Apparently this chapter was not diplaying correctly when I first posted it, this may have been because it was edited on Textedit (for the Mac.) and not a program compatible with (ie Word, Openoffice etc). Hopefully it will display correctly now.
The reason I had to use my Mac to post the last chapter was because my usual PC's power pack blew (again). That is also the reason for the dealy in the next chapter. Rest assured however that it is on the way.
Tidus looked over to where Auron stood, toward the back of the beach. While the others busied themselves with helping the fallen the legendary guardian seemed to have fallen into his own thoughts and almost seemed not to notice when Tidus approached. Almost.
"Sin is Jecht," he said bluntly when he spotted the blitzer.
Tidus sighed, he'd been expecting this, "Yeah, for a while there I thought I could feel him," he replied thinking back to his dream, then, realizing how it sounded, he added, "That doesn't mean I believe you though."
Auron looked at him, "Sin is Jecht," he repeated a little more forcefully, "He came here for you."
Tidus made a face, "So he killed all those people, just to see me?" he demanded.
"That is what Sin does," Auron told him, "He wanted you to see that." The guardian paused, "Do you know why?"
Tidus snorted, "You're asking me?"
"So you will kill him," Auron said quietly, "As long as Jecht is Sin, he will keep killing. He wants you to stop him."
Tidus grimaced, "You've got to be kidding," he muttered, "How do know all of this anyway?" he said a little more loudly.
Auron chuckled mirthlessly and began to walk away.
"Oi," Tidus snapped, "Don't you run away, I'm not done talking to you."
Auron paused and shot him a look, "You're the one running," he said mysteriously.
Tidus watched him walk up the beach with a surprised look plastered over his face. Part of him as peeved at the guardian's words, as Auron's words had a tendency to do but the other part of him wondered what he meant. He had an inkling it had to do with Auron's tidings concerning Jecht but he refused to acknowledge that theory.
As he watched he saw the others start to follow, leaving the surviving crusaders to remain at the beach and the aftermath of the operation. Tidus jogged to catch up and grabbed Wakka's arm as he walked after the others.
"Hey, where're we going?" he wanted know, "We should stay and help."
Wakka looked at him in surprise then his face fell once more. Later, Tidus tried to identify what he'd seen in the in the blitzball captain expression but he came up blank.
Wakka shrugged half heartedly, "We'll be of better use at the Temple of Djose, ya? All the survivors are being taken there," he said, "Besides, Yuna must pray to the fayth," he added.
The orange haired guardian walked on and Tidus let him go. Wakka looked utterly devastated by the failure of the operation as if he, above all others, had placed a hope, however foolish, on it. Tidus had little doubt that his desire to believe had much to do with Chappu's death on those same shores and as he turned to look down the shore of Djose, to now be renown only for the recent massacre, he had similar feelings of betrayal and underlying determination to find hope once more.
Hurrying to catch up with the others, Tidus reflected that since finding himself in Spira he'd been living with the belief that one day Sin would take him home but know he realize this was unlikely and, even more disturbing, was the realization that he didn't know anymore if he even wanted to go home. Lost in his thoughts, both positive and negative, Tidus barely notice when he drew level with Kimahri.
Looking up at the Ronso the blitzer was surprised to see the blue guardian regarding him curiously. "Hey you two, hurry up!" Yuna's voice echoed down the pathway to them.
Leaving the beach, the group was following the now much tracked and dirtied path along the pumiced shore toward the temple. The young summoner had paused to look back at Tidus and Kimahri, the only two lagging.
As she turned away to continue onward, Tidus murmured, "She's awfully cheerful."
Kimahri looked down at him with a raised eyebrow and then, without warning, which Tidus could have used, he spoke, "In dark times she must be. She must shine bright," he rumbled.
Tidus jumped sideways and stopped in surprise, staring at the Ronso with his mouth hanging open.
Kimahri also paused after a moment and looked down at the blitzer over his shoulder. "Now are dark times. Yuna tries hard," he went on.
Tidus gave a wry grin. Of course he'd known the Ronso could speak but, as Kimahri had never given him the privilege of hearing his thoughts, it was the last thing Tidus had been expecting.
"We should help her then," he replied after a moment.
Kimahri shook his head, "If we worry, Yuna tries harder," he said as he carried on walking, "Do not frown."
Tidus cocked his head to one side but did not follow, "Don't worry, be happy?" he wondered out loud.
Kimahri stopped again and turned, "Kimahri try too," he offered.
Tidus gave a grin, "Smile, let me see," he challenged.
Kimahri looked surprised at this but, crossing his arms, he bared his teeth in what he was probably hoping was a friendly way.
Tidus kept his expression carefully blank. Over the Ronso's shoulder he could see Wakka's chuckling.
