Here we go! I'm going to do my best to post the next chapter up by the end mid week, but I can't make any promises, as I'm struggling to get my thoughts for the next one down in type, LoL, so yeah, my first WRITERS BLOCK has taken place! Hope you like this chapter! Reviews would make my day!
The Other Summoner.
Tidus
The next morning, Lulu decided that Yuna had had enough time to recover from her first Sending, and to be honest, so did I. If she just sat around dwelling on all the hate and pain she'd felt, then it would never leave her. Also, she had to start to get moving, and complete her pilgrimage, before Sin destroyed any more helpless villages like Kilika. It really did take forever to get to all the different places that Lulu had marked on the map. I had been looking at her map last night, and not only were the names of these places extremely odd, but most of them were quite far apart, and Lulu had explained the number of fiends on the roads went up by the day.
I wondered why those people weren't Sent. Maybe they'd had no family, no one to care if they became envious beasts…
Anyway, I was slightly late at pulling myself from bed that morning, so when I came down the stairs of the inn where we were staying, and no one was there, I figured they must have gone on without me. Wakka was still outside, waiting on me, but that wasn't because he had seen I wasn't with the group- he'd had Blitz training that morning, and after that the team had been trying to help the Kilikans rebuild at least a little of their lives.
"Hey, sleepyhead!" he addressed me, usual huge smile dominant of all his other features. I stretched and grinned, attempting to flatten my messy bed-head. It didn't work, and it just ended up in Wakka laughing whole heartedly at me, putting me in a headlock, and dragging me towards the gigantic forest on the east side of Kilika, through which we had to venture to reach the temple. We walked alongside each other, laughing and joking, until we came to voices… they definitely belonged to Yuna and Lulu, as one was soft and meaningful, the other curt and forceful. That, and Kimahri doesn't talk much. Wakka frowned.
"Hey, good morning ladies! Something wrong?" he questioned. Yuna shook her head a little, and glanced at me, blushing her rosy colour, as per usual. I grinned and waved good morning. Lulu's face was exasperated, and her eyes were burning.
Then, she turned to look at me, her eyes relaying a different message to what her lips spoke next.
"Yuna says she wants you with us," she told me, her voice cold. It felt like she was… blaming me for something… like I'd put the idea into Yuna's head. I was just trying to be nice last night, I didn't want anything like this to happen! Wait… what did she mean by 'with us'?
"Um… aren't I already with you?" I asked Lulu, whose nostrils flared. She rolled her eyes heavily, her longer than possibly natural black lashes fluttering in anger. I watched as her moogle's eyes began to glow a startling red colour, alarming me. Luckily, Yuna stepped in.
"Yes, you are already with us, technically. But… what I mean is…" she paused and seemed to be choosing her words carefully, that familiar blush clawing it's way up her cheeks again. "Would you like be my Guardian?"
I was a little shocked by this. Uh oh. Had last night triggered this? I'd only known Yuna for a few days, and she was asking me to Guard her on what was supposed to be a mission to beat the hugest antagonist I'd ever come across? I wasn't all that experienced at anything in Spira yet, and it was more than a little confusing for me.
"Uh…" I trailed off, wondering if I could have possibly sounded like more of an idiot in front of everyone. Lulu smirked, raising a brow. Wakka was next to speak, stepping forth, his face incredulous. Yuna was staring at the ground right now.
"Yuna! What? This is no time for jokes, ya? He may be a Blitzball whiz kid, but up against fiends, he's a newbie," he tried to reason with her, but she only smiled a tiny smile and kept staring at the ground. Wakka had placed his hands on his hips, and was looking from my puzzled face, to Yuna's shy one.
I shrugged at him, when he shot a questioning glance at me, and was about to open my mouth to talk, when Yuna broke the silence, with her soft speech.
"Not a Guardian then, if you all find that so shocking," she smiled again at those words and then looked from Lulu to Wakka earnestly. "I just want him nearby. Please."
"What?!" Wakka demanded. Lulu snorted, and turned on her heel, storming off down the path way.
"What do you mean?" I asked her, the confusion in my head leaking into my voice, making her blush harder. She refused to meet my gaze, and fiddled with one of the sleeves of her kimono.
"It's just that… y-you are Sir Jecht's son!" I thought her voice sounded sort of relieved, like she was glad she'd thought that one up right there on the spot. Yuna sure was a bad liar, I thought. Lulu apparently thought so too, as she stopped walking and turned around, walking towards us a little again before stopping, and raising a brow at Yuna.
