Disclaimer: Not mine

'Fayth speaking.'

"Al Bhed language"

Chapter 4

Tidus straightened up as the door opened, relieved to see Harry guiding an exhausted Yuna out, both unharmed. Lulu quickly moved to check on Yuna and Harry moved away, needing space for a few moments to try and rebury the memories seeing Aiden had brought up. He had been so tempted to accept his Aeon, to become a Summoner…but it wouldn't be the same as what they once had. Aiden had been dead for over a thousand years, nothing would bring him back, and if the Fayth's plan worked he would soon be truly gone. He may not know the Fayth who had been created after he went to sleep, but he knew the rest to various degrees, losing them all would hurt as much as losing his family during the last World War.

"We should go," Luna said as Yuna recovered and they headed out, Harry letting his magic mingle with Aiden's for the last time, bringing up the rear of the group as they walked back through the trials and out into the main room of the Temple.

Tidus fell back to walk with Harry, mind spinning. He hadn't said anything but the song he'd heard in the Temple…he knew it from his childhood. To him, it was proof that Spira and Zanarkand were connected in some way. It made him miss home even more and it hurt but then a hand briefly gripped his shoulder and he looked up to see Harry, smiling softly in understanding. They came out into the fresh island air and headed for the stairs back down to the village and dock.

"Are…are you okay?" Yuna asked as Tidus caught up to her.

"I…I don't know," he admitted softy.

"What do you want to do?"

"To scream really loud," he grinned slightly, and she chuckled nervously. Tidus shrugged and then screamed, not hearing Harry laugh behind him even as Wakka and Kimahri turned to look. They walked in silence the rest of the way to the village, only having to face a handful of fiends.

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Tidus made his way back onto the deck of the ferry, absently kicking at the wood of the side. He felt better after the way Yuna stood up for him but still…

"You okay?" Harry asked as he moved to stand with him at the rail.

"Just the Goers being jerks," he muttered.

"They found out you're from Zanarkand?" Harry ask and Tidus started, glancing at Harry who smiled, lost in memory. "Zanarkand was a marvellous city, full of lights and sound."

Tidus spun to face him, eyes wide. "You...you've seen it? He demanded and Harry nodded.

"As it was and as it is now," he answered, leaning on the rail. "I used to watch Blitzball matches from the roof of my apartment."

"Woah! The only apartments close enough to see from...who are you?" Even with what players were paid, Jecht couldn't afford a place like that, even their income combined couldn't.

Harry chuckled. "Just a man."

"How did you get here? Was it Sin?"

"No, it wasn't Sin."

Tidus frowned and then really stared at Harry. "It was you...you were there, with that weird kid. Before my last match and the attack."

Harry was surprised Tidus remembered seeing him considering everything that had happened that day. "I missed your match," he admitted. He was thankfully they were half hidden as Wakka and Lulu came up one deck, talking. Tidus drew further back into the shadows with him, not wanting to be seen.

"Well? Say something. You'll take responsibility?" Lulu asked as they walked, neither noticing the two hidden nearby.

"Relax! He's bound to know someone in Luca," Wakka easily dismissed her concern.

"And if not?"

"He could always join a blitz team. Anyhow, it's better than just leaving him in Besaid!"

"What? Just leaving him in Luca?" She demanded, half mocking his answer.

"What do you want me to do?" Wakka turned to face her, angry that she was blaming him. It wasn't his fault the kid had washed up on the beach they were using for practice. It felt wrong to just abandon him when he'd been so badly affected by the toxin.

"Yuna wants to make him a guardian," Lulu moved to stand at the rail, looking out over the water.

"Oh, yeah, geez…There's that too, eh?"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Not mine!" he snapped but she glared at him and he slumped in defeat. "It is mine, huh?

"Because he's Sir Jecht's son," Lulu answered, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, right," Wakka mumbled and Tidus grimaced, he hated being compared to his old man. He nearly went out to tell them that, but Harry held him back. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop but there was so much he wanted….needed to know about this world. "Wait, you sure 'bout that? He's really Sir Jecht's son?"

"It's hard to say, but Yuna seems to believe so," She would not say definitely but she knew the boy did share some similar looks with the Guardian so she couldn't say no.

