Chapter Ten: Aftermath

Sand. He could feel it against the skin of his arms, face, and legs. Besaid Island! Tidus thought suddenly. When he opened his eyes, it was not the golden, glittering sand of the tropical island that met his gaze, but stormy grey clouds overhead and cold sand stretching out to either side. He pushed himself to his elbows and looked around, shaking sand out of his eyes. Dead, mangled bodies were strewn about the beach amongst scattered debris. Suddenly he remembered: the battle. No, the massacre. The stench of death heavy in his nostrils, he got to his feet and shook the sand out of his clothes and hair. Not sure how exactly he had got to the beach, he wandered aimlessly about, trying not to look at the dead bodies. Yet as no two square feet were without one, this was rather hard to do.

He found himself staring at the rock wall at the back of the beach. Gatta was slumped wearily against the wall, his head bowed. He was so weary he did not even look up as Tidus approached. "Gatta?" he said gently, touching his shoulder. "Gatta, come on, wake up." Gatta fell on his side in the sand with a sickening, very dead THUMP. Tidus gasped as he looked into Gatta's blank, lifeless eyes. He fell on his knees into the sand, clutching Gatta's arm, tears pouring down his cheeks against his will.

He had done this. He had urged Gatta to sneak out to prove his valor on the battlefield, and this was the outcome. If I hadn't said anything, he'd be alive. Such a feeling of guilt overcame him that he staggered to his feet, desperate to turn that horrible knowledge away, to blame someone else. He turned to the sea, where Sin had let down its shield and was now slowly making its exit through the water.

Rage filled his mind. Here was the perfect outlet for his guilt, the terrible monster that had killed Gatta, among the hundreds of other Crusaders on that very beach. "Don't you run away from me!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, and sprinted for the water. He splashed out and began to swim underwater with all his might. He had no idea what he was thinking, running after Sin like that. But before he knew what he was doing, he was chasing down the monster like a thief at market. He kept thinking of how much he wanted to go back to Zanarkand, and how he hated his old man. He hated Sin through and through, and he longed to go back home. He had not the strength to go on, and slowly his desires twisted reality into a hazy dream.

The Farplane. That's what it had to have been. Full of dead people, young and old. Half-faded Crusaders were striding about like ghosts. Gatta, as well. Then the small, hooded boy from Zanarkand walked past. He stopped, looked at Tidus, shook his head sorrowfully, and left. In his place was a blitzball, which zoomed for Tidus' head, then fell back and faded away. He was in Zanarkand, a small child again.

"What?!" Jecht demanded behind him.

Tidus didn't look at him. "They say you don't practice anymore, that you're gonna retire."

"Let them talk. I'm still the best!"

"They say you're no good 'cause you drink all the time," Tidus persisted, unperturbed.

"I can quit drinkin' whenever I want!"

Tidus still did not face him. "Then do it now."

"What did you say?"

Tidus could tell that Jecht was angry, but he continued. "You just said you can!"

"Heh. Tomorrow, maybe."

"Why not today?" Tidus demanded.

"Why do today what you can leave for tomorrow?" Jecht paused as tears leaked out of Tidus' eyes. "There he goes again...crying!"

It was as if he heard his old man there, in the sea...somewhere... Or perhaps it was just Sin's toxin playing tricks on his mind. He opened his eyes and found himself back on the beach. He sat up and looked out to sea. Sin was gone. He turned his gaze to a short cliff overlooking the beach. Yuna was performing the sending, twirling and dipping and leaping in that terrible, beautiful dance. How many died today? People die, and Yuna dances. When will she stop dancing? When will it stop? But Yuna won't stop dancing - not until Sin is gone.

"I see you're still here," Auron's voice said behind him.

"Huh?" Tidus jumped to his feet and whirled around to face him.

"Many stories ended here today...but yours goes on, I see."

"What?" He had never understood Auron's interest in 'stories'.

Auron did not answer, and began to walk across the beach. Tidus looked back out over the water, then followed him. Maybe if he had been a bit faster he could have caught up to Sin. And then he would have gone back to Zanarkand. If Sin could bring him here, it could surely take him back. But Sin had come and gone, and he remained in Spira.

Tidus followed Auron to where he had stopped, at the foot of a small rise leading up to the rock cliff where Yuna was finishing the sending. Kinoc stood facing him, flanked by two guards. "A swift retreat," Auron was saying as Tidus approached. "Satisfied?"

"What do you mean?" Kinoc asked warily.

"Those who turned from Yevon died, while the faithful live on."

"The past ten years haven't changed you, I see."

Auron glared at him with one eye for several long moments, and then they parted.

