Final Fantasy X: Harbinger
Chapter 3: Give Back
The Sending procession began to disperse shortly after Yuna had finished her duties. Mag still clung to Elric's arm, her legs wobbling from the wash of emotions she felt and her old age. As they stood there, the two of them watching the pyreflies drift off into the sky, villagers stopped every-so-often to consoled the aging woman.
Elric still stared off into the distance, his eyes squinting against the setting sun. Amidst the quiet chatter he focused on the lapping of the waves against wood; the sound soothed him and reminded him of more peaceful times.
"Elric, are you alright?" Mag's croaky voice brought him back to the present.
He shrugged. "Just remembering. That's all." He said monotonously, his eyes not leaving the horizon. Birds flew by overhead and squawked loudly. "Must be nice. Being able to fly away whenever you want." He thought. "He was a good man." Elric said.
Mag gripped his arm tighter. "Aye. He was," she mourned, "I don't know what I'll do without him."
Elric looked down at Mag. "Mag," he started, "I'll stay as long as it takes to rebuild. This is my home. It's only right that I help." If he stayed, it meant that he would miss the blitzball tournament and there was a part of him that really despised that notion.
Mag shook her head, looking up at Elric. She smiled weakly.
"No, no. Do you think I forgot what time of year it is? I know you're on your way to Luca to watch the tournament." She said, ambling forward. Elric followed. "I'm not going to make you miss tradition to help some old kook like me."
Elric huffed. "You're not an old kook, Mag." He stated. "You're family to me. I don't abandon family." He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed deeply. "You're all I have left, Mag…" he said, sucking his upper lip and unconsciously biting it.
Mag chuckled. "I appreciate that you care so much, Elric." She said, coming to a halt. She pulled Elric down to face her, causing him to drop to a knee. "You need to live your life and be your own person. You know," she paused, the muscles in her jaw tightened, "I'm not going to be around for much longer."
The color drained from Elric's face and his hands grew cold. "Don't say that, Mag. Not-"
"No, Elric," she said, shaking her head, her voice wobbly, "I'm not going to live forever. I now know that in the world we live there is no certainty that we will see tomorrow." Mag said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please," she implored, "don't waste your life caring for me. You don't owe me anything..."
Elric's lip started to quiver and tears started to fall down his cheeks. He sniffed, rubbing his eyes with his sleeves. He pulled her into a tight hug and, for the second time, the two held each other as they wept.
Tidus laid on a bed in the Kilika Inn that reminded him so much of his own back in Zanarkand it made him homesick. He ran his hands over the silky blue sheets and stared up at the domed wooden ceiling. Surprisingly, this place was left relatively untouched aside from a few loose floorboards here and there. His mind drifted back to Yuna. The way she moved, the way her dress flowed around her feet, the way her hair moved. Every bit of her was so burned into his mind that he could close his eyes and describe her perfectly.
He thought about her laying next to him on this very bed. He thought about her lips. He thought about how soft they must be. How they might taste. Several other things sauntered their way through his mind, bringing a grin to his face.
He remembered the words that Lulu had said after Yuna's Sending.
"All we can do is protect her along the way. Until the end." She had said.
"What is that supposed to me?" Tidus asked himself. "Until the end..." He mused. "The end of what? Her pilgrimage?"
He placed both his hands on his stomach, wincing as he felt it grumble loudly. He groaned, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting up. He stretched and let out a deep sigh, followed by a yawn. He stood up and walked towards the door, the wood creaking beneath his feet.
He stepped out onto the lightly colored hardwood; a dark green carpet carried on down the length of the hallway. There were small sconces lining the walls all down the hallway; there were several other rooms on the same floor he was on, most occupied by members of the Aurochs. He set out down the hall, the wood creaking underneath his feet. He had just rounded the corner, heading towards the stairs, when he bumped into someone.
"Oops, sorry!" Tidus apologized, placing one hand on the chest and another on the shoulder of the person in front of him to steady himself.
"It's okay. You alright?" A familiar voice said, removing Tidus hands.
Hey, how're you doing?" Elric asked, a smile crossing his lips.
Tidus shrugged. "I'm...okay." He said, nodding his head. "How about you? You jumped off the boat pretty fast when we got here. Everything okay?"
Elric shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and leaned his shoulder against the wall. "I thought I lost what family I had left today." His eyes cast downwards. "Turned out I only lost half of them." He shook his head quickly to the left; his lips shrugged. "Silver lining I guess..."
Tidus didn't know what to say. He was never really good at that kind of stuff. "Umm..." He replied.
"What're you up to? Elric said, thankfully breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Tidus' stomach answered for him. He chuckled sheepishly.
Elric smirked, standing up off of the wall. "Me too. Come on. I know a place we can eat."
Tidus and Elric stood outside the only bar in Kilika.
And it was closed. For obvious reasons.
