"Al Bhed Blue"
Chap 7
"Chappu?"
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I was hanging out behind our main machina weapon; my left arm again preventing me from doing any important jobs. The past few days I mostly assisted with the transportation of weapons off of our ship all the way to the top of Mushroom Rock. For the most part I was just taking care of some weak fiends with a few one handed slices of my sword.
It wasn't just the Crusaders that had made it out for the Operation. There were some Yevonites and a Maester or two; at least that was what I was told. I wasn't sure why, wasn't Yevon against the use of machina? Besides, all these higher-ups seem to do is give evil glares at us Al Bhed, but then supporting looks to the Crusaders. It didn't make much sense to me, then again a lot of Spira didn't make sense in my opinion…
"Tidus!" Jekud ran up behind me, smiling like it was the best day of his life. "Can you believe it? Our cannons are working great! We're finally going to defeat Sin…" he said, in Al Bhed. Our broken conversations from months ago we're now gone, I had gotten a real grasp on the Al Bhed language. Basic conversation was easy.
I nodded at his comment. Our cannons we're at the best possible conditions available under such tight time constraints. However, the main weapon is the reason I wasn't smiling.
I should have fought to help them. I know I'm still not trusted completely but if they had given me a chance…I could have changed the large machina into something worth fearing. This was supposed to defeat Sin? The Sin that destroyed Zanarkand? There wasn't a chance, but I at least hoped it would hurt Sin in some way. Perhaps we could fight him later with a more powerful weapon.
A large roar signaled the machina being turned on. To my ears it didn't sound very good, but all my friends cheered. It was time…
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The ground shook. From the beach to the south of us, where the Crusaders waited, fiends in cages begin slashing and clawing. Then as we planned their cages are released. At that moment I looked out over the water; a giant shadow covers all that I can see. It rises, and I see Sin. This appropriately named giant hulking mass of destruction pauses and I hear a cry from one of the Crusaders. "Let's go!"
Our cannons fired, all of them hitting their target. I see the men on big yellow chocobos go flying down the beach. But…when Sin is hit…his skin falls to the ocean and then transforms into an army of these jellyfish-like fiends. My mouth is wide as I watch Sin drop his outer skin made out of even more fiends. A large barrier of energy surrounds him. The barrier extends outwards, towards the Crusaders. The chocobos, along with men are fighting the fiends in the water. The barrier reaches them…
"Cred!" yells Jekud, as we witness everything being disintegrated, turned into particles. I hear men yelling as I take a few steps towards the ocean.
"Kad nayto! Kad nayto!" Who is that? I looked to my right to see Brother running towards the giant machina. I could recognize that voice anywhere.
In less than a few minutes the machina is powered up and ready to go. In the control area I can see a friend, Mekid, slam the energy blast button. My head turns in the direction of the laser; I watch as the huge energy beam hits Sin. The barrier holds. Cred. It begins to extend towards us. The machine shakes, it's a matter of minutes before it explodes. Looking around I see that Jekud is gone. Where is he?
"Ahhhh! Cred! Cred!" cries Brother, to my right. A piece of the collapsing tower had hit him square in the chest.
Suddenly there is a voice in my head. In the water, get in the water! Don't cry…you always cry…
"My old man?" I said aloud, half to myself. Whatever that was, it was right. I needed to get into the water. Adrenaline pulsing through my veins, I grabbed Brother and dragged him from underneath the fallen debris, a steel beam. How he was still alive I had no idea. My left arm was useless; my right arm was now somehow managing to carry both a nearly lifeless Brother and I into the ocean. I blacked out.
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I woke up with my face covered in sand. I rolled over as I began coughing water out from my lungs. Where was Brother? My surroundings told me I was on the south beach, where the Crusaders had once stood. How could this have gone so wrong?
"I see you're still here."
My head snapped to the direction of the voice. Looking up I saw a man dressed in red. He wore a pair of sunglasses; a large scar was over one eye. It was Auron. My response wasn't very graceful, as all I could do was cough and hack. I wasn't sure if it was because I nearly drowned or because of my surprise.
He continued, "Many stories ended here today…but…yours goes on, I see."
"What?" I coughed. He walked a bit away and started a conversation with what looked like a Maester. His words echoed in his mind. Why was I still alive? My friends…Jekud…Mekid…and now even Brother?
This is it. This is your story. It all begins here…
The words come from my own memory. Who had said that? Auron, wasn't it? I had begun there, back in Zanarkand. But where does it all end?
I sat up, the only thing I could do at this moment. My sling was broken; my left arm hung at my side in incredible pain. After a bit Auron returned. Before he got a word out, I just let everything I had kept bubbled inside; I let all the confusion and indecisiveness and all the fear and all the sadness get the best of me.
"You! It was you! You're the one who started this all…you're the reasons I'm here! Why did this have to happen! What is Sin? And how do you know my old man?!" I must have asked him about twenty questions before he responded.
