Another chapter, hot from the oven. I'm surprised I still get reviews after how long I make you wait. Still, it shouldn't be for too much longer. The end of this month is deadline for my showreel and after that is the tedious but mostly thumb twiddling stage of finding a job. I'll probably have a lot of time on my hands and I know just how to use it.
Thanks guys, hope you enjoy it.
Tidus, along with the rest of the party, followed Yuna further into the blue forest. The blitzer was surprised to see that after a short distance the shimmering path meandered onto a huge tree branch which was growing almost horizontally from the ground, creating a natural walkway, not unlike those of Guadosalam. After a short distance travellers where expected to step onto the next horizontal branch and thus would they progress through the sparkling forest.
The branches themselves had grown so closely they were also seamlessly melded into one another and the worn and grooved path that crossed over them suggested that many people had made their way through the forest in this manner. Indeed the forest floor, now few metres below them, was most certainly not navigable as the trees had grown so close, with their, wide trunks that only a few sporadic metres were clear at any given time.
Tidus strayed close to Yuna as he walked, still not entirely happy about recent events. As far as he could fathom, he'd come to terms with the idea of Yuna marrying for duty. For the most part it didn't bother him as long as he could think of it in those terms. But Yuna marrying Seymour made him feel uncomfortable in a way he couldn't explain. It was the same feeling he'd felt upon first seeing the half-Guado in Luca. With no reason whatsoever he'd already form feelings of distrust and even hate toward the man. It was the same when he thought of the Guado leader now.
He simply wasn't happy with Yuna marrying him and even more so, couldn't understand why she would want to. So much about the summoner's recent behaviour confused him but, short of asking her, he had no way of realizing why.
Just as he was considering just coming out and asking Yuna about the sphere and her decision to marry a voice further up the path attracted the attention of everyone in the party.
"Hey!"
Tidus was surprised to find he recognized Barthello, the guardian of his less than favourite summoner Dona, whom they had met on several occasions. The man jogged up to them, his expression mirroring the distress he clearly felt.
"Hey," he repeated upon reaching them, not even bothering to catch his breath first, "You. Have you seen Dona?"
He didn't seem to be asking anyone in particular, and his eyes flitted from face to face, but met Tidus' as he finished speaking.
"Dona?" the blitzer echoed, "Can't say that I have."
Barthello's face twisted in anguish upon hearing this and he already started looking beyond them as if expecting to see his summoner somewhere in amongst the blue trees.
Wakka took a step forward, "What's up?" he wanted to know.
Barthello looked at him then sighed, "We got separated on the way here," he explained, his voice heavy with shame, "Damn it all!" he burst out suddenly again looking away, "I've got to find her."
"Calm down," Auron told him evenly.
The legendary guardians voice and tone made the muscular guardian stop and looked at him.
"But...if anything happens to her..." he trailed off, his features crumpling slightly.
"Running around in a panic is not going to help," Auron pointed out calmly, "Right now you have to keep cool and search."
Barthello looked slightly impatient at this, "But..." he started to say.
"Guard you emotions," Auron cut him off once more, "Then guard your summoner."
Barthello looked taken aback then his eyes widened and he nodded. Tidus, too, gave the man in red a sidelong look. What he'd said made sense. A lot of sense and Tidus could help but wonder if Auron hadn't directed the comment at his one time charge as well.
"You're right," Barthello was saying, nodding his head slowly with a look of determination in his eyes.
"Shall we search?" Auron offered.
The muscle bound guardian looked up sharply then shook his head, "No," he said his voice more in control than before, "I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you, Sir Auron." He bowed in prayer before turning and jogging away.
As he did, Rikku took a sudden step forward and made an almost grasping motion with her hand as if she intended to stop Barthello.
The rest of the group looked at her in surprise and Wakka repeated his earlier question.
"What's up?" he wanted to know sounding a little more concerned this time.
Rikku looked at him blankly then scratched her cheek in embarrassment, "Oh, nothing," she said dismissively, "I just wanted to wish him luck."
Wakka nodded easily at this explanation but Tidus gave the little Al Bhed a curious look. He'd never seen her embarrassed before. He'd never thought she was the type. As the group moved off again he wondered at her previous action. To him, although he had nothing to base it on, it seemed like she'd wanted to console Barthello.