"Yuna, can't this wait until later?" she asked, keeping her voice low and inquiring. Yuna sighed and nodded her head, looking defeated.
"I'm sorry, Yuna, I'm just not really sure what's going on," I told her, trying to reconcile her even a little. She nodded, that sad little smile she wore on her face back again. She bowed at me, her Summoner's bow, and she was immediately that professional, influential woman again, not a seventeen year old girl.
"My apologies," she muttered, her voice blank and unrevealing of a single emotion. She caught up with Lulu, and the two of them walked away from us, Kimahri, who had been standing next to Yuna like some colossal, hairy, Guardian Angel, moving directly behind her, one eye on her, the other tearing through the thick trees and foliage to find even the slightest hint of danger. Wakka tugged at my shirt, dragging me a little before speaking.
"What did you say to her?" he demanded, keeping his voice a low hiss.
"Nothing! Last night, I just went to make sure she was okay after the Sending," I told him, and he frowned at me.
"You did what? Oh, man, kid, just promise me you'll keep your distance for a little while, ya?" he asked, his voice little above a heated whisper. I frowned.
"Why?"
Wakka rolled his eyes, and craned his neck ahead to see what Lulu and Yuna were doing, but apparently, they too were in deep conversation. Yuna was staring at the ground, and Lulu was talking quietly.
"Yuna's… a very emotional kid-"
"No, she isn't," I told him. Sure, she'd cried last night, but by the sounds of it, anyone doing what she had done would have wept as well. Apart from that, I found most of her smiles were forced, not so much when she was talking to her Guardians, but to other people, it seemed she always strived to make them happy, despite whatever war was raging inside her.
"Yes, she is! I've known her since she was seven years old, and I know her like she's my own little sister. So, what you gotta do for me, is just keep your distance a little, and try not to make her think you're fit to be a Guardian. 'Cause let's face it, ya? You're new to the whole battling fiends idea, and I wouldn't want to get you hurt, ya know?"
I paused and thought this over before nodding, and slowing up a little, letting Wakka walk ahead of me. My mind was teaming with different emotions, thoughts… I sighed crossly and tried to figure them all out.
Okay, number one, I was confused- but that was obvious, given the way I had gaped at Yuna, Wakka and Lulu, only managing to spit incoherent garbles and ask what was going on over and over again. Why was I confused? Well, I had no idea how you became a Guardian. Did you have to go through perilous tasks, prove yourself worthy to the Summoner by strangling a fiend with your bare hands, or die at the blade of someone's sword that was meant for said Summoner? … I'm staring to sound like those old gruesome faerie tales from Zanarkand that Auron used to tell me. Auron… hadn't dwelt on him in a long time. I wonder what happened to him when Sin-
Getting off track here. Continue straightening out head, focus Tidus. Number two- I was… intrigued. There was no use hiding it. What would it be like to be a Guardian? Yuna's Guardian? Protect her with my life, and make sure no harm ever came to her on her journey? Would I be any good at it? Or would I be a total wash-out just like Wakka predicted? 'He may be a Blitzball whiz kid, but up against fiends he's a newbie'. That stung a little. I mean, I'd helped out with fiends every time we'd come across them, and if Wakka wasn't such a glory hog (man, do I feel bad thinking that- but it's true) I would have gotten more practice in, you know?
A part of me wanted to prove Wakka wrong. Prove I could battle huge fiends, and help destroy Sin. Part of me wanted to gain a smile, or even a nod of approval from Lulu, and her scary moogle. I wanted Kimahri to speak, and tell me how good I was at fighting, or at least acknowledge that I existed. And Yuna… it seemed she already believed in me enough she wanted to entrust her life in my hands, so maybe I wanted to show her that her faith wasn't wasted.
As I thought of her, she glanced back, her face carefully expressionless. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice her shy smile until she'd turned back around, after Lulu told her to concentrate, as the track was uneven.
Psch. Lulu just didn't want me to become a Guardian. But it wasn't up to her. It was up to Yuna and me. And I knew if I could prove to myself and to Wakka that I was able, I'd have no problems.
I figured I'd start out small.]
Pity Spira's always throwing things you really don't want in your direction.
