hey," she started, suddenly unsure. Auron had never been easy to read, but he always smiled at her when they saw each other after a long absence. Aly never quite knew where he went off to when he decided to leave, but since she and Tidus had turned fifteen he had deemed them old enough to look after themselves. She pulled a chair out and sat across from him. "How've you been?"
"Fine," he murmured softly. He looked up suddenly, as if becoming aware of his atypical behaviour. "You've been crying."
"It's not important," she responded hastily as he narrowed his good eye at her. "Just some stupid guy."
"If it were just 'some stupid guy' you wouldn't be crying," he stated softly. "Did he hurt you?" Aly snorted, standing up to distract herself from an oncoming wave of tears. "Aly." She pulled out a bowl of what appeared to be leftover spaghetti, sniffed it suspiciously, and grimaced as she put it away. She knew she couldn't delay answering forever. She swallowed a few times, pulling out a bottle of water and drinking from it to give herself more time. When she turned back around to face him, he was waiting with a knowing look on his face.
"I just hoped he would be different, that's all." And that was it, wasn't it, she realized. Owen had been different from the other guys. They hadn't met in Aly's typical haunts, but rather in the library. He had been looking at a book on architecture, she at a book of symbols. I was trying to find out what that winged eye was, she remembered. Owen had seemed charming and sweet, and Aly had actually been intrigued enough to accept his offer of a date.
"Ah," Auron said with a nod. Aly waited a moment before realizing that he wasn't going to say any more, and relaxed. It never required much with Auron; he just understood that some things were meant to be talked about and others weren't. She fixed herself a bowl of fruit and nuts, offering some to Auron. He shook his head, and she sat across from him again.
"When did you get back?"
"Just now," he responded.
"Are you okay?" Aly blurted without thinking. He paused in reaching for his sake, looking at her with searing intensity, and she regretted asking. "I mean, you've never been a talker but you seem…I don't know, weird."
"Weird," he repeated, and Aly nearly cringed. Auron only meant to be scornful when she did something particularly stupid or spineless, but every once in a while that dry tone crept into ordinary conversation.
"Forget it," she muttered. Checking the clock, she figured that if she walked slowly enough she would arrive at the stadium with enough time to spare. Pushing herself up, she placed the bowl in the sink. "The game's tonight. Don't wait up," she said, turning to leave.
"Aly."
The way he said it made her stop in her tracks, her arm outstretched to the door. She turned warily, unsure of what to make of the serious look on Auron's face. "Yeah?"
"Take your sword."
"My sword?" She repeated incredulously. "Why?" Auron didn't respond, merely gazing at her intently until she shrugged. Retrieving the blade and the thick belt it was attached to from its place inside the closet, she slid the leather through the metal buckle and fastened it tightly. "You know that this is weird, right?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest. Auron chuckled softly.
"Call it a whim."
"Auron, you're making me nervous," she said worriedly. "Is something wrong?" The faint touch of amusement that so rarely graced Auron's face faded, his lips turning down in a grim line.
"I'll tell you soon enough."
"Well, what if I want to know now?" She exclaimed, frustration gnawing at her. She hated when Auron got this way. It was like talking to a wall and expecting that this time she might actually get answers. He smirked, but didn't say anything. "Fine, whatever," she scoffed. "I'll be back late." This time she was able to leave without him stopping her, and somehow that made her even more nervous.
Auron had come to Zanarkand when she was ten, a year after the loss of her foster father Jecht. By that point Stella had stopped getting out of bed, and she and Tidus had been left to fend for themselves. Auron had stepped in to their dysfunctional family and slowly took over, bringing back order and ensuring that they could still be kids. Though his presence helped, Stella passed on not a year later. The loss of both a father and a mother had left Tidus emotionally guarded, and he moved out as soon as he turned fifteen. Auron had become a father to them, though Aly was sure that she had felt his influence more than Tidus had. It wasn't his fault; Jecht hadn't exactly been an ideal role model, and with Stella gone Tidus had no one to turn to except for her. Tidus didn't know how to react about a new father-figure and so he did what he did best: guarded his heart.
For Aly, though, it was different.
