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THE THIRD GUARDIAN

Chapter 2

Auron and Raiel, blades in hand, had instinctively positioned themselves back-to-back as their eyes carefully searched the surrounding area for any clue to the identity of the hidden danger.

In the back of his mind Auron had the fleeting thought, 'How did she know to go to that posture?' He would find out later.

Jecht watched the two intently. He knew teamwork from his days in Blitzball and he recognized it now.

Jecht was an intelligent man and he understood that his life was the polar-opposite of the lives of the other two Guardians. This place was not like anything he had ever heard of and, though he'd never let the others know, frankly, it scared him.

His ability at Blitzball had taken him from the rough-and-tumble street gangs of Zanarkand and had made him a superstar, a very rich, catered-to and adored celebrity and he had found it unnerving to be so completely removed from absolutely everything he knew and understood.

Out here, you were valued only for your ability to survive and to keep those around you alive. He knew he was worse than useless right now, but that didn't mean he couldn't learn. And learn in one damned big hurry, too!

He had watched the girl as she walked Point this morning. Hell, he hadn't had a clue what he was supposed to do when Red put him out there. Don't got a lot of trees an' stuff like that in the streets of Zanarkand. Why put him on Point, anyway?

But that girl Raiel, she handled it like a pro an' she couldn't be more than twenty-three, twenty-four. Though she had said little, he had seen in her eyes that she had already faced an' overcome as much or more than he had in his thirty-one years. These people have to be strong or they die.

Okay, so maybe he hadn't given Red any reason to think better of him before now. 'I can lay off the booze a while, show 'em what this bad 'ol boy is capable of when he puts his mind to it! Blitzball is one bitchin'-tough game an' I didn't get to be a super-star for nothin'!'

During this same time, Braska was observing how quickly the two younger Guardians came together as a team. Each seemed to instinctively know what the other was going to do; two smoothly functioning as one – and it was beautiful to watch.

'Most impressive,' he thought. He also knew that if he told them that they would look at him with genuine puzzlement. He smiled to himself.

Braska also noted that Jecht had been watching them closely. The Summoner knew that Jecht was totally unprepared for life in this Spira and, though he didn't know why, he felt strongly that the shaggy-haired man in the red headband was supposed to be on this pilgrimage.

And he understood Auron's frustration with Jecht. The two couldn't possibly be more different.

Auron was a dedicated, focused and purpose-driven Warrior and Guardian, well educated, highly trained by the best to be the best. And, even at his young age, he already was. The politicos had made a terrible mistake in their handling of him and it would forever be to their shame. He believed that Auron was destined for greatness.

Jecht grew up in the streets of Zanarkand and learned city-style survival in the gangs there, saved from that life only by his skill at Blitzball. He had little formal education and his laid-back, devil-may-care attitude rubbed Auron's nerves raw. If only they could learn something from each other.


Eyes straining to catch any sign of movement in the brush and trees lining the road, the two young Guardians were on highest alert. Auron thought he could detect a bulk in one particular place and, using hand signals only, brought it to his partner's attention.

She looked carefully and nodded as she felt the tingle of a chill crawl across the back of her neck. A faint whisper reached his ears, "Wonder what some Thunder would draw out?"

Auron thought for a second, then smiled and nodded. If anything was there, that would sure shake it loose. There were definitely advantages to having a fighting partner who was a Battle Mage.

Raiel handed him her sword to momentarily hold. She softly intoned the words of the spell under her breath and, closing her eyes briefly as she reached deep within herself for the large amount of energy required, she quickly thrust out her hand as flickers of lightning sparks danced in the air around her. The dense brush of the target area erupted in a furious, ear-splitting explosion that nearly cracked nearby trees.

Jecht, standing with Lord Braska sixty-some feet away, jerked with shock and, wide-eyed, belted out a string of blazing epithets that would have made the saltiest sailor blanch. Braska didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. He couldn't help it: laughing won out.

