Chapter Fourteen: Decisions and Revelations

"Yuna!" Tidus called, searching through the impenetrable mist that surrounded him on all sides. "Yuna, where are you?!"

"Tidus...?" a faint voice called from somewhere ahead of him.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled desperately, plunging forward. At last he broke through into a spot of ground cleared of the mist. Yuna stood there, in all her usual serenity and calm. Tidus immediately grinned, all his worries set aside. It had been stupid to worry, really... Of course she wasn't going anywhere.

But suddenly a tall form loomed up out of the surrounding mist and Seymour, leader of the Guado, stepped forward, his robes swishing softly. "Lady Yuna..." he whispered in his entrancing voice, and stared at her. Tidus could see a strange, cold light of immense desire burning in his grey eyes.

Yuna slowly turned around and looked at up at him, her eyes gradually widening. She looked almost hypnotized. "Maester Seymour..." she murmured in a cold, strange voice alien to anything Tidus knew. And then she took a step towards Seymour, who stretched out his hand to receive her. She took another step, and another, each one taking her farther and farther away from him.

"No!" Tidus cried in warning, but Yuna did not look away. "No, Yuna! Don't walk away! Don't leave me! Yuna! Stop running away!"

Auron rose up, tall and immovable, staring down at Tidus with a strange expression hiding behind his dark glasses. "You're the one running."

Tidus jerked awake, panting hard as if he had been running. A feeling of loss crept over him, as though Yuna was walking steadily towards a bottomless pit and nothing he did could pull her away from the edge. It's all Seymour's fault, he thought bitterly. Muddling up our pilgrimage, confusing Yuna... But Yuna would never marry Seymour, he simply knew it. Or at least...I hope not.

Rikku had managed to persuade them to spend the night at the Al Bhed inn, though Tidus greatly doubted that she had slept very well that night. As they finished a cold, hasty morning meal, she peeked out a window at the stormy sky outside. "It's not stopping, is it?"

Auron was very irritated with the girl by now. "Don't tell me you were hoping it would." Thunder crashed outside and Rikku shrieked. "Fine. Stay here." He left, leaving the door wide open. The others hesitated to see what Rikku would do.

"All right, already," Rikku cried after him. "But you didn't have to say it like that, you know! You could be more comforting or something! You know, try to cheer me up? Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Lightning flashed and Rikku gasped, but then she straightened up and called up to the black storm clouds, "I'm not scared! I'm not scared, you hear?" And she ran after Auron's receding back, the others following.

Many hours later, Yuna stopped in the middle of the road, bringing the whole group to a halt. Ever since they left Guadosalam, she had been very quiet and thoughtful, and it seemed she was finally ready to spill the beans. "Everyone...wait."

Wakka turned to her and asked, "What's up?"

"I have something to tell you."

"Here?" Lulu asked, glancing around at the stormclouds and lightning rod towers.

"We're almost out of here! Let's go!" Rikku urged.

"I have to say it now!" Yuna pleaded.

"Over there." Auron pointed to a lightning rod tower nearby that had a roof circling about it.

When they had all huddled underneath, Yuna faced them and took a deep breath. Tidus' heart began to soar with hope, until she announced, "I've decided to marry."

"I thought so," breathed Lulu.

Tidus felt as though his heart had stopped. Hadn't she said she would turn him down? Or had he merely been fooling himself? Wakka seemed to be just as confounded as he. "B-But why?" the red-headed blitzer spluttered. "Why'd you change your mind?"

Yuna refused to look at anyone. "For Spira's future...and Yevon's unity. I thought it would be the best thing to do."

"That's not good enough," growled Auron.

"Wait, is it..." Lulu gazed questioningly at Yuna. "Is it because of Lord Jyscal?"

"Hey!" Tidus remembered. "That sphere!"

Auron glanced sharply at Tidus, then stepped closer to Yuna. "Show me."

Yuna stared at her boots. "I can't. I must speak to Maester Seymour first. I truly am sorry, but this is... It is a personal matter."

"You're kidding, ya?" Wakka asked in a tone that suggested he couldn't think of anything a summoner should not tell her guardians.

Once more, Auron's face was inscrutable. "As you wish."

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Just one thing."

Now Yuna finally looked up. "I won't quit my pilgrimage."