Tidus didn't quite know what either of them meant, but he had a nagging suspicion that Kinoc and Seymour had intended this operation to fail. But why would they want that? To get rid of people who used the forbidden machina? But the only reason these people were using machina was because of this operation... Tidus didn't understand, but he supposed it didn't matter either way. People had died, and Sin was still at large. That was what mattered.

Seymour approached Yuna, who merely stared out across the desolation beneath them, her face pale and worn, her eyes red from crying. "You do not look so well," he began. "But now more than ever, you must be the people's strength, their confidence. Anyone else would be expected to show their sorrow, but you are a summoner. You are Spira's hope. Until Sin is defeated, you must not relent. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," she replied heavily.

"Are you afraid?" he asked in a low voice like cloth dragging on the ground.

She merely looked up at him wearily.

"Yuna, take me as your pillar of strength," Seymour continued in the same, nearly hypnotizing tone. "Just as Yunalesca had her Lord Zaon." He paused a moment, then said abruptly, "Lady Yuna, until next we meet, farewell." He left a very confused Yuna behind.

Tidus tore his gaze from the conversation between Seymour and Yuna. As much as he distrusted Seymour, it was none of his business whom Yuna chose to speak to. Instead, Tidus turned to where Auron stood alone, leaning casually against the rock wall. As he approached, Auron stated abruptly, "Sin is Jecht."

Tidus nodded his head reluctantly. "Yeah, for a minute there, I thought I could hear him. But that doesn't mean I believe you," he hastily added.

Auron pushed himself from the wall and faced Tidus squarely, pain written all over his face. "Sin is Jecht," he repeated. "He came here for you."

Tidus shook with rage. "So he killed all those people just for a chance to see me?!"

Auron's voice was quiet. "That's what Sin does. He wanted to show that to you. Do you know why?"

Tidus turned angrily away. "How am I supposed to know?"

"So you would kill him." That simple statement made Tidus freeze. "As long as he is Sin, Jecht will keep killing. He wants you to stop him."

"You gotta be kidding," Tidus gasped. "How do you know all of this, anyway?"

Auron merely chuckled and started to walk towards the cliff.

"I'm not done talking to you!" Tidus yelled after him. "Don't you run away!"

"You're the one running," Auron threw over his shoulder. Tidus knew with a pang that it was true. He had tried to avoid the truth by confronting Auron. He heaved a weary sigh. No matter how far or fast he ran, he couldn't escape the knowledge that Sin was indeed Jecht.

The others joined him as he mounted the rise and started along the rock cliff. He and Kimahri lagged behind the others, causing Yuna to turn around. Her face was cheerful once more. "Hey, you two! Hurry up!"

"She's awfully cheerful," Tidus muttered to himself.

Kimahri shook his head, strode ahead, and turned back to face him. After scrutinizing him for a moment, he spoke for the first time. "In dark times she must be. She must shine bright." His voice was low and exactly how Tidus would have imagined it to be, if he had ever thought about Kimahri speaking. "Now are dark times," Kimahri continued. "Yuna tries hard."

"We should help her, then," Tidus said.

"If we worry, she tries harder. Do not frown."

"Don't worry, be happy?" Tidus thought about that for a moment.

"Kimahri try, too."

Tidus suddenly remembered what Yuna had told him in Luca, and he hurried up to Kimahri. "Smile! Let me see," he nearly begged.

Kimahri smiled a horribly fake smile, almost evil, with his arms crossed in defiance. Tidus couldn't keep back a small chuckle.

They made their way along the path, passing those few who had not been killed by Sin, heading for the temple to heal their hurts. They reached a crossroads with a signpost. To the right was labeled, 'Djose Temple' and to the left was labeled, 'Djose Highroad'. Tidus turned to face the group. "Hey! How much longer till Zanarkand?" he wanted to know.

"Still a ways," Wakka answered unhelpfully.

Lulu cut in, filled to the brim with information as always. "First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam. Then we cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania. And then..."

"Oh, boy." Tidus rolled his eyes. Still so far.

"And before that," Yuna added cheerfully. "We get to pray at the temple in Djose!"

"We can't just skip all that?" Tidus already knew the answer.

Yuna shook her head. "I have to pray to the fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon."

"That's a summoner's training," Wakka put in. "She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning."

"Must be tough, Yuna," Tidus said sympathetically.

Yuna shrugged. "I'll be fine with you here!" She, Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri headed down the right path, and Tidus started after them, but Auron kept him back.

"Hey, new guy."

"Uh...me?" Tidus turned back.

"Who else?" A smile flickered briefly across his mouth as he neared Tidus.

"What can I do for you, boss?" Tidus said irritably.

