Chapter Twenty-Five: To Zanarkand

A city dead for a thousand years. A city Tidus had to see with his own eyes. The end of Yuna's journey. The last chapter in their story. Tidus' thoughts kept floating up, and then slipping through his fingers, vanishing before he could pin them down with words.

"Yunie, I say no!" Rikku cried. The group stood upon the summit of Mount Gagazet, looking out over the misty spires of the ancient ruined city of Zanarkand. The sun was low in the sky, casting a lazy orange glow over everything. "If we go down there, then you'll..."

"Rikku..." Yuna cut in softly. "You're a true friend, and I thank you, but I...I cannot turn back. I must go on to Zanarkand."

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go. But don't you think we should think about it some more? There's gotta be some way we can save you, Yunie!"

Yuna looked out over the ancient city. "All my life, I knew this moment would come."

Rikku's swirly green eyes brimmed over with tears. "Yunie..."

Yuna took several steps to stand directly before her cousin, and a small sphere dropped from the wide yellow ribbon around her waist, rolling to a stop at Tidus' feet. No one else seemed to notice it. Yuna wrapped her arms around Rikku. "Thank you, Rikku. Thank you for everything."

Rikku grabbed Yuna and held her close, her tears spilling out and over her cousin's shoulders. "Don't say that, Yunie! It's not over yet!"

Yuna pulled back slightly to look into Rikku's face. "Tell Cid thank you."

"No..." Rikku sobbed. "You can tell him yourself."

"Please..."

Rikku put her hand over Yuna's lips. "Yunie, don't say that, because...we're gonna see each other again, okay?"

Yuna held Rikku for another minute, then said in a determined voice, "Let's go."

They set off down the path, silenced by Rikku's outburst of feeling. Every one of Yuna's guardians wished to express the same sentiment. Tidus, however, waited until the others were out of earshot, and picked up the sphere Yuna had dropped. He sat down on the rocky ground and switched it on; he could always catch up to the others later.

At first, everything in the sphere was dark. Slowly, the front of the Al Bhed inn on Mi'ihen Highroad came into view. Lulu stood by the doorway, looking the other way. Then came a crackling sound, and Yuna's voice began to speak. "Listen to me now. This may be my last chance. My last chance to say thank you...for everything. Sir Auron, Kimahri told me...when my father wanted me taken from Bevelle to Besaid... It was you who told Kimahri, right? I had always wanted to meet you someday. I am truly glad that I had that chance. Having you as a guardian was so great an honor I don't know how to thank you." She paused as the door to the inn opened and Wakka came striding out, looking at the sunset. "Perhaps if I defeat Sin, that will be my thanks to you. That's what I'll do. Yes. I will challenge Sin, and I will defeat it.

"If you are all there watching this, then I guess Sin is already gone. And so am I, I suppose." She paused again, and Lulu went back indoors, closing the door behind her. Wakka strode over to the nearby chocobo corral and leaned on the fence, watching the great yellow birds. "Anyway, I just wanted to say: Sir Auron, I thank you.

"Kimahri..." She laughed slightly. "Do you remember the first day we met? I was only seven. My father had defeated Sin, and all Bevelle was celebrating. Everyone was saying what a hero my father was. I was so happy. But when night came, it occurred to me. My father had defeated Sin and now he was dead. Now, I was all alone. I couldn't sleep, so I wandered into the town, away from the celebrating crowds. I stood on the bridge in Bevelle where my father and I had parted. Standing there, alone, I could see the fields where he had fought Sin. Then you appeared, Kimahri." As if on cue, Kimahri strode slowly across the sphere and entered the inn.

A smile was evident in Yuna's voice. "You said you were looking for the 'daughter of Braska,' remember? At first, I was so scared. But then I realized what a gentle person you are. You weren't used to talking to children. When I told you that I was Braska's daughter, you said you would take me as far from Bevelle as you could. That it was the wish of a man facing death. I think...I cried then. Because that...that was when I knew my father was dead...and I would never see him again. You just held me, without saying a word. I cried after we got to Besaid, too. When you tried to go after leaving me in the care of the temple...I held onto you, crying, 'Don't go, don't go!' And you listened, Kimahri. You stayed. Kimahri, thank you. Thank you so much. And...I've always liked your broken horn."

The sphere turned black for a few moments, and then showed the beautiful sunset. Tidus remembered it, and knew exactly where she had been sitting to record this. "Wakka, Lulu: I'll never forget my days spent with you, growing up in Besaid. We always played together, us and Chappu. That's why I was always so happy, I think. And when you refused to let me become a summoner and I did it anyway...I'm sorry. I've always wanted to apologize. You know, when you tried to stop me then – really, I was happy. I could tell you really cared about me. You were like my big brother and sister. No...I think you really were my big brother and sister. What else...? I love watching you play blitzball, Wakka. I even love it when you scold me, Lulu! Really!