We came to the foot of a gigantic set of steps, white stone, hand carved by the look of things. They were nice to look at, and were only slightly worn, but I guessed that this was because not many ventured up them. It was going to take forever to climb to the top of these. The Besaid Aurochs had been traipsing along behind us, and as I gulped at the prospect of climbing the steps, Datto and Letty came and punched Wakka, playfully in the arm, both grinning in a way I'd decided by now only Besaidian men could. Wakka replied their beaming smiles as Letty spoke, his accent so thick, I had to concentrate hard to grasp what syllables he was producing.
"We pro-pose race, ya?" Wakka laughed at him and put a hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the boiling hot Kilika sun, squinting to see the top of the steps. He sucked air in cautiously and turned on the two shorter men, a wicked smile etched on his face.
"You really think you can beat me, fellas?" he asked them, his accent suddenly becoming much thicker as he addressed his fellow Besaidians. Datto laughed and Letty nodded his head hard. Lulu tutted heavily and rolled her eyes, going to stand next to Kimahri. I looked at the three men, and decided this is how I could begin to prove my worth as being a Guardian. That, and it sounded like fun! I grinned at Wakka, whose eyes widened and lips curved into his familiar huge smile.
"You kiddin' right? Well, if ya wanna get smoked," he slapped my back and we lined up at the foot of the steps.
"Think you guys can beat me, huh? Well, time for me to show you how it's really done!" I cheered. Wakka laughed and tensed, ready to run.
"Don't hold ya breath, kiddo," he muttered. "Yuna? If you would?"
Yuna, who had been quiet up until this moment giggled and walked to the foot of the stairs, sticking her right arm out and clearing her throat.
"Ready?!" she called. We all nodded, sharp and short. Then, Yuna laughed wildly, and sprinted up the steps before any of us had even had time to register what she was doing.
"Hey! No fair!" Wakka yelled after her. Wakka, Datto, Letty and I ran as fast as we could, and soon caught up with Yuna, who, despite having a head start, was wearing a dress, that wasn't really all that suitable for running in. Lulu and Kimahri took their time climbing after us, Lulu's brows raised, yet I thought I saw a ghost of a grin on her face, and I'm pretty sure that behind all the fur, Kimahri was smiling at Yuna. She giggled and grinned back at him, as the Aurochs ran on ahead of us.
Suddenly, they were yelling, crying out at the tops of their voices, running back down the way we'd come.
"L-Look out!" Datto yelped. I ran to the top of the stairs, and saw what seemed to be a gigantic rock. It had a hard exoskeleton, in mossy green colours, a giant purple type mouth in the centre. Lurching at us from either side of the stone platform at the top of the steps were long, thin, tendril like vines, snapping and spitting poison in our direction. They were coiling and squirming to release themselves further from the ground where they had already burst their way through the stone. I gasped, and said the first thing I thought a Guardian would say.
"Protect Yuna!" Lulu nodded and ran to my side as I rammed my sword into the side of the rock hard body of the fiend. My sword reverberated off the shell, sending shocks through me. Lulu cast Fira at the body, and it repelled it at once.
"It's no use! The body repels all of our attacks!" she yelled. I glanced around, to see the vines protecting the body from Lulu's spell, yet they seemed to smoke a little from the Fira spell. An idea sprang to me.
"Lulu! Keep casting spells at it's body! Wakka, Kimahri! Help me destroy the tendrils!" I called to them. Wakka immediately shot his iron implanted Blitzball repeatedly at one vine. It apparently wasn't too strong, as it crumpled and withered after a few hits. Kimahri swept his spear through the other vine, as I swept low at it with my water sword. We were getting weaker, and Lulu looked tired too, and suddenly I felt the same glorious sensation I had back on Besaid after Kimahri had hit me with his spear and I was injured. I glanced back at Yuna, who smiled.
"Thanks!" I yelled. She nodded, casting Cura on Lulu, who took a great breath of relief and threw her moogle on the ground, who raised it's arms up as she did.
"Need a light?" she asked the spawn, smirking as her Firaga spell tore the fiend to pieces, making it screech terrifyingly, and blasts to go off all around us. Eventually, the sound died away, and we were left, triumphant over the fiend.
"Was that what I think it was?" I asked Wakka, panting. He was doubled over, resting his hands on his knees and trying to regain some strength.
"Sorry 'bout dat! Hoped to break you in a little slower!" he joked, standing up straight again, and going to see if Yuna was still prim and perfect as a little flower. She nodded when he inquired if she was alright, and asked him if he was alright, seeing as he had been the one battling the spawn.