Tidus frowned and dismissed it, especially as Rikku seemed to be over her discomfort and was talking animatedly to Lulu who was in turn treating her like an Al Bhed encyclopaedia again. He had enough things on his mind, the blitzer decided, without worrying about Rikku as well.
Their progress through the forest was marked by silence as each person considered Dona's disappearance and what it meant for their summoner's party. Tidus wondered briefly if it was possible the Al Bhed were behind the kidnappings. He couldn't see for what reason they could be and yet he didn't have the courage to ask Rikku about it. She and her people had withstood enough persecution without being accused of kidnapping summoners as well.
Trying not to think about, Tidus looked ahead of him and noticed that Auron, who had been leading since their encounter with Barthello, had slowed.
"Wait," although said quietly, Auron's voice stopped group effectively, "It is here, somewhere," the legendary guardian added, pausing and looking to his right.
The others instinctively followed his gaze but saw nothing but huge branches criss-crossing to form an almost solid wall to run alongside the pathway.
"What's here?" Tidus wanted to know, stepping closer to the man in red, hoping to see what had attracted his attention.
Auron looked at him, "Something you should see," he said simply. Tidus blinked in surprise.
"But, Sir Auron," Yuna started to say, sounding unsure.
"It won't take long," Auron told her before unsheathing his blade and swinging it down and through the large branches which stood in their way. They broke and shattered easily under the assault, revealing an open pathway beyond.
The pathway continued deeper into the forest for a short distance before disappearing around the bend. Auron spared the rest of the party a glance before he headed through the new gap in the trees and down the path. Tidus hesitated only a moment before following and was aware of the rest of the party, equally curious, following more cautiously.
Around the bend, the path essentially became a dead end. The walkway opened out into a larger area, which was also open to the sky, unlike most of the forest and held a single tree which grew out of an expanse of water. The tree was not overly large in comparison but its crystalline branches grew in many twists and bends, ending in sharp points. Out of all the tree's in Macalania, it shone the most.
As he walked up to Auron, who'd stopped at the edge of the small lake, Tidus studied the water and found it to be slightly more viscous than he'd expected. The smooth surface was smooth and serene as glass. The blitzer stared at it for a moment and found he had to resist the urge to touch it.
"This..." he started, catching Auron's attention, "This is just water, isn't it?"
The legendary guardian gave a ghost of a smile, "This is what sphere's are made of," he explained as the remaining party members gathered around, "It absorbs and preserves people's memories."
Tidus nodded slowly in understanding. He'd come across the Spirans' unusual method of recording and displaying data and visuals before. It found it interesting that, even without the forbidden technology of Zanarkand, the people of Spira had found a way to record their precious memories and, of course, watch Blitzball.
The blitzer cocked his head to one side as a thought occurred to him. If it wasn't water, then what, exactly, was it made of? Before he could even open his mouth to ask Auron handed him something abruptly.
Tidus instinctively took it and found himself holding a blue sphere. He recognized the kind used to store images and visuals and realized that Auron must have picked it up before they arrived.
The blitzer wondered why it had been left in the forest and gave Auron an enquiring look. The legendary guardian gave him an even one in return as Wakka stepped forward to inspect the find.
"Whoa, this is old," he informed the group, "Don't know if you can play it back."
Auron dipped his head lower into his collar, "Jecht left it here ten year's ago," he said softly.
Tidus looked at the man in red abruptly, aware of a few gasps from the others.
Auron retained his even expression, "Play it back," he said simply.
Tidus stared at him for a beat longer then started slightly as Wakka stepped forward to show him how to activate the sphere. By rotating the bronze base of the sphere once to the left, the blitzer started playback.
For a moment nothing happened, then a holographic image flickered to life above the sphere. Indistinct at first, but becoming more clear as it played on, the hologram showed two men walking down a brightly decorated road. Behind them a huge temple loomed also well adorned with banners.
While Tidus didn't know the place, the one man he instantly recognized as a younger Auron, looking the same as he had when he'd first arrived to Zanarkand. The dress was the same, the hair was darker and longer, worn in a long thin ponytail down his back, and he was sans his sunglasses which he had acquired in the machina city.