"Don't tell Yuna you know about Sin and Jecht. You know her. She would...distance herself from you. We do not want that."

"I see, I think." Tidus paused. I sure don't want to be distanced from Yuna. Who would? But what does Auron care about any of that? He wants me to kill my old man, 'cause they were friends. The easiest way to do that is to stick with a summoner, I guess. "Yeah, but even if I did say something, no one would believe me, you know?" he said aloud.

"Yuna would."

"Ah...you have a point." Suddenly he scowled. "Come to think of it, did I really have to know about Jecht? What about my feelings?"

Auron snorted. "Better than you finding out at a critical moment and becoming emotional."

"What? Me, emotional?"

Auron merely laughed, pushing past him and heading after the others. "I heard you were quite the crybaby."

Simmering, Tidus followed him, though at a distance. Yeah, maybe when I was a kid. Maybe even now. Just a little. But not too much. "Hey!" he yelled, not about to let Auron have the last word. "I still don't buy your story, you hear?"

Auron paid no attention.

They all stopped when they approached Lucil, Elma, and Clasko, standing by an armored chocobo. Lucil bowed low. "Yuna, it is good to see that you and your companions are well."

"Yourselves as well, Captain," Yuna responded, also bowing. "We were worried. Praise be to Yevon!"

"We escaped with our lives, but our troops were decimated."

"Of all our chocobos, only this one made it," Elma added, gesturing towards the chocobo standing behind them.

Clasko sighed. "We make pretty poor Chocobo Knights without chocobos. Not that there are many Knights left."

"We turned our backs on the teachings." Lucil's face was bitter. "And cast away our faith. This...This is our just reward. But we have learned our lesson. We will follow Yevon with all that we have left."

They all murmured their farewells and continued down the road for the temple. The ground rumbled restlessly under their feet as they neared it. Lightning danced across the ground and pulled chunks of rock off the temple's face, suspending them in the air. The ground continued to rumble. "Awesome!" Tidus murmured. This temple beats all the others for sure.

Lulu noted his enthusiasm with a small smile. "The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a summoner is addressing the Fayth."

"That means another summoner's already in there," Wakka mused.

Tidus rolled his eyes. "What if it's Dona?"

"We have to hurry," Yuna muttered as an answer.

"Right! In we go!" Tidus cried.

Yet as they drew nearer, a familiar figure standing off to one side drew their attention. Luzzu looked up as they neared him. His eyes were desolate. "Hey," he said in a dead voice. "Gatta, he...he's dead. He was a good fighter. He just wasn't lucky enough." Then he tossed his calm manner aside and threw himself at the stone wall of the temple, hitting it with his fists and kicking it with his sandaled feet, until his knuckles and toes were bloody. "He was young!" he grunted. "He pushed his luck! What was he thinking - going into the front lines like that? He should have stayed back at the command center!" He roared with anger.

Wakka leapt forward and managed to pull Luzzu away from the wall. "Luzzu! Knock it off!"

Luzzu turned to him and gripped his bare shoulders. "You don't know what it's like!" he shouted, choking on his words, his voice an ocean of pain. "You don't...know what...it's like...to fight on your own!"

Wakka grabbed his forearms. "I do know," he said gently in a quiet voice. "I face it every day." He glanced furtively at Lulu and let go of Luzzu's arms.

Luzzu pulled away from him, turned to the wall, and stared at the ground. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Wakka's voice was soft and comforting. "Why don't you...go home now, to Besaid? Take it easy a while. Rest, ya?"

"Rest?" Luzzu didn't seem to think that was possible.

"You need some R and R. You're hurt, ya?"

"I...I guess so."

Wakka clapped him on the shoulder. "Get better. I can't beat up on you when you're all depressed, ya?"

"Right," Luzzu said glumly.

Wakka's eyebrows drew together and he squeezed Luzzu's shoulder gently. "I forgive you," he murmured softly.

Luzzu turned his head from the wall and looked blankly back at the red-haired blitzer. Tidus was struck by how similar the two of them looked, standing there together with pain plainly written across their faces. Each of them had lost a younger brother, and that gave them a unique bond, a common ground of understanding. Luzzu seemed to see this as well, for he nodded slowly and respectfully at Wakka before pulling away from him.

As Yuna and her guardians entered the temple, the leaden weight of guilt settled deeper into Tidus' stomach. It was his fault Luzzu was like this. Somehow, the song sung by the choir in this temple seemed more haunting than usual. The interior was lit by sparkling balls of electricity fixed onto poles in the middle of the room. It was empty, and their footsteps echoed loudly as they crossed to the stairs leading up to the Cloister of Trials. Yet as they reached the foot, a man with brown hair tied into a ponytail and wearing floor-length blue robes came out of the door. On one side stood another, obviously younger man with black hair wearing a red and yellow shirt and white pants, and on the other side stood a small boy with black hair in a ponytail and wearing a grey tunic. They descended the stairs and the man with blue robes bowed deeply.

