Sorry for the wait. Work has been a bit intense. Here's an extra long chapter since it's almost Christmas.
Tidus awoke with a start and a stiff neck. It took him a disorientated moment to realize he'd fallen asleep on the sofa by the fire. The fire had since died into grey ashes but its light had been replaced by the morning sun. He pushed aside the knitted blanket someone had draped over him and stood. Stretching his arms over his head and yawning he wandered into the foyer. Just as he entered Datto came through the door and cast around.
As his eyes fell on Tidus, he grinned, "You look terrible," he said candidly.
Tidus shrugged, he probably did.
"Captain Wakka's waiting for you," Datto told him, "He's near the dock with the rest of the guys." The blitzer turned and wandered back out the door.
Tidus yawned again and followed him. Outside the rising sun reflected glaringly off the tropical waters and the sounds of the villagers working to repair their decimated town. Tidus was impressed at how much repair had been done already. Walking in the direction of the dock he passed a young woman who'd passed on the jetty and was staring out to sea. Her eyes had taken on a vacant appearance.
Tidus paused, "Are you okay?" he asked.
The girl looked at him, "I don't know," she said softly, "They tell me I breathed in Sin's toxin but I don't remember. I don't remember anything. Do you know who I am?"
As Tidus shook his head slowly the girl sighed and wandered away. The blitzer carried on toward the dock but kept looking back over his shoulder, watching as the girl walked aimlessly along the walkway. Not paying attention he almost slammed into the back of Wakka, who stood at the end of the pier watching the rest of the Aurochs as they worked to free a mired boat.
"Ah there you are," the captain said upon seeing him he turned back to his team, "Besaid Aurochs! Huddle!"
The other Blitzers stopped what they were doing and climbed back onto the pier.
"On to the temple," Wakka told them with a grin, "Where we pray for victory!"
The Aurochs cheered and punched the air in enthusiasm before jogging back the way Tidus had come. Wakka began to follow at a more sedate pace, "High Summoner Ohalland used to live at the temple here in Kilika," he started as he walked, "Yep, Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzer, you know?"
Tidus gave a non-committal grunt, he had something else on his mind. He couldn't stop thinking of the look in the girl who'd breathed in the toxin, "Wakka?"
"Hmm," Wakka glanced at him.
"Praying for victory's all good, but is this right?"
"Something wrong with enjoying Blitzball?" the captain asked good-naturedly.
"Is this really the time," Tidus clarified looking at the ruins of Kilika.
Wakka stopped and looked at him, "This is the only time. The players fight with all their strength, the fans cheer for their favourite team. They forget pain, suffering... only the game matters! That's why blitz has been around for so long," he paused, "Least that's what I think."
Tidus frowned, "Whatever you say," he didn't sound convinced.
"Let's play…and win!" Wakka clapped him on the shoulder, "Right?"
Tidus gave a firm nod, "Right!"
"Gotta look on the bright side," Wakka told him with a grin then turned and pointed past the village, "The temple's beyond that jungle there. Let's go."
Tidus followed the Blitzball captain to the other end of town where one of the larger walkways ran onto the island and into the jungle. A path had been cut through the tall, lush trees and at the start of the path Lulu, Yuna and Kimahri stood waiting.
The former two were discussing something and Lulu didn't look pleased by what she was hearing.
"What's up?" Wakka called as they approached.
The black mage looked at Tidus, "Yuna's saying she wants you wish us," she said not sounding pleased either.
Tidus looked at the summoner in surprise, "Huh?"
Yuna turned to him, looking faintly embarrassed, "I want to ask you…to be my guardian," she said hesitantly.
"Yuna! What? This is no time for jokes, ya?" Wakka sounded immensely surprised and slightly exasperated at what he was hearing, "He may be a Blitzball whiz kid but up against fiends he's a newbie!"
Yuna frowned and looked at her feet, "Not a guardian then, I just want him nearby," she said.
Wakka's mouth dropped open and he exchanged a significant look with Lulu.
Tidus suddenly had a terrible urge to grin, "What do you mean?" he asked Yuna instead.
"It's just that, well…" she started but Lulu interrupted impatiently.
"We're all going to the temple anyway," she pointed out, "Can't this wait till later?"
Yuna nodded in agreement, "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have," she said to Tidus.
The blonde blitzer shook his head, "There's nothing to be sorry about, I'm just not really sure what's going on," he told her.