She admired Auron. He was an entirely different sort of man than Jecht. He was willing to listen when she or Tidus was upset and give advice; he scolded her when she was being bratty; he responded to her hopes and dreams, quietly encouraging her to succeed both academically and athletically; he even taught her how to use a sword, instilling discipline and the ability to make quick decisions about the best way to use her strengths and minimize her weaknesses. She looked up to him as a mentor and as a father. That was why his silence unnerved her. It was true that he was a quiet man, the opposite of her and Tidus, but he rarely withheld information from her. And to tell her to bring her sword, something he had explicitly said to never use unless her needs were dire, made her stomach curl itself into knots.
She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. I'll talk to him later, she told herself. He said he'd explain everything later.
Stepping out of the lobby and into the darkening streets, Aly smiled. Music was already blasting through the speakers, the throb of the bass thrumming through her body and making her excited to play. She bounced on the balls of her feet. She hadn't had time to stretch, but it wasn't the end of the world. She could just walk faster to warm her muscles up. As she walked she was waylaid by countless people heading to the stadium themselves. Once they spotted her they started screaming, demanding autographs and pictures, just to touch her, as one fanatic howled.
Even after all the time she had been at the top of the heat, recognized on practically every billboard in Zanarkand, being mobbed by tenacious crowds, her name screamed with both desire and longing still made her excited. Tidus was the same in that regard. He loved the attention, the crowds, the cheers. There was definitely something thrilling in having their names in lights. The fans worshipped the two of them, begging to be allowed to just touch their hands or arms. Though Aly enjoyed the spotlight, more often than not her and Tidus's fun was spoiled by Auron's brooding thoughts on the matter. They see what they want in you: the idealism of fame. Don't think for an instant that they want anything beyond that, he had warned countless times. She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be stoic. Tonight was their night, and nothing would spoil it.
The crowds eventually moved on, eager to get to their seats, leaving Aly momentarily alone. As she walked along the bridge arching over the lower levels of Zanarkand, she looked out at her city. Buildings that seemed to touch the sky shone brightly against the blackness of the night, dimming the stars with their brilliant neon. Artfully placed waterfalls gushed from the sides of certain buildings, adding a cool breeze and giving the impression that the air was sparkling like the stars she couldn't see. The streets themselves were coated in water, running like little rivers, lapping at her ankles with each step. As children she and Tidus had run barefoot along these same streets, shrieking and splashing each other in their play. In the distance the ocean loomed, enormous and forbidding. Aly only felt a little uneasy as she watched the waves ebb and flow, though the more she looked at it the more nervous she became. Shaking herself out of it, she looked away from the sea, spying something new blaring across the electronic billboards all across the city.
It was Jecht, his head thrown back in laughter. The Abes' symbol was emblazed next to his head, and an instant later it showed him re-enacting the Jecht Shot, his powerful body somehow twisting into the most elegant of moves. The billboard flicked through Jecht showing off his muscles, winking outrageously, and then returned to the first image. Aly smiled a little bitterly. Hello, Sir Jecht. It's been a while.
The Jecht in the images above her – the laughing, talented blitzball player – was a man she hadn't seen even before he disappeared. Aly had loved this Jecht, remembered the joy of him scooping her up into rib-cracking hugs, of listening intently when he instructed her on how to play the game he put his soul into. But that Jecht had left far too soon, replaced by a surly, callous alcoholic. Aly had never stopped loving him, but the memories of the times he frightened her, had yelled at her and Tidus for reasons neither of them could name, and the dark, hateful insults he would shoot their way if they made mistakes or hesitated around him, were prevalent. He had constantly put Tidus down for crying, for not being adept at the game, and for not being the son he wanted. The insults had rarely turned to her, but when Jecht saw fit to criticize her she had cried for hours.
"Just leave me the hell alone, you ugly little freak!"
Aly swallowed, unconsciously tugging her gloves on tighter before forcing herself to move. The music in the speakers had died down, replaced by the voice of FFX's head announcer Zanar.
"I was in a coffee shop, runnin' away from home when I heard the news," he started softly, his tone fondly nostalgic. "Our hero, Jecht, gone! Vanished into thin air! My dad must've been his biggest fan. I knew how sad he'd be. Heck, we all were that day." Aly passed over another bridge, the stadium slowly growing larger as she approached. The smooth gold dome was alive with lights, but the gigantic walls that surrounded the dome would soon make way for the arena to emerge. "'Zanar', I says to myself, 'What are you thinking?' I went running straight back home. We sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night. My dad and I never talked so much.
