Disclaimer: I don't claim to own either Final Fantasy or Harry Potter, they belong to their respective creators.

Harry Potter/ Final Fantasy X Crossover.

Dark Summoner

By: Mage-Alia

Chapter 14: Never Poke A Sleeping Dragon

Summary: An accidental wish on a certain mirror sends Harry tumbling into the world of Spira where his skills as a Summoner will be put to the ultimate test, but he won't be alone. Accompanied by Tidus, the misplaced hero, Auron, the moody monk with a past, Rikku, a happy go lucky new friend and Oa'ka, the merchant turned wizard, Harry will need to conquer the challenges that lay in his path as he seeks out the truth of Spira's Spiral of Death.

A/N: Hmmmm well…. For 2 weeks after the 17th of January, updates won't happen… (Heh, although that actually means I'd have to write something first.) I'll be in Hong Kong during that time and I doubt I'd get a chance to read anything, let alone write… (mum and dad say I gotta leave my laptop in Australia…INJUSTICE!) So enjoy this extra long chapter and don't kill me later, okies? Hehehehe I found out there's this place in Hong Kong right across from my hotel where there's this convention thing going on and there's this whole stack of Gundam wing stuff there, like models of all the mobile suits and characters and apparently they've got the anime series playing all day... hehehehehe I'll be in heaven.

Oh yeah… Question response time again! Someone asked something like how many chapters I estimate the story to be, and the answer is… I don't know. I'm not very focused at times and there's a theory that I'm developing some kind of disorder that makes me forget things… just like dementia. So…the story will most likely be anywhere between twenty (minimum) and forty (maximum) chapters long.

Now… where did I leave my mind again?

He was floating…

It was odd, wafting gently in cool waters only to have some gigantic heat source pounding down on his back and nearly burning the back on his neck. The breath he'd been holding for a better part of an hour gave out and he nearly choked on the mix of fresh water and carbon dioxide bubbles. Forced to surface he threw his head back the last few inches and took a deep breath of the hot dry air. Turning to float on his back he had to shield his eyes from the sun that appeared to be beginning its decent somewhere off to the west. Slowly he stood in the water, his feet finding a tentive hold on the bottom of the pond he appeared to be floating in. It took him a few seconds to notice the soggy black mass that lay half out of the pond in the shadow of a few boulders and another minute after that to remember what it was.

"Harry!" The next few minutes where painful as he hurried over to the Summoner, feeling a whole host of aches and pain from having fallen a few hundred feet to the bottom of a frozen lake then tossed around like a rag doll by a giant creature of mass destruction who was once his father and just realized what an enormous jerk he was. A wave of relief swept through him though, not long after when he discovered the Summoner was still alive and well… if a little sunburned. The blonde moved him under a large stone overhang that was made by the boulder formation before he dared get up and look around. The view that awaited him was a shock to behold.

Endless plains of golden sand stretched to the horizon and beyond in every conceivable direction. The only exception being the tiny oasis surrounded by a scattering of plants and rocks that he'd crawled out of not ten minutes before. The whole situation was bizarre, considering he'd just been in low-lying foothills under a frozen lake… Tidus gave an aggravated sigh and went back to Harry, checking up on the brunette before going lay down by the water to wait out the hottest part of the day.

Harry felt as though he'd been through a blender when he next came too. He hurt all over as he peeled open his eyes, only to notice he was lying in sand and not on icy ruble like he'd been previously. The Summoner put his arms under his body, intending to get up but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Whoa! Hey, don't get up to soon, you'll strain yourself." Harry followed the arm to the source of the voice and saw Tidus leaning over him, looking much less tense than he had in the short time he'd been conscious under the lake. The real surprise was that his guardian was glowing a faint gold.

"I don't know where we are." Tidus went on speaking. "By the looks of it I'd say we're in a desert." That got Harry's attention.

"A desert?" His tone was slightly incredulous as he finally managed to sit upright against a rock that had obviously been shading the oasis that lay nearby. Looking around he could see more rocks and a few semi arid plants but after that, life ended and sand began. "Why in Merlin's name are we all the way out in the middle of a desert?" The last part he'd directed at Tidus, hoping he knew at least something. The blonde just shook his head.

"My old man was being a pain in the ass."

Breathing out a sigh Harry looked in the direction of the sinking sun and then back to Tidus.

"So why are you glowing?" He asked and Tidus tilted his head in confusion.

"Glowing?" Harry 'hmm'ed' absently and leaned closer, lifting a hand to the blonde's arm and pretty much ignoring the response gained from his proximity.

"This is to do with your Animagus form." Harry concluded, running through the magical implications in his mind. "I think your form might be based on light or energy… you where sitting in the sun weren't you." His guardian nodded.

"Yeah, I don't think it likes the cold that much." He admitted, scratching the back of his head. Harry leaned back against the rock and smiled.

"You're getting closer to the actual transformation… which is surprising because it usually takes a fair bit longer." Tidus just shrugged, not really knowing enough about Animagus transformations to argue otherwise. Instead he looked at the sky and then out at the desert.

"I haven't seen any of the others yet." He commented as he got to his feet and held out a hand. Harry took it and Tidus pulled him to his feet. "It's a good thing we didn't loose anything this time." Harry looked down and noticed absently that his staff was still attached to his belt where he'd left it. As it was late afternoon it was cool enough to travel in the desert so they set out between the dunes with no real direction. After a few minutes of walking Harry got the feeling that if they weren't specifically looking for the others then they'd just end up wondering around in circles. He stopped then held up his staff by the very end, keeping it perfectly horizontal in front of him, Harry looked over to his companion.

"Who first?" He asked. "Our group or Yuna's." He made a face when he mentioned the rival Summoner and the blonde laughed.

"Ours." He answered and Harry nodded before concentrating on his staff.

"I hope this works, point me, Auron… whoa!" He gave a little shout of surprise when the whole staff moved to point in a direction slightly to their left. Losing his balance for a moment he stumbled but righted himself shortly after.

