Family Matters

We're going to find her, Tidus thought. She's okay. She's gonna be okay.

That's what he kept repeating to himself numerous times inside his disorganized mind. The fact that Yuna was still breathing, and she would continue to be for when he eventually came to retrieve her. He was confident in that, as much as he was confident that they would find her and free her from the confines of this mad creation. Because ultimately, it would happen. They would find a way. During her legendary pilgrimage, there was a point in time when it seemed as though losing their beloved summoner was inevitable. That she was doomed to fall victim to the infamous traditions and call the Final Aeon. But she didn't. It was Tidus's objection and Yuna's will to take life into her own hands that stopped it. Against all odds, all obstacles, and all hopelessness, Yuna and the others managed to end the eternal suffering that Sin brought, even if it seemed as though it wasn't meant to be. If that could've happened, Tidus thought, then there was a way to bring back the Calm. This time, it would be permanent. They would destroy Sin, and they would keep doing so over and over again until it truly was no more than a memory. Even if it costed his existence once again.

He looked at his hand, whether it was out of habit or because he was legitimately trying to confirm that he was real this time, he didn't know. Frankly, he didn't want to. It was something he was never meant to figure out. That was why Yuna had changed. The real reason she had distanced herself from him, despite practically being inseparable from him the first couple of weeks he'd been back. It was the reason she kept everything from him, her jobs, her conversations, her life. It was all because one slip-up could've sent him back to the abyss of darkness, where all of the dead roamed.

Tidus couldn't make up his mind on what he actually felt about it. The Beckoning. Him rising from beyond back into a world where he was not meant to wander. The fact that Yuna was the one to make it happen. Did he feel angry about it? He wasn't sure. On one hand, he was ecstatic to see her and embrace her when he rose from the vast ocean waters on Besaid. His heart clenched as he reminisced in his final thoughts before he took a dive off Fahrenheit into the sea of souls. That he wanted to see her again. He wanted to be with her once more, and that he would do everything in his power to ensure that they would find each other.

To contradict his own statement, however, he wasn't as happy to be back as he thought. His troubles ranged from his downgrade in blitzball skills to his somewhat tense relationship with Yuna. The pressure of keeping his state of being from him caused her to force a smile, engage in very simple talks, and pretend everything was perfectly fine. And that resulted in him doing the same, something he hadn't realized he was doing until now.

But none of those things compared to the peril and misfortune that his presence brought. Sin couldn't have existed in this world if he wasn't in it. He was linked to Sin. Completely bound for the rest of his days. He was as much of a harbinger of death as the monster itself.

He hung his head, feeling like a complete moron. Of course he couldn't have walked upon this world without a price. He kept asking himself how it was that he couldn't have pieced together the abnormality of his situation until the very last minute. That seemed to have been the case for most things that he was too oblivious to see. At the same time, he pondered why it mattered now. Why was it important for him to ask himself these questions? Whatever was meant to happen had already taken place, and now he needed to accept that fact. No more wondering about what he was. But he couldn't help himself. He kept turning back to it.

Looking for a distraction, he turned his head to Auron and Chuami. He'd tricked Auron into following him back to the real world. Not only because he felt it was necessary for Auron to reunite with his daughter, but because Auron was a man of infinite wisdom. If anyone knew how to bring them out of this horrific reality they lived in, it was the squinty-eyed warrior-monk.

Auron was keeping his distance from his daughter. He was leading everyone at the front, as he usually did, and Chuami was lagging behind in the back. Tidus could see that she was attempting to make eye contact. She was probably hoping Auron would do the same. But no. Auron kept his eyes forward. As always, he was too focused on the task at hand to realize the entire world around him. Frustrated, Tidus marched up to the red-cloaked man and whispered to him.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything to her?"

"No."

Tidus was tempted to stop the entire crew from walking, but he was trying to make his talk with Auron inconspicuous.

"I can't believe you, old man," he crossed his arms. "You have the opportunity of a lifetime, something that not many people have, and you're gonna waste it. You know how many people would've wanted to say something to a family member they lost? 'Course you do, you spent the past three years with 'em!"

