Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, I've been increasingly busy and my mind is cluttered. Promise I didn't forget though! Here's the next chapter at last, hopefully you won't have to wait long!

~AZF

The trial wasn't fair in the least. They were charged as traitors to Yevon and all it stood for before any of the Maesters even gave them a chance to open their mouths. Perhaps the others had gotten their hopes too high, Auron knew better. If you so much as said a single word that hinted that you had different thought, you were persecuted on any charge they could pin on you. The deeper the hole they dug you in the less they had to worry you would start an uprising. He sighed as he leaned against the bars to the cage he was currently locked in with Tidus, he could barely hear his other comrades as they talked in hushed voices over the trial. It must have crushed them to be treated this way, nothing more than specs of dust on Mika's robe that he could brush off and do away with. Yuna must have taken it the hardest, all her beliefs were centered around Yevon, she thought she was doing the people of Spira could in the name of Yevon, that there was true hope that Sin could end. To find out in hints that such things were not the case, that her father might have died in vain, must be crushing her soul. He thought it best she was locked in with Lulu, at least then the black mage could offer her wisdom and a shoulder to cry on. He paused briefly and wondered how the mage and the red-headed fool were taking this.

He was torn from his thoughts by Tidus shaking the cage and screaming.

"Get me outta here! I want out now! You hear me?"

"You waste your breath." Tidus growled and threw himself to the floor.

"Man, I hope Yuna's okay."

"Hm. She's strong. She'll make it."

"She'll make it? What, so she can die? Why is it...everything in Spira seems to revolve around people dying?"

"Ahh, the spiral of death." Tidus looked up at his mentor confused, he thought he saw a flicker of bitterness before it was replaced by the same wall of reserve.

"Huh?"

"Summoners challenge the bringer of death, Sin, and die doing so. Guardians give their lives to protect their summoner. The fayth are the souls of the dead. Even the maesters of Yevon are unsent. Spira is full of death. Only Sin is reborn, and then only to bring more death. It is a cycle of death, spiraling endlessly." Tidus sighed.

"That's morbid."

"Indeed."

"Think it will ever change?" Auron pondered over that for a moment and studied the boy's face, there was hope and determination in those blues eyes. He had seen the same looked in Yuna's eyes so many times, come to think of it, they were in Braska's too. Braska was determined to rid the world of Sin but inevitably the cycle continued, Yuna was much the same and yet, Auron believed she wanted a different outcome in the end. Perhaps she didn't have a death wish, he knew for certain Tidus would do all he could to help Yuna and even save her if it were possible. He briefly wondered if Yuna's love for Tidus would be strong enough to change the final decision, would she cast aside the final aeon for a hope at life with the boy? Or would she too meet the summoner's end?

"Old man," Tidus asked, he had been watching closely and saw Auron was deep in thought over something.

"I believe it might change if the circumstances are right and played out in the correct order." Tidus groaned.

"Can't you ever give me a straight answer?"

"Not at this moment Tidus...not at this moment."

"Why not?"

"Because I do not know for certain the outcome. I'm not a fortune teller, I can't tell you your future."

"No but..."

"But what?"

"Well...you've been through it all and...you're smarter than me so...I thought maybe you had an idea...while you were thinking."

"Perhaps we need someone of less intelligence to make a change, the smarter one does not always will. Sometimes it comes down to luck."

"Greeeaaat," Tidus sighed and Auron chuckled.

"I believe in you, even if you drive me insane." Tidus turned away but he was smiling and he stared down at the water below them.

"So what happens to us now?"

"I don't know..."

"Think they'll just let us go with a warning?"

"Unlikely. Mika does not put up with traitors. He might send us to the Via Purifico where all the criminals are sent to die. Public execution might also be in order but I find that unlikely...it would...be disturbing to the people of Bevelle, executing the daughter of the High Summoner in her home town."

"Well...I don't think he'd want to execute you either, you know?"

"Me?"

"Legendary Guardian...lots of people look up to you, we rely on you a lot too. You're important."

"They could live without me."

"And don't forgot executing children."

"He has nothing to do with this...they won't hurt him."

"I don't think it would be good for Mika's public image either. Mika: summoner and child executioner. Vote for me."

"You're a fool...but we need one at a time like this."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Perhaps...in any case...I hope they hurry their discussion up. It's getting unbearable in here."

"Tell me about it!" They sat in silence for a while before they heard a creaking and slamming of the large metal door to the cells. Kinoc approached their cage and sent warrior monks to free the others.s

"Come out. Your sentence has been decided," Kinoc said as a warrior monk stepped forward to open the cage.

"Sentence? Don't you mean execution," Auron asked and frowned. Kinoc chuckled and feigned an air of being offended.

