It wasn't his Zanarkand, but Tidus would've been proud to call it home. Everything had been rebuilt with stone since the use of machina was forbidden and the effectiveness of using those metals hadn't been discovered yet. The temple towered high above all of the other structures that surrounded it. It was hard to tell from that distance, but they appeared to be residential areas. The vast amount of pyreflies still lingered in the air, and it was due to their bright colors that they were able to see the city at all.
Gatta remained silent, waiting for Tidus to move on. He also thought that Zanarkand looked spectacular, but there was no one to live there yet. Only Yuna, her guardians, Adonijah, and a select few Yevonites were allowed to be within the city limits at that time. The Crusader glanced over at the blond guardian, who still appeared to be mesmerized. He was shaking with anticipation, but also nervous about seeing all of his friends again.
(Yuna's down there somewhere. So is everyone else. I wonder how they're gonna react. Well, only one way to find out…)
"Ready to go?" Tidus asked.
"Ready and waiting," Gatta replied.
They continued their journey, closing in on their nearby destination. The anxiety was building up with each step, and the blitzball ace was aware that he needed to talk to Yuna soon since her wedding was less than a day away. As they descended the long slopes, the doubts started to creep into his mind.
(It's been two years. She's trying to move on, and I'll just be getting in the way. I don't even know if I'll be around much longer anyway. I could crush her again.)
At the bottom, Tidus hesitated as he laid eyes on the site where they had rested and he had gone over the entire journey in his mind, desperate to find a way to save Yuna from dying before they went into the dome to acquire the Final Aeon. Gatta halted in his tracks as well.
"What's wrong?" he inquired.
"I'm not sure…"
"Come on! We're here! No need to be sad!" the Crusader said enthusiastically.
"I guess so…" the Zanarkand native said.
They entered the ancient holy city of Yevon, which was lifeless during the night except for the constant activity of the pyreflies. Most of the old rubble from the former structures had been removed, but not all. The feelings of its ruin still lingered. The newly constructed buildings dwarfed in comparison to his dream Zanarkand, and the area in between each structure was more spacious. It was ultimately smaller than Luca and Bevelle in terms of all that had been reconstructed, but it was still larger than all of the small villages everywhere else in Spira.
Tidus had been correct in his assumption that all of the edifices surrounding the temple were residential. There were ten of them; all were only one level, and none big enough to accommodate more than four people, from the looks of them. They were all very simple designs, consisting of one front door and a single window to the right of that. The roofs formed a triangle, while the houses themselves were square.
The structures that had been built away from the dome seemed to be the ones made for business. While none of them seemed to be bigger than two stories high, they had a multitude of windows and a blank sign at the top. Apparently, none of the shops had been filled yet.
The two traveling companions kicked up dust with each step, which was quickly swept away by a mild breeze. They paused in front of the Zanarkand Dome, which rose high above everything else. There were large cracks and holes in many places, suggesting that they hadn't even made an attempt to restore or repair it. The statues of Tidus, Auron, and Jecht stood outside of the entrance. The blond guardian glanced up at his golden image briefly, and then examined those of his father and the man who had taken care of him since his mother had died.
"What are we gonna do now?" Gatta asked curiously, interrupting his train of thought.
"Head into the temple, of course," he answered as he turned around to face him.
"Why?"
"Maybe Yuna's there."
The former Abes star spun back around and began walking toward the old structure. The dark-skinned Crusader placed a firm hand on his shoulder to impede his progress.
"I doubt it," he stated.
"Why's that?" Tidus asked curiously without turning again.
"They're probably all asleep, don't you think?"
"It's still worth checkin' out. There's always a chance."
"I don't think anything's in there," Gatta commented.
"What's with you all of a sudden?" the blitzball ace questioned. "How would you know anyway?"
Tidus shoved him away and then rushed into the dome, pushing the doors open as he burst through. The Crusader frowned and quickly followed after him. It was almost entirely dark inside. There weren't nearly as many pyreflies to give light. Their eyes slowly adjusted to the absence of light. The blond guardian suddenly halted as his foot accidentally kicked the pavement that had been broken apart and was a step higher than the part he currently stood on. The sound echoed through the enclosed dome.
"Dalan! Is that you?!" a harsh, familiar voice called out not far from them.