"My apologies," Yuna looked up and met his eyes. Tidus blinked a few times as the morning light reflected off her eyes. For the first time he noticed her right iris was green as appose to blue like her left. He wondered what it meant but before he could dwell on it Kimahri stepped up behind Yuna.
The young summoner smiled up at her Ronso guardian and turned to walk down the forest path with him following close behind. Lulu gave him a significant look before following.
Tidus turned a baffled look on Wakka but the captain just shrugged.
"Don't worry about it," he said half sounding like he was imparting the advice to himself as well.
Tidus followed the group at a short distance behind suddenly feeling a bit out of place. After a short distance the path opened out a bit and Tidus could see a stone bridge a short distance away. Over it a large plant seemed to have grown, blocking off the way through. Closer to them the other Aurochs stood waiting, looking bored and behind a squat stone covered in carvings, two people crouched. They seemed to be watching the bridge.
As the group approached the Aurochs and the two men turned and Tidus recognized the men as Luzzu and Gatta.
Gatta stood and approached them, "Company halt!"
Yuna looked a bit surprised then giggled at the young man's enthusiasm. Luzzu came to stand next to his friend, "Hello Lady Yuna," he greeted, "Are you headed for the temple?"
Yuna nodded.
"The way's blocked I'm afraid," the older crusader explained jerking a thumb over his shoulder, "That fiend's taken up permanent residence on the bridge."
Tidus looked around the two Crusaders at the bridge but couldn't see any thing other than the over grown plant, "What fiend?" he asked.
"Ochu, Lord of the Wood," Gatta explained.
Tidus looked at the bridge again, "That plant?" he said incredulously.
Wakka chuckled next to him, "Yeah I can see how it would look that way,' he said, "But that fiend's not to be taken lightly."
"Can't you just burn it?" Tidus asked.
"Good thinking," Luzzu said, "Ochu is vulnerable to fire magic."
"But it will take more than one attack," Lulu said, "And Ochu's tentacles are poisoned."
"We'll keep the tentacles off you," Wakka said catching Tidus' head in the crook of his elbow, "You just keep casting, ya?"
"You're gonna fight this thing?" Gatta asked suddenly sounding disbelieving. The Aurochs knew their captain well enough and had started backing off to a safe distance.
Wakka shrugged, "We gotta get to the temple," he turned to Tidus and Kimahri, "Wait until Lu casts her first fire spell. It'll be distracted and in pain, then we attack!"
"Right!" Tidus agreed unsheathing the blue sword on his back. Kimahri merely nodded, he already sported a new spear since his last one had been chopped in half. As Lulu stepped forward Tidus was surprised to see she cradled a small stuffed teddy under one arm. The blitzer looked questioningly at Wakka who laughed.
"That's a Moogle," he explained, "It channels magical energy and allows Lulu to do spells. It works the same way as Yuna's staff."
Tidus nodded in understanding and took up position next to the Blitzball captain. As they slowly approached the fiend he felt the tingly sensation of magic being channelled near by and heard Lulu murmur the word Fire. An instant later a bout of flames raged over the fiend on the bridge. Immediately the fiend, which was looking less and less like a plant, sprouted four long writhing tentacles. Tidus didn't know how but Ochu made a long keening sound, a mixture between a groan and a howl.
The sound gave him goose bumps but he had little time to contemplate it as the green vine-like tentacles snaked forward, trying to get at Lulu. Tidus quickly leapt up to intercept one and, doing an expert back flip, sliced it away. To his surprise the tentacle wasn't sliced completely through by the attack, they were tougher than they looked.
Spinning around to intercept another tentacle Tidus felt another sense of movement behind him but before he could even think to turn a Blitzball hurtled past his head and smacked the tentacle hard enough for Ochu to retract it in pain. Tidus raised an eyebrow as Wakka jogged a few steps forward and caught the ball on the rebound.
"My kinda weapon," he grinned spinning the Blitzball on one finger and heading back into the fray.
"Never would have thought of that," Tidus muttered to himself adjusting his grip on his sword and searching for the next target. As a second fire spell from Lulu washed over the fiend, Ochu roared again and lashed out violently with all his tentacles. Kimahri and Tidus both intercepted one each with ease but Wakka wasn't quite quick enough and before he could throw his Blitzball the end of the giant feeler lashed him across the chest. He instantly dropped like a stone.
"Wakka!" Lulu cried instinctively faltering in the process of casting another spell. Yuna hurried to the Blitzball captain side, despite the danger and knelt at his side.