Out of the maelstrom staggered a surprised, injured and enraged Dual Horn. Tapping the top of her head with the palm of her hand, Raiel yelled, "Braska! Hastega!" She took her blade, quickly sheathed it as she felt the exhilarating rush of the spell from the Summoner hit her and everything around her seemed to go into super-slow motion. She again reached for the inner energy to quickly cast Blizzaga that rained enormous, jagged shards of ice and freezing cold down upon the huge fiend.

The two powerful spells had taken a heavy toll on the creature but it was still very dangerous.

The two fighters attacked hard. Auron slashed with his massive blade doing major damage, leaving the big creature bellowing in pain and rage. As soon as Auron was clear, Raiel leaped in with her lighter blade and got in two or three fast hits.

The fiend recovered enough to hit them with a blast of Fire Breath, knocking Raiel completely off her feet. Scrabbling to regain her footing, she felt the cool breath of a Cura spell wash over her, enabling her to quickly rejoin Auron in the fight.

Behind them, Braska was watching carefully, anticipating and casting the spells they needed to keep them going. Beside him, Jecht had chills as he watched the choreography of blades and magic bringing down a powerful fiend. 'Man, this is a team.'

The combination of one heavy fighter and one light fighter continually hitting the fiend in a coordinated attack kept it off-balance enough that it wasn't able to recover enough to hit them again. Auron in with his heavy blade, then Raiel in to quickly slash with two or more hits. Auron, then Raiel, then Auron, then Raiel – relentlessly attacking. Both fighters could feel the effects of the spells that Lord Braska was casting on them, maintaining their vitality and energy during the long battle.

At last Auron felt the satisfying crunch of bone as his blade hit the fiend in a series of furious blows. When he withdrew for Raiel to move in, it took only one flash of her blade to finally send the massive fiend crashing to the ground before evaporating into a cloud of pyreflies that floated into the sky.

The fighters, breathing heavily, still stood at the ready in case other fiends may have been attracted by the noise of the battle. When nothing else appeared, Auron took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his red coat, then turned to his fellow Guardian. He nodded and said in his low voice, "Well done."

Raiel, eyes shining and cheeks flushed from the adrenaline and exertion of the battle, looked into his dark eyes a moment then said, "Thanks" and, without thinking, stuck out a clenched fist.

Seeing the familiar gesture, a startled Auron reach out and double-tapped her fist with his. 'Who taught her that?' he wondered. 'Hm! We are definitely going to have a talk. And soon!'

Then he told her, "Drop back to Escort. I'll take Point for a while." He knew that she had just cast some powerful spells and had fought hard in protracted battle; both of these while still recovering from her injury would leave her energy level very, very low.

Raiel started to protest but he interrupted her with impatience born of the strange, unsettled feeling rising within him that she seemed to be causing. "Drop back now!"

Though he could see angry sparks flying from her eyes, after shooting him one last glare, she turned and made her way back to Braska and Jecht. Watching her, Auron found himself thinking, 'She's a little taller than I thought. And her eyes - -' Catching himself, he slightly shook his head and forcefully pushed all such thoughts to the back of his mind for later examination and put himself into the alert mode required for walking Point.

As a thoroughly ticked-off Raiel walked back toward the Summoner, she was thinking, 'What is it with him? We just fought and won a perfectly coordinated battle against a pretty tough enemy and it should have been something special to have shared, even if for a moment! Instead he's barking orders again! He just really irritates the daylights out of me!'

Watching her approach, Braska took note of the storm clouds still visible on her face. 'Uh-oh,' he thought. 'It is not a smooth path they walk.'

When Raiel reached the Summoner and Jecht, she said, "Thanks, Lord Braska! You really kept us going in this one."

The Summoner smiled, "We're all in it together, Lady Raiel."

Jecht growled with sincerity, "Nice job out there, kiddo! What the hell was that thing ya did?"

A small smiled graced her mouth. "Thanks, Jecht. That was Thundara."

Still in disbelief, he shook his head, then said in his deep growl, "So - what ya doin' back here?"

