Chapter Twenty-Nine: Preliminary Battles
Tidus and his companions walked for hours, it seemed, tramping on that dark, wet ground. The pathway was shown by circles of glowing white symbols slowly rotating around it, interspersed by large symbols on the ground, pulsating eerily at them. Yet the ground hardly seemed like ground at all; the appearance was of drifting clouds. Tidus tried hard not to look at his feet, but all around him was the same eerie emptiness. At last they reached the end, where wide, heavily-carpeted stairs rose up and out of sight. They trooped up, unsure of what they might find at the top.
But whatever they had expected, it was not Seymour Guado standing and smirking at them. He stood under four giant wheels, each with four circles in them: red, yellow, aqua, and dark blue. Seymour laughed at the group of companions.
Tidus shook his head wonderingly. "Don't you ever give up?"
Seymour snickered and whispered proudly, "Sin has chosen me. I am part of Sin. I am one with Sin, forever. Immortal!"
Tidus rolled his eyes. "Sin just absorbed you."
"I will learn to control it, from within," he replied confidently. "I have all the time in the world. Since you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunalesca...the only means of destroying Sin is forever gone. Now nothing can stop us!" His solid-looking form dissolved into a giant, transparent outline of himself, attached to the giant wheels.
"Well, we can!" Tidus cried up at him.
Seymour laughed shrilly. "By all means, try! You should thank me. Your death means your father's life!"
Tidus' sword shook in his hand. If he killed Seymour... He could see it all clearly.There lay Jecht, blood dribbling down his face, his eyes wide open and blank. He fell to his knees beside his father, trying to convince himself it wasn't true. But he had to admit it. His father was dead.
He bowed his head, but when he looked up again, he knew he was dying this time. Now, it was he who lay sprawled out on the floor. And Jecht stood above him, thanking him softly. His death meant his father's life.
Yuna shivered and looked around her. Seymour strode amongst them, cutting them down one by one. She could not move to help them; her limbs seemed frozen into place. She trembled as Kimahri toppled like a felled tree. Auron crashed to the ground. Rikku flopped over like a limp doll. With a swish of her long skirt, Lulu also met the ground, her long braids spilling out behind her. Wakka tried to catch her, but Seymour swiped at him and he fell by her side. The last one he killed was Tidus.
Tidus fell in a slow, smooth arc, every second prolonged. Yuna could see every inch of his pained face. A loud thump echoed all around the platform. "No!" she howled, but she could not even drop to her knees; her bones were stiff and her lips stuck together as she screamed.
"I warned you," Seymour hissed, advancing slowly upon her. "I warned you they would die, for you refused to in their place."
Yuna shook her head, yet her neck would not move. "Please... I'll do anything...anything..."
Seymour extended a hand to her. "Give me your life, and your guardians will live once more."
The Guado's deep grey eyes filled her mind, and slowly her immobile hand stretched out towards his.
"No, Yunie, you can't be dead!" Rikku screamed at the top of her lungs. The other guardians stood about, their jaws hanging open. Rikku knelt by Yuna's side. Yuna lay spread on her back, her pretty, mismatched eyes wide and staring. "No! Yunie, don't die! I thought we'd got past that! Come on, you're my cousin! We were gonna have a blast, remember? We were gonna go all over Spira, then to Zanarkand!"
But no matter how loud she screamed, Yuna remained motionless before her. The pyreflies rose up and her body faded away. Rikku let out a moan as she was torn from the last vestiges of hope. Yet through her tears, she could see two booted feet step up beside her. She looked up and gasped. She had never been this close to Seymour before. A faint, overpowering smell of perfume hung about him. Her head felt light and giddy. Seymour shook his head sadly. "I pity you," he said in his slippery voice. "Yet, if you wish, you can see your cousin again."
Rikku hastily wiped away her tears and straightened up. "Really? How? What do I have to do?"
Seymour merely looked into her swirly green eyes, and Rikku understood. Though she had never been to the Farplane, she could see herself walking through the sweet-smelling flowers, skipping and running to show her cousin a particularly beautiful one. They lay on their backs, staring up into the cloud-covered night sky. They squinted up at the platform high above them and giggled, trying to guess who was visiting. Rikku closed her eyes as tears oozed out from under the eyelids. Her heart throbbed to join her cousin, her sister, the only sister she had ever had. And all she had to do to obtain that was die...