"Being a Guardian's tiring," I said suddenly. Lulu glanced at me, looked me up and down, smirked and nodded curtly. YES! Lulu had accepted me! Wakka laughed and nodded his head, and Kimahri was a little further away from Yuna than usual. She was just standing there beaming at me, the sun seeming to make her sparkle. A light breeze was tickling her face, making her hair dance, and when she caught me gazing intently at her, her lovely red hot blush crept up her neck to her face and ears. She looked away, but her mismatched eyes of the ocean and emeralds were still glowing.
"You handled yourself pretty well! You got talent!" Wakka announced at me, slapping my back, making my knees buckle slightly.
"I agree," Lulu added quietly. She didn't say anything more, but that was enough for me. She was sort of, kind of, not really but still- almost accepting me! I felt like I was glowing.
"What are those Sin spawn anyways?" I asked, sheathing my sword and heading to sit on the steps. Wakka tucked his Blitzball under his arm and leaned against the post at the top of the steps.
"Fiends. They fall from Sin's body and are left behind in its wake," it was Lulu speaking, cool and to the point as ever. I nodded, seeing this as being logical. Sin and fiends caused Spira a lot of trouble, so naturally, the two would have paired up to create optimum pain for everyone by now.
"Leave 'em alone, and Sin comes back for 'em. You gotta be quick!" Wakka began to walk towards a much shorter set of steps across from us, leading up to the temple. I stood and followed him, Yuna walking beside Kimahri silently, Lulu surveying us all.
"So… they got fiends is Zanarkand?" Wakka asked me as we began to climb the stairs. I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Just a few. It's a big deal though when one comes into tow- Hey! You believe me about Zanarkand?!" Could it be true? Could Wakka finally believe me, and not believe I was some deranged child who was searching for attention? Wakka shrugged and kept walking.
"I been thinking. Maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries 'em through time. Like a thousand years through time. And then one day, maybe they just pop back, see?"
Lulu stopped dead behind us, and I thought I saw Yuna's already porcelain skin whiten considerably. She edged away from Lulu and I followed her lead, leaving Wakka's side. Lulu was glaring at him, a look of utter disbelief shadowing her lovely face. Wakka was like a bashful teenager, being scolded by his teacher.
"Amazing. Simply amazing!" Lulu's voice was higher than normal, almost… upset I thought. But then her face contorted into the same look of contempt I had seen her wear in Wakka's presence back at the bonfire on that first night in Besaid. She took a step closer, her buckles jostling together, many beads and necklaces clinking off each other, her moogle's eyes glowing that dangerous red colour, as she surveyed Wakka.
"You make up one theory after another! Refusing to face the simple truth. Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere," her voice turned colder, and I thought that that was kind of below the belt, bringing Wakka's dead baby brother into the picture when he was merely being hopeful that he wasn't totally dead and never coming back.
"Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore!" Both Wakka and Yuna flinched at that, and I thought I felt Kimahri stiffen (if that's possible).
"Your brother won't just pop back. Oh, and one more thing. No matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place!" I thought there was some hidden meaning to Lulu's poison drenched words as pure disgust fell from her tongue. Wakka looked more upset by the minute. "No one can replace Sir Jecht, for that matter! And there's no replacement for Lord Braska, either. It's pointless to think about it, and sad."
With that, Lulu stomped past Wakka, totally ignoring him and dragging her heavy dress up the steps. Yuna's shoulders slumped and she glanced at me, biting her lip, her eyes burning, as if to say 'They do this all the time, you know'.
With that look, she took off after Lulu.
"Lu, wait!" she called, lifting her skirts and running to catch up with her only female Guardian, Kimahri staying with Wakka this time, walking alongside him as they carried on, at a far slower pace than the girls up the steps.
Wow. My big moment to shine, become an awesome Guardian, officially- had just been foiled, because something had happened between Lulu, Wakka and Chappu. I thought back, thinking of all the things that I had seen between them since I'd arrived here. The first time I'd met Lulu, she had disregarded Wakka's ability to do anything completely. Then, at the bonfire, he had brought her a little white flower, and somehow, they'd ended up arguing about Chappu again, Lulu looking seriously upset, and Wakka crushing the flower. Then, the next morning, Wakka had tried to stand up to her, and she'd merely smirked. Come to think of it, she was constantly mocking him openly. And what had she meant by no one could replace Chappu?