"I guess it's that way then." Tidus grinned at Harry's vaguely disgruntled look and lead the way. After about an hour of walking they came into sight of a hastily constructed shelter that lay close to the ground and made from what appeared to be a large piece of sailcloth and old bit's of machina. Harry broke into a jog when he caught sight of a familiar red clad figure sitting on guard by the entrance.

"Auron!" He called when he got close enough and stopped just short of the old monk. "Have you seen any of the others?"

"Lulu and Wakka are here." He replied after studying them for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a glowing Tidus, which was far more obvious now that the sun had finally set. "As for the others… I don't know." As he finished there was a stirring in the makeshift tent behind him and he moved out of the way to let Harry and Tidus see inside. Wakka was taking a nap off to one side, dead to the world and Lulu was sitting quietly nearby with her moogle in her lap, looking as though she had drifted off herself until she opened her garnet eyes to look at them.

"Are you alright?" Where the first words out of her mouth when she saw them. Harry nodded and stayed by the door.

"How about you?" Tidus asked from behind him and the Black mage gestured to Wakka as she spoke.

"I am well, but I fear Wakka is having a much more difficult time." The pair took a good look at the red head and noticed that he was scuffed up in a few places. "He was being attacked by rogue Machina when we found him." Lulu continued, her soft tone revealing some affection for the man… even if he couldn't hear it. To Harry it was just another parallel between this world and theirs… Hermione had been one hell of a Black mage when it really came down to it. Both she and Ron had been oblivious to each others feelings until toward the end. Shaking his head to clear the memory Harry gave her a brief smile and backed off before distracting himself from the past by concentrating on another point me spell.

"Okay…next…" He thought for a minute. "Point me, Rikku!" Once again he nearly toppled over as he did a 180 spin behind the staff. Slightly dizzy he made a mark in the sand and then sat down with a muffled thud.

'I'm never going to get used to that.' He thought to himself as he waited for the dizziness to fade. He could see why the use of Staff's had stopped after Merlin had died although they where more powerful, the intricate movements required by some spells where better done with a wand than a staff. Plus, wands where easier to carry everywhere and didn't really get in the way like a staff could. In spite of being a Summoner, Harry had never quite adjusted. Auron joined him by the mark in the sand a few moments before there was a scream from the makeshift shelter. Tidus was laughing as he barreled out followed by an indignant Wakka who was trying to yell at him through a mouth full of sand.

"Now that everyone is alert we should begin searching for the others." Auron said loftily as Lulu joined them and Wakka reluctantly backed off, staying to the other side of the Black Mage and away from Tidus. They walked in silence for a while before Wakka began to roam. He stalked off in wide circles, muttering to himself before he stopped and waved back to the half formed group.

"Hey! There's something over there, yo!" He ventured forward on his own beyond the light cast by Harry's Lumos spell, which was simple enough for even a staff wielder to use, and the blonde Guardian's glow. Lulu shook her head in exasperation, one hand going to pinch the bridge of her nose before she walked off after him. Harry, Auron and Tidus looked at each other and the blonde shrugged, looking at Auron.

"Don't let anything happen to him." He said before he sprinted off as best he could while running along a sand dune, one hand straying to his sword. The dunes dipped into a kind of basin not far away from their path and the blonde spotted Lulu and Wakka at the bottom besides a familiar hulking blue Ronso. Just off to their left was another person crouched on top of an old Machina structure that stuck out of the sand holding a staff that glowed the same way Harry's did.

"Boy 'm I glad to see you." Oa'ka jumped down from his perch and walked over to Tidus, his light bobbing along behind him as he slung his focus over his shoulder. "First the ice went Kablooie, and then I find me'self all the way out here with that there Ronso roaring to 'imself 'bout losing his Summoner." Oa'ka stopped beside him and was silent for all of two seconds before he looked at the blonde with a strange expression on his face.

"You do know you're all glowie don't ye?" Tidus gave a half laugh and nodded before looking away. Oa'ka just shrugged and continued up a few feet to see over the rim of the basin and looking out into the distance.

"What's that there light?" He asked and Tidus glanced over his shoulder to see the solitary marker in the desert night.

"Harry and Auron are waiting for us on the path." The blonde explained. "We were looking for Rikku but Wakka wondered off. I think it was because he heard Kimahri or something." Oa'ka seemed to brighten if it was even possible to be even more… excitable than he normally was.

"I'll just go over there and say hello then." And with that he was gone. Tidus turned back to the darkened basin of sand and peered through the semi-darkness to where the three rival guardians stood. Kimahri looked depressed as he trudged up a dune, only to slide back down and begin the cycle all over again.

"Yuna gone." He said in the kind of tone that reminded Tidus of a lost kitten as opposed to the rough image of most Ronso. For whatever reason, a part of Tidus was ashamed that the blue beast had let himself fall so far.

"Then what are you doing standing around here for?" The blonde asked harshly and the Ronso froze, not looking at him while Wakka gave him an outraged look on the creature's behalf but that didn't stop him. "Why are you sitting here wallowing in your own self pity when there's still a chance she could be out there?" Kimahri's fists clenched and unclenched convulsively as Tidus built up more steam. "You're no good as a Guardian to Yuna or anyone standing here in the desert. If you're not going to get up and do something you're better off going back to your mountain and staying there."

"Why you!" Wakka chocked out, pulling his blitz ball into view but Lulu's hand stopped him as she stared at the Ronso's back. His muscles where tensed and he was shaking with repressed emotion before he suddenly relaxed.

"Guardian right." He finally growled out, surprising Wakka. "Kimahri no use to Yuna here." He turned and met the blue eyes staring down at him and gave a nod of the head. Tidus's expression softened and he smiled.

"Come on! We haven't got all night and we still gotta pick up Rikku and Gatta." Kimahri nodded again and scooped his spear out of the sand before rushing up the dune after the blonde, leaving Lulu to grab Wakka and drag him along behind.

"Hey! OVER HERE!" Everyone was jolted out of their individual thoughts as a hyperactive voice shrieked out to them from ahead. Harry looked up and spotted a fire going not far away and realized they'd found two more members of the group as Gatta emerged from a rough structure behind the bouncing and waving form of Rikku. That left only the other missing Summoner, which the pair noticed right away.