Auron looked away from her. "Then it is...fine." He started back for the path, but Tidus stepped in front of him, halting him in his tracks.

"Wait a minute, Auron! You don't care? I mean, you're not going to stop her?" Tidus felt desperate; he couldn't let Yuna marry Seymour! They weren't meant for each other; it wouldn't work out, he just knew it!

One of Auron's eyebrows lifted slightly. "No, I'm not. As long as she is willing to face Sin, all else is her concern. That is a summoner's privilege. As long as she journeys."

Feeling as though his entire world was crumbling, Tidus turned away. "But that's..." He growled out his frustration.

Wakka stepped up to Yuna, licking his lips. "Yuna, just one question. Can't you just talk to Maester Seymour? You've got to marry him?"

Confusion clouded Yuna's face. "I don't know. But I think it is the right thing to do."

Wakka shrugged helplessly with a sigh. "Okay, I guess."

Lulu gazed for a long moment at her summoner's face, then merely muttered, "If that is your resolution."

Rikku stepped in front of Yuna next. "Yunie..." She winced as thunder crashed overhead. "Quiet!" she called up to the sky, and turned back to Yuna. "I wish we could help somehow, some way!"

Yuna managed a small smile. "It's okay... I'll be fine."

What does she mean, "I'm sorry."?

What does he mean when he says, "It's fine."?

What are they talking about, 'resolution' and 'privilege'? I don't get it. I don't belong here. But if I don't belong here, with them, then I'll be stuck in Spira, alone. Tidus shuddered at the thought, suddenly realizing how much he liked every one of his companions.

Auron was watching him, he saw. "Next, we're going to Macalania Temple," the impassive man announced. "Yuna can talk with Seymour there. We guardians will wait until they're done, and plan our next move. Understood?" Everyone nodded agreement. Tidus felt sick to the stomach, but slowly nodded his head. What else could he do?

Auron nodded curtly, and led the way back onto the road. Soon they emerged from the Thunder Plains into a deep forest, a faint bluish light filtering down through the many leaves and translucent branches of twisted yet smooth trees. Somewhere, far above them, it was day. But down here, under so many layers of the strange trees, there was no difference between the shining of the sun and the glowing of the moon. Scattered amongst the undergrowth and leaves were stones that caught the light and threw it back at them. Rikku walked slowly in, her shoulders hunched and her back stiff, as though simply waiting for a bolt of lightning to hit her, but then she looked up and saw that they were out of the Thunder Plains. For the first time since Guadosalam, her face broke out into a smile, and she relaxed. Cheerful once more, she skipped ahead with the others, leaving Tidus and Auron in the rear.

Auron, he knew, had been watching him closely ever since he had protested against Yuna marrying. "You're worried about Yuna," the silent man stated.

Tidus sighed. "'Course I'm worried about her. What is she thinking?"

"The simplest answer would be: in exchange for agreeing to marry him...she hopes to negotiate with Seymour."

Good, she doesn't like Seymour, then. "Negotiate what?"

Auron didn't really answer. "I wonder..."

"But...all by herself?" Tidus scratched his head.

Auron's voice was gentle, and for once his face softened. "She's strong..." But then his face and voice hardened once more. "But Seymour is the better negotiator."

"Well then, why don't we do something about it?"

"Yuna wants it this way."

Tidus stomped his foot furiously, sending sparkling bits of rock scattering all about the path. "Argh! I just don't get it! Doesn't she trust us?"

"On the contrary... She doesn't want us caught up in whatever it is she's planning."

Tidus nodded. Makes sense. He gave a small laugh. "But that makes me worry even more. She could just tell us."

Auron paused before replying. "That's the way she is. She's naïve, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help."

"You're probably right," he admitted, looking at the back of Yuna's head ahead of them, beyond earshot. "You understand her pretty good," he added softly.

"Yuna's easy to read."

Tidus thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, she is."

"But hard to guard. Stand by her, always."

Tidus nodded firmly, promising himself that he would. They doubled their pace to catch up to the others, who had stopped to wait for them. "Slowpokes!" Rikku teased.

"Sorry!" Tidus was surprised at how cheerful his voice sounded, and how calm he was. Perhaps it was because he had realized Yuna wasn't marrying Seymour for love. Not really. It was just her duty - something she had to do before returning to her pilgrimage. He told himself that over and over. And he had realized that he and Yuna had never... "Yuna, let's go," he said, silencing his own thoughts for once. Yuna smiled and nodded eagerly.