"Okay."

"'Okay?' 'Okay?' That's all you have to say?" She snapped in frustration, glaring at him again and Wakka shrugged.

"Well, yeah, I mean…He's gotta decide for himself, ya? Well, him and Yuna, I guess."

"You're right, for once," she shook her head and turned away.

"Ahem!" Wakka crossed his arms, annoyed, then again she annoyed him a lot.

" I wonder which is best…Why don't you tell him he should?"

"Should what?" Wakka asked warily.

"Become Yuna's guardian."

"Why me?"

"Because Yuna can't," Lulu answered, softly. She wasn't sure that this was the right thing to do, but it would make Yuna happy and that was what mattered.

"Why not?"

"He hates his father– what he was, what he did. Do you really think she can possibly say to him… 'I want you to be my guardian, like your father was to mine?'" She whispered, looking away again.

"Aren't you being over-sensitive?" Wakka looked down at the deck as Lulu huffed. "All right, all right. I'll try talking to him after the tournament."

"Be discreet," she warned.

"I know. It's his decision," he mumbled but then looked up at her. "He doesn't like his father?"

"Apparently. He told Yuna as much," she shrugged slightly and then frowned, was that movement? She stared at the shadows before dismissing the,.

"Hating your own father, huh? Sounds like a luxury to me. I don't even remember my parents. Can't say how I feel about 'em."

"I…I was five then, so I remember mine a little," she admitted, opening up a little to Wakka.

"Dammit!" he slammed his fist on deck.

"Hm?"

"Sin just takes everything away from us," he snarled but then calmed. "What about Harry?"

"I think we have no say in what he does," she admitted and Wakka nodded.

"He's powerful, that's for sure."

"Agreed," she left him alone and the two watchers slipped away.

"Try and get some sleep, you've got a busy day tomorrow," Harry old him as they walked towards the guest quarters.

"Are you going to travel with them?" Tidus asked and Harry paused.

"Probably," he slipped into the room and closed the door, leaving Tidus to re-join his teammates for the night.

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Once they docked in Luca, Harry slipped away, not wanting to deal with the crowds a Summoner plus the teams would create. He also wanted to keep his distance from any Maester's who may have come to give their blessing to the games. He wandered the town, it had changed a lot in some ways but in others it was as he remembered. He'd barely stepped foot in the town on his way to Besaid but now he had time to wander. Luca had always been known for Blitzball and he had come to many games before and even during the war. It had been the closest to neutral ground that there had been. It had shrunk some and there was no machina anymore. Once the city of Luca had been a machina city, now all that remained was the pieces used in the stadium. He went into a bar and grabbed a drink plus something to snack on while waiting for the game to begin. Once he was done he left and spotted Yuna surrounded by a crowd, being interviewed and obviously trying to get away. He slipped through and took her elbow. "Time to go My Lady," he told her, and she turned with wide eyes, relaxing as she recognised him.

"Of course, thank you. Please excuse me everyone," she let Harry force their way out of the crowd to find Tidus on the edges, obviously trying to get to her to.

"You're really famous," Tidus grinned and she giggled shyly as they walked away from the crowds and up some stairs to a lookout where they could relax, although Harry remained on guard, just in case.

"Summoners are revered Tidus, especially those with famous family," Harry smiled at Yuna. "there are a lot of expectations on your shoulders, you're strong enough to bare them."

"Thank you," she smiled back at him.

"I hope we don't get separated," she stared out over the town, she barely remembered it from the trip to Besaid so many years ago. She'd still been mourning her Father and Kimahri had wanted to get her to safety fast.

'Yuna!" Tidus called and when she looked at him he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, loudly.

"What was that?" She asked, startled.

Tidus laughed, "In Zanarkand, we do this to cheer on blitz players," he whistled again. "You try it, too! Put your fingers in your mouth like this." He showed her how and she tried.

"Like…this?" no sound really came out.

"Uh-uh. Not like that. Like this. Then, you just blow."

Harry sat on the ledge, struggling not to laugh at the awkward lesson.

"it's not working."

"Practice! Here," Harry got up and tried his hand at helping her get it right.