Maybe… Lulu and Chappu! They were a thing! That was it! Lulu had always been in love with Chappu, hence the reason she was so upset when she had to speak of his death to Wakka. Wakka… Wakka had had loved Lulu… that's why he brought her the flower. Maybe she'd finally picked up on the fact he adored her, and that was what she meant by not being able to replace Chappu?
Any way I looked at it, it seemed both Lulu and Wakka's lives weren't as simple as they seemed on the surface.
We drew up over the top of the steps, and I caught my first glance at Kilika temple. It was similar to Besaid's in the way it was shaped, and the beautiful designs carved into the entrance, but instead of blue gems studded in the carvings, red and orange ones were. There seemed to be some weird heat emitting from these, and I marvelled at how hot the temple was. The red fires were burning strong as I had seen them that day at the Sending, and there were dozens upon dozens of Kilikans about, all praying and whispering thanks and wishes to Yevon. As Yuna passed them, they collapsed to the ground, kissing it and clutching at the hem of her skirt and her hands.
I thought for sure these distraught people were going to trigger all the pain Yuna had felt during the Sending, but after one pained grimace, she managed to put on her fake smile, the one that made me angry, and tell them it was her job, and that they should be thankful to Yevon that their family's souls were at rest in someplace called 'The Farplane.' I didn't ask. My head was so pickled today after all the drama of the morning, that I just wanted Yuna to pray already so we could get on to Luca, and the Blitzball tournament.
We came into a lavish hall just before the Cloister of Trails, to see a man and woman standing together, engaged in a hurried conversation. The woman's skin was dark and shimmering, like the sand I'd seen on the beach in Zanarkand one summer. Her eyes were a boring brown, nothing compared to Yuna's glittering gems. Her hair fell in a long black plait down her back, red ribbons entwined throughout. And… I have to say, for a Summoner, she seemed to be wearing very little. Her yellow bikini was small, and tight, making me embarrassed to look. She appeared to be wearing… how would I describe them… VERY revealing bikini bottoms, black and… stringy. Over this, she had a strange sort of yellow skirt, made of light yellow material, that was laced across the front and came down in two sides on either side of her legs. She wore brown sandals… and a sour expression, as she looked over us. Her nose turned up, and she smirked at the bear like man standing next to her.
"A Summoner? Are you?" she asked Yuna, her voice patronizing. Yuna nodded, smiled (her fake smile) and bowed, graciously.
"I am Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid," she told the woman, who nodded, and didn't shake my outstretched hand. Wakka pressed my arm down to my side, keeping a firm glare at the other woman.
"Dona, from the Isle of Kilika. So…" she paced back and forth a little, eyes tearing over Yuna's small form. Yuna, self conscious as ever blushed and averted Dona's gaze. "You are High Summoner Braska's daughter?" Dona's voice was a tad too disbelieving for my liking, and my fist clenched. I felt Wakka stiffen somewhat too. Dona stopped pacing and glanced at the muscular man. "That's quite a name to live up to." She stopped looking at Yuna then, and her lips mouthed numbers as she counted all of us. She bit her lip, and smiled cruelly.
"And… oh… my, my, my," she hissed, eyes narrowing in pleasure at Yuna's discomfort. "Are these people all your Guardians?! What a rabble! If I recall, Lord Braska only had two Guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have only need for one Guardian! Right, Barthello?" she glanced back at the huge man, who nodded his head stupidly. I snickered, and Dona shot an angry look at me. I sighed, and walked to Yuna's side, slouching.
"Quality over quantity? I don't think you're in any position to preach to Yuna about Guardians, Miss Brawn-over- Brain," I smirked at Dona's disgusted face. I actually felt Lulu's eyes burning into the back of my skull, Wakka sighing inwardly at me, and Yuna let out a muffled giggle. She wasn't disheartened in the slightest by Dona's seething words.
"I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust. I trust them all with my life and to have so many guardians is a joy, and an honour! Even more so than being my father's daughter. Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you; please leave us in peace."
Dona raised a heavily pencilled black brow and smirked, nodding her head slowly.
"Come on Barthello. We're leaving," she snapped her fingers at the idiot who trotted up to her like a puppy dog, cracking his knuckles as he passed me. I snickered. I heard Yuna let out a low breath, and I felt her hands unclench from fists as she glanced back at Lulu. The Black Mage nodded her head, smiling a little at Yuna.