Not far down the road, they came across Lucil and Elma, standing on either side of the path. Lucil bowed. "Lady Yuna, it is good to see you made it through safely. And, if I may, congratulations on your betrothal."

Yuna smiled gently, keeping her gaze firmly away from her guardians, and murmured her thanks.

"Maester Seymour's people are expecting you," Elma put in.

"This path leads on to Macalania Temple. Farewell, Lady Yuna."

They left the two Crusaders and went on. They had barely passed out of sight, however, when Barthello, Dona's guardian, rushed up to them from farther down the path. "Hey!" he panted. "H-Have you seen Dona?"

"Dona? Can't say that I have." Good thing, too, Tidus thought.

"What's up?" Wakka asked.

Barthello was sweating from both exhaustion and worry. "We got separated on the way here. I've got to find her!"

Auron gazed at him with a stern sort of pity. "Calm down."

"But, if anything happens to her..."

"Running around in a panic is not going to help. Right now, you have to keep cool, and search."

"But-"

Auron cut him off. "Control your emotions, then find your summoner."

Barthello paused and instantly calmed down. "You're right," he sighed.

"Shall we search?" Auron asked politely.

Tidus glanced at him, dreading the thought of helping out such a stuck-up brat as Dona. But he needn't have worried. "No, I've taken up enough of your time," Barthello said calmly. "Thank you, Sir Auron." He ran off once more.

Rikku stepped forward, her brow furrowed in concern and her lips parted slightly. "What's up?" Wakka asked her.

"Oh, I just wanted to wish him good luck." Rikku's expression cleared, but her eyes still bore a strange look. Somehow, Tidus knew that was not the real reason.

They journeyed down the path in silence after that, each occupying their minds with their own thoughts. But Auron, who was leading their party, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned to the side, his one serviceable eye wide, staring at the crystalline tree branches. "Wait," he told the others. "It is here...somewhere."

"What's here?" Tidus asked, voicing the question in everyone's mind.

"Something you should see."

"But, Sir Auron..." Yuna protested.

Auron pulled out his long, heavy sword. "It won't take long." He brought the blade crashing down on the branches, which gave way easily under his blow, sending small shards of crystal branches flying in all directions. Auron hacked some more out of the way until a small opening was made, revealing a pathway the branches had concealed. Everyone followed Auron through the opening and came out into a small clearing with several glittering pools of what appeared to be water, except it was much too beautiful. It glittered with the light of a thousand stars, and was clearer than glass. Pyreflies – at least, Tidus thought they were pyreflies – danced about through the air, yet somehow they looked more bluish and transparent, like ghosts of pyreflies.A huge tree stood directly in the middle of the largest pool.

"This place..." Tidus breathed, staring at the glittering water. "It is just water, isn't it?"

"This is what spheres are made of," Auron answered. "It absorbs and preserves people's memories." He suddenly bent down and scooped something out of the shallow water of the pool, and tossed it to Tidus.

Tidus caught the object and, on closer inspection, discovered it was a small personal sphere. He dried it on his sleeve and looked for the switch so they could see what it contained.

"Woah, this is old!" Wakka exclaimed upon further examination. "Don't know if you can play it back, ya?"

Auron stepped towards Tidus and put his hand on Tidus' to stop him from turning it on. "The material in the pool has kept it intact. Jecht left it here ten years ago." Everyone gasped, and Auron took his hand away. "Play it back."

Tidus set it on the ground so they could all see, switched it on, and everyone sat down before it.

At first, all was white. "What are you taking?" Auron's voice sounded much younger than what they were used to. A younger Auron appeared in the sphere. His hair was a rich dark black, and no scar marred his face, eliminating the need for dark glasses. He kept both his hands free, and didn't hide behind his high collar, letting his red cloak fall open to reveal his black leather armor underneath. He was walking alongside a man Tidus instantly recognized from the floor-length robes and ornamented band around the middle: Braska. A huge city was visible behind them as they walked towards the sphere, made of buildings that put Tidus in mind of the temples they had seen. The sphere bobbed, as though someone were holding it and walking backwards to keep them in view.