"Where's Yuna?" Gatta asked looking around but all he found where blank looks.

"She's gone." Lulu said, somewhat distant as she said it aloud, but she refrained from continuing her thoughts. Off to one side Rikku blinked at the group and giggled nervously, grabbing their attention once more as she fidgeted slightly.

"Uh… hehehe… Ummm, Harry, there's something I've got to tell you." She said, gaining a little more courage as she went. "Remember when we found you in the ruins, before we where washed off the ship, and the others said they where going to bring you and Tidus to Home?" The green eyed Summoner's head tilted to one side and a faint realization dawned in his expression, he smiled brightly a moment later.

"You know where we are." Rikku nodded with a grin of her own, she stuck her tongue out at Wakka a moment later when the red head's eyes screwed up in suspicion.

"We're on Bikanel Island." She explained for the sake of everyone else since Harry, and most likely Tidus, already knew what she was referring to. "There's a place us Al Bhed call home near here. Yunie will be there too, I'm sure of it. The other Al Bhed come around all the time so they must have rescued her earlier."

"Rescued?" Wakka scoffed suddenly. "Probably more like Kidnapped!" Tidus fought the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation. When would the islander ever shut the hell up?

"If they have her she's probably safer then she would have been out here with you." The glowing blonde snapped irritably before he turned his back on the spluttering adult. Rikku glowered briefly at Wakka also before she brightened and waved a finger by her head.

"Anyway, I'll take you there if you promise that you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not the Yevonites, okay?" This was directed more to Yuna's guardians rather than Harry's. "You know they don't like us Al Bhed. Who knows what they'll do if they knew?"

"Gimme a break," Wakka interrupted rudely. "What are you accusing Yevon of this time?" Rikku got ruffled and squared off with the red head.

"Yevon did something really bad to us before." She stated, her cheeks puffing out.

"Well, you Al Bhed must've deserved it." Wakka nodded stubbornly as he said this, like those words finished everything. Rikku was getting more and more upset by his presence and Harry already had a headache, which in turn was threatening to be passed on to Tidus.

"Knock it off Wakka." Tidus ordered harshly, subconsciously bringing down his uncontrolled power on the man to make him quiet. "You won't tell anyone about the Island and I won't have to leave you out here for the fiends to find." He didn't wait for an answer but looked at the younger Al Bhed instead, his temper slinking to the back of his mind.

"Can you show us the way?" He asked in a calmer tone. "I think we should at least try to reach it before sunrise or we'll have to deal with the heat." Rikku agreed and took a good look around before scampering off a small way to get her bearings. Everyone else took the chance to rest once more. It would probably be the last time they'd get to before setting off toward Home. Tidus was actually quite glad for the fire Rikku and Gatta had built. As the sun had gone down the desert had become much cooler and the warm glow was beginning to wear off, meaning, he could actually feel the temperature around him again. Eventually, Rikku figured out where she was going and they set off.

Rikku lead them through the dunes with little difficulty and before long a corona of light became visible on the horizon just beyond the larger dunes ahead. The fifteen year old cheered when she saw it and then admitted that she'd never actually tried to walk the Sanubian Desert in the dark before and that before she'd seem it she'd had absolutely no idea whether she was heading in the right direction or not. They crested another dune and the Al Bhed home came into sight, leaving Tidus with a half smile twisting his lips bitterly as he examined the structure.

Its layout was like a large octagon at the base and the centeral building rose up a few stories before cutting off to reveal a flat roof. Out from that building leaned Eight metal towers, all of them a metallic silver and bronze color in the blazing flood lights that where mounted all over the place. Tidus could still see lights in windows in spite of the bright illumination of the area and figures moving within. The metal building was impressive to say the least and the most advanced thing he'd seen in Spira so far.

"Home Sweet Home." Rikku grinned and glanced at Gatta. "Race you to the bottom!" She declared loudly before she went sliding down the dune. Gatta yelped and took off after her, the others following at a more sedate pace, so when they reached the bottom Rikku and Gatta were already waiting for them along with a few other Al Bhed.

"Hey Harry! I want you to meet someone!" Rikku chirped as she grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him over to a tall bald man who wore a yellow jumpsuit that was zipped up at the front, a large pair of goggles rested on his chest just under his chin which was covered with a short blonde beard. "Pops, this is Harry, the Summoner I've been protecting." She presented him proudly before turning back to Harry. "And this, is my father, Cid." She said proudly. "He was the one who brought all the Al Bhed together here." Harry looked slightly surprised but bowed slightly to the man none the less.

"Pleasure to meet you." He offered shortly, intentionally refraining from any of his more formal tendencies during the greeting. He didn't need Legimancy to know that Cid was the kind of man who probably couldn't stand to deal with any pomp or ceremony.

"So you're the kid who's been draggin' round my little girl!" Cid said in a rough tone as he peered down at Harry, studying him intently. Harry nodded and the older man snorted before he looked at the rest of the group. An eyebrow went up when he saw Auron, but fortunately he didn't say anything.

"Are all these yours?" I asked incredulously, referring to the number of Guardians assembled behind him. Rikku burst out laughing as she heard that and Harry endeavored to explain.

"No! The three over there, Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri, they're Lady Yuna's Guardians. She was caught up in Sin's wake just like the rest of us and we brought them along with us while we traveled. We concluded that you had already found her." Cid screwed up his face as the information processed.

"Ugghhh." He made a noise as he waved toward an Al Bhed man nearby. "Dyga draca drnaa tufh du dra Summoner's Sanctum." (Take these three down to the Summoner's Sanctum.) The man promptly saluted and beckoned Yuna's Guardian's to follow him.

"Don't just stand there, go on, get outta here." Cid instructed gruffly, gesturing for them to follow as well. The three gave the other group one last look before they where herded into the building and out of sight. He returned his attention to the remains of their party and tiredly beckoned them to follow, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening as he frowned. He barked at a few people and before they knew it they where all being shown to empty quarters for the night. Oa'ka and Gatta both went to bed right away and Rikku followed them right after, having worn herself out jumping all over another of her siblings, an older male named Keyakku. Auron had drifted away not long after to find someone he had to talk to leaving Harry and Tidus on their own once more.