"There's nothing left for me to say," Auron replied, not taking his eyes off the path ahead.

"'Nothing left'? What do you mean, 'nothing left to say'? Auron, you haven't said anything to her at all!"

Auron finally turned his head. "I don't know what you think you're trying to accomplish, but you should put an end to it right now. We're supposed to be focusing on putting an end to this. We need to rescue Yuna." Looking forward once again, he added, "It's nothing you have any right to meddle with, anyhow."

Typical Auron, Tidus thought. Perhaps he feared Chuami would reject him. That his daughter would confront him about his ten years worth of absence. Or it might've been that Auron was afraid of becoming emotional upon seeing his long lost child, most likely the only blood-related family member he had left. It was a worthless worry, in Tidus's mind. Even more worthless than dwelling in one's past mistakes. He hung his head and lowered his speed, enough that Chuami was walking beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it," she said, her voice low. "But... it's kind of a lost cause now."

Tidus's head perked up. "How can trying to catch up with your dad after all this time be a lost cause? Why don't you go up and talk to him? Auron's a stiff, but once you get to know him, he's almost okay."

"I'll believe that." her eyes lowered. "But... what I'm trying to get at is, I've spent a long time, practically my entire life, chasing after this guy. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be like him." A small laugh escaped her. "I even thought about being a guardian to Kurgum. That was, if he was ever capable of being a summoner in the first place. But, now seeing him in person, I think most of those wishes were just ways of getting the man to accept me, if he were here."

"You think he would accept you if you made these huge sacrifices for a stupid tradition?"

Chuami looked at him. "Gee, when you put it like that, it sounds lame. I wouldn't have known about Yevon. Nobody did, until you and Yuna enlightened that for us. As dumb as it may sound... yes, I do think he would've accepted me if that happened. The man clearly didn't think I was worthy enough to stay with me and my mom."

"Hey," Tidus stopped walking behind the rest. "Auron's a lot of things. He's a grouch, he's a crank, he's not all that great at being sympathetic. But one thing he isn't is an asshole that would abandon his kid because he didn't give a chocobo's behind about them."

"Yeah, you say that, but you're forgetting that he already did abandon me, and I don't know about you, but that's enough to make me lose faith that Auron ever cared about me in the first place."

"He had his reasons. I know he did."

Her eyes were keen. "You sound like you know about him more than I ever will."

Tidus didn't want to tell her that in the past decade that Auron had been away from his own family, he'd been taking care of one belonging to a close friend. Tidus and his mother were under his watch for a long time, and Auron had been beside the blonde boy as they watched his mother slowly deteriorate, both mentally and physically. It didn't seem right to tell her to not reprimand the man for his leave, because Tidus had been in Chuami's predicament once. When his father had disappeared many years ago, Tidus had loathed him more than he ever had before. Jecht had his reasons, too, for not being present in his son's and his wife's lives. But in Tidus's mind, he was possibly the cruelest man in the world. It would've made Tidus sound like a hypocrite to explain why Auron wasn't in the wrong.

Chuami was clearly waiting for an answer, but Tidus shifted his attention to the reasons Auron had for leaving her and her mother for Tidus and his. He never understood why Auron stuck around in this strange city that he had never lived in for so long. Not completely. When Tidus arrived in Spira, he received the information that Auron's task was to bring the boy to this foreign world, where he would end Jecht's suffering as well as Spira's. That much was clear to the blonde, but why Auron didn't make small trips from Zanarkand to Spira, however he was able to, to let his family know that he still held them in his thoughts was beyond Tidus.

He was about to make a statement, but Chuami swiftly turned her head to the group, where Rikku yelped in surprise.

"Watch out!" she said.

Tidus readied his sword and warned Chuami to stand by. This monstrosity had the same gruesome exterior as the others, but it was even more challenging because of its trusty companion. The beast was hideous, it was tall, and its eyes were gleaming with fire.

Yojimbo had never looked so terrifying.