Seymour slowly advanced on them all, and Lulu backed away in horror. There was a terrible look in his cold, emotionless eyes, a terrible truth she didn't want to confront. Abruptly, she turned and began to flee. Yet directly in front of her was a woman, garbed in a summoner's robes. Lulu skidded to a halt. "Lady Ginnem..."
Ginnem glared at her. "What have you done?" she demanded harshly. "You left me to die! I have never been more disappointed in a guardian before!"
"No...My Lady..." Lulu stammered. "Forgive me..."
But then Ginnem was fading away, and a man with long robes stood in her place. "My dear girl," he said, shaking his head sorrowfully and looking extremely disappointed. "I really did think you were of a higher caliber than this. Why did you let me give up my pilgrimage?"
"But...But I thought...you wished it..." Lulu whispered, tears coming to her eyes.
"Does that mean it is the right thing to do?" Father Zuke shook his head again and faded away.
Lulu turned around and saw Yuna standing there, gazing sadly at her. Lulu sank to her knees, but she couldn't take her eyes off the summoner standing before her. She had failed Yuna, just as she had failed Lady Ginnem and Father Zuke. None of them had ever reached their goal. None of them had ever defeated Sin, and wasn't this at least partly because of Lulu? She didn't want Yuna to die; Yuna was like a little sister to her, and she couldn't picture life without her. But as she gazed at Yuna's sad little face, she realized how selfish she had been. What did it matter what the black mage Lulu wanted, in the face of the summoner Yuna's desires? Yuna wanted to give her life up for the people of Spira, but Lulu had stopped her.
Lulu covered her face with her hands to blot out the terrible look in Yuna's eyes. There was nothing she could do now to atone for all the mistakes she had made. Nothing, that is...except...
Suddenly Lulu found herself wading through the rushing torrents of the waterfalls fringing the Farplane. The water was icy cold, numbing her bare feet, but somehow it was a detached, unreal sort of cold. Then she looked up from her feet and saw a young man standing before her in the rushing waters. A sudden smile broke out on her face. "Chappu!" she cried wildly, rushing forward with arms outstretched.
But Chappu glided slowly backwards, even as she approached. The water dropped beneath her feet, and she tumbled down the waterfall, landing amongst the many fragrant flowers half-drowned in the cold water. She pushed herself to her feet once more, totally unharmed. And there stood Chappu, waiting and watching her silently. Once more she ran forward, but once again he zoomed back away from her.
She tripped and fell to her knees. And suddenly, she understood. "Oh, no," she whispered, suddenly realizing why this was happening. "It's because I'm alive..."
"Come, Lulu," Chappu said softly, his voice carressing her cold cheeks. "Please come, and then we can be together...forever..."
Lulu slowly raised her eyes to his face. "Forever?" she whispered.
Wakka stood on the beach of Besaid Island, gazing out over the clear, sparkling waters he knew so well. Lulu stood in front of him, barefoot and up to her ankles in the turquoise water. Chappu stood beside her with his arm slung casually about her shoulders. They were watching the sun setting. Neither realized Wakka was there. They never did. The two of them strode happily all over the island, hand in hand, full of the promise of youth and a full life ahead of them. They never noticed the red-haired man to the side.
Wakka clenched his fists and silently strode away. Yet he found his steps circling back to that same beach. But when he returned, it was the middle of a cold, overcast day. All the villagers had gathered about the docks, and he hurried over to them. A boat had pulled up, and he could see the Crusaders' symbol on the large square sail.
A heavily-scarred man holding his helmet under one arm was explaining to the anxious villagers. "No," he said heavily, bowing his head. "I...I'm sorry. No one is returning to Besaid. I was sent by the captain to bring the news."
Wakka gasped audibly and took a step back. They all turned to watch him with dark, dead eyes. "Chappu!" Wakka forced out in a strangled voice.
The Crusader merely nodded. "Luzzu and Gatta are gone too. And...Lulu as well."