"Really, now, what person would execute a dear friend?"

"You would." Kinoc frowned at Auron's bluntness. They both stepped from the cage and onto the catwalk and were instantly seized, neither resisted. Auron could hear the sounds of resistence from his wife as she yelled at the man for gripping her too tightly. He sighed, I hope she doesn't get herself killed he thought to himself. Tidus was led away from him and he could only assume the boy was being taken to the Via Purifico.

"You're correct," Kinoc said as Auron was led to a different room.

"And where are we headed?"

"The other half of the Purifico." Auron was led through a few hallways before they stopped at a barred door. The door was opened and he was pushed inside. The door was closed, "You may leave us," Kinoc said.

"But Sir..."

"He's no threat as of the moment, you need not be concerned for my safety." The warrior monks nodded and departed, Kinoc looked at Auron, "I don't have to do this you know. I could let you out and you could join the ranks again."

"I would rather die," Auron spat and Kinoc seemed slightly taken aback.

"I see...you know...I was always rather jealous of you."

"Is that so?"

"Who wouldn't be? You were always the apple of Brac's eye. You were everything anyone could ask for. A great soldier, people followed you willingly, you inspired people...and hell,you had every girl chasing you."

"And that's why you got rid of me?"

"So you know?"

"I do. Kal told me."

"Of course, he was always sickening loyal to you."

"No, he's a good friend...unlike you."

"I'm not your friend anymore?"

"Friends don't stab each other in the back."

"I'm ambitious, something you never were. Sometimes you just have to cut down the unnecessary roots in order to get your foot in the door."

"So I was in your way to greater power."

"I am sorry...you were my greatest friend, sometimes I regret what I did. That woman is rather unruly...I doubt she would have been so if you were her husband. People don't take me seriously, I've had to make powerful allies to get anywhere and I'm sure they still view me as a pest. But it doesn't matter, there's always someone who can be done away with to create perfection and order."

"You're a monster."

"Me? Not really. It's just better to have a group of people who will follow your every move, when one decides to think diferently...it's easy to get rid of them and replace them with another."

"No wonder they don't rise up, you've invoked fear in them that they'll be destroyed or sent out where no one would ever hear from them again."

"Ah, but isn't fear the best way of control?"

"I don't know what happened to you...the Kinoc I knew would never do this to anyone. He did things the right way."

"That man is gone. This is a new and improved one, but you're still the same Auron, naive and full of that ridiculous justice and right way of doing things."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"To me, yes...I don't have much time. Why don't you reconsider? You're a good man and I'm sure we can work out our differences...come back to your brothers."

"You are no brother of mine nor are any of those. My place is with my summoner, that is where I pledge my allegiance. Your system is corrupted and twisted and I'll be no part of it. I'll die down here with my true brothers and sisters."

"I always found your sense of morality disgusting, but very well. Rot in here. Farewell." Kinoc turned and strode away. Auron watched him before he turned.

"I will find a way out," he said to himself before he began wandering around the eerily red-lit hallways.

Tidus was led to a pool of water. He looked around and then into the water.

"Looks like you're next," a warrior monk said grinning. Tidus looked at him confused.

"Next for what?"

"Get going," the second monk said and jabbed Tidus in the behind with the bayonet. Tidus yelped and fell face first into the water and came to the surface spluttering.

"Where's everybody else," he demanded, he was more worried about Yuna and had no idea where she was. He hoped she was safe, maybe Auron or Kimarhi was with her and protecting her. If Yuna died, he had no idea what he would do.

"Floating down there somewhere, maybe," the monk laughed. One of them leaned over the edge and spit in the water, nailing Tidus in the face. They all laughed and walked away. Tidus wiped the saliva off his face and frown before he looked at his surrounding. Nothing but water and high walls. He had no idea where he was, all he knew was he was alone. He sighed.

"Better get swimming," he said to himself before he took off. He swam to the end of the corridor and looked left and right, "awww...which way to I go," he whined to himself. He sighed and went left, swimming down the hallway before he made a left turn at the end of it. He kept swimming until a Sagagin jumped out at him. He swam backwards and yelled in surprise.

"Oh, I see how it is," he yelled at the fiend and drew his sword. He attacked it several times, only getting his twice, before the fiend succumbed to injury and exploded into pyreflies. "Ha, take that," he grinned and sheathed his sword and continued onward. At the end of the hallway was another split and he groaned, "Can't you let me off easy just once?"

"Hey! Over here," a familiar voice called. Tidus looked at the right corridor and grinned as he saw Rikku waving at him. Next to her was Wakka and Braska. He mentally thanked the higher voice for helping him out.

"Heeey," he called and swam over.