Tidus didn't wait to Haste everyone. Immediately after, Yojimbo had laid the first blow, striking all of them enough to bring them to their knees. Tidus flinched and was held off on his attacks for a moment. He had to collect his strength again. This corrupted aeon may have been the strongest of them all. It didn't help that its ruthless Daigoro was knocking each member back every chance it got. Wakka and Rikku were both out, and as Tidus threw them the last of his potions, he didn't catch Daigoro's attack in time. He held his body up with his sword.

Chuami had made a grave mistake. She had approached the monster, stone in hand, and threw it directly at Yojimbo's face. It did stun the beast, for a second, and the others took the time to heal themselves. But now, Yojimbo was enraged.

"Chuami!" Auron yelled. "Stand back!"

Chuami took small steps backwards. Yojimbo took its katana, held it in place, and was about to deal the ultimate damage to the unarmed girl. Auron appeared directly in front of her, drawing his own weapon.

"I thought I told you to stand back!" he said to her.

This battle was interrupted by another fiend. However, this fiend was different. It was on the heroes' side. The human-like monster appeared out of nowhere from the mist and slashed at the aeon multiple times. Its claws were sharp, its head was canine, and its roars were ground-shaking. Yojimbo made an elongated mark on the surface of the fiend with its katana. The smaller monster didn't even cry in pain. It jumped upon the aeon's thick form and tore into it. Eventually, Yojimbo had fallen to the ground, its pyreflies leaving the world forever. Everyone came over to the exhausted fiend as it was heaving on its hands and knees. It had transformed back into its human form. Dark dreadlocks fell over a woman's face and she panted heavily.

They all knelt beside her.

"You okay?" Wakka asked her.

"Yeah..." she mumbled. Tidus examined her body. Her marks had disappeared. She was no longer scratched. It was almost as if her fiend half healed her.

"How did you do that?" Tidus said, though he said it so lightly that he wasn't sure anyone actually heard.

They all helped her up to her feet.

"Does that happen a lot?" Rikku asked.

Gaia shook her head.

"It... was risky... but I wanted to give it a try," she explained. "The whole time, I was trying to fight it. But then I just... let it happen." She brushed the dirt out of her hair. "I know, it was stupid of me... but... I thought we could make use of it..."

"No."

Everyone looked at Wakka.

"No?"

"It's too dangerous for you, ya?" He said. "Let's not let it happen again. Wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"But..." she started to argue, but didn't. She might have agreed with him.

The others continued forward but both Tidus and Wakka hung back and approached Gaia.

"So... guess you changed your mind then?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah... I did."

"Changed your mind?" Wakka asked. "'Bout what?"

She shifted her eyes to the ground. "Oh, it's nothing important."

Wakka crossed his arms. "You... wanna come with?"

She looked at him and grinned. "'Course! I wanna help you win this fight."

He smiled, for the second time Tidus had seen. "Alright, then."

It didn't take long for another large shadow to appear above their heads. Gaia was the only one that had reacted the way she did, taking a step back and readying her bow.

"What's up?" Tidus asked her, an eyebrow raised.

She looked at him funny. "Is it... not a fiend?"

Tidus laughed softly, which surprised him. "No!"

"That's our ride!" Rikku said, jumping up and waving her arms in the air.

Surely enough, the red-painted Celsius appeared above the opaque clouds. The crowd hopped on without a second thought and Rikku cried out in sheer joy when she caught sight of the passengers. The three Council members, the missing summoners and their respected loved ones, Shinra, Brother, and Rikku's father. They had made it all in one piece.

"Well, if it isn't Cid's girl," Gippal said, a wide grin spread across his face.

Rikku laughed and put her hands on her hips. "Well, if it isn't Dippy Gippy!"

He pretended to be offended at her joke. Rikku didn't hesitate to throw her arms around his waist, a few tears falling down her face.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay!" She said. "I was so worried..."

"'Course we made it out!" a rough voice said. "Once these fools started listening to me, we escaped without a scratch!"

Rikku approached her father. "And I'm glad to see you got here without breaking a single one of your old bones! That's a record!"

Cid scoffed. "And it's nice to see that you're not destroying everything in your path!"