Wakka shook his head rapidly. Chappu and Lulu dead at the same time! How could this be? How could it be true? "No!" he cried, slumping to his knees in despair. He clutched at his spiked hair, his heart twanging with agony. "It can't be true!" he yelled as the Besaid docks swirled and everything turned darker than night. "It's not true! Lu...Chappu! No!" He felt the cold stone floor beneath his face as he fell to the ground, beating it with his fists like a child throwing a tantrum. "No! It would be better to die!"
He always lost. Always. It didn't matter how hard he tried to win, to fulfill his dreams. In the end, he would always lose. Always. Every time, it was the same, and nothing was going to change. A loser from birth, he would die a loser, for he had lost everything. What good was it to continue living when everything he cared about was lost? Truly, it would be better to die.
"Braska! Jecht!" Auron yelled at the top of his lungs. But neither man could hear him, for they were no longer themselves. Braska, his eyes white and glowing; Jecht, his entire body growing to gigantic size, size enough to rival that of Sin, who loomed menacingly over them. A sword exploded from Jecht's chest, and with one almighty thrust he tore through Sin's thick hide. Braska, standing at the feet of his Final Aeon, gasped and fell to the ground.
Auron raced to his side, but the summoner was already dead. Even as he picked Braska up, pyreflies soared around him and he disappeared. Auron suddenly found himself holding Tidus instead. Those clear blue eyes were now blank and clouded, and the lips that so often curled into a cheery grin were now parted ever so slightly without the least breath of air passing between them. "No!" Auron cried so loud he was almost screaming.
Not Tidus, not Tidus! he begged silently. Was it not enough that he had failed to keep one promise? He had failed his master, but must he fail his charge as well? Why did they all have to die? Why, why, why?!
Auron looked down at the hand he held close to his side. It was the symbol of a man without a master. But he could join his master again... He could be with his master, his friend, and his ward. It was such a simple thing to drift away with his pyreflies. He looked back up at the giant Guado before him, his lone eye squinting to keep back the tears. Slowly, he stretched out the hand he had not used except in battle for ten years.
"Yuna!!" Kimahri yelled at the top of his lungs. But Yuna ran away from him, till she pitched over the edge of a cliff that, until that very moment, had not been there. He rushed to the edge, but he could see her lying sprawled on the ground below.
Kimahri stumbled back for a moment. Yuna, dead? He couldn't even begin to comprehend what that meant! For ten years, he had been her most devoted protector, her staunchest supporter. He had dedicated the last decade to serving and protecting her. But now...it was all lost. Everything had come to a halt. Nothing was there for him any more. His family was gone; his brethren had left him; the friends he thought he knew had deserted him.
He had always believed that Yuna would remain to him, but she was gone now. Kimahri knew what he must do. He took one halting step towards the edge of the cliff, then another. He told himself not to glance down. Then he wouldn't see the ground rushing up to meet him, nor hear the sharp crack as his neck broke.
But as the seven companions all fought their separate internal battles, not even realizing that Seymour rained spells down on them and laughed at their stupidity, the clouds parted. A black shape hurtled down towards the ground. Two gold-taloned feet hit the ground with a heavy crunch, and Bahamut let out a defeaning roar. Seymour sent a shock of magic at him, but the great aeon leapt into the air, flipping over the bolt of magic and landing behind the summoner and her six guardians slumped on the ground. Bahamut pounded the ground with his front feet, and the great golden wheel mounted on his back began to spin faster than the eye could trace. A blinding white energy built up along its smooth, golden edge, transferring its power to Bahamut's gaping jaw. The white energy built up till his mouth was full of it, and he shot it as a wide beam towards Seymour. Splinters broke off the main beam, widening its reach to overwhelm the giant fiend. It began exploding and collapsing on itself, and a huge wave of white, exploding energy hit Seymour.
Just as it hit the great Guado, the seven companions' minds were freed. They leapt up suddenly, shouting. Everyone drowned out each other's shouts.
"My old man wants to die!"
"Nothing can bring people back from the dead!"
"You big meanie! Stop trying to trick people!"
"Letting Yuna die would be failing her!"
"Winning isn't everything!"
"I will join my master when my time has come, never before!"
"Kimahri not let Yuna fall!"