The blitzer also couldn't help but notice that the legendary guardian's face was unmarked and still had the use of both eyes.
The second man, he realised after a second look, was Yuna's father and this was confirmed by the young summoner's gasp of recognition as the image became clear.
Within the hologram the younger Auron paused and seemed to look toward them, in reality he was looking toward whoever was capturing the visual on the sphere.
"What are you taking?" the younger Auron demanded, sounding impatient.
The reply coming from the recorder almost caused Tidus to drop the sphere.
"Well, you said this was gonna be a long trip," an unseen but unmistakable voice said. A voice he hadn't heard in more than ten years.
"Sir Jecht," Yuna murmured with a smile.
Tidus didn't look away from the imagery wavering in the air above the sphere he still held.
"We'll be seeing a lot of neat thing, right?" Jecht went on, "So I thought I'd record it all on this." The image flickered slightly as he hefted the sphere slightly in example. "To show to my wife and kid, you know."
Tidus raised an eyebrow at this and as he watched realized he was mirroring the younger Auron's recorded expression from ten years previous.
"This is no pleasure cruise," the man in red pointed out.
"Hey Braska," Jecht called out suddenly, completely ignoring Auron's warning, "Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where're the cheering fans? The crying woman?"
The Braska within the hologram smiled lightly, "This is it," he said apologetically, "Too many goodbyes," he went on to explain, "People think twice about leaving."
The image jiggled again slightly as Jecht shrugged, "Hmm, if you say so," he said, not convinced, "But it better be a lot more colourful when we come back. A parade for Braska vanquisher of Sin!"
The summoner laughed, "We should go," he said, sounding a touch worried, "Day will break soon."
Jecht clearly saw this as a good point to stop recording because the next moment saw the sphere going blank.
Tidus tore his gaze away from the still running sphere to risk a glance at Auron. The legendary guardian was watching the recording with an unreadable expression. The blitzer looked back toward the sphere as it flickered back to life.
The imagery this time showed a Travel Agency, more than likely one of Rin's. It was situated it an area covered by snow and ice and a cold wind ripped at the clothes of those standing in front of it.
Two men again, one a younger Auron as before and the other was familiar to many of the people watching.
A tall, dark tanned man with shoulder length black hair held back by a red bandanna. He wore no shirt making the huge tattoo, in the image of the Zanarkand Abes logo, that graced his chest easily visible. He also wore a full guard on his left arm, and the braces that were meant to hold up his black shorts, hung loose.
Tidus instantly recognised him, Yuna a second later. Auron seemed to have stopped watching even as the remaining party members peered even closer at the images.
"Old man," Tidus muttered to himself, feeling a bit numb.
"Auron, could you stand closer to him," came Braska's voice, from an unseen source. The summoner seemed to now have control of the sphere and was playing recorder.
The younger Auron, who had his back to the sphere, shifted slightly but didn't make any move nor reply. After a moment he complied and walked a few steps closer to the man from Zanarkand.
The view shifted upward to reveal the sign post of the travel agency, which read Lake Macalania, then returned to frame the two men.
"Good, that should do it," Braska told them from off sphere.
Jecht looked at the Auron in the sphere with a smirk, "What's the matter?" he wanted to know, "Afraid I might bite?"
The man in red looked uncomfortable, "Jecht..." he started to say.
"Braska!" the man from Zanarkand said abruptly, dismissing Auron's attempt to communicate with him, "You should take one too. It's make a great gift for little Yuna."
"I suppose," Braska replied thoughtfully, still recording aimlessly.
Auron stepped toward the summoner suddenly, "Lord Braska, we shouldn't be wasting our time like this," he said, a touch stiffly.
Jecht made a dismissive gesture as he walked past the man in red and out of range of the sphere, "What's the hurry, man," he wondered rhetorically.
The younger Auron looked after him in annoyance, "Let me tell you what the hurry is," he said antagonistically.
"Auron!" Braska admonished as he stopped recording and images disappeared.
The people clustered around the old sphere were silent for a long moment after the recording ended.
Tidus abruptly made an impatient noise but made no move to turn the sphere off, "What was the point?" he wanted to know, "He wasn't on some pleasure cruise."