"You sure showed her, Yuna!" Wakka announced, placing a hand on her small shoulder. She smiled, a proper smile and Lulu came and stood beside her too.
"I agree. You certainly handled yourself well; she was just angry that she was such an unpleasant person, that she couldn't have more Guardians if she begged," Lulu slandered the Summoner, something I hadn't been expecting from her. She saw my disbelieving face and sighed.
"I am a Black Mage. Yevon do not particularly indulge in the Black Arts as they so believe me to do, but as long as they are not used for evil, there is no problem. Why, Yevon has a problem with the Black Magic I do not know, seeing as practically all of their Summoners have dabbled in it themselves, or indeed had great Guardians who were Black Mages," Lulu finished her rant with a curt nod of the head and a smirk. I grinned and nodded, and as she, Yuna, Wakka and Kimahri stepped onto the elevator that would carry them down to the Cloister of Trails, I too, hopped on. Kimahri shoved me off.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" I demanded.
"You're not an official Guardian yet, Tidus," Lulu said, her voice plain, emotionless. Wakka smiled apologetically at me and Kimahri folded his huge, bulging muscular arms. Yuna tilted her head a little, sadness painted on her face.
"We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" she promised me, her soft voice earnest and truthful.
"Sure," I nodded, thoroughly disheartened. I thought I had made it, that I qualified to Guard Yuna on her pilgrimage by taking out the gigantic Sin spawn. Apparently not. As the elevator began it's descent, dropped them off, I was leaning over the side to see it return. I didn't hear them speaking, or moving at all, so I figured there were doors beyond. I would have given ANYTHING to be down there helping out. I felt so damn useless sitting around up here, whilst they were down there, helping Yuna.
Then, the doors to the Chamber opened, and Dona and Barthello entered, Dona chattering away. She stopped when she saw me, face puzzled.
"Where's Yuna?" she asked, clicking at me rudely. I raised a brow and clicked towards the lift. She looked even more confused. "Then why aren't you there?" I shrugged.
"Not an official Guardian yet, am I?" I asked her, spite clawing it's way up my throat. I didn't intentionally mean to be rude… it just came out. She smirked then, and sauntered closer to me, Barthello following, always by her side.
"Not an official Guardian, you say?" she laughed then, throatily and evilly for a Summoner, and clicked at Barthello, who stooped over, and swung me over his shoulder. I kicked and beat at his back with my fists, but he seemed to be made of freaking stone!
"Hey! Dona! What's going on?!" I yelled at her. I heard the throaty laughter again, and her voice ran through her next words like syrup.
"Just a little game, darling," she told me. I heard her click, and Barthello dumped me on the elevator, shoving it down, so it creaked and wheezed to the bottom.
"Not good, not good…" I muttered to myself. I glanced up and saw Dona and Barthello standing over the top, both laughing at me. "JERKS!" I yelped at them, shaking my fist. Screw them. I decided if I could make my way through two separate Cloister of Trails, then I must be a worthy Guardian. Standing, I brushed myself off, entering into the stone room.
It was basically the same construction as Besaid, except there were roaring red flames everywhere you turned, and a lot of stuff was burning. I had to solve a hell of a lot of puzzles, and dump those spheres around to manage to find the door that led to the Inner Chamber. There spheres had some sort of jinx on them that disallowed me from carrying more than one anywhere at one time, and it began to really get on my nerves. Finally though, I inserted the correct sphere, and the roaring flames died away, leaving my path to the door clear.
I pushed it open, and entered into the Chamber, where Wakka was pacing, Kimahri was still as stone beside the grand set of stairs, just like Besaid, and Lulu was sitting on the bottom step. As I entered, she sharply jumped up, her moogle falling from her lap to the ground and springing up, scowling at me as she was. Wakka yelped and ran to me, frustration apparent as he shook his head and cuffed the back of my head.
"Hey! It wasn't me! Dona and The Brainless Bodyguard dumped me down here!" I protested, not wanting to get in trouble for something that wasn't my fault. I'd sat up there and waited for them like a boring good boy. Lulu sighed heavily.
"But Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!" she insisted, glancing up the steps. No sign of Yuna coming out any time soon. I raised a brow.
"… Consequences?" I asked her. She sighed.
"Yuna could be excommunicated for your actions," she spat at me, anger laced into her words as she tried to remain calm in the supposed Holy room.