Tidus looked around at this sudden burst of shouts. He hadn't realized the others had gone through struggles similar to his. Then he quickly glanced from Bahamut, who straightened up after loosing his spell, to Seymour, who was hidden behind giant clouds of white-blue smoke. When they faded away, the normal Seymour slumped to his knees. "No..." the Guado choked out.
"Now!" Wakka cried, his red hair standing on end. "Yuna, send him!"
"Right!" Yuna pulled out her staff and began the sending without hesitation. She spun in pirouettes, twirling her staff all about, and pyreflies began to emerge from Seymour's chest.
Seymour jerked convulsively. "So it is you, after all, who will send me," he said to her in a hoarse whisper. "But even when I am gone, Spira's sorrow will prevail."
Yuna came to the end of the sending, holding her staff vertically in front of her. She glared at Seymour as he finally disappeared for good, his pyreflies speeding off to the Farplane.
Tidus shook his fist at them as they left. "Sin will be right behind you." He turned to Yuna. "That was a good idea, summoning Bahamut."
Yuna gazed up at the giant dragon aeon. "But I didn't. He must have come of his own free will."
On the other side of Seymour's platform, a city rose up. It looked exactly like the Zanarkand Tidus knew from the dream world. Exactly like it, except for one major difference. There was no sound except their footfalls, no light save the bobbing white glow on the end of Yuna's staff, no life but that of the intruders. They hurried through this mock-Zanarkand, following a pathway that led ever upward, leading up to the tallest skyscraper of all. The pathway coiled up around the sides of the tower, winding dizzily above the hundreds of buildings.
At last, they reached the top. Tidus shook his head slightly to clear it; the lighted buildings all around and below them spun crazily. He tried not to wonder how far away the ground was, if there was any ground. Tidus looked around. They were on a circular blue platform. But suddenly he scowled. Directly in front of him, standing in the very center of the circle, stood a familiar man with his scarred back turned to them. He wore black shorts with an orange cloth hanging from his waist and covering one leg, and his chest was completely bare. He wore silver armor on his left arm, and his straggly brown hair was held back by a red band of cloth.
Auron stepped forward from his former position at the rear. A strange look crossed his face as he watched the man cross his arms over his chest.
"You're late, Auron," Jecht said softly.
Tidus felt his heart thump loudly in his chest ten times before Auron replied. "I know," he said simply, his voice soft as well.
At long last, Jecht turned around to face them. Tidus bit his lip. He was just the same as before. The ten years hadn't changed him, except for a certain deepness in his dark eyes, speaking silently of the many lonely years that had passed. Jecht tried to smile, raising a hand briefly. "Hey."
"Hi," Tidus said, smiling painfully. His voice sounded congested and unnatural.
Jecht took a long look and finally smirked. "Huh! You got tall, but you're all bones! You eating right, boy?"
Tidus found he couldn't speak. He tried several times to say at least one word, or at least to nod, but all he could do was stare at his feet.
Jecht took a few steps forward. "You've really grown."
Tidus forced himself to make a joke. "Yeah, but you're still bigger."
Jecht shifted slightly. "Well, I am Sin, you know." His voice was just as strained as Tidus'.
Tidus looked up at him. "That's not funny," he said softly.
Jecht chuckled slightly anyway. But soon he stopped and shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, then... I mean...you know. Let's end this." He cracked his knuckles.
Tidus bit his lip again. He had to say it now, he had to. He might never get another chance. "Dad?"
"Yeah?"
Tidus stared into his father's dark eyes. "I hate you."
For many long moments, father and son stared into each other's eyes. For the first time in Tidus' memory, Jecht looked him square in the face, with none of his scoffing or pride-filled jokes. Tidus wasn't sure what was staring out of those dark eyes, but he found that he didn't mind so much when that emotion emanated from Jecht's eyes. "I know," Jecht murmured softly. "You know what you have to do."
"Yeah," Tidus whispered.
"I...I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore. Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin. Completely. I'm glad you're here now." He paused and stared mutely at his shoes. "One thing, though... When it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry."
Tidus blinked furiously, and his voice sounded wobbly and hoarse, but he hardly cared. "That's enough. Let's finish this, okay?"
