Chapter Six
Besaid to Luca & Auroch to Abe
"I booked passage for seven." Maroda informed them, reclaiming his comfortable chair when they had all gathered together again.
"But only three of us should go." said Auron forcefully, looking at Tida, Tiron, and Aurie with some discomfort and annoyance. Was it his eternal destiny to travel with teenagers?
"You will need guides for this journey, Sir Auron, and I am loath to leave Besaid unattended." he explained. Smiling, Maroda added, "And I do not think they would be easily left behind."
"You'll need us before you get to Luca, ya? I mean, where would you go to hire an airship to Bevelle, huh?" asked Aurie, putting her hands on her hips.
Auron stood over the trio of youngsters, putting the matter of the formerly young Sir Pacce to the side as he questioned them: "Can you fight? Any of you? Have you fought?"
Tiron sort of looked away, finding the view from the window of his house suddenly very interesting. Aurie twirled her cousin's blitzball in her hands absently, hanging her head in the face of the legendary and suddenly quite daunting guardian. But Tida lifted her chin and produced a bubbling blue sword in answer to his question. Tidus recognized it as his own Brotherhood sword, which had been a gift from Wakka. Little did he realize that the sword had had many owners: Wakka in his absence, Wakka's only son Chappu, briefly Aurie before her trip Home, and lastly Tida.
"I fight ... I train ... along the Mi'hen Road ... between the settlement and Luca during the season. It keeps my reflexes sharp." she explained. Tida glanced at her two friends and added, "Tiron and Aurie can too, when they want to do it. They're terrors to the local fiends."
"Small potatoes." murmured Tiron.
"Yeah." echoed Aurie.
"How can someone be such a menace and not know how to wield a blade?" thought Auron, looking down at the trouble-making girl in momentary annoyance.
"Then it's settled." said Tida. "We are all coming with you."
"Right." agreed Tidus.
Auron glared at him. Didn't the boy realize the kind of danger they might be facing? Fiends? Guado? Airships?
"Pacce can come, but the others stay. They are too inexperienced." he told Tidus.
"Give them a break, Auron. Didn't you tell me and Yuna and everyone when we were about their age that this was our world? What? You're alive again, so you're taking it back?" asked Tidus.
"You still are their age. Maybe you should sit this one out too." retorted Auron rather unfairly.
"Hey! Leave my boy alone! He's proved himself time and again." Jecht cut in.
"For Yevon's sake! Am I going to have to separate you three?" thundered Maroda, springing angrily from the chair.
The three former guardians looked at him blankly for a moment, the argument forgotten in their surprise. Maroda actually managed to raise his voice. For an instant even Jecht and Auron felt like seven-year-olds.
"Thanks, dad." said Tiron quietly.
"You're all going on the journey, and you're all going to be careful too. Now, you have four hours before that boat leaves. I suggest you make good use of that time." said Maroda, leaving no room for further discussion.
Tiron and Tidus found themselves standing at the docks several hours later. They had bought the usual supplies for the journey and outfitted themselves for the undertaking. Tidus glanced at Tiron and felt a trifle annoyed as he realized that the young man didn't appear to have his weapon with him.
"You should always keep your gear, your weapon especially, close at hand." Tidus admonished him.
"I have them." Tiron assured him.
"Oh, yeah? Let me see then."
Tiron held up his fists and said, "These a the tools of my trade. I'm a black mage like my mother, but I don't need any dolls. I've perfected the art."
"So you fight empty-handed?" asked Tidus dubiously.
"You bet." said Tiron confidently.
Tidus glanced over the boy's shoulder and nodded toward a small crowd that included Tida and Aurie. He knew by the uniform that they were the Besaid Aurochs. Tiron turned and looked at them with a wistful expression.
"Your old team."
"Yeah." sighed Tiron.
"You want to tell me about why you left them?"
"Thrown off."
"That much is obvious. So why?"
"It was after the game when Chappu was hurt." the boy shrugged.
"You went after the Guado that did it?"
"No."
"Fine. I give then."
"I went after the bottom of a glass for three weeks straight. When I finally ... sobered up, I was off the team. I had missed five games." he explained, scuffing his shoe against the deck.
"Tough break."