Tidus gave out an exasperated sigh. "Now what?" He asked, slumping forward and putting his hands on his knees.
Elric cocked an eyebrow at Tidus. "Really?" He intoned. "A big scary curtain is what's going to stop us?"
It was true, the only thing really stopping them from entering was a shade of beads and curtains.
"Are you sure it's okay? You sure nobody'll get mad?" Tidus asked. He was a natural risk taker but he was more concerned about what Yuna would think if she found out.
"Kilikians are a very generous people. I'm sure the owner won't mind." Elric replied, nodding his head curtly. He stepped forward and opened the curtain. "As long as we don't get caught." Elric quipped before pushed through.
Tidus glanced around nervously, letting out a huff. He delayed for a moment but his ever growling stomach compelled him forward.
The inside of the bar was simple. A round wooden bar sat in the center of the room with a small stove built into one of the large support beams extending up to the ceiling. Shelving wound its way around the beam, displaying a prominent liquor collection. Several tables and chairs lay over-turned and scattered. Bottles of alcohol littered the floor, bleeding their contents out, some shattered and some not.
Tidus watched Elric hop the bar in one swift motion, his feet landing almost without noise on the other side.
"You want something to drink?" Elric asked, holding up a bottle of who-knows-what in either hand, a grin upturning his lips.
Tidus turned a bar stool over and planted himself on it with a satisfying sigh. "Yeah, definitely." He said, nodding his head several times.
Elric spun around and grabbed two glasses, placing them in front of Tidus. He poured one bottle, which came out a fluorescent green, into one of the glasses, then poured the other bottle, coming out a dark blue, into the other glass. He placed the bottles down on the counter and pointed at both glasses with his index fingers. "Green is strong, blue is," he paused and a wide smile crossed his face, "slightly stronger." He finished.
Tidus dropped his head to the table and a laugh escaped him. He propped his chin up on his hands and pointed to the blue liquid.
Elric cocked an eyebrow. "Somebody's wearing the big-boy pants today."
Tidus gripped the glass in his hand and tossed the liquid back in one go. It burned. It REALLY burned. Tidus let out a moan and gripped at his throat.
"Told ya so." Elric laughed before disappearing behind the bar.
"Hey, Elric," Tidus began.
"Yeah?" He heard him say. He had gone around to the other side of the bar.
"That woman that I saw you with at the sending today. Was that your mom?"
"No," Elric replied, "Her name's Magdalena. She's probably the closest thing to a mother that I've ever had."
"You never met your mother?"
"No. All I ever knew was that she was a Crusader. And that she died fighting Sin."
Tidus' posture sank. It was never easy hearing about someone losing a parent. He wanted desperately to know more but his question died in his throat. "So, Mag? She's a friend of the family then?" Tidus called back.
There was a sound of glass breaking and a curse from Elric. "Uh, yeah. My dad and I did business with her and her husband."
Tidus heard a hitch in Elric's voice as he spoke. Then the bar got eerily quiet.
"Elric?" Tidus called out, standing up from his chair and craning his neck to spot Elric.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He sniffed. He walked back in front of Tidus, a bundle of fruits and vegetables under one arm and a large prepared fish in the other. "Hope you like fish." Elric said, dropping the fish on the counter.
Tidus watched Elric cut up pieces of their meal, taking off bits that had too much fat or were too bony and throwing them in a pan. He fried it up using the stove, diced up various different vegetables, and sliced bits of fruit for them to eat as an appetizer.
"So if you never knew your mom, who raised you? Aside from Mag, of course. Your old man?" Tidus asked, popping a piece of apple into his mouth.
Elric nodded his head. "My dad taught me everything I know about fishing. We're both fishermen, see? He taught me how to sail, how to tell when the weather was going bad," he chuckled, "even taught me how to talk to girls. Which didn't make any sense because where we ended up on most days there wasn't a single girl for miles!" He finished.
Tidus took another sip from his glass that he had already refilled more than once. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the stool, forgetting that there was no back rest on it; he managed to save himself the embarrassment. "I wish my old man was like that." He admitted quietly.
Elric glanced over his shoulder. "What's that? You say something?" He asked, his hands still busy with their food.
"I said I wish my old man was like that. More like yours. Ya know, helpful." He spat.
"You have a problem with your dad?" Elric asked.
"Yeah," Tidus started, "my old man was a jackass and a drunk. He never helped me like yours did! He always told me how great he was and how stupid I was. He was never nice to me or my mom either..." He trailed off, absolute disdain in his tone. He gripped his head with both hands, slammed his eyes closed and let out a angry groan. He heard the sound of glass scraping against wood and he opened his eyes. Elric had refilled his glass and had pushed it towards him; Tidus couldn't help but chuckle. He rubbed the back of his head and lifted the glass to his lips.
"Your dad sounds like a bully who never grew up." Elric said flatly.
"He is, er, or was. He disappeared ten years ago, when he went to train for the blitz season." Tidus' lips curved into a microscopic smile. "Can't say me or the team missed him though..."