"Okay." She tried again and it was a lot better, not quite there but closer.

"Hey, use that if we get separated. Then we'll come running, okay?" he glanced at Harry who nodded in agreement. "Well, guess we should just stick together then, till you can do it."

"Yes, sir!" she burst into laughter and Harry grinned at Tidus as well who pretended to sulk. They headed back into town so that Tidus wouldn't be late.

Tidus was surprised by the size of Luca, it still couldn't compare to Zanarkand, but it was bigger than he'd expected. "Whoa! This is a pretty big town!"

"Luca is the second largest city in Spira," Harry told him, eyes roaming the crowd. There were a lot of Al Bhed around, more than just the games could account for. He had nothing against them, he used machina after all when he could find it, but the numbers did make him wary.

"I thought every town was little– you know, like Besaid and Kilika."

"Towns don't usually get bigger than that. Because when a lot of people start to gather…" Yuna trailed off sadly.

"Sin…?" Tidus winced and she nodded. "What about Luca? It's safe here?"

"It's not any different, but the stadium is here. The Crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength," she answered sadly, they fought and died to protect it.

"They protect the stadium?" Tidus was shocked, people fought and died over protecting the game?

"Blitzball's really the only entertainment that we have. Spira's a little short on fun these days," Harry told him, once Sin was gone they could work on finding more than Blitzball to get excited about.

"Whoa! Talk about pressure!" that was more pressure than any game he'd played before.

"That's right!" Yuna laughed, smiling happily. "Is Zanarkand like this, too?" she asked quietly to keep from being overheard.

"Hmmmm. Well, there are more buildings. All tall ones and cramped together."

"Oooooh! They must be so tall! Don't you ever get dizzy?" she asked in shock, eyes wide in wonder. She couldn't imagine buildings like that.

"the roofs make great viewing for games if you live close enough to the stadium and there's people everywhere," Harry added.

"Are you from Zanarkand too?"

"No, just a visitor."

"Let's go find Sir Auron!" she changed the subject, mind spinning over what they had told her. She thought that she would like that Zanarkand better than the one that awaited her at the end of her Pilgrimage.

Harry left Yuna with Tidus to look for Sir Auron, heading for a seller he'd spotted, he wanted to stock up on a few things and he wasn't sure how long they would stay after the tournament. It was as he was heading for the stadium that he spotted Yuna being led away…by Al Bhed, he hated it when he was right. "Yuna!" he called, ignoring them to wrap his arm around her shoulder. "There you are, we're late for the game," he turned them around only for the men to draw weapons and Harry sighed. "We have no quarrel with you," he offered in Al Bhed, shocking them and Yuna.

"Do not interfere stranger," one warned him, and Harry grinned.

Harry threw up a quick shield spell even as he spun, drawing his sword with his free hand as he tucked Yuna carefully away from the line of fire. The first man fell without even seeing him move, he moved that fast. The second began to bring his rifle up only for Harry to cut it in two and then the hilt of his blade impacted the Al Bhed's head, dropping him. It was over in seconds. He looked at Yuna in concern. "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you?"

"No…I'm alright," she assured him, awed by how fast and silently he'd moved. She looked sadly at the men who had taken her, and Harry saw the look.

"They'll live," he assured her.

"Good…did they mention a man named Cid?" she didn't speak the language, but Harry shook his head. "Oh."

"Let's get you back to your Guardians," he gently led her back towards the stadium only to run into Lulu, Tidus and Kimahri. "Looking for us?" he asked cheekily only to receive a glare for Lulu as Tidus chuckled, relieved. "Shouldn't you be playing?" Harry asked him.

"The Al Bhed are playing dirty, throw the game or else. Lulu, the signal!" Tidus turned to the black mage who nodded and sent up a spell into the air.

"Let's go," Harry corralled them back to the stadium. "Why did you ask about a man called Cid with the Al Bhed?"

"He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him," she admitted.

"Wait…So, that means you're Al Bhed, too, Yuna?" Tidus asked as he put together what Harry's question and her answer meant.

"On my mother's side, yes. Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married. But she told me to seek him out if I ever needed help."