"I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?" he asked cordially.

Yuna bowed as well. "I am Summoner Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid."

"As I thought! The daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father."

Yuna looked up at him in surprise. "My father? You knew him?"

The man smiled. "No, I have never met the man." Suddenly he seemed to remember his manners. "Ah, my apologies. I am Isaaru, a summoner like you."

The small boy was bouncing up and down impatiently. "I'm Pacce. Pleased to meet you."

The other man spoke up then. "And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here."

Isaaru spoke again. "Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska. I wished I would someday become a high summoner like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you! I believe you might someday defeat Sin."

Yuna flushed with pleasure. "I...I'm not really... I've only just become a summoner."

Isaaru paid no attention to her remark. "Of course, I've no intention of losing, either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?"

"Very well, then," Yuna replied, somewhat hesitantly. "I accept your challenge."

"Isaaru!" Maroda suddenly cut in.

Isaaru looked over at him, nodded, and turned back to Yuna. "Yuna, I beg your leave. Good luck, to both of us!"

"Yes." Both did the prayer gesture, bowing low, and went their separate ways.

Tidus was at the end of the group, still brooding over Gatta's death, and so he was the last one on the stairs. "Hey, you," Isaaru called after him from the temple entrance, and he stopped.

"Me?"

Isaaru and Maroda came back to the foot of the stairs and stood looking up at him. "You are Yuna's guardian, no? Maroda's heard a curious rumor. I thought you should know."

Maroda spoke up, "I heard it from those Crusaders. Seems that summoners have been going out on pilgrimage and just...disappearing."

"It could just be the fiends got them...but not so many so quickly." Isaaru's gaze was worried.

"Sorry I don't know more, but..." Maroda apologized. "Watch your back. Ain't much future for a guardian without a summoner, eh?"

Tidus smiled weakly and entered the Cloister of Trials. He hurried to catch up with the others. "All right!" Wakka called as he saw him rush up. "Guardians, at attention!"

"We are ready," Yuna stated.

"All right... Let's do it!"

Whereas the Kilika Temple featured fire, the Djose Temple's Cloister of Trials abounded in lightning. Bluish currents ran through grooves in the stone that traced in symmetrical lines across the floor, walls, and ceiling of each room, banishing the need for torches. Tidus felt his hair prickle with electricity as they mounted a final set of stairs that led to the Chamber of the Fayth, where a man's voice sang the temple song from the shadows. Yuna took a steadying breath and entered the last small room. No sooner had the door closed behind her than Dona and Barthello strode into the room. Dona's dark-eyed gaze swept over them all briefly. "Well, well. You again. Still travelling with quite a crowd, I see."

Barthello stepped towards Auron, who glared back at him, daring him to pick a fight. "What is it, Barthello?" Dona asked in a bored voice. "You know this riffraff?"

Barthello ran his small eyes over Auron once more and spoke for the first time. "You are... Auron, no?"

"What of it?"

Barthello's square face broke into a sheepish grin. "Can...Can I shake your hand? Auron - no, Sir Auron - you're the reason I became a guardian!"

Auron chuckled despite himself and held out his free hand. Barthello grabbed it and shook it firmly, tears of joy sparkling in his small eyes. "Thank you, sir! This means so much to me!"

Wakka was shaking his head at Dona. "Calling the personal guardian of Lord Braska riffraff?"

Lulu's gaze had never been more reproving. "And you call yourself a summoner?"

"Barthello, enough! Get back here!" Dona snapped irritably. Tidus grinned at him as he passed. He wasn't so bad, after all. And Tidus did feel rather sorry for him, with a summoner like Dona.

"I'll never wash this hand again," Barthello murmured softly to himself.

At that moment, Yuna staggered out of the Chamber of the Fayth, and Kimahri immediately stepped forward to support her. Dona took a few steps closer, glaring down at her. "You owe much to your father. All these guardians...and Sir Auron, too? And I hear Maester Seymour's quite taken with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska."

Yuna's mismatched eyes were tight with controlled fury. "This has nothing to do with my father! I am travelling on my own, simply as a summoner!"

Dona gasped in mock surprise. "Oh, is that so? Then try standing on your own two legs for once. Your guardians won't be able to protect you when the time comes." She shoved the younger summoner out of the way, slamming the door to the Chamber behind her. Yuna and her guardians left, Kimahri keeping a huge, comforting hand on her shoulder.