Stumbling into their room Tidus gratefully slumped onto a bed. There where two of them in the room, about a foot apart underneath the long, narrow window that let in the light cast by the floodlights outside. Harry wondered around the room, looking at everything before stumbling upon a bathroom, two seconds later he was ready to go find any Al Bhed in the area and kiss them at the revelation that they had working showers.

Did he mention how much he loved the Al Bhed right now?

He'd been in there no less than five minutes when a barely audiable gasp reached his ears and the door opened to reveal Tidus leaning against the frame panting slightly.

"Something's wrong." He managed to choke out and Harry only had time to grab his shirt and boxers before the blonde slid to the floor gasping. The Summoner cursed violently as he remembered where he'd seen something like this happen before.

"It's starting!" He said in disbelief as he helped his guardian back to his bed. Tidus curled in on himself and bit his lip to keep from screaming as his stomach turned violently. It was lucky he hadn't eaten anything in a while or he would have lost it. He closed his eyes as his headache grew stronger and dimly registered Harry speaking somewhere above him. The blonde made himself listen to what he was saying.

"…I didn't think it would start so soon." Harry was saying aloud. "Your animagus is forcing your body to change in order to manifest itself fully and it will hurt more because you aren't in control of the change like most people would be. It…it happens to werewolves too… an animagus's body has to learn the new shape it will take, it melts down your body and moulds it into a new form, magic compensates for extreme changes like in size and strength. The first change is very slow and can last from between hours to days. Please don't try to fight it to much…" Tidus probably would have cursed a blue streak if he wasn't in to much pain to do so. He wanted to scream as well but he bit his lip harder in an effort to fight it. Harry noticed and left him for a moment to retrieve his staff from the bathroom before casting a silencing spell around the changing blonde. He sat back down by his head and placed a hand on his collarbone, giving him something to focus on.

"You can scream." He said simply and Tidus simply opened his mouth and let out a silent roar of pain that no one could hear. Harry gave him a worried look before he backed away and went to sit on the room's other bed, his hands gripping his staff so tightly that they where stark white against the black and silver wood. He couldn't do anything for Tidus now. The first change was something all animagus's had to go through without help from anyone else. It this point, to cast any spells on the blonde would disrupt the process and most likely cause a defect in the animagus form or that of the human when they charged back. Many had learned the hard way how dangerous it was, which was part of the reason all animagus had to be monitored and registered by the ministry in the first place. Although, during the war with Voldemort, the reasons for having an animagus registered had been reduced to discouraging spies. Tidus arched off the mattress slightly and went back down with a thump, shaking Harry out of his thoughts. He shot another look at the blonde and let out a small sigh. If he wasn't showing signs of changing yet it probably wouldn't be very fast. He had a few hours until dawn so he gathered everything and folded his clothes before getting into his bed and praying that nothing would catch up to them during the next few days. God knows they would be at their weakest.

The metallic Al Bhed fortress glittered in an eerily beautiful way as the sun peeked across the top of the dunes that made up the Sanubian desert. From above it gave the illusion of tiger stripes as the tops of the dunes where washed with gold and shadows deepening in the gaps between. Around 'Home' the men and women on the night shift where yawning tiredly as they waited for their replacements to come and relieve them from guard duty. To the west of 'Home' the sea was calm and boats lay still at their births, generators humming slightly as early risers began preparations for the day. Having not been disturbed the desert was peaceful and here the Al Bhed people could relax without fear of going under attack as the Yevonites had no idea about their small corner of paradise they'd built for themselves.

New guards where emerging from Home and heading to their positions when all of a sudden an urgent call went up from the guard posts. There where panicked screams and someone finally hit a switch, setting off a loud wailing alarm that pierced the air vengefully. One Al Bhed walking on the northern side of 'Home' was looking at the ground when he was cast into shadow. Alarms had begun to sound behind him and he instantly feared what he'd see if he looked up, but morbid curiosity coupled with the fact that the shadow was getting larger forced him to look.

He instantly wished he hadn't.

His scream rent the air, but was drowned out by the alarms as the giant talons of a Zuu bird swept out of the sky and grabbed him from the sand. Fiends where coming out of nowhere and attacking en-mass, something that had never happened before, not even when Sin came around and tried to attack the area on the rare occasion that it did. Chimera and Bombs where entering now under the aerial cover provided by the Zuu, but the Al Bhed where finally gathering their wits and where launching a counter attack of their own. Gunfire tore the air and fiends went down, but for every one killed two more took its place. It was Keyakku, who was helping the evacuation of the women, children and Summoners, who spotted their true enemy first.

"DRA GUADO!" The others soon took up his warning and the Guado just seemed to appear out of thin air behind the fiends. It was like every Guado of Guadosalam had come for the attack and now they where breaching the building themselves. Keyakku ran to the main entrance and joined the battle there once his groups had been taken to the evacuation point. He hadn't been there long when a familiar figure walked up to them and waved a hand, sending an extremely high-level firaga spell bearing down on the defenders. As Fiends flooded forward to finish them off Keyakku could only think one thing.

'Didn't Rikku say he was dead?'

His world went black.

There was nothing less than absolute chaos in the corridors of the Al Bhed 'Home' as those fighting desperately tried to protect the dwindling number of survivors that had yet to reach relative safety. Harry was one of those people.

He'd woken as the alarms had begun to sound and had cursed Murphy's law to hell and back as he'd thrown on his clothes and hefted a half transformed arm across his shoulders. Tidus had stopped screaming long ago, his vocal chords being in the middle of a change, making speaking a difficult task. Right now he was barely coherent and in no condition to fight. His hands where half mutated into claws, there where spikes coming out of his spine and his feet where twisted and elongated so awkwardly that he needed help to stand. The Summoner had tried calling for his other Guardians but they weren't around, probably having thought that Tidus would keep him safe while they helped the Al Bhed fight.