Jecht nodded firmly. "You're right." He turned and slowly strode towards the edge. When he reached it, he turned back to them and raised his clenched hands. His chest was glowing with white-blue electric-like light. Tidus gritted his teeth, his feet taking him several feet forward, a low moan escaping him.
But Jecht jumped backwards off the edge at that moment. Several golden beams shot out of his glowing chest, soaring out through the entire city, lighting it all up. Jecht disappeared. Two huge, burning hands, each as long as Tidus' body, clutched the edge of the platform, and a huge body pulled itself up. Its waist was level with the floor, and its head towered far above them. It was covered with a thick, scaly, tan skin, and spikes stuck out the back. Thick white hair surrounded the face like a mane, held back by a familiar red headband. The face was Jecht's, though these eyes were ice-blue, and the well-known tattoo on the chest shone out silvery-white.
"I promise, this will be quick!" Tidus yelled up at Braska's Final Aeon. "Hit me with all you got, Dad!"
"Stand back, everyone!" Yuna shrieked, lifting her staff to the sky. As the others scuttled back, a familiar form shot down from the mock-Zanarkand sky. Valefor crashed down onto the platform, but at a word from Yuna, lifted back into the sky. She stretched her leathery wings wide, and a glowing light surrounded her open beak. Her head jerked backward as the energy shot towards their great enemy. The glow cut through the ground beneath Jecht in a red line. For a split second, nothing happened. Then the ground exploded up towards Jecht along the reddish line and Jecht recoiled as chunks of rock hit him in the face. But he quickly regained himself and retaliated. One great, clawed hand lashed out, and the next moment Valefor sunk to the ground in a huge pool of blood. The pyreflies sang, and she disappeared.
Confident from this small victory, Jecht raised his hand to strike once more. Tidus gasped in horror as he saw the gigantic palm crashing down towards him. Crying out, he hastily raised his sword, point up, and the wide palm crashed down. The weight threw Tidus to his knees, but with a mighty effort he held it up with his sword. Jecht let out an animal-like snarl of pain as the sharp blade cut straight up through his hand, and with difficulty he dislodged himself. Tidus struggled back up to his feet, hastily wiping the sweat off his forehead.
Jecht jerked his bloody palm in the other direction, and Kimahri went flying. He crashed onto the stairs below, and for a moment he could neither move nor breathe. But with a heave, the Ronso brought himself back onto his feet and stumbled up the stairs, panting heavily. His companions received him back into the battle with delight and relief.
"He's too strong for us alone!" Yuna exclaimed. "I'll summon again! Everyone, stand back!" She twirled her staff expertly, and a small ball of fire fell to the ground. She crouched swiftly down beside it, and in a moment, Ifrit crashed upward through the flagged stone floor, leaving not even the slightest blemish behind. Ifrit landed squarely on his feet and let out a mighty roar of pleasure to be fighting once more.
Before Jecht could attack him, Ifrit opened his huge maw and fire spurted forth, creating such a blaze that Yuna and her companions gasped for breath in the hot air. The flames towered high above any of their heads, coiling in a sky-scraping column of fire around Jecht, burning him ruthlessly. Ifrit grasped the stone beneath him and pulled a chunk out. He threw it with all his might at Jecht, and the huge wedge of stone and earth collided full force with him. The twisting column of flame died down, smothered by clumps of earth.
Jecht trembled, and for one wild moment Tidus thought they had finally defeated him. But then the hilt of a gigantic sword thrust out through his tattooed chest, and black blood poured out of the wound it created. Spikes pushed their way out of his back. Groaning in tremendous agony, Jecht grasped the hilt of the sword with one hand and tugged it out of his chest. He swung it as it came free, and the black, dripping blade caught Ifrit off guard. The firey aeon fell to the floor, and pyreflies rose up from his disappearing body.
The giant aeon before them swung back his giant sword to attack. Like a knife slicing through a light, puffy cake, the sword whistled down from a great height. The sharp edge was directed for Tidus. He saw it coming, and raised his sword to fend off the blow, but he knew it was no good. Even the strongest warrior could not hold up such a blade with one sword. Tidus squeezed his eyes shut as he gripped his sword hilt, waiting for the sharp bite of steel to rip through his body.