"That voice…"
In the distance, Tidus could see a figure approaching them. He could tell that he was a short and slightly obese man, but he couldn't make out any other distinct features. His heavy footsteps pounded resoundingly and reverberated as well. No other sound penetrated the silence as the other two remained motionless.
As the mysterious man came closer, the young guardian was able to see that he wore a light orange robe that dragged along the ground. His sleeves were loose and covered the entire arm, including his hands. He was also bald, and there was a cruel gaze in his eyes as Tidus was finally able to see his face. His eyes widened as he recognized the man.
"Kinoc!"
"Ah, Auron's golden boy. Haven't been seen for two years, but you finally show up on the day of High Summoner Yuna's wedding. I had a feeling you might show up if you were still around," he mused.
"How are you still here?! Seymour killed you!" Tidus exclaimed.
"Yes, he did, and I'd thank him if he wasn't wandering on the Farplane. Death is an enlightening experience. You gain more power as an unsent than you ever could in life. Even without Sin, the dead still have more impact than anything in this world. We will create the new spiral of death in Spira. It yearns for it! We will give it what it desires!" Kinoc revealed.
"So you're the leader of Ronau, huh?"
"Yes, that's correct, but it does not matter if you know who we are or not. You can't stop us."
"Is that why you prey on the innocent? Just because you want to make a new spiral of death? You're insane!" he yelled.
The former maester chuckled briefly. "You could never understand. There's no point in clinging to life! We live but for a moment, and then death liberates us!" He raised a clenched fist, which trembled with determination. "Accept your fate and join us!"
Tidus drew the Brotherhood and sliced through the air furiously. "Never! I won't let you take any more lives!"
Kinoc shook his head in disappointment. "How noble, but we can't let you interfere," he said as he began to walk away. "Gatta, you know what to do."
"What…?"
As he was preparing to turn around to face the Crusader, he felt the hilt of a sword slam into the back of his head. The Zanarkand native fell to his knees, and then blacked out. His limp body fell onto the road with a thud, as his fist held on tightly to his weapon.
"Typical naïve hero," Gatta commented as he snatched his sword.
Then he picked Tidus up and draped him over his shoulder. Then the Crusader turned around and exited the dome. He carried him to a small, nondescript building nearby. He forced the door open with a strong kick, and unceremoniously dropped the guardian onto the hard surface.
"I need to find a way to keep him in here." The dark-skinned man returned outside to find a pile of rubble containing several enormous rocks and pieces of debris. "Perfect."
He pulled the door shut, trapping Tidus inside. Then he walked over to the gathering of junk, and inspected it for the largest obstacle. Once Gatta found it, he hopped onto the heap and began pushing fervently to remove it from the rest. It didn't take much maneuvering. The Crusader barely moved on, and then it toppled down and crashed onto the ground loudly. He looked around to make sure he hadn't disturbed anyone, and then leaped off of the pile of debris.
The obstruction appeared to be a remnant of demolished pathway from one of the old structures. The top part, where the pavement was, had been cracked severely and it was possible to see the rock in between where it had been laid. The rest of it was oval-shaped with surprisingly rounded edges.
"Shouldn't be too difficult to move," Gatta figured.
He placed his hands on the smooth rock and attempted to shove it toward the door. It was harder than he had expected. The Crusader closed his eyes and grunted in strain as he barely budged the boulder with each push. Sweat streamed down his face as he finally got it into position to block the door. He was breathing heavily as he dusted his hands off with satisfaction.
"No way he'll ever get outta there."
A bright glimmer of light crept over the horizon, indicating that the sun was about to rise. "It's almost dawn. Doesn't look like Dalan's gonna make it, so I guess I'll be taking his place." He hurried back into the Zanarkand Dome as the sun began to climb over the peak of Mount Gagazet.
Shortly afterwards, Yuna exited from the house farthest away from the temple. She had been awakened by the commotion outside. She was exhausted, and was slow to make it outside to investigate.
"I thought I heard something out here," she said to herself as she glanced around, finding nothing. "But I guess not. Nothing's out here."
The High Summoner had been restless all night, so she was easily disturbed by even the slightest noises. The emphatic crashing of the boulder had caused her to stir from her slumber even from a far distance.
"Today's the big day. I need all the rest I can get," Yuna stated and returned to her bed.