"I guess that leaves the newest guardian. Tidus, star player of the Zanarkand Abes!" She hesitated uncertainly. "You are...I am... I'm glad that we met. We haven't even known each other that long, but... It's funny. So this is what it feels like. It's a much more wonderful feeling than anything I had ever imagined. Wonderful...but it hurts, sometimes. I...I just want to say thank you, for everything. Maybe...Maybe that's why it hurts. When I think about us never being together again at all...I'm afraid. No, I shouldn't say that. I'll do that part over." The sphere tilted slightly and there was a fumbling sound.

"Whatcha up to?" Tidus' cheery voice called out from the depths of the sphere. Yuna gasped slightly and the sphere turned black.

Tidus leaned back from the sphere, letting out a sigh. He remembered that conversation vividly, as though he had just walked away from it. How Yuna had seemed so uncertain about herself, and always so melancholy when speaking of defeating Sin. And now he knew why. His fingers closed around the small sphere, and he stood up once more. He slipped the sphere in his pocket, and felt it clink against the larger one his father had left for him. Despite himself, he smiled slightly, feeling like a sphere peddler. Then he took a deep breath of the clear mountain air and started down after his companions.

As they picked their way down the mountainside, Lulu and Wakka walked side by side at the back of the group. They strode down the path in silence, dwelling on how near at hand the end was. At last Lulu glanced furtively at Wakka and spoke. "I...saw you in the Cave," she said awkwardly.

Wakka's insides squirmed with embarrassment. He had been screaming quite a bit towards the end.

Lulu seemed just as uncomfortable as he was. "I'm not sure how to say this, but...well... To put it simply, take care of yourself. I don't want to see what I saw in there ever again."

Wakka frowned at her in confusion. "What did you see?"

Lulu turned her head to look him straight in the face, lips trembling. "I saw many things, Wakka," she replied, her voice filled with emotion. "And in seeing them I realized that I don't want you to...to go. I...don't want you to...die."

Wakka put a hand on her shoulder and they paused for a moment on the trail. "Don't worry, Lu," he murmured in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. "I won't leave you. I promise."

The seven friends sat around a small campfire. Auron had at last allowed them to rest, now that they had come down the far side of the mountain. Tidus looked around at his fellow guardians, one by one. Kimahri, his slit-pupiled eyes staring up at the light ebbing away from the sky overhead. Rikku, her head resting against her fingertips, her glassy eyes gazing fixedly into the dancing flames of their campfire, her heel softly tapping against the ground. Lulu, her back impossibly straight, watching Wakka. Wakka, sitting cross-legged and staring at the hands that lay limply in his lap. Auron, who returned Tidus' gaze unabashedly with his single eye. Then Tidus' gaze rested on Yuna, who sat closest to him. She was quiet and calm, her expression sad but determined. No one spoke, for there was nothing to say. This was it. This was the end.

They were there, in Zanarkand. Nothing remained of the great city Tidus once knew but weathered stones and charred rubble, piled in endless mounds to either side of a rough pathway. A short walk would take them to the ruined dome where Yunalesca dwelt, according to Auron. For now, they huddled in the lee of a mound of rubble the size of a small hill, sitting motionless around a tiny fire. Tidus didn't know what they were waiting for; nor did anyone else seem to know – or care. He knew he would do almost anything to stave off the moment when they would say goodbye to Yuna at last. All hope had died in his heart. This close to the end, and still no closer to saving Yuna. For all his promises, all his thinking, in the end it would all be the same. Yuna would die. There was nothing they could do to prevent it. He had let them all down. It was his fault for not coming up with a solution.

He pushed himself to his feet in frustration. No one glanced up except Yuna, her mismatched eyes pleading silently. Tidus gently laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping to give her some comfort, however small. He knew Yuna didn't want to die. She had so many friends, so many stories she wanted to be a part of. She wanted to spend time with her cousin and the last few relations of her mother. She wanted to always be able to bury her face in Kimahri's warm, blue fur. She wanted to live with her adopted brother and sister, to be able to laugh and play with them just like she had as a child. She wanted to be able to thank Auron in a better way than her sphere.

Yuna looked down, and Tidus drew in a breath. He had seen all these wishes in the short moment their eyes had connected. Yuna was so easy to read. She lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. A single tear oozed out from under her eyelids and slipped down her eyelashes, splashing down onto her hand. Tidus squeezed her shoulder gently and then walked past her, unable to bear her sorrow any longer. He slowly mounted the pile of rubble behind his friends, following a sudden urge to be alone.