"At first no other team wanted me. I was not such a good risk. But Wakka put in a good word for me with the Abes." shrugged Tiron.
Tidus turned his attention back to Tida and Aurie and their team. They seemed to be missing something. Maybe it was Tiron. He wasn't sure.
"Are you two gonna linger there or get on board that ship?" questioned Jecht from behind them.
"We've still got a few minutes." said Tidus. "Where's Auron anyway?" he asked.
Jecht jerked his thumb in the direction of the beach.
Auron, Pacce, and Maroda were standing there, exchanging parting words near the surf. The youngest of the three was looking toward the sea with a mixture of nervousness and premature homesickness in his eyes. Since his days as the guardian of Lord Isaaru had ended, Pacce seldom left Besaid. Of course, he traveled to Luca for blitzball, but he had never left, knowing that he was going into uncertainty and danger.
Maroda laid a hand on his shoulder and said something that even Auron could not hear over the muted roar of the ocean.
But Pacce could hear him when he said simply, "Look after them, Pacce."
The cabins on the S.S. Otherworld were few in number, but spacious. It was several weeks before blitz season kicked off, so there was little travel between Besaid and the mainland. Jecht and Tidus tossed their belongings into a two-bunk cabin before heading to the deck of the impressive ship. Not surprisingly, Aurie dragged Pacce bodily into another cabin, despite his rather half-hearted protests. To Auron's surprise, Tida squeezed past him into the cabin that he was planning to occupy and claimed one of the narrow bunks as her own.
"Sweet!" yelled Tiron, realizing that he would have a berth to himself for the overnight trip.
Auron fixed Tida with a piercing look as she began unpacking some of her things.
"Tiron snores!" she hissed quietly, taking his meaning.
"As serious as that?" asked Auron sardonically.
"Trust me." she said, shaking her head. She narrowed her eyes at him and questioned, "You mind?"
"No, I suppose not." answered Auron with a slight shrug, wondering how her father and grandfathers would feel if they knew.
The absence of Lord Braska troubled him momentarily, but not for the first time. It was absurd that he, Auron of all people, should have a second chance. What about his truest friend and noble lord? Was he not also so deserving?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Thanks for another review Shido21!
Besaid to Luca & Auroch to Abe
"I booked passage for seven." Maroda informed them, reclaiming his comfortable chair when they had all gathered together again.
"But only three of us should go." said Auron forcefully, looking at Tida, Tiron, and Aurie with some discomfort and annoyance. Was it his eternal destiny to travel with teenagers?
"You will need guides for this journey, Sir Auron, and I am loath to leave Besaid unattended." he explained. Smiling, Maroda added, "And I do not think they would be easily left behind."
"You'll need us before you get to Luca, ya? I mean, where would you go to hire an airship to Bevelle, huh?" asked Aurie, putting her hands on her hips.
Auron stood over the trio of youngsters, putting the matter of the formerly young Sir Pacce to the side as he questioned them: "Can you fight? Any of you? Have you fought?"
Tiron sort of looked away, finding the view from the window of his house suddenly very interesting. Aurie twirled her cousin's blitzball in her hands absently, hanging her head in the face of the legendary and suddenly quite daunting guardian. But Tida lifted her chin and produced a bubbling blue sword in answer to his question. Tidus recognized it as his own Brotherhood sword, which had been a gift from Wakka. Little did he realize that the sword had had many owners: Wakka in his absence, Wakka's only son Chappu, briefly Aurie before her trip Home, and lastly Tida.
"I fight ... I train ... along the Mi'hen Road ... between the settlement and Luca during the season. It keeps my reflexes sharp." she explained. Tida glanced at her two friends and added, "Tiron and Aurie can too, when they want to do it. They're terrors to the local fiends."
"Small potatoes." murmured Tiron.
"Yeah." echoed Aurie.
"How can someone be such a menace and not know how to wield a blade?" thought Auron, looking down at the trouble-making girl in momentary annoyance.
"Then it's settled." said Tida. "We are all coming with you."
"Right." agreed Tidus.
Auron glared at him. Didn't the boy realize the kind of danger they might be facing? Fiends? Guado? Airships?
"Pacce can come, but the others stay. They are too inexperienced." he told Tidus.