Turning at Lulu's shout Kimahri hurried to stand in front of Yuna as she cast healing magic on Wakka, leaving Tidus to deal with two of the tentacles while the Ronso dealt with the other two. Seeing how the poison had incapacitated Wakka so easily Tidus concentrated on dodging and, by quickly adapting a spinning kick usually used in Blitzball, he managed to slice at both the tentacles at once. The first feeler, already damaged from his earlier attack was severed cleanly and the second retreated enough for him to turn and see what was taking Lulu so long to cast another fire spell.
What he saw surprised him. Lulu had frozen, staring at Wakka's still form. A fear he wouldn't have expected from her was evident upon her face as well as the pain of an old memory. The black mage looked as though she were reliving a nightmare.
"Lulu!" he yelled recklessly.
She looked at him in surprise then up at Ochu. A look of determination and anger returned to her face and with a firm nod she raise a hand and brought in down in a slashing motion.
"Fire!" she cried as tendrils of blue light surrounded her and latent magic was woven into a powerful fire spell.
Ochu writhed violently as the spell burned him and with a final scream of pain the giant fiend slumped over in defeat and dispersed into many Pyreflies. Tidus and Lulu immediately hurried over to where Yuna knelt beside Wakka, who was just sitting up. The Aurochs also came jogging up having seen their captain fall.
"You okay?" Datto asked.
"Yeah," Wakka said looking a little embarrassed.
Tidus glanced sidelong at Lulu but the black mage showed no signs of concern. Yuna straightened as Wakka stood slowly. Luzzu and Gatta who'd also retreated to a safe distance earlier headed back toward them in the wake of Ochu's defeat.
"Whoa, that was amazing," Gatta enthused.
"Very impressive," Luzzu agreed with a smile.
"Sir, we should fight to," Gatta added.
"We'll get our chance soon enough," Luzzu told him with a knowing look. The younger Crusader nodded in agreement and turned to lead the way back down the path, "Young crusaders gather round," he began to chant, "We'll beat Sin into the ground!"
"Good luck," Luzzu said to the group by way of farewell before following Gatta down the path.
Wakka looked after them with a calculating expression, "Wonder what they're being so secretive about."
"We should be getting on," Lulu reminded him.
It didn't take the party long to navigate the remainder of the forest. The path was clear and even, running between the trees deeper inland. Before long the pathway met up with some wide stone steps, which rose impressively up a hill and out above the trees. About halfway up the many stairs, as soon as they'd broken cover and could see the ocean over the top of the forest, Wakka turned to Tidus.
"These stone steps have a history you know?" he told him. The captain paused as if waiting to see if the comment would jog Tidus' memory.
The blonde blitzer made a murmur of interest and Wakka looked vaguely disappointed, "Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak," he concluded.
"The Blitzball player? I can't imagine a summoner playing Blitzball," Tidus said truthfully as they reached the top of one set of stairs. In front of them a large round plaza was built into the side of the hill and on the other side the stairs continued on.
"They're not all like Yuna," Wakka laughed then paused as he noticed Lulu, who'd been leading, had stopped to study the ground.
"There were Sinspawn here," she commented. Wakka and Tidus came forward to inspect the ground also. The stones of the plaza seemed to have been shifted and some of them were cracked. Greenish, brown stains were on others and a faint acrid smell hung in air. Tidus made a face at the stink; it smelled far too familiar to him. It smelt just like Sin.
"What are these Sinspawn anyway?" Tidus asked.
"Fiends. They fall from Sin's body, and are left behind in its wake," Lulu told him still studying the marks.
"Leave 'em alone, and Sin comes back for 'em. You gotta be quick," Wakka added.
"Yeesh," Tidus commented dryly, "Fiends, Sinspawn…being a guardian must be tiring."
"It can be," Wakka agreed as the party moved on, "But I saw you fight. You handled yourself pretty well. You got talent."
"Nah," Tidus ducked his head, surprised at his awkwardness at the praise. He knew Yuna wanted to make him one of her guardians but he'd never considered he'd actually be good enough to do it.
Tidus figured they were closer to the temple as they started up the next flight of stairs because the Aurochs began to jog ahead. Just before they also would have reached the top however Wakka paused.
"So, uh…they got fiends in Zanarkand too?" he asked suddenly.
Tidus stopped and turned, "Just a few, it's a big deal if one shows up though," he said then frowned, "Hey, since when do you believe me about Zanarkand?"
Wakka shuffled his feet uncomfortably, "I've been thinking," he started. Just ahead of them the others had also paused, interested by the conversation.
