Ocean and Sky (a Final Fantasy X fic)
Disc.: I will never ever own 'Final Fantasy X' or any of its' wonderful characters, Square Enix will so stop asking useless questions!
A/N: Well, only a couple chapters left before the end. I am glad that people liked this fic, and I'm glad I could write a good sequel for someone who wrote a great story that spawned it. So, time to get started.
Ch.12- Renewed Hope Pt.2
The entire city of Bevelle was watching with awe and rapt attention as Sin, the one responsible for everything horrible happening to their lives, made his way through the city without looking at anyone or laying waste to any buildings around him. Even deep inside himself, in the monster called Sin, Jecht had heard the pained screams of his only son.
And he was royally pissed as he lumbered towards the Temple in the center of the city. He knew Auron would never let this happen, so that meant someone else had targeted his son as he finally saw Tidus with all 18 of his eyes.
He became consumed with anger as those eyes took in his son being tortured and crying, screams of agony tearing out of his throat. Maester Mika saw Sin standing there not moving as he spoke to the gigantic monster.
"Sin, he who is all consuming and all powerful, I demand that you give to me your strength. Allow me to save Spira, so that all suffering will end!"
Sin could care less about what the old Maester wanted; all he knew was that this old man had dared to lay a hand on his son, and Sin would not tolerate it as he opened his huge mouth…a loud, ear piercing roar shattering the windows as he grabbed Maester Mika and took him into his body. Yuna and her Guardians prepared to fight Sin, and even Maester Mika when the gigantic monster roared again, but this was a pained roar as Sin convulsed and shook.
After several seconds that stretched into minutes, Maester Mika's voice echoed throughout the room.
'The power of Sin is mine! You wretched infidels will pay for your blasphemy against Yu Yevon, and through your deaths Spira will be saved by my hands!'
Yuna and her Guardians watched as Sin turned away and started lumbering off, but Cid's ship came and picked them up before carrying them towards the gigantic monster. Seymour stayed to help Tidus, the Guado Maester removing his blonde lover from the pillar and holding him close as he used healing magic to soothe his pain away.
Tidus smiled and allowed himself to be held by his Guado mate, the two lovers remaining this way for a little while longer.
"I know I can't stop you from going after Sin, but I know in my heart that you'll come back to me."
The blonde Blitzball player smiled up at his Guado mate before speaking to him.
"You're right, and when all of this is over I want us to get married right here in Bevelle."
"As do I, dear Tidus."
The two mates then got up and ran off towards Bevelle, Tidus and Seymour making it as far as the outside of the Temple when Captain Lucil and the Crusaders showed up on their Chocobos.
"Maester Seymour, Sir Tidus, please allow us to help by lending you our Chocobos. They'll carry you towards Sin as swiftly as the wind from the Highroads."
"Thanks, Lucil. Seymour, wanna help put an end to Sin with me?"
"As much as I would love to, I should probably focus on evacuating civilians so that no one dies unnecessarily. You go on and stop Sin with your friends, my lovely Blitzball player. I shall be here waiting for you."
Tidus smiled at Seymour and embraced him one last time before he jumped on Lucil's Chocobo and gave a quick snap of the reigns, the large yellow bird practically flying down the walkway until they were next to Sin. From what Tidus could see, the shoulder had a weak spot so he used his sword to damage it long enough to create an opening…the blonde male jumping off the Chocobo and into the large hole in Sin's shoulder, the yellow bird running back towards Lucil.
Tidus knew he had precious little time as he started exploring the inside of Sin and prayed that he'd find his friends soon enough.
(With Yuna and her Guardians)
The brunette Summoner stood inside of Sin, the dimension that she and her Guardians had flown into was comprised mainly of clouds and Pyreflies. She stood in water barely up to the ankles of her boots but it had soaked the bottom of her robe, her Guardians also waiting until she was ready to advance.
"Are you having second thoughts, Yuna?" Auron asked the brunette Summoner, Yuna shaking her head determinedly.
"No, I am not…but…"
"But?" he asked, her eyes brimming with a strong resolve.
"I want to wait for Tidus before we proceed. We can't do this without him."
"You won't have to." Tidus said, Yuna and her Guardians looking up towards Sin's mouth and watching as their blonde friend joined them. All of them were grateful he was alright, and relieved that he was here.
"Sorry I took so long, but traffic was terrible. Now let's go beat Maester Mika and save Spira!"
The brunette Summoner giggled at her blonde Blitzball playing friend and followed after him, Auron and the other Guardians also glad that Tidus was here to help them defeat Maester Mika for good.
As they walked through the water, a set of stairs awaited them after they followed some glowing glyphs that'd showed them which way to go. When Tidus and his friends reached the top, they found Maester Mika standing there looking confident as he laughed at them.