Half dragging the blonde, Harry turned down another corridor and dodged another Guado before a feeling of complete and utter dread nearly knocked him off his feet. Suddenly very afraid he began looking for a way out. He couldn't summon in the tight corridor and he certainly didn't have the strength or skill to run and cast at the same time, while carrying Tidus. The feeling grew stronger and Harry dragged Tidus into a dead end in the hopes of hiding but a cold voice made his hopes come crashing down.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a wonderful surprise." Harry lowered a nearly convulsing Tidus gently to the floor and turned around slowly. Under his robes and tied to the back of his belt he could feel the weight of his staff, positively buzzing to be used as green eyes met the steely blue of none other than Seymour Guado.

"I can't say I agree with you." Harry said in a voice that held a very fragile edge of calm. His fingers twitched for a weapon but he refrained from going for his staff. "After all, I am a traitor to Yevon, am I not?" he was just plain scathing now. Seymour scowled magnificently at the accusations hidden in the Summoner's words. He took a step to the side and revealed the new sight of Summoner Yuna being restrained by another Guado soldier. She was struggling with her captor and attempting to yell at them through a gag as her panicked mismatched eyes took in the scene.

"Get him!" Seymour ordered almost shrilly. A few Guado leapt forward and Harry lashed out at them with his bare hands. His struggles managed to keep them at bay for a few seconds before they overpowered him. Seymour smirked in triumph as they dragged him over to where the other soldier stood with Yuna.

"I believe we have everything we came for." The blue haired grease ball drawled. "Tell my men to bring this place down." He ordered another Guado. "I want this placed turned to rubble the moment we leave." The soldier nodded and left but before Seymour's small entourage could do the same there was a low growl from the dead end they'd just grabbed Harry from. Seymour looked back into the darkness, as did Harry who's eyes widened at the sight that awaited them. Tidus was half raised of the floor on unsteady, mutated arms and legs. He glared up at Seymour and Harry saw that in the few minutes that he hadn't looked at Tidus the change had accelerated. His face was now changing as his eyes went solid blue. The right side of his face had fine gold scales and a horn was even growing out of his hair. His right ear had flattened out along the side of his head and had nearly vanished, blending in with the scales that ran down his slowly lengthening neck.

One claw was held to his stomach and Seymour, fortunately or unfortunately, mistook him for being injured. He let out a bark of laughter and turned away.

"The guardian is dying." He crowed settling a look on Harry, "There's no one to protect you now… Master Summoner." He laughed again, harsh and evil, at the look on Harry's face as he said that. "Bring them!" He snapped and strode away. Barely two minutes after his departure Auron came barreling down the hall and skidded to a stop when he saw Tidus, half out of the corridor and trying to stand on mismatched feet. The old man stared at him for what felt like an eternity as he took in the change that had been wrought on the teenager. He looked him in the eye when he let out a growl and the only thing he saw in the solid blue depths was rage, pure rage that burned under the surface just begging to be released. Then the teen collapsed. Auron moved forward and cautiously helped him up again before steering him in the direction the others had gone.

They got plenty of fearful looks as they boarded the Al Bhed's airship and they only increased the closer they got to the bridge. Passing the makeshift recovery area where Yuna's guardians had been brought he brought Tidus to the bridge before letting him drop to the floor again. Rikku squealed in a mix of fear and surprise when she saw Tidus and effectively brought on them the attention of everyone else.

"Who the hell is that?" Cid, displaying no subtlety whatsoever, demanded. The blonde's head shot up and he growled inarticulately, making more than a few people flinch.

"Tidus? Is that you?" Rikku took a step closer and then jumped back when his head snapped around to look at her. Dried tears had traced lines down her face and now she hurried to erase all evidence that she'd been crying.

"The Guado took Harry and Yuna." Auron reported, ignoring Tidus when he growled again. "We're going to need your help if we're going to get them back." The last part had been directed at a surly Cid who had been shouting out orders again, and it hadn't even been a request. The Al Bhed leader was going to help them and that was that, no other option.

"But how are we gonna find them?" Gatta asked from beside Rikku, although he began to edge away from her when a hundred over protective family members leveled brief glares at him.

"Well that's the thing, we're gonna search for them on this airship!" Cid replied, becoming more enthusiastic as the talk turned to his baby.

"Airship?" Oa'ka asked and Cid gave him an utterly scandalized look before turning away grumbling in Al Bhed. His voice was raised again when he began yelling.

"Hu desa! Ku, Ku, Ku!" (No time! Go, Go, Go!) Al Bhed rushed to finish preparations and took their proper stations. At the helm was the same ship captain that had taken Tidus and Harry on board after finding them in the ruins where they'd met Rikku. As it turned out, he was another or Rikku's siblings… her older brother to be precise.

"Three minute myad!" Cid seemed ready to explode when he heard that.

"Rinno, rinno! Oui ryja, one minute!" Shortly after the ground began to shake beneath them and it was all they could do to remain standing as the airship began to move. Cid turned around and promptly started yelling at someone else.

"Ajanouha uh puynt?" The other man played with some knobs and dials and yelled back.

"Ajanouha ymeja!" Cid let out a grin as the Airship shuddered again and began to lift from the crumbling underground dock. Brother turned around in the pilot's seat and called back.

"Vydran! Nayto du ku!" Cid grined so wide the guardian's swore that they could see all his teeth.

"Oaaryy! Y vmekrd 1000 years ujantia!" Sand rained down on the airship as the great steel plates slid away above them. Leaving them open to the smoke clouded expanse of the sky. A few of the Zuu still attacking Home circled toward them when they noticed the gleaming metal hull rising from the ground. To some, the light above came as a shock, considering the darkness inside Home. The power generators had been taken out by some lucky hit and left them mostly in the dark.

Brother was staring, his mouth hanging slightly as he spoke.

"Fruy! Ed sujac!" Cid laughed.

"Necg pek, feh pek!" Brother took hold of the controls and brought the Airship around to see 'Home', or at least what remained of it.

"Fruy! Ed ymeac!" The mohawked blonde piped up again. Cid turned his gaze away from home and looked at him.

"Hagd, fa ica dryd!" What ever he'd said hadn't been what Brother wanted to hear. His shoulders sagged and his chin dropped closer to his chest.