"Maybe people Sin gets to don't die," Wakka went on, sounding hopeful, "Maybe Sin carries them through time, like a thousand years through time. And then, one day, maybe they just pop back, see?"
Tidus narrowed his eyes slightly. Did Wakka seriously think he was his dead brother? Before he could say anything however Lulu's voice came back down to the, sounding more scornful than ever.
"Amazing, simply amazing," she sneered, "You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth. Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore! Your brother won't just pop back." Lulu looked angry as she turned to carry on but paused her back still turned.
"Oh, and one more thing," she added, "No matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place. 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." The black mage continued up the stairs without a backward glance. Kimahri followed after a moment and Yuna, who looked shocked, hurried after them after giving Wakka a sympathetic look.
The Blitzball captain was staring at the ground between his shoes, his brow furrowed and his face tight with pain. Tidus opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find any words.
"Damn it," Wakka cursed suddenly, "I…I could never be what Chappu was," he looked up the stairs were the others had disappeared, "Well, stuff happens, he added flippantly, "Best not to worry." He headed up the stairs; his shoulders set stubbornly back so as not show his pain.
Tidus lingered for a moment wondering exactly what had happened between Lulu, Wakka and Chappu. His arrival seemed to have reopened an old wound between the black mage and the Blitzball captain. Scowling, Tidus started to follow the others slowly. It was none of his business, he decided. Reaching the top of the stairs he took a moment to marvel at the sight of the Kilika Temple, built on the side of main peak of the island. It had the same feel as Besaid's temple but was much larger. A few people milled around in the courtyard in front of the temple.
In the centre of the courtyard a recess covered by a clear flat dome seemed to contain a sphere of ever burning fire. It didn't seem to need fuel or air. Tidus watched it for a moment then walked purposefully around it. All around the courtyard torches burned incessantly. It was odd considering the heat of the tropical island in the full daylight but he decided to dismiss it for the moment as he caught up with the others. Wakka was with the Aurochs in front and had just been approached by what was unmistakably another Blitzball team. The other team of six players were dressed primarily in purple and yellow and their leader, who was no doubt also their captain, gave the Aurochs a condescending look.
Wakka seemed to recognize them, "You here to pray for victory too?" he asked them.
The red haired leader gave a smirk, "Us pray? Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win," he declared.
"Oh yeah?" Wakka countered, "Then why are you here then?"
"We've been praying for some competition," one of the other players told him.
"So what's your goal this time?" another Goer mocked, "You gonna 'do your best' again?"
"Ha, it's too bad your best isn't good enough," the captain added with a snort, "Why even bother showing up?"
Tidus made a face and walked up to next the Aurochs, "This time we play to win," he told the Goers defiantly.
The leader looked at him with a smirk, "Play away," he challenged as he walked past the blonde blitzer dismissively then paused and leaned over, "Just remember even kids can play," he added. The rest of the Luca Goers followed their captain, laughing.
Wakka spun on his heel, "See you at the finals," he called to their retreating backs. The others Aurochs muttered amongst themselves as they walked toward the double stone doors of the temple, the others began to follow but Tidus continued to glare at the retreating Goers. It didn't matter if the Besaid Aurochs were the worst team in the whole of Spira, which it seemed they were, Tidus had always believed and had always told his team-mates, don't run down the other team. For one thing it psyched them up to be better players.
"We'll beat them," he muttered to himself, "We have to."
Yuna had just been passing him as he said it and she paused, "You know that team?" she wanted to know.
Tidus shook his head, "Putting people down," he said angrily, 'They're as bad as my old man."
Yuna looked dismayed, "But Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man," she protested.
Tidus snorted derisively before he could stop himself, "Well," he said, trying not to sound too bitter, "Not my Jecht."
"I see," Yuna replied softly before continuing into the temple.
Tidus scowled again, he couldn't help but get angry every time he thought abut his father. He hadn't meant to snap but his anger at the Goers and at the memory of his old man had overridden his common sense. He'd once mused that he had anger at is father in the same way others had fond thoughts of theirs as a way of keeping him. He didn't think that was likely however.
With a resigned sigh, Tidus steeled himself and entered the temple. The interior was almost identical to that of Besaid Temple only better lit due to an abundance of lit open fire torches. Opposite the entrance a flight of stairs, flanked by two statues, led to the Cloister of Trials. He noticed Wakka and the Aurochs were already kneeling before one of the many statues, praying. The others stood behind them, waiting. As Tidus approached he heard Wakka murmur, "Lord Ohalland, guide our feet."