Making an abrupt gesture over her shoulder with her thumb toward Auron, she muttered shortly, "You'll have to ask His Highness!"

Braska's attempt to cover his snorting chuckle failed miserably so he gave up and just laughed right out loud, much to Raiel's discomfort. Even Auron turned and briefly looked back at the main party.

Turning to Jecht, the youngest Guardian sighed and said, "I'm supposed to walk Escort so I guess you still have Rear Guard."

Jecht nodded and waited until she and the Summoner had moved off a bit before falling in behind them. As Rear Guard, he had the perfect vantage point to observe the other members of the small party and learn. And he did. He had learned much in both the streets and the sphere pool by observing. Besides, he really didn't know what was expected of him as Rear Guard either. Maybe to keep something from sneaking up on them from behind? He mentally shrugged, sighed and turned his attention back to observing the others.

During the course of the long day, Auron and Raiel took turns walking Point. Fiends were so plentiful it seemed that they couldn't take ten steps before engaging in another battle and, though none of the enemies were nearly as strong as the Dual Horn, it was still draining.

The fighters were always backed up by Braska's powerful white magic when needed and, at times, Braska would summon either of his two Aeons, Valefor and Ifrit, just for the practice. By the time they found a place to camp for the night, the party had collected a wide variety of items dropped by the fiends and had added handsomely to their purse.

As the sun was nearing the horizon, Jecht and Raiel gathered firewood for their campfire. Jecht seemed to have something on his mind but was having trouble getting it out.

"What is it, Jecht?" Raiel finally asked quietly.

"Huh?"

"There's something you want to say."

"Oh, uh- yeah. Well, I been thinkin', ya know, an' I wondered if – uh, maybe ya would – uh, give me a few pointers on usin' this here sword. I'm – uh, kinda rusty, ya know?"

His face lowered, he was looking up at her almost as if he was expecting to be mocked, ridiculed or condemned for his request for help. In many ways, Jecht wasn't nearly as tough as he wanted people to think.

In a casual, soft manner meant to put his fears at ease, Raiel said, "Sure, Jecht. Be glad to. All of us can use a few pointers now and then."

Taking a deep breath at her response, the Blitzballer smiled and said with relief, "Thanks, little girl. I 'preciate it!"

Returning to camp, Jecht again arranged the firewood and looked at Raiel with a small quirk of a smile, eyebrow raised. With an answering grin, she narrowed her eyes for a second and flicked out her hand casting Fire and the wood caught quickly.

"I'd like to learn that!" the Blitzballer growled with a chuckle.

Raiel smiled as she said a bit wistfully, "It was one of the first spells my mother taught me when I was young. Many things in our home had scorch marks because of it."

Jecht just nodded and smiled as his eyes dropped. He didn't even remember his mother – and didn't want to remember his old man! An unwelcome, disturbing thought entered his mind, 'Is that the way Tidus thinks of me?' Pain made its home in his eyes as he thought.

Braska just sat quietly, observing and listening to the bits of small talk as normal activities and chores were performed.

Their meal that evening was an 'almost-stew' made from a small animal that Auron had managed to bring down. It wasn't too bad and it filled their empty stomachs so no one complained. It was certainly better than no food at all.

Seeing that there was a little light remaining, Raiel got up and gestured for Jecht to follow her. Without explanation, the two left the campsite and found a nearby clearing.

Standing beside Jecht, Raiel began his instruction by showing him the proper hold on the grip of the hilt and how to quickly reverse the hold when needed. Demonstrating with her own blade, he copied everything she showed him with his.

As the last light began to fade, she taught him a couple of basic moves which they practiced until it was fully dark.

Jecht's natural athleticism served him well as he proved to be a quick learner and was deeply appreciative not only of Raiel's willingness to teach him but also of the respect with which she treated him while doing it. Her demeanor was as one peer to another. 'This is one classy broad!' he thought. Then he corrected himself, 'No, she ain't no broad; she really is a lady.'