The wind hissed through the cracks in the rocks, fluttering the two red ribbons on the hilt of his sword. The sword stuck straight up out of the ground, like a pinnacle of power...yet...a very lonely pinnacle. The young man stood on the pile of rubble, the setting sun shining golden on his messy blond hair. Another sunset. This one was weak, as though shining through the nearly tangible film of rotten decay hanging in the air. The sun could not warm the chill that had settled into Tidus' skin ever since he had arrived. He had longed for this day to come, yet the closer he came, the more he dreaded this moment. And now that it had arrived, he saw the truth staring back into his blue eyes. He closed these eyes and felt the small, inadequate warmth fluttering against his eyelids.

He could remember other sunsets, some worth remembering, others as cold and heartless as this one. Each sunset marked the end of a day spent in toiling for his goal. This was the finish line, and he had reached it at last, fulfilling the promise he had made to himself. But what would be his crown of laurel leaves? Death? Loss? Or victory? "This is where it all began," he murmured softly to himself. "And this is where it'll all end." He let out a sigh at his sad words, and looked out over the land spread out beneath him. It was a city, though not as proud as it once had been. A city of rubble. A city overrun by foul creatures of every type and description. A city he had longed for, a city he once knew. A city that he no longer knew nor loved.

"My story started here," he continued in an undertone, "and here it'll end. All of our stories have led to this point. This could be our last chance. But I can't give up. So many people are relying on us. On me. Rikku, Yuna, the fayth...and Dad." He shivered and descended the rubble pile once more, his countenance just as glum as when he had mounted it. But now a stubborn core of determination hardened within him. He wouldn't let Yuna die. He couldn't. He had made so many promises, and he vowed to see them fulfilled.

The bridge twisted in ruined agony, stretching away into the distance out over the sea. Pyreflies swirled all about, so many that their faint glow lit up the bridge like streetlamps. "Looks like the Farplane," Wakka commented.

"Close enough," Auron muttered, and led the way along the bridge.

The seven companions trudged on in silence. Tidus wracked his brains for some way, any way, they could prevent Yuna's death. But nothing arose, and he found himself gazing longingly at her face, imprinting it permanently on his mind. That was all he could do: preserve her memory and wait for her to die. He gritted his teeth in frustration and turned his head hastily away.

A dome slowly rose at the edge of the horizon, faint and indistinct in the darkness. The closer it came, the more familiar it seemed. When at last they stood directly before it, Tidus looked up above the large doorway and started with surprise. The symbols deeply engraven all around the door were the very same ones which adorned the entrance to the blitzball stadium in Zanarkand. He shook his head. This is Zanarkand, you idiot, he thought. So this was what had become of the stadium, the ruins remaining for a thousand years.

An old man in faded robes, bent almost double with age, stood in the middle of the doorway, his black eyes glittering as he watched them approach. When Yuna came to a nervous halt in front of him, he suddenly spoke, his voice surprisingly strong. "Traveller of the long road," he said. "Name yourself!"

Yuna bowed low. "I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the island of Besaid."

The man came closer, surveying her face with his keen eyes. "Your eyes, my dear. Show me the long road you have travelled."

Yuna returned his gaze steadily, unquestioningly.

The old man nodded. "Very good. You have journeyed well. Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go." He took a few steps and simply disappeared into thin air.

Yuna blinked in surprise, but shrugged her shoulders and led the way into the dome. The interior was filled with rubble, which hundreds of feet had flattened into a pathway over the past thousand years, a narrow meandering path that led ever upward and into the darkness. Directly before them, on a patch of old red carpeting, the pyreflies flitting all about them molded into the form of a woman wearing Crusader's clothing. She had her back turned to them.

"If it might benefit the future of Spira..." she said in a musty-sounding voice, like an old recording on a sphere. "I will gladly give my life. It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask." She turned towards them, but she didn't see them. She spoke to another Crusader woman behind their group. "Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin." With that, both women disappeared.

"What...What was that?" Rikku mumbled, trembling.

"Our predecessors," Auron grunted.

"She said, 'Lady Yocun,' didn't she?" Lulu mused. "Wait!" The black mage's eyes filled with sudden excitement. "She guarded High Summoner Yocun?"

"This dome is filled with pyreflies," Auron explained. "It's like one gigantic sphere. People's thoughts remain here. Forever."

He resolutely led the way onward, and the others hurried after him. They had not gone far, however, when they saw a small boy with long, purple-blue hair and Yevonite robes.

"No! Mother, no!" he cried in an anguished voice. "I don't want you to become a fayth!"

A woman with long dark hair and a plain white dress stood in front of him. "There is no other way," she said in a calm but chilling voice. "Use me and defeat Sin. Only then will people accept you."

The boy was crying now. "I don't care about them! I need you, Mother! No one else!"

His mother pressed her lips together. "I don't...have much time left." Both she and her son disappeared.

Wakka stepped forward tentatively. "Hey, wasn't that...?"

"Seymour?" Rikku tilted her head to one side, pondering.