Tidus smiled at the captain's deep desire to win but couldn't bring himself to pray with the team. Beside him Yuna turned suddenly at the sound of the door to the Cloister opening. Tidus followed her line of sight and saw a woman and a man exit. The woman was dressed in the minimalist clothing of an islander but carried a sense of style while the man was heavily muscled but, judging by his expression, not too bright. Tidus guessed one of them must be a Summoner, he opted for the woman.
The scantily clad summoner returned Yuna's gaze and gave a knowing smile, "A summoner are you?" she asked as she descended the stairs. Her tone suggested this was unlikely.
"My name is Yuna," the younger summoner said bowing, "From the isle of Besaid."
"Dona," the other summoner said in a bored tone, 'So you're High Summoner Braska's daughter. That's quite a name to live up to," she paused then raised an eyebrow at Yuna's guardians, "My, my, my and these…people are your guardians?" she asked scathingly, "What a rabble!"
Yuna looked surprised at the tone and Tidus tried, but failed, not to glare at Dona. He noted Lulu was giving her a look of disdain but the black mage looked at most people this way.
"As I recall," Dona continued, "Lord Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one guardian, isn't that right Barthello?"
The muscled guardian stepped forward and gave a nod. Kimahri also stepped forward to stand next to Yuna, effectively blocking Barthello from coming any further forward. To his credit, Barthello didn't seem overly intimidated by the Ronso.
"I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust," Yuna returned firmly, "I trust them all with my life! To have so many guardians is a joy, and an honour! Even more so than being my father's daughter," she smiled insincerely, "Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace."
Dona shrugged, "You do what you want," she said, "Barthello, we're leaving." She turned and walked toward the doors of the temple with Barthello following closely. Yuna watched them go then sighed. She turned to face her guardians and gave a light laugh.
Lulu gave a dry smirk and started to lead the way into the cloister of trials. Kimahri and Wakka started to follow but Yuna lingered for a second and gave Tidus a bright smile before joining them. Tidus frowned slightly, what was she smiling about? He followed them hesitantly, wondering if he'd be allowed into the Trials but no one seemed to object.
As they entered the doors he pondered Yuna's words. A guardian was someone a summoner could rely on, someone they could trust with their life. He wondered, did Yuna feel that way about him? She wanted to make him a guardian after all. Before he think upon it further he pulled from his musings as he crashed into Kimahri's outstretched hand. Tidus stumbled back a few steps, slightly winded. He noticed Yuna and others stood upon a round lift but Kimahri's large hand had blocked him from boarding as well.
"Hey," he said peevishly, rubbing his chest, "What gives?"
"You're not a guardian yet," Lulu pointed out bluntly.
"We'll be back soon okay?" Yuna said as the platform began to descend.
Tidus watched them disappear beneath the temple, "Oh sure," he muttered, "Like 'tomorrow' soon, I bet."
He heard the sound of the life reaching the bottom of the well then a low rumble as it started to rise again. Before long it had reached the top again but Tidus knew better than to try and ride the lift down after the others. The sound of footsteps behind prompted his to turn and he was surprised to the summoner Dona and her guardian Barthello.
Dona looked around, "Where's Yuna?" she demanded.
Tidus wondered why she wanted to know but saw no harm in telling her. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder indicating that she'd gone down to the Trials.
"Then why are you here?" Dona asked, sounding interested.
Tidus frowned, "I'm not a guardian," he explained, "So I'm not supposed to go in, right?"
Dona gave a slow smile, "Not a guardian you say," she murmured then leaned over and whispered something to her guardian. Barthello nodded and lumbered forward.
Tidus narrowed his eyes suspiciously as the guardian approached, wondering what he wanted but was completely unprepared when the large man reached out and gave him a hard shove. The blitzer stumbled backward for the second time in as many minutes and ended up sitting on the ground, but Barthello had pushed him hard enough for him to land on the lift.
Tidus leapt to his feet, his first instinct was to go for his sword but he imagined killing the guardians of other Summoners was frowned upon, "Hey," he said indignantly, "What's the big idea?"
Dona laughed, "Just a little game," she replied.
Tidus scowled and started to walk forward but at that moment the lift began to descend. He froze and watched in horror as Dona's mocking face rose away. He cast around but saw nothing that could halt his descent.
"This is bad," he muttered to himself, "Real bad."