"Yeesh," Tidus muttered as soon as Kimahri had turned to continue on, having given up on the smiling.
As the group walked the rode from the shore they came across many wounded crusaders and knights being helped by those who'd escaped injury. When a badly wounded crusader, who'd been limping along side them, stumbled and almost fell Tidus instinctively reached out to help.
But the crusader flinched away violently, "I can walk," he snapped, through teeth gritted with pain.
Tidus stepped back in surprise and watched the man battle on. As he continued on slowly he became aware of Lulu walking along side him. He kept quiet, knowing the black mage had something to say.
"You can't blame him for being angry," she said eventually.
Tidus just smiled.
"What?" Lulu wanted to know.
"Nothing," Tidus said then looked at her, "And I don't blame him," he added.
Lulu nodded and slowed slightly. Tidus matched her pace and noticed she'd effectively put them out of hearing distance of the others.
"You don't like Maester Seymour," she observed.
Tidus said nothing but his expression spoke volumes.
"As a guardian to one of the most well known summoners in Spira, you must be careful how your feelings come across to people," Lulu said.
Tidus made a face, "And I care, do I?" he wondered out loud.
Lulu looked at him sharply, "If you care for Yuna, you do," she told him.
The blitzer sighed, "Point made and taken," he assured her.
Lulu nodded and quickened her pace to catch up with the others.
Tidus lingered behind and contemplated the mage's warning. It was, he had to admit, something he'd not considered. Everything he did as Yuna's guardian reflected on her. He wondered if it was as important to her as it seemed to be to Lulu.
Tidus looked up as the group reached a fork in the road. One carried on alongside the shore while the other went inland. Most of the crusaders and knights made their slowly, almost hesitant, down the first road, which led only a short distance before becoming a bridge over the mouth of a small river.
Beyond the bridge Tidus could just see the looming form of what he assumed was the temple. At this distance, it looked unimpressive to the blitzer. He turned his attention to the second road, which was as different from the Djose shore as could be. The shore was, in effect, barren while the road stretching away from the shore was lined with grassy verges and trees which only grew more lush and dense the further from the shore it stretched.
Noticing the vast length of the road, he turned to the others, who'd paused to let him catch up.
"How far till Zanarkand?" he wanted to know.
"Still a ways," Wakka told him.
"First down the Moonflow to the Guado city of Guadosalam..." Lulu added, "Then we cross the Thunder Plains to the temple of Macalania."
"Oh boy," Tidus said, managing to keep most of the sarcasm out of his voice.
"But before all that, we get to pray at the temple of Djose," Yuna said teasingly.
Tidus gave a wry grin, "We can't just skip all that, can we?" he supposed.
"I have to pray to the fayth in every temple in order to earn the Final Aeon," Yuna said with a smile.
"That's a summoner's training," Wakka went on, "She's gotta prepare mind and body, all just to get ready for the Final Summoning."
Tidus blew out a breath, "Must be tough Yuna," he said honestly.
The summoner smiled, "I'll be alright," she assured him, "With you here."
Tidus watched Yuna turn and make her way to the bridge in surprise. It wasn't the kind of statement he'd expected from the young summoner, but then he supposed the journey was changing her. It was changing all of them.
As the others started to follow Yuna, Tidus also began walking after them but stopped when Auron, who'd lingered, called to him.
"Hey, new guy," the legendary guardian said.
"Who me?" Tidus wanted to know.
"Who else?" Auron countered rhetorically.
"What can I do for you boss?" Tidus asked facetiously.
"Don't tell Yuna, you know about Jecht," Auron answered seriously.
Tidus' face fell, "Okay," he said uncertainly.
"You know her," Auron went on to explain, "She would…distance herself from you. We don't want that."
"I see…I think," Tidus said then frowned, "Yeah, but even if I did say something, no one would believe me."
"Yuna would," Auron said simply.
"Ah, you have a point," Tidus agreed then shifted his stance as something occurred to him, "Come to think of it, did I really need to know about Jecht? What about my feelings?"
"Better than you finding out at a critical moment, becoming emotional," Auron said.
Tidus laughed, "What? Me, emotional?" he questioned.
Auron gave the blitzer a knowing look, "I heard you were quite the cry baby," he said as headed toward the temple.
Tidus watched him go, unable to think of comeback. In truth, he had been an emotional child. Somehow his father's lack of affection had made him crave it even more. And his mother…
Tidus cut his line of thought off abruptly, unwilling or perhaps unable to think about it then, "Hey," he called to Auron's retreating back, "I still don't buy your story, you hear?"
Either Auron didn't hear him or chose to ignore him, for he neither turned nor slowed. Tidus jogged after him, inclined to think it was the latter.
Thanks for reading. Please R&R :)