"I think there's more," Rikku said quickly as the sphere flickered back to life.
Tidus turned his attention back to the images that had appeared. The recording started off showing the same area the group was standing in at that moment and framed the solitary tree that was behind them. After a moment it went blank again, then flickered and showed the tree once more only now Jecht was sitting in front of it, looking directly into sphere.
He looked immensely uncomfortable and only after fidgeting for a moment did he start to speak.
"Hey," he started softly, "If you're sitting there watching this, it means you're stuck in Spira, like me."
Tidus was distantly aware of the others leaning back slightly, as if uncomfortable to be hearing a message that was clearly addressed to him.
"You might not know when you'll get back home," the man in the hologram continued, "But you better not be crying," he paused, "Although...I guess I'd understand."
Jecht shifted a bit and looked down for a moment, then up again before continuing, "But you know, there's a time when you have to stop crying and move on." Another pause, then, "You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son...and...uh, well, never mind. I'm no good at these things."
Jecht stood and moved behind the sphere as if to turn it off. Tidus leaned forward unconsciously.
"Anyways," Jecht's voice came back, soft and barely perceptible, "I believe in you. Be good...Goodbye."
The imagery shut down abruptly and there was a faint whine as the sphere ran out and switched itself off.
Tidus stared at it for a moment longer almost expecting more, almost wanting there to be more. He was suddenly very aware of the others looking at him, trying to gauge his reaction. He looked up and tightened his grip on the sphere he still held.
"He sounded almost serious," he commented impulsively, "But it was too late."
"He was serious," Auron told him, looking up for the first time since Jecht had appeared in the sphere. He sounded almost weary as he went on, "Jecht had already accepted his fate."
"His fate?" Tidus echoed, with a faint frown.
Auron thought for a moment before replying, "Jecht...he... He was always talking about going home. To Zanarkand," he explained, "That's why he took all of those pictures, to show to you, when he returned."
Tidus looked around at the others upon hearing this, it having occurred to him that Auron was being very open about Zanarkand and him and Jecht having come from there. Predictably everyone, save Yuna, was looking a touch confused and in some cases highly distrustful.
"But as he journeyed with us," Auron went on, not seeming to care about the reception his words were getting, "He came to understand Spira and Braska's resolve. It happened gradually but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin."
Tidus thought about this, "So...he gave up on going home?" he concluded but posed the statement as a question.
"That was his decision," Auron said by way of reply.
Tidus looked down at the sphere he held and tried to think of it objectively. He wondered what he would do if you were offered an opportunity to go home at that moment. Would he take it?
It didn't take the blitzer long to come to the conclusion that he wouldn't. His father had wanted to go home but he also knew there was no way back to Zanarkand. It was something both he and his father had to accept. When he thought of it terms of leaving his friends, he could understand his father's decision to stay. It was turning out to be his decision too.
Perhaps he'd known all along, that this was his new home. His new world. And he would have to accept his own fate. Perhaps he already had.
Tidus took a breath and smiled, "All right guys," he said looking around at the party, "Let's go."
They looked at him for a beat, perhaps expecting something else, but they could he that his smile was genuine. He felt better than he had in days.
As the party filed out of the clearing and back to path, Tidus paused, momentarily unsure of what to do with the sphere. It only took him second to decide, he wanted to keep it. Having decided this, he turned to join the rest of the group only to see Auron waiting for him.
"Wait," the legendary guardian said, sounding subdued.
"Yeah?" Tidus prompted wondering what else there could be to say.
Auron looked at him squarely, "Jecht loved you," he said succinctly.
Tidus was surprised by this and he made a face, indicating his discomfort, "Come on," he said, "Please."
"He just didn't know how to express it, he said," Auron went on.
Tidus frowned, "Enough about my old man, okay?" he asked. He'd heard enough for one day.
Auron nodded in understanding, "I just thought you should know," he said simply before walking away.
Tidus relaxed, "Okay," he conceded then paused, "Thanks," he added.
Fairly long chapter but I thought I'd better get the whole sphere scene completed instead of chopping it in half.
I cut out the Spherimorph battle because I struggled to imagine how to write about the group fighting a giant blob. Writing the sphere recording took a bit of thought too. Hope you like, R&R is always nice.