The sword slammed down, sending Tidus onto his knees again, but he wasn't dead. His arms trembling with the effort of holding up the sword, Tidus opened his eyes once more and looked about him. The sword trembled mere inches from his body, but it was held up. True, even the strongest warrior could not hold it up on his own, but Tidus was not alone. Auron crouched in front of him, his thick blade notched where Jecht's heavy sword had cut into it. Kimahri and Yuna stood behind Tidus, holding up the point of the blade with their magically-strengthened weapons. Rikku, Lulu, and Wakka stood by the hilt, pressing upwards with all their might. For a few moments, everything remained frozen in shock. Then Jecht lifted his hand and the tremendous pressure lifted from them all. They stumbled back, their arms aching, and looked up at the giant aeon apprehensively.
Tidus rubbed his sore arms wearily as Rikku, Lulu, and Wakka took charge of the assault. He didn't think he would ever be able to lift his sword to fight again. Yet he wasn't sure if it was a comfort to remember he would have no need of it when all this was over.
Jecht slashed wildly with his sword, maddened by the attacks put upon him. "No!" Tidus found himself screaming up at him as he saw the sword angling towards Rikku. "Stop!"
Jecht jerked back as if Tidus' words were a blow across his face, and his stroke crashed several feet to Rikku's right. The Al Bhed girl jumped and streaked off to hide behind her cousin.
Yuna signalled for him to continue his shouts. Too weary to attack with his sword, Tidus found it very relieving to simply shout up at the giant aeon, venting all the rage that had collected in his heart over the past ten years. "Yeah, that's right!" he screamed. "I'm talkin' to you, old man! You think you're so big and strong, but really you aren't that strong, are you? You weren't strong enough to say what you wanted, were you? You're just weak!"
Jecht uttered something between a moan and a snarl, but to Tidus' suprise he did not lift his sword.
Eagerly, Tidus pressed his advantage, though he barely knew what he was saying. "And you know somethin'? Fighting us isn't a way to show you're tough! Fights don't bring that! You know, I thought that too, but now I know better! The strong people don't show it by fighting! It's what they're like when they're not fighting that counts!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuna silently casting a spell over the party, Auron standing in front of her to hide the white glow of her staff. Tidus turned his attention fiercely back to his father. "And you know something else? If you were on a scale of good fathers from one to ten, you'd be zero!"
This snapped through Jecht's stunned silence. With a roar, he swung his giant sword and brought it crashing with all his might upon his son. Tidus had no time to react or jump out of the way, but a bright flash shone out when the blade was mere inches from his face, and the sword slipped away on the shield Yuna had been conjuring. The huge sword turned on the shield and crashed onto the stone platform instead.
Wakka coiled back his arm to throw his blitzball at Jecht with all his might, and Tidus was suddenly grasped by a strange idea. Slamming his sword back into its sheath, he waited until the blitzball hit Jecht's wounded chest and rebounded off it again. Then Tidus met the spinning ball with a fist, hitting it back at Jecht's bloody chest. It bounced back off, but he punched it once, twice, three times. The fourth time Wakka's blitzball hurtled back towards him, he punched it straight into the air, leaping after it and spinning around so fast he was a blur. He spun faster and faster as the blitzball began to drop back down, and his foot shot out to connect with the ball. Wakka's trusty blitzball zoomed, straight as an arrow, at Jecht's huge face. With a resounding crack, the ball slammed right between the ice-blue eyes. Tidus dropped back to the ground, breathing hard. He had just performed a perfectly flawless Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III.
Jecht trembled as the sword plunged deep into the ground. He tried to grasp it and push himself up, but he just slipped farther and farther downwards. His black blood gushed out of the huge wound in his chest that his sword had come out of. For several moments, he clutched the lip of the platform, trembling and staring at Tidus with his terrible ice-blue eyes. Then he exploded in a burst of gold, red, and white, with mixed red and black blood pouring out like a fountain over the stones. The blood even washed over Tidus' shoes, but he hardly cared. He squinted through the enormous explosion, searching...
When the cloud dissipated, all that remained of Braska's Final Aeon was his sword plunged into the ground, as if to remind them all of his mighty power. No one noticed a small ball of black, red, and goldish-white smoke soar up into the sky, for a much more important sight stood directly in front of them: the real Jecht.