Tidus started as he heard his father's voice from beyond the sphere's view, right next to it as though he was the one holding the sphere and recording. "Well, you said it was gonna be a long trip. We'll be seeing a lot of neat things, right? So I thought I'd record it all in this. To show my wife and kid, you know."

"This is no pleasure cruise!" Auron said irritably, and they all stopped.

Jecht ignored that and focused on Braska, who had turned and was gazing back at the city. "Hey, Braska. Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where're the cheering fans? The crying women?"

Braska turned back to face him. "This is it. Too many goodbyes; I might think twice about leaving. I like it better this way."

Auron passed both of them by with an impatient click of his tongue.

"Hmm..." Jecht said. "If you say so. Well, it better be a lot more colorful when we come back. A parade for Braska, vanquisher of Sin!"

Braska laughed slightly with a sad smile that looked very akin to Yuna's. "We should go. Day will break soon."

The scene faded out, and a new one faded in to the three men standing on the deck of a boat, the very same boat Yuna had used to go to Kilika and Luca. Jecht apparently held the sphere again, for Auron and Braska stood at the prow, looking out over the empty sea. "After you get that aeon from Besaid, where're we going?" Jecht asked in his husky voice.

Auron turned around with a slightly irritated frown. "Back the way we came. Then we go north from Bevelle and climb Mount Gagazet."

Braska turned around as well and commented, "Beyond it lies...Zanarkand." He waited for Jecht's reaction.

"Zanarkand, huh?" Jecht chuckled in disbelief. "It's been in ruins for a thousand years, right?"

Auron stepped closer. "So the legends say. No one knows for sure. It still could be your Zanarkand."

Jecht sighed and muttered, "Thanks for trying, Auron."

The sphere quickly switched to the next scene. Jecht stood on the higher deck of the ship, baring his back to the sphere. His head was bowed and his shoulders slumped. He sighed. "I thought if I went with you guys I might find a way to go back. But it's not that easy."

Braska's voice came from behind the sphere, comforting and carrying the same tone that entered Yuna's voice so often. "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, Braska," Jecht replied firmly. "It's not your fault. I should be thinking about fighting Sin now, anyway." He turned abruptly to face the sphere, his jaw set. "Zanarkand can wait. But I will find my way back!"

"Be careful, Jecht," Braska cautioned.

Jecht grinned crookedly. "Hey, I'll be all right. You're the one that should be careful. Wouldn't want your little girl to cry."

"She'll be all right," Braska said stiffly. "She's strong, like her mother was." And he hastily shut the sphere off.

When it turned on again, Tidus could see part of Jecht's scarred back, and beyond him the entire village of Besaid gathered to welcome them. "Smallest heap of huts I ever seen!" Jecht cried, putting a hand to his head.

Braska stepped into view, his back to the camera as well. "Now, that looks like a fine place to live," he murmured thoughtfully. The sphere stepped up beside them, and Braska looked sideways at it. "Hmm... Auron."

The sphere turned sharply towards the summoner, and Auron's voice asked in surprise, "My lord?"

Braska frowned thoughtfully. "When this is over...could you bring Yuna here? I want her to lead a life far away from this conflict."

The sphere's view nodded up and down as Auron eagerly said, "You have my word. I will bring her here."

Braska smiled. "Thank you, Auron. You are a good friend."

Jecht turned impatiently to them and yelled, "What are you guys doin'? Let's go!" Braska and the sphere turned to look at him, and he continued, "I'm so hungry I could eat a shoopuf whole!"

"Sorry," Braska apologized lightly, forgetting his grave manner immediately. "Well, let's go then." They walked along and the sphere turned black.

Next, the image of a small yellow bird came into view. It was perched on top of a pile of crates, and the faint song of seagulls could be heard above the humming of the sphere. But suddenly a voice called out, "Hey, Auron!" The bird fluttered away in fright. A sigh came from behind the sphere, but it turned to Jecht, who stood at a short distance on what appeared to be a deserted dock in Luca. "Did you get that last match?" Jecht asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Auron's voice said, and his gloved hand tossed a small sphere at Jecht, who caught it expertly and pocketed it. "But I don't understand why you wanted me to take it," Auron continued in a puzzled tone. "Didn't you say you have blitzball in your Zanarkand?"