Tidus stared at the spot where the boy had stood. Was this why Seymour was so anxious to kill everyone? Had he gone mad after his mother turned into a fayth? That would explain it, Tidus thought.

They continued on through the dome in silence. A strange, quiet sort of dread hung over the dome like a curtain. Dozens of summoners had been here, each of them giving themselves up, each of them knowing they would never walk out of this dome alive. Tidus found himself clenching and unclenching his fists rapidly, and sweat streaked down from his brow. Each step brought them so much closer to the end! He didn't think he could stand it any longer. Perhaps if he simply refused to go on... No, Yuna would leave him behind in the face of her mission. What was one friend compared to the lives of the entire world?

A red flash cut through his thoughts, and the memories of three familiar figures ran right through them, slowing to a halt several paces ahead. Tidus stopped short, more surprised than he should have been to see his father's back directly before him.

"Hey, Braska," Jecht said. "You don't have to do this."

Braska turned his head to reply. "Thank you for your concern." His voice was strong, unwavering.

Jecht crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, I said my piece."

"Well, I haven't!" The faded memory of a younger Auron stepped forward, his expression pained. "Lord Braska, let us go back! I don't want to see you die!"

Braska surveyed his face. "You knew this was to happen, my friend."

"Yes, but I..." Auron's shoulders slumped. "I cannot accept it."

Braska smiled, but he carried a deep sadness in his voice. "Auron, I am honored that you care for me so. But I have come to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin, and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira. Please understand, Auron." Like all the others, they slowly disappeared.

Tidus shot a surreptitious glance over at their Auron. His face was a mask, not betraying what his thoughts were at seeing this old conversation. They walked on, following the winding pathway through the rubble. After a long walk, they approached a smashed-in circular door, through which they could see the crumbling entrance to the temple. Once inside, the memories of Jecht, Auron, and Braska ran up the stairs directly opposite the door. Yuna and her guardians hurried up after them.

"Are the trials ahead?" Jecht asked.

"Probably," Braska said shortly.

"Here too, huh? Gimme a break. I was expecting, you know, parades and...fireworks!" Jecht made an attempt at a smile.

"You can ask for them after I defeat Sin, then," Braska replied in a soft voice. They turned and disappeared down a flight of stairs through a broken door.

"Yuna..." the real Auron murmured. "We're here."

Yuna let out a breath. "The hall of the Final Summoning."

"Go."

"Yes."

Tidus felt the last ounce of hope drain from him as they watched Yuna slowly descend the stairs and out of their sight. But suddenly Jecht's voice filtered up to them. "Huh? What do you mean, no Final Aeon?"

"Sir Auron!" Yuna's voice called up frantically. "Everyone!"

Tidus was the first to bound down the stairs, stumbling and almost falling in his haste. He found himself in a cold, silent Chamber of the Fayth, the statue hard to make out through the dusty, cracked glass cover. Yuna stood looking down at it, her face pale.

"This isn't a fayth," she said in a stunned voice when they crowded in. "It's just an empty statue."

"That statue lost its power as a fayth long ago," a voice said behind them, and they whirled around to see the old man from the entrance standing in front of a glowing blue portal. "It is Lord Zaon," he continued, "the first fayth of the Final Summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon is...his soul is gone."

"Gone?!" Wakka cried in disbelief.

"You mean..." Rikku blanched. "There is no Final Aeon?"

The old servant held up a hand. "But fear not. Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours. The summoner and the Final Aeon will join powers. Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits." With a bow, he disappeared, leaving them free to enter through the blue portal.

Yuna started towards it, but Tidus called after her, "Yuna, wait!"

Yuna stopped immediately.

Tidus turned to Auron, scowling. "Auron, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

Auron's face was blank. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Rikku demanded.

Auron looked around at them all slowly. "If I had told you the truth, would that really have stopped you from coming?"

"Yuna," Kimahri suddenly said.

Yuna looked up at him. "I'm not going back."

Kimahri stepped up beside her, facing the glowing doorway. "Kimahri knows. Kimahri goes first. Yuna is safe. Kimahri protect." He gave her a long look with his golden eyes, and stepped through the glowing material. It seemed to stick to his fur, and swallow him up. They could not see him through the glow.

Yuna immediately stepped after him, and the others followed apprehensively. Tidus came last, very reluctant to rush towards the doom that awaited them. He stretched out a hand and tentatively prodded the door. The material sucked eagerly at his fingers, pulling him closer and not letting him go. He took a deep breath and plunged into it. He pressed through it to the other side, feeling the material falling away from his skin without a trace. He shuddered and opened his eyes.

They had entered a round, high-ceilinged room, made of colorful stone in bands of red, black, and green. A thin, worn carpet coated the floor and crawled up wide steps that led to a large, heavy wooden door. As they watched, it slowly opened inward.

Rikku gasped, "Someone's coming!"