"Whoa, didn't mean to reminisce, folks," Zanar said with a self-depreciating chuckle. "Anyway, ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament is today! The two teams that have won their way through the finals are, of course, the Abes from A-East and the Duggles from C-South. I know there're a lot of people out there today to see the stars of the Abes! Tidus, who in just one short year has become the team's number one player! He's Jecht's blood and one of the new hopes of blitzball! What kind of super play will he show us today? Will we see his father's legendary shot?"
Tidus is going to be pissed if he's listening, Aly mused. He hated to be associated with his father. Aly had tried to convince him again and again that he was more than Jecht would ever be, but that was all everyone else saw: the boy who followed in his father's footsteps.
"And we can't forget Aly, the young woman who has taken blitzball by storm! She looks like a flower and stings like a bee in the arena-" Oh, jeez, Aly groaned – "The young heartbreaker has won her way into the fans' good graces with her lightning fast moves and compatibility with her friend and captain, Tidus! What will we see from the dynamic duo tonight? I don't think I'm the only one excited here, folks!"
If he wasn't so embarrassing I'd be angrier. Pasting a smile on her face as she made her way to the stadium's entrance, she allowed the people to crowd around her once more. She slowly but surely pushed through the mob, only turning to see if Tidus had arrived yet. She grinned and waved at the crowds as she walked up the stairs leading into the stadium, doing a little shimmy with her hips in time to the music. It predictably drove the people crazy, pushing themselves closer so they could dance with her, shoving papers, pens, and blitzballs at her to sign. She patiently and methodically signed each and every paper, ball, and even shirts, drinking in the frenzy of energy swirling around her. She and Tidus thrived on chaos, and now more than ever was she in her element.
She finally spotted Tidus jogging up to the stadium. He waved as he saw her, and she in turn pointed towards him. "Get over here, captain!" She yelled, directing the mob's attention towards her friend. The crowd immediately turned as one and thronged towards him. A little chilled now that she wasn't surrounded by people, Aly folded her arms and smiled fondly at Tidus. Her best friend and brother in all but blood, she was more excited for him than for herself. This was the night he was finally going to prove himself. For the last year Tidus had struggled, excelling in blitz in ways completely different from his father. His slender but muscled build made it possible for him to pull off more evasive, tricky maneuvers that Jecht could never hope to perform. Tidus even went as far as to create his own moves, and as the wins for the Abes kept growing it seemed more and more that Tidus would finally outshine Jecht, that he would be remembered as being more than just his father's son.
"Hey! Let go of me," he yelped as he slowly, tenaciously, made his way towards her. He bumped her playfully with his elbow as they retreated into the safety of the stadium's entrance. The fans cried out their disappointment as the barrier emerged to keep blitzball players in. The barrier would be removed in a matter of minutes, but being separated from looking at their idols made the fans crazy. Both Aly and Tidus lifted their hands in farewell, smirking at one another. Fame never got old.
As they turned towards the inner lobby, Aly saw a young boy out of the corner of her eye, one with dark skin and wearing a purple coat with a hood of the same colour covering his face. She stiffened, immediately turning her head forward and smiling at Tidus when he looked at her quizzically. He isn't there, she told herself slowly. No one's there. Her temples throbbed briefly, but Aly shook it off as nerves. Not now, not now! Please, any time but now! She focused on the sounds of screaming, clapping, and frantic whistling, telling herself that there was nothing to focus on but the game.
They met the team in the farthermost locker room, where both Aly and Tidus were greeted with vigorous whistles, back slapping, and exclamations of team spirit. Ordinarily Aly would have been right with the rest of them, howling her excitement and chanting the team cheer, but she felt on edge. She accepted the back slapping with a smile, half-heartedly pumped her fist as Tidus led the cheer, and nodded enthusiastically to whatever question was thrown her way, but inside she was a mess. Why did I have to see that kid now? I can't afford to be distracted! Despite the wary looks she received, she kept her sword belted to her hip instead of untying it. She couldn't get Auron's request, and the implications behind it, out of her mind.