"Which team? The Aurochs?" Elric asked.
Like a rocket, Tidus blasted out of his chair, causing Elric to jump. "Ha! The Zanarkand Abes of course!"
Elric cracked a smile. "The Zanarkand Abes? Really now..."
Tidus pumped his fist in the air. "Yeah! You're lookin' at their star player, in the flesh!" He cheered.
Elric snorted. "Really now? Where do the Zanarkand Abes play?" He asked, shoveling food onto two plates.
Tidus was elated. Could Elric be the one who finally believed him? "Every night we'd play in Zanarkand Stadium, all lit up by the lights!" He exclaimed tracing his hands around in the air, imagining the lights. "The crowd would come and cheer and cheer until they couldn't cheer anymore!" His voice grew quiet. "Then, just as the clock was about to run out, I'd pull off the Jecht Shot, and snag a win for the Abes!" Tidus pulled his fist down in a triumphant movement, a wide smile on his face. He looked back at Elric who stood there with two plates of food in his hands, an entertained smile on his face.
He slid one of the plates towards Tidus and poured himself another drink. "Ya know," he said, raising his glass, "if I had a few more of these in me, I might have actually believed that."
Tidus' heart sank. He really thought that Elric belived him. He gave Elric a half-hearted smile and clinked his glass against his. "Yeah. Right..." He said sadly.
"Why are you doing that?" He asked.
Elric turned and looked at Him. "This? It's a habit of mine." Elric said. After they finished their food and cleaned up, he had placed a sack of gil on the counter. "When my dad and I would go fishing, after every trip he would always say 'give back, Elric. That's the only way you'll get them to come back!'
He cocked his head. "What does that mean?"
Elric smiled. "It means that if you take something away you should always give something back in return. So, after every voyage, we would dump fish food into the water as a way to thank the fish for what they gave us. That way, even though the fish knew that a lot of them would get caught the next day, they would still come to the fishing spot to get fed. To them, the risk was worth the reward." He stared back at the sack of gil on the table. "Live your own life the way you want to. Not the way people expect you to live it."
He furrowed his brow and frowned. "I wish my old man was more like yours..."
Elric clapped Him on the back and the two walked out of the bar. "Everyone's father did what they did for a reason. But we aren't them. Our job is to be different from them, to pass on what they taught us or tried to teach us onto our children, to build a better world than what they started with. Than what we started with." He explained.
He sighed and gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I wish I could see my old man again, just one last time. To tell him I hate him, ya know?"
Elric drew his lips thin and nodded. "There's things that we'll never be able to say to the ones we've lost. Things that'll haunt us for the rest of our lives, things we'll regret if we don't say them. We have to make sure that we say what we need to say before it's too late." Elric thought back to Bernard, to his mother, to his father. His life was riddled with loss. Every time he thought he was complacent, something came by and shook the metaphorical beam he balanced on and sent him tumbling to the ground.
They had both managed to make it back to the hotel, albeit with some stumbling and childish laughter that seemed horrendously inappropriate given the situation, but they had managed it.
"Hey! You're right, Elric. Thanks!" He shouted, holding his fist out.
Elric silently rolled his eyes and smiled. He bumped His fist and chuckled. "I need to go sleep off today. Are you going to the temple tomorrow? With your summoner?"
He stuttered for a moment. "Uhhhh...yeah?" He said uneasily.
"I'll see you there. I'm heading up there with Mag to pray for her husband. She is, not me." Elric said.
"You're not a follower of Yeevon?" He asked. Elric shook his head.
"It's pronounced 'Yevon', and no. I live my life the way I choose to live it. No one controls me but me." Elric stated, feeling himself stand up straighter. "Anyway, it's been a long day. I'll catch you tomorrow, brother." Elric said, unaware of his unintentional pun until he closed the door to his room.
The moment Elric closed the door, his head swam. He moaned. "I must've had more than I thought..." He gently flopped down on his bed, kicking his boots off and breathing in deeply. He let out his breath long and controlled, placing his hands behind his swimming head. He ripped his jacket and tank-top off, laying there in only his socks and pants; the cool air feeling wonderful on his bare skin.
"We will be one."
The words echoed in his brain from earlier. What did they mean? Did he imagine it? His brain searched for any possible answer. He fidgeted uneasily, a feeling of anxiousness came over him. "I'm not going crazy..." He trailed off.
It wasn't long before he fell into a deep, deep sleep. But even as he slept, the words remained burned in his memory.
"We will be one."
A/N: So there's the next chapter. Sorry if it was a little boring :( I'm trying to make the action worthwhile instead of saturating the story with it and end up boring you, the reader. The next chapter will have some action to it though! Fun fact: This whole chapter was originally supposed to be a part of Chapter 2 but I decided that it was going to be WAY too long. Anyway, R/R and let me know what ya'll think!