Unknown to them, Auron had followed after they left the camp. He told himself that he needed to know where all members of the party were at all times – which was true to an extent – but, in this case, he also wanted to know why the pair had left camp without explanation. For some reason he was just terribly rankled by the idea of Raiel leaving the campsite with the other man.

When he saw Raiel draw her blade and begin teaching Jecht the basics of swordsmanship, he felt the sharp sting of guilt within himself on two levels.

One was the realization that he himself should have begun that instruction when the other man first joined the pilgrimage. Instead, he had done nothing except make it impossible for Jecht to ask him for any help whatsoever.

And two was that he had disrespected Raiel and probably Jecht with the thoughts his mind had entertained as he followed them. Auron was truly furious with himself.

He turned back to the camp. Braska looked up at his return and Auron said quietly, "Raiel is teaching him sword basics."

Braska said nothing but nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself. Seeing his young Guardian's face he knew that, at the very least, Auron was chastising himself for his failure to begin Jecht's training at the outset. Yes, they were learning from each other though the lessons were not always easy ones.

The Summoner also realized that Raiel was the catalyst that would make the mutual learning possible. He just didn't want her to be caught in the middle between the two men. He didn't really know just how Jecht regarded Raiel but he did know of Auron's emotional involvement even though the young Guardian himself was not yet aware of it.

When Raiel and Jecht returned to camp, Raiel found a place off to the side on the grass that would afford her something akin to comfort and flopped down with a long sigh. The long day, the intensity of walking Point, fighting so many battles and the high energy cost of casting spells had taken their toll on her, especially since she was still recovering from the effects of original injury. She mumbled, "Somebody wake me for my shift" and was out like a light.

Auron looked at Jecht and said, "Take first watch, I'll take second." Glancing at Raiel's sleeping figure, he added, "She doesn't need to be standing watch yet."

Jecht just nodded and moved off to take up station in the dark where he practiced what Raiel had just taught him. By the time he woke Auron at end of his shift, he had the moves down pat.

Braska too was feeling the toll of the day. He had cast many supporting spells in addition to summoning the Aeons several times and he could feel it. Picking out a spot for himself, he lay down on the grass with a sigh. "Good night, Auron."

"Good night, my lord."

Alone with his thoughts as the light of flickering flames of the small fire danced across his face, Auron reviewed the day.

Raiel's skills had definitely been a very pleasant surprise. But he wanted to know who had trained her! No one outside of a relatively small, select group knew of the clenched fist-double tap. Tomorrow he would look for an opportunity to ask her.

Raiel. He couldn't understand his reaction to her. It was his cautious, reserved nature to have all available information before making any move in anything and he felt as if he was being drawn to her by some unknown force that was beyond his control. He had never experienced this before and found it very unsettling, even unnerving.

His mind drifted to images of her walking Point - alert, careful, the sun shining on her dark hair, moving with an easy, effortless, graceful motion. Then he saw her as she was in battle – intent, focused, skillful, almost fierce, coordinating and timing her moves perfectly with his, her hair flying, blade flashing. And he saw fiery sparks in her incredible eyes when - - - He closed his eyes and shook his head, increasingly uncomfortable with the direction his thoughts were taking. She was his fellow Guardian on this pilgrimage and that was it!

His thoughts turned to Jecht. Since Raiel was going to be spending time instructing the other man, he would call an earlier halt to their day. Maybe they wouldn't have as many battles tomorrow as they had fought today. Even he was feeling it. How many did they fight today, anyway? He couldn't even guess.

He knew he had to reevaluate his opinion of Jecht. If the man really was from a thousand years in the past as Braska believed, then he would have no knowledge of this Spira. Okay, the man was a drinker, but he had to acknowledge to himself that his own antagonistic attitude hadn't helped. He should have been instructing instead of criticizing. 'You've got to do better, Auron.' With these thoughts, he drifted into an uneasy sleep that sometimes featured beautiful eyes of an unusual color.

Who knew what the small group would face on the morrow in this wild, dangerous land.