"Don't you ever give up?!" Tidus asked, the blonde male steeling himself for the battle he knew was coming.
"Foolish children. Sin has chosen me; I am part of Sin, I am one with Sin forever. I am…immortal!"
"The only thing immortal about you is your persistence, Mika." The blonde Blitzball player said as he scowled at Maester Mika, the old Maester still smirking.
"Maester Mika, this all ends here. As a Summoner, and Braska's daughter, I will defeat you and bring the Calm to Spira…with help from my friends!"
"Hmph, believe what you want. I will learn to control Sin from the inside, and I will have all the time in the world to do so. Since all of you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunalesca, a deed which I commend you for your efforts on, I can take my rightful place as Spira's true savior…since with the defeat of Yunalesca, the only means of destroying Sin is gone forever! Now nothing can stop us, can stop me!"
The blonde Blitzball player frowned at Mika, or what was left of him as he transformed…the man becoming a shell of his former self.
"Well, we can."
"By all means, try! You should thank me, since your death will mean the last man to become Sin will be freed from his role forever!"
Yuna, Auron, and Tidus knew they were ready for this battle as Mika attacked them. The battle lasted for a very long time; both Yuna and Tidus had to call their strongest Aeons in order to do any real damage as the air became thick with energy that crackled, blazed, became humid, and froze until Mika was on his last legs.
"Yuna! Send him, now!" Wakka shouted, the brunette Summoner nodding as she performed the Sending dance that all Summoners performed. Before he disappeared to the Farplane in a cloud of Pyreflies, Mika pulled out a dagger covered in Sin's most powerful toxin and attempted to attack Yuna…but the sound of a pained grunt caused her to turn and face Mika after she was done with the ritual.
Instead of Yuna being the one to get hurt, Tidus had run in front of her at the last second and gotten stabbed with the blade. The blonde Blitzball player fell onto his side and started shivering from the highly potent toxin running through his body, the brunette Summoner and her friends gathering around him as Mika laughed before saying his final words.
"Though it is you who will Send me, Spira's sorrow will prevail even after I am gone."
Tidus could feel his body becoming hot and a thick sweat ran down his body as he shivered and coughed loudly. Lulu and Yuna both performed their strongest healing techniques on the blonde male, but nothing was working as Tidus seemed to get worse with each passing second. Auron watched as the boy he had practically raised for 10 years was dying in front of him, tears welling up in his eyes but he refused to give up as he spoke to Yuna.
"If Jecht is here, then he might be able to save him. We must bring Tidus to his father."
"Are you sure he'll help him?" Yuna asked, the dark brunette warrior nodding as he helped Tidus to his feet by grabbing an arm and placing it over his shoulders.
"Yes. Even though he never said it, Jecht does love his son. He was just…never good at expressing it. Wakka, help me."
"You got it, ya?"
The dark brunette warrior and orange-redheaded Blitzball player each had hold of one of Tidus' arms as they helped him walk on shaky, unsteady legs throughout the inside of Sin. When they reached a tower that required a puzzle to solve it, Rikku made quick work of it before the next pathway was revealed. It was a short pathway that led to a round platform, Jecht standing in front of them with his back turned and staring out into the distance.
Auron and Wakka were the ones to approach Jecht, the older man wondering what took them so long to find him as Tidus kept breathing raggedly…the toxin in his body spreading quickly and killing him slowly.
"Jecht…it's been far too long since last we saw each other."
The older man straightened up and sighed before he spoke, his voice even and full of exhaustion.
"You're late, Auron."
"I know."
Jecht exhaled before turning around to face the warrior he once stood in battle with, his eyes landing on Tidus. The older man could see that Sin's strongest toxin was coursing through his veins, his son's skin already turning a pale grey-green from the poison.
"So…looks like you've gotten yourself into trouble again, haven't ya, runt?"
Tidus raised his head and glared heatedly at his father, but it wasn't as effective as he wanted it to be.
"Bite me, old man."
"Heh, is that any way to address your pops? Especially when I'm about to save you again?"
"Jecht…please. He's-"
"Running out of time, I know. Lay him down and I'll see what I can do. After I'm done saving this brat, I'm outta here; I want no part of this nightmare anymore."
Auron knew that beneath his friend's coarse attitude, he genuinely loved his son as he set to work using the power given to him by Sin to remove the toxin and purify Tidus' body. It took some effort, but after a while the older man's son was cured of the toxin.
Tidus stood up on shaky legs and proceeded to chew Jecht out, but the older man just grabbed his son and hugged him. Everyone was shocked, especially Auron and Tidus, since neither of them expected this.