The coach emerged from the lobby, smiling as he was assaulted with cheers and whistles. "Alright, settle down," he bellowed over the cacophony. "Tonight's the final match of the tournament!" He had to wait as the Abes collectively screamed their excitement, Tidus being the loudest among them. "But we can't get cocky, no matter how many matches we've won. The Duggles have been doing just as well as us-"
"Good for the south end," Ruby, one of the Abes, snorted. Her comment was met by more jeers and taunts towards their rival team, and it took three irritable shrieks from the coach's whistle for silence to emerge once more.
"Ruby, shut your mouth for ten seconds! If that's even possible," the coach snapped at Ruby, who looked mildly offended. "I know we're good. Hell, we're doing better than any team over the last ten years!" This comment was followed by more cheers, though of a milder nature. "But we can't get over our heads. The Duggles are bigger and stronger than most of us; they'll be able to put us out of the arena before we can get to the net. That's why it's important to keep focused, watch for each other, and keep up the speed. They might be bigger, but they're slower in the water because of that bulk. We've been practicing our best plays and we're damn near perfect. All we have to do is keep focus.
"But you already know that. Hands in!" Aly started as the team jostled forward, hastily slapping her hand down amongst the pile. "What's our goal?" The coach demanded.
"VICTORY!" The Abes shouted as one, throwing their hands in the air. The coach hastily read out the names of the first rotation, slapping them firmly on the shoulder as the named players left the locker room. Aly was one of the few who weren't named, and she gratefully sat down. Her knee bounced jerkily as she settled herself, and she forced it to be still as the screen in the right corner flickered on. The camera focused on the center of the arena, where the water cannons were waiting to be activated. The soft talking of her fellow seated teammates was overcome by the loudest, most popular rock song on the radio these days. As the music blared electricity crackled from the rings surrounding the dome, forming in the center as a blue-white sphere of pure energy. The electricity was slowly concentrated, growing smaller and smaller until it suddenly burst forward, causing the audience screaming in the background to be flung backward by the sheer force of power. They cheered all the louder despite some being thrown visibly back in their seats, the canons gushing forth to fill the arena completely with water.
"Aly, you alright?" The coach asked, sitting next to her. Aly realized that her knee was again bouncing erratically. She smiled, the gesture feeling strained.
"Fine," she responded, her voice sounding thin and uncertain.
"I know you're nervous," he said with a smile, gently patting her knee. "But you're doing so well out there, kid. Don't let the audience jar you…" Aly tuned him out, realizing that due to her forcing her attention on the screen she hadn't noticed that there was someone else in the locker room.
She wasn't a member of the Abes, nor was she a rival player or coach. She was dressed in strange, heavy robes of green. She was on her knees, her expression serene and pleasant. She caused Aly's heart to jump into overdrive, sweat immediately slicking her palms beneath her gloves. Aly purposefully looked at the coach, trying to paste an interested look on her face. She's not there. She isn't.
"Just remember: you're taller than they are, so you'll be faster. Use that to your advantage," the coach was saying ardently, not noticing the newest addition to the locker room. Aly nodded slowly, her mouth going dry. Her heart was still pounding, and all over her body she felt prickles of anxiety. She looked from the coach to the screen, watching a particularly muscular specimen wrap his entire body around Tidus in order to wrestle the ball from him. Tidus thrashed and writhed, but despite his efforts the ball dropped and was quickly scooped up by a rival Duggle.
"You listening to me, kiddo?"
"Why don't you listen?"
"What?" Aly stammered, looking up at the coach. She could see the woman looking at her in disappointment out of her peripheral vision, but Aly forced her eyes on the coach. The anxiety was growing, her breath growing short. Her knee was bouncing uncontrollably now. She jumped up, unable to bear it, and began pacing out her restlessness. "I'm fine, I just need to walk it out," she said to the coach, who was looking concerned. Just breathe, she'll go away if you just calm down.
But Aly couldn't calm down. Everything suddenly seemed too loud: the chatter of her teammates, which was turning into worried questions; the blaring of the score keeper's bell, signalling the Abes's first point; the music's lyrics screaming through the speakers; and the woman's voice overshadowing it all. She repeated the same phrase again and again:
"You must let go."
"Aly, Aly, deep breaths, kiddo," the coach demanded, grasping her arms. But Aly couldn't force herself to breathe deeply, she couldn't concentrate on his voice. Her heart was slamming against her ribs, cutting her breath short. The world danced around her briefly, the familiar features of the locker room blurring before Aly wrenched herself from the coach's grip.