"You're worried he was…?"

"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage. The thing about Wakka–he never had much love for the Al Bhed," Lulu warned Tidus and Harry, who nodded in understanding.

They reached the stadium and caught the end of the game on the screen before entering. "We won!" Tidus cheered, spinning Yuna who laughed happily.

"We did it! We're in the finals!" She cheered, hugging him.

"Not the most…graceful win. If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing," Lulu offered coolly.

"Hey, aren't you being just a little unfair?" Tidus snapped at her, sick of hearing people being compared to a dead man, it reminded him too much of home where he was always compared to Jecht.

"Excuse me?" She snarled in return, shocking Yuna.

"I know I could never take Chappu's place. You're the one who told Wakka that, right, Lulu? And I don't think Wakka would ever try to take Chappu's pl–"

"You don't want to finish that sentence," she cut him off and Harry physically got between them.

"Enough. Tidus you should join your teammates, we need to find seats. Good luck," Harry smiled at Tidus who glanced at Yuna, getting a shaky grin from her, so he left.

The headed into the stadium and found seats together on one of the balconies, watching the match and knowing the Aurochs would be playing again next, against the Goers. They all enjoyed Yuna's enthusiasm as Tidus entered the sphere with the team. They cheered whenever he scored and soon the Aurochs were in the lead.

"Unbelievable! The Aurochs win, folks! This is one for the record books!"

"Yay!" Yuna cheered, clapping her hands, as Wakka joined Tidus in the sphere. Harry suddenly lashed out, catching the appearing fiend before it could attack with his blade. In the sphere fiends had appeared around Wakka and Tidus as more appeared throughout the stadium, chaos erupting as Kimahri and Lulu flanked Yuna. They were all awed at least a little by Harry's speed and grace as he worked to keep the area around them clear even as Yuna moved to heal some of those nearest who had been wounded.

Harry paused, protected by a shield as he gathered his magic, unwilling to use a spell from the old days, he sent that magic into the most powerful Flare spell he could manage. As he did so a Maester stepped forward and summoned an Aeon he'd never seen or heard of before, but it soon took care of the fiends his Flare hadn't. "Let's go," he ushered Yuna and the others away from the stadium where they ran into Tidus and a stranger in red.

Yuna gasped and gave the Yevon bow in greeting. "Sir Auron," she was awed by his presence. This man had known and protected her Father on his Pilgrimage.

"Lady Yuna," Auron greeted. "Come, we should leave and let the authorities deal with this."

"Where is Wakka?" Lulu asked as they walked.

"With the team," Tidus answered absently, still trying to work out how the Auron who had watched over him was the same one who had been a Guardian to Yuna's Father. They headed up to the balcony overlooking Luca, where Tidus and Harry had taught Yuna to whistle earlier, watching as Wakka said his goodbyes.

"Are you sure?" Yuna asked gently as he joined them.

"Never liked long goodbyes anyway. Sorry for making you wait, Yuna. I had some promises to keep, ya? From now on, I'm your full-time guardian," he promised with a grin.

"Then welcome back, Sir Wakka," she bowed to him. "Good to have you with us."

"Heeey," he held up hand to stop her, then bowed less deeply in return. "It's good to be back, ya?" he turned to Lulu. "So, any news on what happened?"

"Not really. We don't know where the fiends came from. Maester Mika is safe and sound, thanks to Maester Seymour. That's about it."

"Maester Seymour's aeon… It was so powerful…" Yuna whispered in awe.

Harry wasn't awed but disturbed, there was something…unsettling about that aeon.

"Now that we are all together, get some rest, we start first thing in the morning."

"Hey! Where are you going?" Tidus called as Harry split off from the group, heading for the road.

"Scouting. I need to check on a few things. Don't worry, I'll be back by morning," he promised. Tidus hesitated but then went with the others. Harry watched them go and then took off at a jog, moving into a run once well out of sight, magic augmenting his speed. The High road was rather barren…now. Once there had been many villages along it and some of them had held Fayth. If any of them were still there it would mean access to aeons others lacked. He just had to be back by morning before they left.

TBC…

looking for ideas for town names and which Aeons he will find.