Jecht crossed his arms and shook his head. "Not a sportsman, are ya?"

Braska approached from one side. "Working on your form?" he teased as he came up to them.

Jecht tossed his head. "My form don't need no work. I'm the great Jecht. It's for my kid."

Braska's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Your son plays blitzball?"

Jecht grinned. "Yeah, and he wants to beat his old man bad. Once, I told him to give it up. He didn't speak to me for a week," he chortled. But suddenly his face grew sombre. "Wonder what he's doing now. I hope he got bigger and put on some muscle." He stepped away, staring out across the sea crowded with ships. The sphere shifted to get Jecht into better view, but Jecht turned angrily to him. "Hey, what's the big idea?" he cried in a strange voice. "Stop shooting!"

Auron grunted from behind the sphere and it all went black.

The next scene started in front of Rin's inn on the Mi'ihen Highroad. Again, Auron was shooting, and the other two stood looking in opposite directions. "A giant fiend that attacks chocobos," Braska mused.

"Hmph. What's it waiting for?" Jecht complained. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Hey! Come out and fight!"

The sphere slowly revolved around, searching aimlessly for the fiend, but at last it stopped, focusing on Jecht. "I told you this was a waste of time," Auron grumbled from beyond the sphere.

Jecht turned to face him with a frown. "Hey, come on! It's the right thing to do! Everyone's depending on us. Besides, it's good practice."

Auron sighed and admitted, "I guess you're right."

Braska stepped into view. "Well, then..." he began, but there was a sudden flash and the sphere dropped to the ground.

"There it is!" Jecht's voice yelled from somewhere above the sphere. "Auron! Let's get 'im!"

"Right!" Auron's voice called from the opposite direction. Feet ran confusedly past the sphere, then someone picked it up and turned it off.

Tidus knew the next scene was in the Moonflow from the gorgeous pink sky overhead, and the strip of water off to the left. The sphere slowly scanned the beautiful horizon, passing smoothly over Braska's outline by the edge of the water, and coming to a stop at a tree with large overhanging branches. Jecht lay in a heap in its shadow. The sphere cautiously approached this heap as Jecht finally stirred, pushing himself up on one elbow. He looked terrible, his eyes blurry, a dark stain around his mouth and dribbling down his chin. Tidus knew that look. He had been drunk.

"What are you shooting me for?" Jecht asked irritably, the slur of liquor only beginning to leave his voice.

"So you don't do anything stupid again," Auron replied harshly behind the sphere. "I can't believe you attacked that shoopuf. Lord Braska had to pay the handler for damages from his own travel money!"

"I said I was sorry," Jecht moaned, holding his head in his hands. "It's never gonna happen again! I promise!"

"Ah, a promise?" Auron asked mockingly. "Which you'll forget come tomorrow!"

"Auron, please," Braska called to him from behind. "He did apologize. He knows he was wrong."

Jecht tottered to his feet, leaning heavily on a low tree branch. "That's it. Only thing I drink from now on is shoopuf milk!"

"You're sure?" Braska sounded surprised.

Jecht drew himself up, swaying slightly on his feet. "We're on a journey to fight Sin and save Spira, right? If I keep screwin' up...and...and making a fool of myself...my wife and kid are never gonna forgive me."

"That's on the record," Auron said in a satisfied tone, and turned the sphere off.

The sphere faded in again to an all-too-familiar stormy sky. Auron was shooting as usual, scanning the dismal surroundings and his two companions. "Hey!" Jecht yelled at him. "Hold it steady!"

"Why am I doing this?" Auron asked in a bored voice. He turned to Braska, who gazed out over the Thunder Plains with a furrowed brow. "What do you see there, my lord?" Auron asked.

Braska gave himself a little shake and turned to Auron. "Oh, I was just...thinking."

"This is important!" Jecht yelled again from beyond their sight. "No foolin' around! You're gonna spoil it!" But suddenly lightning flashed and Jecht cried out, "Woah!"

The sphere swivelled around, and bounced over to where Jecht had stood. Jecht struggled up from where he had fallen over in fright, and Auron said, a smile evident in his voice, "Now there's a scene for posterity!"

"Yeah, sure..." Jecht grumbled.

Auron laughed longer and louder than Tidus had ever heard him laugh before, and he felt like laughing himself. At last, a picture of his old man humiliated! Gradually, Jecht's disgruntled face and Auron's laughter faded out, and the next scene faded in.