Before long the lift reached the bottom with a muted thud. Stretched before him Tidus could see a statue lined walkway that led to the entrance of the Trials. He hesitated then looked down at the lift, "Go up," he muttered beginning to feel a bit panicky, "Go up." He felt a little daft afterward talking to a lift and it didn't seem to help anyway. A waited a minute or two longer then, with a sigh, stepped of the lift and started hesitantly down the walkway. He hadn't taken two steps when the lift behind him gave a rumble and started to rise.
Tidus spun on his heel but before he could try to jump back on the lift had disappeared into the round shaft, "DONA!" he yelled angrily for good measure. He doubted she could hear him any way.
He fumed a bit as he wandered up the walkway but stopped short of the doorway to the Trials, "Only guardians allowed," he muttered irritably to himself, "And I'm sure no guardian."
On the other hand, he mused, Yuna wanted him as her guardian. That had to count for something. Summoners seemed to have quite a say in matters regarding their pilgrimage so if she wanted him as a guardian, he practically was one, right? Tidus laughed at himself, trying to justify what he already knew he was going to do. He was feeling ticked off and thus obstinate and in that state of mind he hardly thought they expected him to wait out there, which they probably did.
Quickly, before his common sense could kick back in, Tidus pushed open the door of the Trials and entered. The Trials of Kilika were based on the same principle as those of Besaid only this one took a little longer. It didn't help that mostly the way through was blocked by fire which he had to use puzzle spheres to bypass. Eventually he completed the Trial and reached the entrance to the Chamber of the Fayth. From within he could hear the same faint melodic singing he'd heard in Besaid. He paused before entering, knowing the others would be angry but considering how far he'd come he was hardly about to turn back.
Wakka did a classic double take as he entered while Lulu rolled her eyes and glared at him. He was surprised when Kimahri ignored him completely, never turning from the door from which Yuna would later emerge.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Wakka said, frowning deeply.
Tidus crossed his arms, "Don't look at me! It was Dona," he retorted, "And that…" he paused, thinking Wakka and the others would not appreciate what he really thought of the muscle bound guardian, "Barthello," he settled for.
"That woman," Lulu muttered, "Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences."
Tidus looked at her, "What consequences?" he wanted to know.
"She could be excommunicated," Wakka told him.
Tidus was surprised; he hadn't realized it was taken so seriously. At this turn of events he had the grace to look embarrassed, 'Oh,' he said.
"Don't worry about it now, we'll just wait," Wakka told him.
Tidus nodded and glanced over to the oval doorway, closely guarded by Kimahri, "What's in there anyway?" he asked quietly.
Wakka looked at him, "The Fayth, remember?"
Tidus mentally rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, that thing," he said on the edge of sarcasm, "Right."
"The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin," Lulu's voice came from across the small room, "Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies."
Tidus felt his lip curl involuntarily.
"Now they live forever, trapped in statues," Lulu went on, "But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an Aeon."
"I see," Tidus said, "So all that's in this room. So…so what's Yuna doing in there?"
Wakka looked toward the Chamber, "She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin," he said. He seemed about to go on but at that moment there was a low rumble and the oval door began to rise. Lulu and Wakka hurried forward as Yuna exited the Chamber slowly. Tidus hung back, feeling very aware that he wasn't supposed to be there. The summoner stumbled a bit and sank to her knees, obviously exhausted and Kimahri came forward to support her easily.
Something had been bothering Tidus since he'd enter the Chamber of the Fayth and, as the group left the room, he realized what it was. He stopped for a second as it hit him like a kick in the face. The song that was being sung over and over in the Chamber of Fayth of both Kilika and Besaid, he knew it from his childhood. He couldn't remember exactly where from but for him it was proof that Zanarkand and Spira were connected somehow. At least to him they were. He hurried to catch up with the others and opened his mouth to say something but after a moment found himself closing it again. What could he say?
Tidus trailed behind the group as they left the temple, brooding over an overwhelming feeling of homesickness. More than anytime before, he suddenly felt like going home.
Ahead of him Yuna had recovered her strength and paused to look at him over her shoulder. Tidus noticed her scrutiny and stopped walking.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I…I don't know," he answered truthfully.
Yuna walked up to him as the others continued on, "What do you want to do?"
Tidus thought about it, "Scream real loud?" he suggested with a half grin. Yuna laughed and hurried after her guardians.
Tidus watched her go, letting his grin fade. He paused; thinking, then opened his mouth and screamed.
Thanks for reading :)