"Kid…I was only hard on ya cause the world is a place that isn't always kind to everyone. You needed to become strong, though I suppose I could've tried harder to show you another way. That aside, I want you to get me out of here…out of this place. I have become so sick of everything here; all I want is to retire and live out my days playing Blitzball while having the occasional drink."
Tidus, after recovering from his shock, decided to say something.
"Dad…please stop talking. You really…are the worst, saying all those things. But, even after everything that you've done and what's happened…I don't know why, but I…I just can't bring myself to hate you. Not completely, at least."
"I know…and I don't expect you to forgive me yet, but know that I'll still be part of your life even if we never see each other again."
The older man smiled at Tidus, but this one was a genuine smile instead of a smirk or half smile.
"So…what do ya say we get out of here? I wanna see how much you've grown, and if you're any better at Blitzball than the last time we practiced."
Tidus nodded at his father and they started walking towards Yuna with Auron behind them, but they were stopped by the ground rumbling beneath their feet and a voice booming across the whole area.
"Jecht!"
Tidus and his friends watched as Yu Yevon appeared before them, the spirit taking on the form of Braska as it glared at Jecht. Yuna was shocked to see her father again, but she knew that it was a trick used by Yu Yevon to get them to lower their defenses.
The brunette Summoner wanted to help save Spira, but she didn't want to attack her father or his memory as she listened to the Immortal scream at Jecht.
"You would dare abandon all that we have given you!? You are Sin, Jecht, and you must complete the cycle as so many have before you!"
"Bite me, Yu Yevon. I am done with doing your dirty work. I've been doing the same bullshit for 10 years, and now I've had enough. If you wanna destroy Spira, do it on your own; I'm going home…with my son." Jecht said as he stood next to Tidus defiantly, the Immortal becoming angry with the older man who'd given up being Sin.
"You would willingly give up everything that makes you who you are? All that limitless power, the ability to make your enemies crumble with but a swipe of your hand…you would just throw all of it away?"
"Geez, how many times do I gotta say it? I am finished with all of this 'being Sin' bullshit, and I don't want any part of this nightmare at all. Go destroy Spira by yourself, but I doubt that my kid will let you do that."
At seeing the pride on Jecht's face, Yu Yevon became infuriated.
"Then all of you can watch Spira be destroyed before all of you die together!"
Tidus, Yuna, and Lulu got ready for the battle, the brunette Summoner bringing out Valefor from the beginning. Yu Yevon then transformed into a darker version of Yuna's Aeon and the two of them did battle, the Immortal winning but not before suffering some damage as Valefor disappeared after losing. Yuna shook her head sadly at watching Valefor die, Yu Yevon once again turning into Braska as he fell to his knees panting heavily. Yevon/Braska looked at the brunette Summoner with a pained expression, his voice laced with exhaustion as he spoke to her.
"Yuna…p-please…help me. You wouldn't let them kill your father, would you?"
The brunette Summoner dropped her staff and ran up to Yevon/Braska, Yuna throwing her arms around him and crying softly.
"I'm sorry, father. Forgive me for attacking you."
Before Tidus and his friends could tell Yuna that it was a trap, Yu Yevon slipped his energy into the brunette Summoner and possessed her…Yuna becoming the Immortal's vessel as she smiled cruelly at the blonde Blitzball player and the other Guardians.
"What a naïve fool she is…seems she really is too much like her father. Now that the Summoner's power is mine, I can finally destroy the last hope that Spira clings to…starting with all of you!"
As she laughed loudly and triumphantly, Tidus could feel his rage rising at seeing the brunette Summoner being used like a puppet. The blonde Blitzball player watched as Yuna/Yevon grabbed the discarded staff before Summoning a dark version of Bahamut, the already dark dragon Aeon becoming even more powerful due to the surge of dark power coursing through him. Tidus looked at his friends and all of them knew that the only way to save Yuna was to defeat her, the blonde male, Auron, and Lulu preparing for the final showdown as they began using their most powerful attacks.
The rest of the battle went on this way until Tidus decided to Summon both his Aeons at once. Jecht whistled in appreciation of his son's growth, but decided to just watch what happened next.
Yu Yevon realized that it couldn't Summon two Aeons at the same time, so it decided on Summoning Leviathan…but what Yu Yevon didn't realize was that ice is stronger than water, so Tidus had Shiva use Diamond Dust at full power. Yu Yevon let out a loud roar as it was forcibly removed from Yuna and destroyed before disappearing in a puff of Pyreflies.
The blonde Blitzball player exhaled as he watched his Aeons disappear, a huge smile on his face as he savored the moment.
Thanks to him, Yuna, and their friends, Yu Yevon was defeated and Spira was free of its' false influence.
Now the only thing left to do was destroy Sin before it destroyed the world.
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T.B.C.- Well, only one chapter left and this story will be over. What remains will be written in the final chapter, which is coming up next.