This time, Jecht and Auron stood before one of Rin's inns in a snowy landscape. Braska's voice came from behind the sphere, making it obvious who was taking this shot. "Auron, could you stand closer to him?"

Auron sighed gustily, and inched slightly closer, turning away from the sphere. The sphere lifted slightly to get the sign of the inn into view. It read 'Rin's Travel Agency - Macalania Lake'. "Good," Braska said. "That should do it."

Jecht turned and leered at Auron. "What's the matter? Afraid I might bite?"

"Jecht..." Auron said in a voice of utmost exasperation. He reluctantly turned to the sphere.

"Braska!" Jecht called. "You should take one, too. It'd make a great gift for little Yuna!"

Braska hesitated before replying. "I suppose."

"Lord Braska..." Auron cut in. "We shouldn't be wasting our time like this!"

"What's the hurry, man?" Jecht demanded.

Auron made a frustrated sound and began to walk off. "Let me tell you what the hurry is!"

The sphere jolted down to look at the snowy ground and a pair of feet, as if Braska had forgotten to turn it off. "Auron!" He called from somewhere above the sphere, and it faded away.

Tidus turned the sphere off in disgust. It was a stupid project, in his eyes. Showing Spira to him and his mother? "What's the point? He wasn't on some pleasure cruise."

Rikku tapped his shoulder. "I think there's more."

Tidus reluctantly switched it back on and settled back to watch. An image of the very same tree he sat under came into view. It faded out again, and faded back in to an image of Jecht sitting before it. Judging from the odd angle, he had propped it up against a rock. Behind him, the tree was still visible.

Tidus touched the ground with his fingers. Ten years ago, my father sat right here.

"Hey," Jecht said with a small smile. "If you're watching this...it means you're stuck in Spira, like me. You might not know when you'll get back home, but you better not be crying! Well, I guess I'd understand, though. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son. And... Well, uh... Never mind, I'm no good at these things." He got to his feet and walked out of view, and the sphere blackened. After a small pause, it faded back to the tree. Jecht's voice came from very close by. "Anyways... I believe in you. Be good." His voice fell to a hoarse whisper. "Goodbye."

The sphere switched off by itself with a low humming sound. Tidus sat before it, slightly stunned, but quickly got to his feet, brushing off his shorts. "He sounded almost serious, but it was too late," he said fiercely.

"He was serious," Auron told him, gazing up at the tree. "Jecht had already accepted his fate."

"His fate?" He knew he was going to be Sin?

Auron's voice trembled with more emotion than Tidus had thought was possible for the old man to feel. "Jecht... He...He was always talking about going home, to Zanarkand. That's why he took all those pictures - to show them to you when he returned. But as he journeyed with us and came to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve... It happened gradually, but Jecht changed." He closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to Tidus. "He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."

"So then, he gave up going home?" Tidus felt panic as he realized he was doing the same thing.

"That was his decision." He pushed past Tidus, and the others wisely left him alone as well.

I guess I understand. My old man... He knew there was no way back home, back to Zanarkand. He wanted to go home, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't go on until he accepted it. Besides, even if he had found a way back, I don't think he would have left his friends behind before their journey was completed. Even he wasn't that bad. "All right!" he called to the others. "Let's go, guys!" Maybe I should start accepting my own fate.

The others clambered out of the clearing and started down the trail, but Tidus lingered behind. He picked up the sphere and hesitantly pocketed it. He started for the hole in the trees, but Auron, who had stayed behind as well, called out to him, "Wait."

"Yeah?" He turned to him.

Auron paused, his lone eye boring into Tidus. "Jecht loved you."

Tidus felt as though a running bull had just hit him, but tried his hardest to mask that. He never knew how well he succeeded. "Oh, come on, please!" With the greatest effort imaginable, he rolled his eyes.

Auron dropped his gaze. "He just didn't know how to express it, he said."

Tidus' throat began to feel tight and dry, and his eyes began to itch. His heart thudded in his chest, and Auron's words pounded all around in his mind. "Enough about my old man, okay?" he finally managed to mutter.

"I just thought you should know," Auron said quietly, and left.

"Thanks," Tidus whispered, and wondered why tears were running down his face.