"Frydajan oui cyo." Cid moved forward and put a hand on Brother's shoulder, before taking in the sight of home once more. A place he had helped build in order to bring the Al Bhed together.

"I ye yu i," He began to sing in a deep voice that resonated around the command deck as the others fell silent. Somewhere in his haze of pain and anger even Tidus recognized the Hymn of the Fayth. Other Al Bhed, all over the ship, followed Cid's lead and sang as well.

"No bo me no.

Re en mi ni,

Yo ju yo go.

Ha sa te ka na e,

Ku ta ma e."

"What's going on?" Gatta asked Rikku quietly, not having understood enough Al Bhed to follow the conversation. Rikku gave him a distressed look.

"We're… we're going to blow up our Home!"

"How?" Lulu enquired. Cid however, was the one who answered her question.

"With one of the forbidden Machina!" He crowed before spinning around to yell at his men.

"Nayto? Vena!" A crew member pulled a few leavers and hatches on the outer rim of the deck slid open. Not a second later a barrage of homing missiles where launched through the air in the direction of Home and Brother booked it toward the desert, pushing the Airship to top speed in order to escape the shockwave. For a minute they thought it was going to overtake them but Brother activated the boosters and sent them hurtling up into the blue and well out of range of the debris. Many crew members gave mournful looks in the direction of Home as the Airship leveled out on the clouds but Cid on the other hand was laughing like there was no tomorrow.

"Gah-hah-hah-hah! Nadinh du ceht!" Brother wasn't taking it to well though and was sobbing like a girl in his seat. Cid clapped him comfortingly on the shoulder. "Hu haat yun daync! Fryd ec kuut ypuid machina, ec drao lyh pa piemd yhaf, oui caa?"

In the few minutes after that everyone milled around slightly lost or confused and Wakka, who had joined them, along with Lulu as the Airship had been taking off managed to open his big mouth and upset half the Al Bhed on the bridge by saying something about fireworks. Lulu had gone to Cid and was now listening to him as he explained out the device he was using to track down the kidnapped Summoners. Cid admitted at one point that he had absolutely no idea exactly how everything on the Airship worked, which thrilled the bald man to no end and scared the crap out of Wakka. No one really did anything for a while after that. People ran around working as they shook off the shock of seeing their Home destroyed and Oa'ka was charged with watching over Tidus as he curled up on the floor, his skin still warping as he continued to change at a slower pace then he had been during all the excitement.

Then, after a while Brother yelled, making them jump to attention.

"Vydran! Fa vuihd Yuna!" Cid rushed forward as people leaned in to listen.

"Frana?" He asked.

"E femm cruf oui!" Brother hit a few buttons and an image was projected onto the screen above them and the growling Tidus wasn't the only one disturbed by what they saw.

An image appeared. Yuna was walking along a red carpet on a balcony wearing a long, white dress that left her shoulders bare. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head, and all was covered with a misty veil. She carried a colorful boquet of flowers in her hand but the expression on her face was more determined than happy as guards herded her along to where Seymour was approaching from the other side of what they identified at a tower top.

As they met up in the middle Seymour sent a smirk at a cluster of guards and the image shifted slightly to bring the second Summoner into view. Harry didn't look good at all. He'd put up more of a fight and paid for it if the bruises and cuts on his person where anything to go by…

"That was the Palace of St. Bevelle. Heart of Yevon." Lulu breathed out. "This isn't good." Cid yelled out and the Airship leapt forward once more as someone hit the boosters. They where nearly there when Auron looked down to see Tidus curled on the ground. His skin and clothes had turned gold and seemed to be boiling as they melted together. Glowing solid blue eyes glared into space as he began to growl and the old monk just knew that he was going to finish changing into whatever it was he was warping into.

"Quick!" He grabbed anyone who wasn't important and still strong enough to carry a person the size of Tidus and made to move the feral guardian. "We have to get him out onto the deck before its complete!" Cid shouted something through the intercom and suddenly the bridge was flooded with people willing to help, including, much to the surprise of the other Guardian's, Issaru. Moving as fast as they could with their thrashing load they rushed through the Airship toward the large elevator that lead to the deck, but as they entered the cabin the Airship shook violently as a large something sideswiped it. The thing turned and did another pass and this time they got a better look at it.

It was Evrae, the guardian Wyrm of the Palace of Saint Bevelle.

Tidus growled.

'Out…NOW!' A rough voice thundered through their heads, only to be drowned out by an unintelligible roar of pain as something crunched sickeningly, somewhere in his body. They rushed out of the elevator and everyone but Harry and Yuna's guardians retreated back to the cabin to watch.

Evrae roared as it charged the ship a third time. The guardians got ready for a fight they weren't sure they would win, when a shadow loomed above them on the deck, blocking the sun. They turned around, half fearing what they would see when they did and found a dragon, nearly twice the size of Evrae standing on its hind legs. Giant gold wings stretched out behind it and emblazoned on its chest was a large silver marking in the same shape as the necklace Tidus always wore…

Then it hit them,

The dragon WAS Tidus.

A great roar from the guardian turned dragon nearly threw them off their feet as they grabbed their ears in pain and the Airship rocked wildly as new wings started to beat the air. Evrae, who had halted its attack, shrieked a challenge of its own as Tidus took off. His flight was unsteady for the first few moments then instinct took over and the gold dragon took off after the Azure winged Wyrm.

It was going to be a battle of the guardian beasts… literally.

Al Bhed, Guardian and Summoner alike where all reduced to staring in a mix of horror, awe and morbid fascination as the pair collided in mid air. The silvery Wyrm tried to throw itself away from the larger dragon but Tidus latched on with claws like steal and snapped at the join where its wings attached to its body. It gave a shriek and landed a glancing blow on the gold dragon's chest. Tidus backed off and made wide circle only to stop not far away and turn around before he spewed out a gout of blue and white flames. It formed into a fireball and hurtled at the Wyrm, which barely managed to dodge before another hit it in the tail. Apparently after that it had decided Tidus was too much and wheeled around in mid air, making a beeline back to Bevelle, but the guardian turned dragon wasn't going to stand for that. He sounded another challenge and perused.

Back on the air ship Cid gave out a whoop.