Rikku laughed and wiped the tears from her face. "Well, I appreciate your compliments, even if they do suck!"

Cid's demeanor changed. He was much more serious. So much so that Rikku's smile faltered.

"What is it?" She asked, softly.

Cid looked around him at each and everyone's faces. "You're all a bunch of good kids, you know that? You've done a lot for this forsaken world." He turned his head back to Rikku. "And well..."

He lowered his gaze. He looked uncomfortable. It couldn't have been easy for him to say what he wanted. All eyes were on him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... E's bnuit uv oui."

Rikku smiled and laughed, some more of her tears trailing down her cheeks.

"I know you are, Pops!" She said. "Thanks..."

"Right, well," he straightened and cleared his throat. "Let's get this show on the road!"

As Rikku was happily conversing with her family and her Gullwing companions, Tidus took the time to feel content himself. Everyone, that he was convinced had met a terrible fate, was finally together. They were all here. Except one. Tidus's smile faded but he didn't give up hope. He never did.

He could overhear the conversation happening on the upper deck. The man whose hands were still bound was trying to make amends with the darker haired woman.

"How many times do I have to apologize for you to even look at me?" He said, his voice breaking slightly.

"For the sake of my own sanity," the woman replied. "I'll forgive you for what a deadbeat you are. But I don't have to forget."

The man had given up arguing and just left the room in complete defeat.

"You know, my dad wasn't really the fatherly type, either." Rikku said, in a slightly lower voice than both of them. "He always drove me nuts and he said a lot of hurtful things to me when I was growing up, but it was just his own way of saying he loves me! And he cares!" Tidus hopped up on the deck with them.

"Yeah, well at least your father didn't bring the end of the world." Gaia said.

Tidus stepped in. "No, uh... that would've been... my dad."

Everyone looked at him.

Tidus cleared his throat. "The bringer of death? The monster that's been floating all around Spira, causing problems left and right? That's my old man. The thing we call Sin."

Gaia stared at him. "You've gotta be kidding..."

Tidus shook his head. "We had to put him down. The first time."

The darker haired woman's eyes lowered.

"Many of us encountered some form of negative interactions with our parents." Shinra said as he appeared beside Tidus. "Some have had more than others."

Tidus nodded and turned his head over to the doorway. Wakka was standing, looking like he had a multitude of things to say.

"Uh..." Rikku pulled Shinra aside. "Shinra, there's something really cool I found that I wanted to show you."

They exited the room and Tidus decided to leave the pair to discuss their important matters.

Lulu and Wakka exchanged a look. She nodded to him as she left the area. Gaia had walked across the room and stared at one of the windows at the passing clouds.

"I think I'm starting to get used to being at this unnatural height." she said. "Though... I still don't like it."

Wakka grinned at her. "Hey, we gotta get up high if we're gonna take down that beast, ya?"

She hung her head. "I guess so."

She sighed heavily, and there was a different tone when she did. It sounded sad, and Wakka understood why. He didn't want to think about how much it hurt to see her run off into a perilous, unknown environment. He considered chasing after her, but he knew he would have endangered himself in doing so. He was trying to be less reckless. More mindful of his surroundings, because a part of him knew at least one person would have been disappointed if he didn't.

"Still thinking 'bout your kid?" He asked her.

"Yeah..." she responded. "Haven't stopped. But I think my recent additions definitely put things into perspective."

"What things?"

She was silent for a second. "Like... I think I should stop running around this place looking for him. He's probably gone, too, and I just hadn't realized it."

Wakka felt something tighten inside of his chest. Everything he wanted to tell her. Everything he wanted her to know was right there. As was the opportunity to clear things up for her. Her mission, and the fact that she believed she couldn't complete it, was her form of torture and pain, and he thought about whether it was more cruel for him to keep that from her, or to bring it to her attention. If he finally told her, she would have been relieved, tearfully happy, and yet, more pain would come to her when she evidently had to depart for the Farplane. It would be harder to let her go, he thought, but it made him feel worse knowing that he could have helped lift that weight off her shoulders by telling her that her search for her son was over. He gathered his nerve, as he always did when he was faced with a challenge.