"I can't…I have to go!"
She ran, her breaths rasping in her throat as she navigated the corridors leading to the stadium entrance. She heard the coach calling after her but didn't stop, unable to think of anything but escape.
It was as she rounded the hallway that led to the cathedral sized door that the entire room shudder. Aly yelped as the floor beneath her buckled, enormous cracks spreading throughout as quickly as lightning just as chunks of the marble floor shot upwards from the strength of the quaking. She was nearly clipped by a particularly large piece of marble, only just stepping out of the way in time. Debris showered over her, prickling her face with sharp grains of sediment. Aly cried out as some of the debris stung her eyes, rubbing at her face frantically as she blindly stepped over the cracked marble floor. When she finally made it outside, tears running down her sore cheeks, she stopped in her tracks.
It was madness.
The street was cracked with the same intensity as the blitzball stadium floor. People were screaming, running in all directions from some unseen terror. Aly watched it all detachedly, her heart pounding so hard that her head was swimming. Panic was drowning her in its hold, refusing to relent even as she tried to make sense of her reality. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe…
"LET. GO."
"Aly."
A firm grip on her arm jolted her out of her panicked thoughts. She was still breathing erratically, still dizzy, but merely seeing Auron immediately calmed her. She focused on him as she had all the other times she'd been struck with an anxiety attack.
The ground shuddered again, more violently this time, and all around them buildings began to collapse. "Auron! What's going on?" Aly screamed as more debris fell nearby.
"Come," he commanded, guiding her somehow effortlessly through the throngs of panicked people. The statues of famous blitz players splintered and fell around them. He took her far enough from the stadium entrance to ensure that they wouldn't be crushed, but not so far as to actually be out in the street. "Aly, you need to breathe slowly," he instructed her softly. She realized that tears were still coursing down her cheeks and her chest ached from the force of her breaths. "Breathe with me." He looked at her right in the face and took a deep, long breath, his voice gently guiding her to follow the rhythm. Aly had to fight against the tightness in her chest to comply, but through persistence she was able to mimic him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," she managed to say shakily.
"Good. You need to keep calm." Auron paused, looking out at the people moving inexorably towards the bridge. "Will you swear to listen to me, no matter what happens next?"
"What does that mean?" Aly demanded, now beyond confusion. She couldn't comprehend what was happening. First the appearance of the boy and the woman, and now Zanarkand was crumbling from something she couldn't see.
"Promise me," he insisted lowly, his good eye narrowing at her hesitation.
"Okay, okay, I swear! But what's going on? What are we doing here? We need to find Tidus!" She had nearly forgotten him in her panic, but now her worry for him compounded her remaining fear.
"We wait."
"For what? The building to come down on us?" Aly's voice bordered on a shriek. Explosions were making the ground rock treacherously beneath their feet, geysers of water as tall as the stadium thrusting upward from the might of wreckage colliding with the water.
"Auron!" Aly whipped around, so relieved to hear Tidus's voice that her knees buckled.
"Tidus!" They nearly hurt each other with the force of their embrace, both Aly and Tidus taking a moment to look each other over for injuries. Once Tidus was satisfied he turned towards the older man. "What are you doing here?"
"I was waiting for you," Auron responded. If Aly hadn't been so panicked she would have snorted. Trust Auron to stay cool in the face of catastrophe.
"What are you talking about?" Tidus expressed Aly's innermost thoughts, staring at the older man with complete bewilderment. Auron didn't respond, merely walking away from the ruin of the stadium as though it was a sunny day. As Aly and Tidus began to follow him, confused but willing to stick by him, she heard the voice again. But it was joined by others she had come to know.
Listen! You must listen!
You need to let go!
Let go!
Do not turn away from us!
"Aly!" Tidus shook her, yelling as he was snagged by people sprinting by them. Aly herself was pushed and shoved, but she barely acknowledged the physical tumult around her. All she could hear were the voices clambering for her to acknowledge them, to heed them though she didn't know how. She gritted her teeth, grinding the palms of her hands against her ears to no avail, until she thought she would go deaf from the sheer volume of the voices. Yet as Aly tried to block them out, another chant of deafening voices began.
Sin is here. Sin is here. Sin is here.
Aly turned towards the source of the voices' fear, and what she saw hovering over the sea finally made her understand why the expression 'heart stopped beating' was so popular and so horrifyingly accurate.