"Would ya look at that! He's go the darn thing on the run! Full speed ahead!" Thus the Airship leapt forward, pushing its engines to the limit as they caught up to the battle. Tidus had caught Evrae again and was now wrestling upside down in mid air, his wings beating twice as hard to make up for the struggling dead weight of the other dragon. It's opaline wings where limp against its sides and as Tidus broke past its outer layer of diamond hard scales a shower of gore rained down from the sky, right over the approximate outskirts of Bevelle. Below, people where looking up and pointing at the spectacle or running in fear as Tidus finally decided to end the pathetic creature's suffering. He put his jaws around its neck and bit down as hard as he could, teeth tore through scales and flesh alike before Evrae let out one last sound of death and fell. Even so, before it could hit anything the corpse burst into a bright rain of pyre flies that descended on the single largest tower of Bevelle…

On the palace of saint Bevelle the wedding that had been anxiously anticipated by the whole of Spira came to a grinding halt as an ominous roar echoed around them amid the fall of pyre flies that had appeared from nowhere. Seymour had turned his eyes to the sky and was now looking around for the source of the noise as he backed toward the stairs to the upper level. Then a large metallic object came screaming from out of nowhere and circled the tower as the solider monks shook of their surprise and went to man their stations. Maester Kinoc was shouting nearby and the weapons placed along the balconies opened fire.

Seymour signaled to the guard holding the Master Summoner to get to the top of the stairs before he grabbed the Lady Yuna's arm and dragged her up afterward as the Airship did another lap around the tower. The large veil she wore, escaped its ties and went flying into the air before she could grab it again. It slipped through the air, just narrowly missing being caught on the two huge anchors that crashed into the floor at the far end of the tower. Thick steal cables attached them to the airship and people where sliding down them.

When as she saw a large blur of blue she realized who it was. The Guardian's had come to get them. They where safely on the tower when the cables where snapped by the cannon fire. It only took a glace to see one of her rival Summoners Guardian's was missing… Tidus wasn't with the group. She threw a look over at the other teen and noticed that he wasn't even looking at the Guardians. Instead he was looking at the sky, his eyes blazing with what appeared to be triumph. Yuna followed his lead and looked up, only to gasp in shock at the sight that awaited her.

A giant golden dragon had broken through the clouds and was speeding toward the tower, twisting and turning in mid air to avoid the cannons aimed in its direction. Everyone not fighting had stopped to stare and that cost them their lives as the Dragon made a pass over the tower and swiped at the Maesters. They avoided the wicked looking claws, but the soldier monks weren't so lucky. A flick of the dragon's tail caught one of the cannons and sent it and its operators speeding toward the rest of the palace below. In the chaos of fighting off enemies from both air and land the guard holding Harry wasn't doing his job right. The dark haired Summoner didn't look the gift horse in the mouth and hammered his elbow into the guards stomach, brought his uninjured foot down on his instep, swung his fist over his shoulder to pound the poor man in the nose before changing direction and aiming for the groin. The man let go of him, whimpering quietly in pain as he curled into a fetal position and clutched himself. Harry took a limping step forward and clapped his hands together to get rid of imaginary dust before he reached under his robe for his staff.

A quick look told him that his escape had, so far, gone unnoticed and he slipped behind a heavily decorated pillar, out of sight of the combatants while he concentrated on himself. His robes where ripped, but fixable, and they needed to be cleaned. A thick coat of blood was nearly invisible on the black material but the overpowering smell gave it away. He couldn't clean it now though… he still needed his magic for more important things, like healing.

He focused internally and drew out his magic, channeling it through the staff he whispered the spell.

"Curaga!" The spell was instantly effective and Harry could feel the larger injuries healing over, including his foot. Slumping back against the pillar he waited until he was sure the worst was healed before he stuck his head out to see what was going on. The scene awaiting him was far from pretty. The bodies of dead Soldier Monks where scattered around the lower tiers of the tower and the remains of Machina was equally as numerous. The Guardians where climbing the stairs at a frenzied rate but came to a screeching halt a moment later.

"This has gone far enough!" Maester Kinoc stepped away from the others and brought up a Machina Rifle of his own as a fresh wave of monks surrounded them. The dragon's roars had faded somewhat as it flew around the tower, taking out any enemy that was stupid enough to show itself. Among the guardians Oa'ka was gripping his own staff like he wanted to beat the man into a bloody pulp but Auron pulled him back by his backpack.

"No, wait." He warned the red head just loud enough that no one else would hear. "Harry isn't up there." Oa'ka looked and found he was right. Harry couldn't be seen on the tower top. He relaxed slightly and stood back with the more experienced guardian to see how it would play out. From Harry's point of view he could see nearly everything and was well aware of when Yuna put her hands behind her back and began to fidget with her dress. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she pulled a staff out from the concealing folds.

'Oh, looks like I wasn't the only one with a trump card.' Harry thought to himself idly as Yuna took a few determined steps and stood in front of Seymour, her bluish colored staff held out horizontally before her. Seymour looked at the staff before he looked at the Summoner and raised an eyebrow.

"You would play at marriage, Just for a chance to send me?" From his hiding place Harry understood why Yuna had suddenly stopped struggling on the way to Bevelle. Seymour, however, simply seemed amused by Yuna's efforts to send him. "Your resolve is admirable… only more fitting for you to be my lovely wife." Yuna narrowed her own eyes slightly and began the first twirling movements of her staff. The unsent Guado, however, made no move to stop her. Instead it was another Maester altogether that rasped out the command.

"Stop." More than a little surprised, Yuna stopped her sending before it had even really begun and all eyes settled on the bent, decrepit figure of Maester Mika. "Do you not value the lives of your guardians?" he asked almost gravely and Yuna was compelled to look back at the group on the stairs and somehow managed to speak in her confused state.

"…but not all of those Guardians are mine." She said softly and the memories of those above them came back with a jolt. Seymour turned, eyes scanning the balcony behind him, quickly noticing the downed guard and the absence of the second Summoner. Only his unshakable calm mask kept him from expressing the stream of curses that sprung from the back of his mind. The other Maester's present also seemed to realize that the captive 'traitor' had gone missing but Mika ploughed on anyway.