"What would he say if he saw me?" She continued. "I've been away for so long, I think... he might be afraid of me, instead. Especially now, with all these dead people running around. He might've told me to beat it once he saw my face. Or maybe he'd get angry, and tell me I went off somewhere without even bothering to let him know I was okay. There could be a lot of possibilities."

Wakka took a deep breath in. "He would've told you that he was happy to see you. That... he was more than glad you're okay, ya?" He scratched the back of his head. "He would... say that he's glad he got to see you. You know, before we all had to face Sin again."

She turned around and stared at him. "Huh...?"

"Listen... there's something I gotta tell you," he started. "Uh... how should I say this? You... remember when I told you that Chappu was someone I used to know?"

She nodded.

"Well... uh..." his voice trailed off. "He wasn't just one of my friends. He was... my little brother."

She stared, completely motionless. Her mouth was open, and her lower jaw moved, but no sound came out. For a second, Wakka was a bit worried about the tidal wave of emotions he set off in her mind. He bit his lip. Her wide, brown eyes lowered. She curled her fist, and hit him square in the chest, using a good portion of her strength. '

"Ow!" he yelled, rubbing the spot. It hurt worse than he expected. "What the hell was that for?"

"How could you play with my emotions like that?!" she demanded. "I spill my guts to you, about my whole history, my personal life, and my kid, and you just take it and throw it out the window like it was nothing! Your lies are completely and totally uncalled for! I thought we were friends..."

He was flabbergasted. "I'm dead serious! Chappu was the Crusader I told you about. He and I... we lost our parents on Besaid. And we stayed there together, 'til he left. He was... well, you know. That thing that I had to..."

Her eyes softened, and they were still enlarged. She was breathing slowly and she stared at the ground as she turned away from him. He almost wished he never said anything in the first place until she finally responded.

"I... I... I should've... seen this coming." she said, catching him off guard.

"W-what?"

Her reaction was completely unexpected, and the long while she took to answer was making him nervous. Although, the thing that she had said couldn't have meant anything bad. He wasn't sure.

"Well..." she said, sounded like she was holding a sob. "There was someone I shared my entire life with. Someone I shared my hopes and dreams with. He... gave me the courage to leave my nest. So that I could pursue my career, and... I could forget my miserable home life. He was someone I wanted to be with always. I loved him." She turned and Wakka could see a tiny tear flowing down her cheek. He could feel himself choking with feelings, but he remained composed and calm. "And... you are a splitting image of him. Everything about you. Your kindness, your thoughtfulness, your loyalty. Even your accent. That was all him."

He exhaled, and didn't realize he was actually holding his breath until he did.

"You know..." he began. "Since I was a kid, I... had this image of my parents. I always thought about it when things got pretty bad. In my head, my parents were good, strong people, and they did everything they could for their family. It helped me out through some tough times. And... well..." he scratched the back of his head. "I think I was right all along about you. You're a... uh... a real badass, you know? And I'm proud that we're family, ya?"

She laughed, softly, then her laugh deepened. It was genuine. It was happy. He was happy, and in that moment, he was grateful for everything in his entire life. His friends, his wife, his little boy, his mother. His throat swelled and for a second he felt as though he was about to cry as well. But regardless of whatever situation he came across, he wasn't one to shed any tears. At least not in front of others.

Gaia's tears fell faster but it didn't take away from her jovial laugh.

"I... I... I'm glad we met." She said. "I'm proud of you too, Wakka."

He pulled her in close and she held him tightly.

"Sorry I made you cry..." he muttered. She chuckled.

"It's okay..."

He noticed that Lulu was standing in the doorway. She was giving him one of her rare and unforced smiles.