"What's in there anyways?" I asked Lulu, who rolled her eyes heavily and turned away from me, her moogle mimicking her actions.
"The Fayth," Wakka told me. I didn't wanted to sound completely idiotic, but I was really curious.
"And the Fayth are…?" I trailed off, glancing around the room for answers to my questions. I heard Lulu's tutting noise, and then she span around, glaring at me, ready to hit me with a fact from her encyclopaedic mind.
"The Fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies." Lulu glanced up the steps to see the door still firmly locked and pursed her thick plum coloured lips before turning to me again, her expression weary. Her moogle collapsed beside her, lifeless, a child's toy once more. "Now they live forever, trapped in statues. But when a Summoner beckons, the souls of the Fayth emerge once again."
She stopped speaking for a moment, taking a deep breath and blessing herself.
"That is what we call an Aeon."
No one spoke after Lulu told me that, we all just either stood or sat in silence, awaiting Yevon hearing Yuna's prayer. I hoped He did- I knew if given the opportunity and the right Guardians, Yuna could defeat Sin. She just needed a little confidence boost.
When she emerged from the Chamber of the Fayth, she looked exhausted, and sick. Her skin was pasty, and sweat mottled, her hair knotted, her eyes weary and her shoulders slumped in fatigue. She didn't stumble down the stairs as she had in Besaid, but when she reached the bottom, she clutched onto Kimahri's fur.
That's when I heard it. The song. It was chilling, yet romantic and beautiful, making my head swim. It was a Hymn I remembered well from my childhood, and in that instant, I knew for definite that Spira and Zanarkand were connected somehow. This Hymn was just too much of a coincidence. I was so confused. We were connected, yet I didn't know anything of Spira, and Zanarkand had been destroyed by Sin 1000 years ago. My head was swimming as we left the temple, and emerged out into the courtyard, walking slowly back down the steps to the forest, so we could get back to the docks and sail to Luca.
As I trailed behind the rest of the group, Yuna waited on me, and as I drew up beside her, she gazed at me with worried eyes.
"Tidus…? Are alright? You look angry," she told me, her voice slightly scared at the thought of something troubling me. I shook my aching head and then rethought that answer.
"I don't honestly know," I told her truthfully. She laughed softly at me, and I couldn't resist glancing at her face to see her real Yuna smile.
"What do you want to do?" she asked me, hoping to make me feel slightly better. I sighed and replied honestly.
"To scream real loud," I told her, laughing at myself. She laughed too, and stopped, standing next to me as I puzzled on my next moves. She tilted her head and her eyes opened quizzically at me, her mouth quirking into a smile.
"Why don't you?" she asked me, her voice deadly serious. So, I did as the Lady Yuna, Summoner from the Isle of Besaid, Daughter of High Summoner Braska asked.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I received many side long glances after that, and Yuna giggled at Lulu's disgusted face, carrying on walking. She was right, I did feel substantially better after that little moment.
"Feel better?" she asked me, and I laughed nodding. She smiled at that, and turned her face forwards, fiddling with her sleeve. Now I was over my temporary annoyance, I truly wanted to know about what happened in the Chamber of the Fayth.
"Hey Yuna, are you okay? You looked a little sick when you came out of the Chamber of the Fayth," I stated, and she glanced up at me, raising her brows.
"Did I? I suppose I felt fine… maybe a little light headed. But… it takes a lot of energy to pray for an Aeon. I want to Summon my new Aeon, and see what he looks like," she said, her voice suddenly excited. I smirked.
"How'd you know it's a boy?" I asked. She cocked her head to one side, chuckling.
"Oh, I can tell," she replied, smiling at me. I laughed at that, and we carried on back to the boats, talking, just like that, laughing as Wakka and Lulu had more arguments, as Kimahri just shook his head at them, and went to stand in between them to avoid more bickering. As we reached the docks and boarded the boat that would take us to Luca, Wakka laughed and threw his arm round my shoulder, cheering loudly.
"Finally, off to Luca! And Tidus? What's our goal?!"
I laughed at him, and jumped in the air.
"VICTORY!"
Sorry there's not really much big happening in this chapter, but it had to be done. I don't really like it, and am kind of glad it's over and done with, LoL. But, I'll let you guys be the judge of that! Thank you for every one who has read and reviewed, I owe you guys a lot of Oreos!