Beyond the city of Zanarkand, hovering over the ocean inside a vast sphere of water, was a monstrosity unlike anything she could ever have imagined. It blotted out the moon, and within the water was a beast. Aly couldn't have said what kind of animal it was, only that looking upon it, as blurred as it was, made terror tighten inside her to the point where she couldn't scream, couldn't move, could only stare as it proceeded to destroy Zanarkand.
All at once Aly felt as though the entire world gave way beneath her, and for an instant she was suspended in nothingness. Her scream halted in her throat, the sudden silence only punctuated by Tidus's yelp of surprise. Aly heard her frantic breathing punctuate the quiet, the sound both pathetic and pitiful. "Auron?" She whispered, looking at Tidus fearfully.
"It begins."
Aly froze, knowing she wouldn't be able to explain. She was looking at the boy, unable to help herself even knowing that to Tidus it would be as though she was staring at open air. But Tidus was looking in the same direction, just as confused as she was. Aly looked at her friend, at the boy, then back to Tidus before realizing that the impossible had happened. He can see him too!
"Don't cry," the boy said kindly, a small smile curling his lips. He lifted his hand in either greeting or farewell, and with another gasp Tidus disappeared.
Aly was alone.
"Tidus! Auron!" She shouted, unable to help herself. She looked around, knowing that only the boy was there but unable to accept it. She backed away as he stepped towards her. "Auron, where are you? Help me!" She turned and began to run, but the boy followed her effortlessly.
"Stop. Please." He seemed oddly sad, but Aly couldn't take the time to consider his feelings.
"Auron! Auron! Tidus!"
That ungraceful feeling of the world folding beneath her came again, and she fell to the ground. The boy was standing next to her, his face stricken with sorrow. "It's not real," Aly told herself frantically, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. "It's not real."
Her denial was met not with the voices of the unseen people, but by song.
"Ieyui, nobomeno, renmiri, yojuyogo, hasatekanae, kutamae."
A beautiful female voice began the song, the tone young and somehow wistful. Aly looked around in wonder, the sound bringing chills from its beauty. Another voice joined, then another, and a fourth. Soon the silence was broken by an entire chorus, some voices high and sweet while others were low and sonorous. The boy had joined in, his voice remarkably powerful for one so young. Aly felt herself begin to calm once more, caught up in the song. She hummed along, closing her eyes. She was beginning to feel dizzy again, but not in a way that was like her panic attacks. This dizziness was akin to being exhausted, and finally collapsing into bed knowing that sleep was just moments away. The type that swept through the mind, dulling thought, making the body heavy as weariness finally caught up.
Yet as she relaxed, Aly felt her hold on reality slipping. The streets beneath her, damp with the ever-present flow of water, faded beneath her palms. Aly's eyes flew open as Zanarkand itself began to blur, the lights becoming dim as the singing grew louder. "No!" She yelped, scrambling to her feet. Zanarkand wavered back into view before slowly bleeding back to grey. The boy was shaking his head, stepping back until he too faded from sight. "No! Stop! Stop! I don't want to go!"
"Aly."
She whirled around in time to see Auron standing barely a foot away from her. She reached out for him desperately, crying his name as she felt herself being inexorably tugged backward. He strode forward and grasped her upper arms, bracing her against the invisible force pulling her away.
"Listen to me," he said softly, his one good eye holding her gaze. "You need to be brave. You need to be strong. And you need to remember who you are."
"What? Auron, I don't understand!" She yelped as the force became stronger, pulling her insistently away from the diminishing Zanarkand. She shook her head in denial, trying to stay. If she allowed the force to take her it would be impossible to get back this time. She knew that beyond any doubt.
"You need to let go."
Auron pulled her into a quick embrace before releasing her.
The gesture, so unlike Auron, caused Aly to hesitate, staring at him in bewilderment. It was all the invisible force needed. Aly screamed as she was ripped away, Auron's vivid red coat blurring as she dragged back and suddenly thrown up, up, up into the sky, into the stars, into a light so blinding that everything else was washed away. She was spinning, her body being pulled every which way, her heart pounding so hard that her eardrums throbbed with the rhythm. Aly opened her mouth to scream, but her breath caught in her throat. An inescapable dizziness flooded her mind, and as she spun Zanarkand went dark.