There were many things Auron wanted to tell his family before his untimely death by Yunalesca's vile hand. The thing was, he had seen them again. He had dragged his dying self back to their home, a solitary place kept a secret from the rest of the world, and he watched them through a glass pane. He couldn't have reunited with them. Not in his condition. Not after what he had done. He had allowed Braska to fall victim to the Final Summoning, and hadn't prevented the cycle from repeating, like he promised his family he would. He made a decision to remove his attachment to them, just as he had everything else in his life. There was no other choice. To maintain his self control, to prevent the unfortunate shift that came with every unsent, one had to sever each and every emotional bond. He didn't want them to see what had become of him.

He blamed Tidus for the fact that he was paying the price of it all. Chuami was only standing a few feet away, her eyes on the sky, but it felt as though she was standing an entire continent from him. And his words caught in his throat.

Tidus appeared at his side, much to Auron's annoyance.

"What are you standing around here for?" He asked, motioning towards the girl. "She's probably waiting for you to talk first."

"Stay out of it." Auron growled.

Tidus scoffed and put his hands on his hips. "Auron, I'm tired of you being your stickler, stick-in-the-mud self! You don't even wanna say 'hi' to your own kid, becuase you're a big, giant scaredy cat! You're afraid to reach out to her because you don't wanna admit that you messed up big time by not coming to see her when you had the chance."

Auron sighed. "I know."

"I know you like to think that you don't screw up as much as the average person, and you like to pretend you don't think about your regrets all that much, but listen here." He shook his finger at the older man. "If you don't march up to that girl and tell her you actually give a shoopuff manure about her right now, then that is gonna be one mistake that haunts you for as long as you have all your marbles. You got one last chance to make everything right. Don't waste it."

Auron turned back to the girl. As much as he hated to admit it, the younger male was right. He truly had changed and become someone worth having around.

"A lecture?" Auron said.

"It's advice."

Auron sighed. "Fine."

Tidus blinked. "Yeah... yeah... right, well..." he walked away from the older man. "I'm gonna go over there and... think."

Auron had taken small steps over to the girl. She was trying to make herself seem invisible in this corner as she sulked to herself.

He stood by her, without a word. He had never been great at breaking the ice.

She was the one to speak first. "When I was four years old, I dreamt of a man." She began. "It was the same man my mother told stories about. A stern, yet good-hearted man, clad in a red cloak, weilding a sword as he trespassed through the streets of Bevelle. He was good at keeping trouble away. He could thin out enemy numbers easily. He was noble, determined, bold. He was everything I want to be someday. He was my father."

"Hmm..." was all Auron could say. He had faced many difficult trials in his lifetime, but all of those seemed like a breeze compared to what he was pushing himself to do right now.

"Do you know who that man was?" She asked, quietly.

"Yes."

She hesitated for her next question. "Was it... the man that is currently standing beside me?"

Now it was Auron's turn to be silent. "...yes."

She swiftly turned around, startling him slightly. "So... it was you. I was right the whole time. During this whole trip, I thought I was completely and totally wrong. But now... I hear it from you."

"Yeah."

He swore he thought he saw fire in her eyes. Her brows were sharp and she clearly wasn't amused by the information.

"Then why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"Why... did you leave?"

Auron turned his head away from to her.

"Answer me."

"I did what I had to."

"What you had to?" her tone of voice became higher in pitch. "You had a family to look after. You had to protect us from Sin. My mother died a long time ago because someone wasn't there to make sure she got home safely!"

Auron lowered his gaze. "I know."

"You could've been there for us," she continued, in a strained voice. "You could've seen me get older, and... I wouldn't have had to live with my friend's family. My childhood would've been better." She stared at him. "Why did you follow Braska? And Jecht? And... why did you throw your life away like that? Why didn't you just stay with your own family, where you belonged? And why... why are you here, now? Please... help me understand! Why did all of this have to happen?!"

Auron was attempting to remain his usual stoic self, despite his strong desire to fall to his knees in defeat. Because everything that his daughter was telling him were all of the things he wished he could've changed, out of all of his life experiences. He had cast aside those thoughts for the sake of both pilgrimages, and now, for himself to be able to stay focused on this new mission. And now she was drawing it out from him. Like a magic spell absorbing energy. He inhaled the cold air, and gave her what she wanted. The answer.

"Because that was what she wanted."