"Oooh! You made it," Wakka cheered and the two of them high fived.

"What's our sentence," Tidus asked and looked down the hallway they had just come from, no exit there.

"Think they expect us to give up and die down here," Wakka said shrugging.

"Guess they figured we'd exhaust ourselves swimming and drown," Braska suggested.

"Well, that's a lame way to kill someone," Tidus said frowning.

"Where's Yunie," Rikku asked noticing Yuna wasn't with him.

"I don't know," Tidus said.

"Wonder if we should wait for her..."

"Hmm... Let's wait at the exit," he suggested.

"If there is an exit," Rikku said looking down the hallways.

"There's got to be one," Wakka said.

"What makes you so sure," Braska asked.

"I think Wakka's right," Tidus said.

"Well then what are we waiting around here for," Rikky asked and swam off, "Let's get a move on!"

"Hey wait, what if there are fiends," Braska asked and swam after his mother. Wakka and Tidus swam after them.

"How fares the Ronso maester," Mika asked, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked out the window.

"It seems my father's murder troubles him," Seymour replied.

"Ever the Ronso. Hard-headed, hardly useful," Mika said chuckling.

"However... The summoner Yuna, daughter to High Summoner Braska... She may be of some use to us alive," Seymour said. He was hoping he could convince Mika to allow him to keep Yuna alive, he had no care for the other guardians and they could rot for all he cared. Yuna was of great importance and use to him, he needed her alive for his plan to work and he greatly hoped she would make it out of the Purificio alive.

"She has disturbed the order of Yevon. She cannot be allowed to live."

"I understand," Seymour said, a small hint of disappointment in his voice. He was seething with frustration with the old man, were it not that he was already dead, Seymour would have dealt with his death personally.

"Let it go, Seymour. No one thrown into the Via Purifico has ever survived," Kinoc interrupted. Seymour shot him a look and was about to reply when Mika spoke.

"Yet there is always a small chance that they might. Place guards at the exit. Kill any who emerge."

"Sir," Seymour said bowing respectfully and entering suck up mode, "Leave that to me."

"First your father, now your bride," Mika asked, amusement in his voice.

"Allow me to do this because she is my bride."

"Wait. I will go, too," Kinoc said looking uneasily at Seymour. Seymour turned and his icy blue eyes settled on Kinoc, the smaller man felt his insides squirm but he held his head high.

"You do not trust me?"

"Would you trust a man who murdered his father?"

"Very well. As you wish." They departed together, Kinoc walked silently beside Seymour. Ice was forming in his stomach from being alone with him, he was afraid and wished he had requested a group of warrior monks to escort them, he didn't feel safe alone. Perhaps it was the thought that Seymour had killed his own father and now seemed blood thirsty towards his wife. He feared he would be next.

"This is far enough," Seymour said.

"We haven't even gotten to the Purifico yet," Kinoc said stopping.

"I know, yet there is business I must take care of first."

"Business?" Seymour took a step closer.

"You have been prodding into my business for too long, Maester Kinoc. I believe your time has come to serve...a more worthy purpose to me." Kinoc took a step back and quivered in fear.

"What are you talking about Seymour?"

"You will join me in my quest to free the suffering of Spira, to kill Spira," Seymour said, raising his clawed hand. Kinoc backed against the wall, his beady eyes flashing with fear.

"N-Now Seymour, let's be reasonable. There's no need for me to die!"

"You're a petty little man. Scheming petty schemes, you've become so paranoid. Doing away with anyone you think might take your position or start an uprising and making powerful allies, like me, to protect you. You're a pathetic little man, but you should feel proud now. Your petty little being will become something much bigger, much greater! You will aid me in riding Spira of misery once and for all! You will join with me and together, we will free Spira!"

"You're insane," Kinoc screamed as Seymour walked closer. "Stay away! You're insane," Kinoc continued screaming until Seymour slashed his throat open. The color drained from Kinoc's face as blood poured down his robes and neck. Seymour smiled, his eyes blazing with joy.

"You will be part of something great," he giggled gleefully. A troop of warrior monks came running.

"What's going on," the demanded.

"We are going to meet the traitors, Mika fears they will escape," Seymour said switching his attitude completely, "grab the fat one and let's go."

"What did you do to-" the warrior monk froze and looked down as Seymour's hand was through his abdomen.

"You will not dare question me," he hissed and slaughtered the other three. He giggled and began performing strange movements with his hands as the pyreflies floating around the hallway began to reconstruct into the forms of the dead warrior monks. "We must go meet the traitors," he ordered.

"Sir." One of the warrior monks grabbed Kinoc and hauled him along down to the Highbridge.

"We will wait here. They will come out soon enough."