"Give them a break, Auron. Didn't you tell me and Yuna and everyone when we were about their age that this was our world? What? You're alive again, so you're taking it back?" asked Tidus.
"You still are their age. Maybe you should sit this one out too." retorted Auron rather unfairly.
"Hey! Leave my boy alone! He's proved himself time and again." Jecht cut in.
"For Yevon's sake! Am I going to have to separate you three?" thundered Maroda, springing angrily from the chair.
The three former guardians looked at him blankly for a moment, the argument forgotten in their surprise. Maroda actually managed to raise his voice. For an instant even Jecht and Auron felt like seven-year-olds.
"Thanks, dad." said Tiron quietly.
"You're all going on the journey, and you're all going to be careful too. Now, you have four hours before that boat leaves. I suggest you make good use of that time." said Maroda, leaving no room for further discussion.
Tiron and Tidus found themselves standing at the docks several hours later. They had bought the usual supplies for the journey and outfitted themselves for the undertaking. Tidus glanced at Tiron and felt a trifle annoyed as he realized that the young man didn't appear to have his weapon with him.
"You should always keep your gear, your weapon especially, close at hand." Tidus admonished him.
"I have them." Tiron assured him.
"Oh, yeah? Let me see then."
Tiron held up his fists and said, "These a the tools of my trade. I'm a black mage like my mother, but I don't need any dolls. I've perfected the art."
"So you fight empty-handed?" asked Tidus dubiously.
"You bet." said Tiron confidently.
Tidus glanced over the boy's shoulder and nodded toward a small crowd that included Tida and Aurie. He knew by the uniform that they were the Besaid Aurochs. Tiron turned and looked at them with a wistful expression.
"Your old team."
"Yeah." sighed Tiron.
"You want to tell me about why you left them?"
"Thrown off."
"That much is obvious. So why?"
"It was after the game when Chappu was hurt." the boy shrugged.
"You went after the Guado that did it?"
"No."
"Fine. I give then."
"I went after the bottom of a glass for three weeks straight. When I finally ... sobered up, I was off the team. I had missed five games." he explained, scuffing his shoe against the deck.
"Tough break."
"At first no other team wanted me. I was not such a good risk. But Wakka put in a good word for me with the Abes." shrugged Tiron.
Tidus turned his attention back to Tida and Aurie and their team. They seemed to be missing something. Maybe it was Tiron. He wasn't sure.
"Are you two gonna linger there or get on board that ship?" questioned Jecht from behind them.
"We've still got a few minutes." said Tidus. "Where's Auron anyway?" he asked.
Jecht jerked his thumb in the direction of the beach.
Auron, Pacce, and Maroda were standing there, exchanging parting words near the surf. The youngest of the three was looking toward the sea with a mixture of nervousness and premature homesickness in his eyes. Since his days as the guardian of Lord Isaaru had ended, Pacce seldom left Besaid. Of course, he traveled to Luca for blitzball, but he had never left, knowing that he was going into uncertainty and danger.
Maroda laid a hand on his shoulder and said something that even Auron could not hear over the muted roar of the ocean.
But Pacce could hear him when he said simply, "Look after them, Pacce."
The cabins on the S.S. Otherworld were few in number, but spacious. It was several weeks before blitz season kicked off, so there was little travel between Besaid and the mainland. Jecht and Tidus tossed their belongings into a two-bunk cabin before heading to the deck of the impressive ship. Not surprisingly, Aurie dragged Pacce bodily into another cabin, despite his rather half-hearted protests. To Auron's surprise, Tida squeezed past him into the cabin that he was planning to occupy and claimed one of the narrow bunks as her own.
"Sweet!" yelled Tiron, realizing that he would have a berth to himself for the overnight trip.
Auron fixed Tida with a piercing look as she began unpacking some of her things.
"Tiron snores!" she hissed quietly, taking his meaning.
"As serious as that?" asked Auron sardonically.
"Trust me." she said, shaking her head. She narrowed her eyes at him and questioned, "You mind?"
"No, I suppose not." answered Auron with a slight shrug, wondering how her father and grandfathers would feel if they knew.
The absence of Lord Braska troubled him momentarily, but not for the first time. It was absurd that he, Auron of all people, should have a second chance. What about his truest friend and noble lord? Was he not also so deserving?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Thanks for another review Shido21!