Auron's face held the neutral expression I had seen many a time in Zanarkand. "Sin is Jecht." He said.
"What?"
"Sin is Jecht. Jecht is Sin." He repeated.
It was…insane. It took my mind forever to grasp what he was saying. How can my dad be that…that thing? But…even as I said this I remembered the voice in my head. The way I had almost felt my old man's stupid stare from behind…
"He came here for you."
"What? Why?" What was he saying? Sin came all the way to this place…killed all these people…to see me? It seemed incredulous…but everything here in Spira was incredulous. The fact that I went from my city to a place one thousand years in the future is incredulous. Was it really that hard to believe?
"So…he killed all those people…just to see me?"
Auron nodded slightly. "That's what Sin does. He wanted to show you that. Do you know why?"
I shook my head, no.
"So you would kill him. As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing. He wants you to stop him."
"You…you…how…how can I…how do you know all of this?" My mind raced from question to question.
Auron didn't answer. His hand, which had been out of view until now, held a sort of bag or pack. He threw it at me, right into my chest, which elicited a groan.
"What gives?" I asked.
"Change into those. This is your story…Jecht would have wanted you to accompany Summoner Yuna. In order to do so you cannot look like an Al Bhed."
He walked away before I could respond. I was supposed to accompany a summoner? My old man would have wanted me to? What the hell? Auron expects me to just drop everything and blindly follow him?
I looked along the beach, no sign of Brother. All around me the shore was just full of destruction. Who's to say there were any survivors besides Auron and myself? At the moment I was helpless, afraid, and above all else confused. As desperately as I wanted to look for Brother, for Jekud and other survivors, I knew that I had to follow Auron. Auron was my only connection to Zanarkand…and he seemed to have all the answers.
Sighing, I hobbled over to an alcove on the shore. I quickly changed, switching my comfortable Al Bhed attire with a stiff Crusader uniform. I took off my goggles for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. I immediately closed my eyes as the brightness of the sun infiltrated one of my senses. I gave them a while to adjust, letting the goggles hang from my neck.
I walked back onto the open shore, seeing Auron and a group of other survivors. They all turned towards me as they heard me approach. Everyone's jaw dropped with the exception of Auron.
I felt naked. I realized this must be what every Al Bhed feels like. Their goggles off, their green eyes with swirls open for the whole world to see and take notice. The sign of the heathens. However, my eyes were blue. Why did these people stare? I noticed there was one who looked like a blitz player for the Besaid Aurochs. He looked as if he saw a ghost.
"Chappu…" he muttered. "Chappu…is…is…is this a trick of the pyreflies?" he asked, in a heavy island accent.
The woman, dressed all in black, had a similar expression.
Auron turned to face me. "He is the son of Jecht, Tidus. He wishes to accompany the summoner as a guardian." Auron looked at the other girl, dressed in a robe and holding onto a staff. She must be the summoner he was talking about. And this must be the group of guardians, then.
"The son of Sir Jecht?" She asked. Auron nodded. "I would be honored to have him as a guardian. Especially a Crusader who fought so bravely today."
Crusader? Oh, she meant me. I forgot about these clothes. The girl, who I now assume to be Yuna, turned towards me and did the old blitzball cheer sign. Her hands formed into a circle, and then a bow. Did she know I played blitzball? Was it a reference to how my old man was a blitzball player?
I decided to mimic her action, hoping that it was appropriate. I didn't get any funny looks so I figured it must have been suitable.
A big blue thing, which must be one of those Ronsos that Jekud had told me about, came walking forward. He looked me up and down then put himself behind Yuna. Another guardian maybe?
The tall man, the Auroch player, extended a hand. I shook it and he smiled. "The name's Wakka, ya?"
The woman at his left, dressed all in black, smiled also. "My name is Lulu. It's nice to meet you." I don't know what it is, but her blood red eyes told me she had a lot of experience with events like this. She was strong.
Yuna smiled again. I decided I liked her smile. It reminded me of Rikku. Rikku…was I ever going to see her again? I don't have time to further ponder the thought as Yuna begins to speak. "Tidus…Sir Jecht was a great man. He was gentle, always kind to me."
I gave her a funny look. "My old man? That doesn't sound like him. He was always…rather hard on me." I decided to just dismiss the comment with this. I really didn't feel like talking about my father right now. There were too many questions.
Wakka stretched a hand the north. "We're on our way to Djose Temple. The fiends there are somewhat difficult, we could always use an extra hand."
I nodded. Me, a guardian? This was going to be…interesting.
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The Ronso began walking north, and soon we all followed. I stayed near the end, with Auron. He didn't seem like the guy to talk, so I didn't force him. But perhaps he'll begin to answer some of my questions.
I left Operation Mi'ihen behind. I took one last look, right in time to see an Al Bhed run across the beach. Jekud? Brother? A shot of panic ran through me. I can still turn back and rejoin the Al Bhed…
"Let's go." Auron's voice interrupted my thoughts and prodded me forward, as we headed to the Djose Highroad.