"Regardless of their loyalties, your actions determine your fate." Mika stated harshly. "Protect them, or throw them away, the choice is yours." Yuna was torn. Mismatched eyes wide, she looked from one side to the other trying to weigh the costs before she gave up completely and let her staff fall from limp fingers. The clatter it made as it hit the ground was almost deafening to those who stood on the stairs.

"You are wise." Seymour smirked triumphantly as he grabbed Yuna by the shoulders and turned her to face him. Yuna had only a faint glint of defiance in her eyes as the Guado half-breed leaned in and kissed her. Kimahri gave a half roar while Wakka ground his teeth, squeezing his blitz ball so badly Harry thought it would burst. As the two on the tower top kissed, bells began to ring through out the city. Loudly announcing the union of Maester and Summoner. When they finally broke apart Yuna turned away, looking a little green, while Seymour waved a dismissive hand between Kinoc and the guardians.

"Kill them." The flippant order had soldier monks surrounding the Guardians in an instant. They grouped together, back to back as they met their eyes warily. Kinoc came forward and looked at Auron.

"I am sorry, but it is for Yevon." He told the old guardian, something in his voice betraying weakness few could hear.

"Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" Auron's tone held a sharp edge of scorn. Kinoc just shrugged.

"There are… exceptions." Then he cocked his weapon, twisting slightly to take aim, directly at Rikku. The Al Bhed girl's eyes widened as she stared down the barrel of the gun, but before his finger could squeeze the trigger there was a sudden blur of movement and a shout behind the Maesters.

"STOP!" People turned and all eyes moved to rest on the towers previously hidden occupant. Harry stood on the edge of the balcony, green eyes blazing with determination as glared at anyone who wasn't a guardian, but it wasn't his sudden appearance that caught them off guard, it was the fact that he had grabbed Yuna. The female Summoner was stunned at her new predicament as she felt the staff held across her throat crackle menacingly. "Drop your weapons." Harry ordered coldly and the soldier monk's complied. Maester Kinoc was slower to comply and Harry dragged Yuna back a few more steps, right to the edge of the balcony before Seymour finally signaled those still armed to back off. As they did the guardians tried to move forward, a steaming Wakka in the lead, but Harry sent them a look, stopping them dead.

"No, don't follow me." He ordered shortly. "Turn around and get out of here, now!" Rikku, Gatta and Qa'ka looked torn between obeying and rebelling, while Wakka was just pissed off. But at the back of their group, Auron, Lulu and Kimahri showed some understanding.

"But 'Ry…" Rikku trailed off when Harry shook his head.

"No Rikku, just go, trust me." His harsh expression softened slightly as he addressed her but then it hardened when he returned his glare to the Maesters. "I wasn't named Master Summoner for nothing." There was silence as the words soaked onto their brains and began to connect the scattered clues in the memories of those who hadn't already known Harry's secret. The green-eyed teen rolled his eyes at the gaping looks that accompanied the title and yelled.

"JUST GO ALREADY!" The Stupified guardians snapped to attention and obeyed, those who had already figured it out grabbed those who where still frozen and forced them to run for it. Auron was the last to disappear from the tower top, nodding to Harry before he took the stairs three at a time to the lower level. After watching them go Harry shuffled back on the balcony and took a blind step back onto the ledge where he stopped. Seymour, eyes narrowed in rage, sneered.

"And what will you do now, Harry." He drawled the Summoner's name darkly. "You can not summon and hold my wife at the same time. Are you so tired of life that you would throw it away to prove your point?" Harry smirked back, allowing himself to feel some triumph while Yuna stopped struggling completely. She was confused… would Harry kill them both?

"Oh, poor little ghosts." Harry said mockingly. "You didn't count the Guardian's, did you." There was general confusion on the tower top while Yuna remembered the missing blonde, Tidus.

But hadn't he been left back at 'Home'?

Harry was grinning now as he lifted one finger off the staff.

"One guardian, do you know what happened to him?" Seymour's rage had ebbed slightly as he listened, not quite understanding what Harry was talking about. Harry just shook his head and waggled the finger in a farewell gesture before allowing himself to tip back into thin air, pulling Yuna with him. There where more than a few surprised shouts as Seymour rushed to the edge and peered over at the free falling black and white figures, just in time to see a giant golden form sweep around the tower to catch them. The dragon gave a nearly deafening roar as Harry looked back up at the tower and gave into his childish urge to give Seymour the one-fingered salute. An indignant squawk from the slightly winded white clad female beside him told him that the meaning of the gesture hadn't changed one bit over the thousands of years. Ignoring her and the shocked Maesters behind them, Harry turned his attention to the much calmer Dragon he was laying on and concentrated.

'Tidus?' He sent out carefully. In an instant a flood of relief washed over him.

'Harry!' A roar that made Yuna yelp accompanied his response.

"What is this thing?" She asked over the wind as Tidus began a looping decent toward the lower city. "Is it some kind of Aeon?" Harry grinned again when he looked over the dragon's jagged spine to meet wide mismatched eyes.

"This? An aeon? Hell no! Doesn't he look familiar?" Yuna tried to think whether or not she'd seen such a creature before only to stare in surprise when she remembered what Harry had said on the tower.

"Tidus!" She gasped out. Harry just smiled and mentally asked his guardian to take them down to the palace roof. There was a Fayth here in Bevelle, if what Seymour had mentioned was correct. Instinct told him to find it and he just knew that's where the other guardians would go first, so why not kill two birds with the same stone on the way out.

A/N: Well that's another chapter! It have to admit it's the longest one I've done for this story so far. I'm surprised I even bothered to finish it, after all, I set myself a dead line and those never really work out as far as I'm concerned. Heh, my teachers in High School hated it because the moment they said due date any work I was doing would come to a grinding halt! Eeekk I think I might have rushed this a bit as well...poopies.

Hmmm, I might have missed out on a few small details in the middle though. I didn't write the bit on the Airship until I'd finished everything else 'cause I was to lazy to do it earlier… probably why I'm posting it at the last minute instead of earlier…

Don't forget to review!

Cya