Jecht tried to take a step forward, but suddenly clutched his bloody, wounded chest, and stumbled to the ground. Tidus raced for his side and caught him before he could fall face-first on the hard, cold stones. A thought crossed Tidus' mind; it almost looked like they were hugging. He hastily positioned Jecht so he lay in his son's arms, looking up into his face. It occured to Tidus that just a few days ago, this would not be happening. Only last week, he would have let Jecht die on the cold stones. Something had changed inside him during this pilgrimage, and now the sight of his father's face didn't bother him so much. He didn't know when exactly he had begun to change. Maybe it had been when Auron had told him that Jecht was Sin. Maybe it had been when he had watched Jecht's sphere in Macalania Woods. Or maybe...just maybe...Tidus had never detested his father as much as he had claimed.
All the same, Jecht had brought this upon them. Jecht had made a decision, Jecht had become Sin knowing full well what he was doing. Jecht had caused each and every one of Tidus' friends great pain. Perhaps this wasn't all his fault, perhaps he couldn't help himself, but Jecht had still agreed to become Sin. Tidus looked down into the scarred face he knew so well, and he didn't know what to say. A thousand words tumbled onto his tongue, waiting for him to say them. But there were too many. They choked his throat and spread up his face to scratch irritatingly at his eyes, screaming to be loose. Tidus forced himself not to blink as Jecht's face began to blur slightly.
"You'll cry," Jecht snorted, his voice low and halting but otherwise the same as ever. "You're gonna cry. You always cry. See?" A single tear rolled down Jecht's cheek. "You're crying."
Tidus scrunched up his face, but he knew that nothing could check his tears once they began to flow. Fat, hot tears dropped down onto Jecht's chest and face, but Jecht didn't protest. Tidus gritted his teeth. He needed to say something. Those words were pressing right against his teeth. Finally, they broke through with a sob. "I hate you, Dad. I hate you!"
Jecht made a weak motion with one hand. "Save it for later."
"Right." Tidus sniffed loudly and ran a hand over his face. Now that the first outburst was over, he felt more in control of his tears. He looked down at his father's tear-spattered face, realizing numbly that not all of those tears had been his own. "We've got a job to do, don't we?"
Jecht smiled. He had never looked so gently at his son as he did now. "Good. That's right. You are my son, after all."
Tidus gulped, and before he could stop himself, blurted out, "You know...for the first time...I'm glad...to have you as my father..." His voice broke and he fell silent. But Jecht smiled up at him, and he knew that Jecht was more pleased than he would let on.
Yuna stepped forward tentatively, fingering her staff. "Sir Jecht...I should..."
But Jecht struggled up out of Tidus' arms, clutching his bloody chest with one hand. "No, Yuna!" he cried in a strained voice. "There's no time!"
Suddenly, the ball of black, red, and white smoke floated back over them. Yu Yevon, Tidus realized with a start. "You stay away!" he yelled up at it. Typical, isn't it, he thought, ruining the most important conversation I've ever had with my father?
"Yuna, you know what to do," Jecht forced out as a dribble of blood streaked down from his mouth. "The aeons..."
The child fayth of Bahamut appeared right in front of Jecht, his transparent face molding seamlessly with Jecht's. Tidus jumped slightly; seeing two faces at once in the same place was rather startling. Somehow, they seemed similar, but he couldn't quite pin the feeling down. "We aeons..." Bahamut said.
"Call them," Jecht mumbled in a hoarse whisper.
"Call us." With that, Bahamut disappeared and Jecht fell to the ground on his face, twitching.
Yuna started forward, but Tidus vaulted to his feet and caught her by the arm. He backed away with her to a safe distance, and they all watched as a mountain of pyreflies soared up from the man Tidus had been dreading to meet. Yet now that he was gone, Tidus felt empty and useless. "Yes," Yuna whispered, the only sound to break the sudden stillness.
But the stillness was not to last long. Yu Yevon circled back to them and came to rest on the pommel of Jecht's giant sword. "Here it comes!" Lulu groaned. Sure enough, the pommel exploded in a burst of red too bright to stand. The ground shook under their feet, and the whole world seemed to turn upside-down. Tidus closed his eyes as his stomach lurched sickeningly, and didn't open them again until everything became still once more.
