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Memories of Zanarkand I
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Disclaimer: If we owned Final Fantasy X, we most likley would not be writing Fanfics. Please don't sue, because between my $3.50 and Tug's coin collection, we really don't have a lot of money.
Authors Note(s): Tidus as Al Bhed Idea by Tug. Everything else was done by Koyoko. Memories of Zanarkand is in no way connected to 'Pyreflies'. This is a Slightly A.U story. It contains Tiyuna. Basically it plays on the idea of Tidus being picked up by the Al Bhed and not getting dragged away by Sin. PG - 13 for graphic descriptions of Violence and language. The time frame was spaced out for plot development. Memories of Zanarkand is a trilogy. This is part I, basically about Tidus's life with the Al Bhed.
One more thing: Neither Tug nor Koyoko have a split personality. We are in fact, two different people. We are both fifteen years old, and go to the same High School. Koyoko has her own Fanfiction account, pen name Koyoko Mei where she posts her Fanfics. Fanfics and others on this account are collaborations with Tug. Tug, on the other hand, used to have her own fanfiction.net account, but she sold her soul to the devil. Actually, she gave it to her little cousin.
Another Thing [Koyoko]: This story may be A. U but it contains NO ORIGINAL CHARACTERS. Kayakku, the Al Bhed is NOT an original character. If you played the game, you may remember that Kayakku was one of the Al Bhed that was dying when you were on Bikkanel island. If you haven't played the game... this Fic contains spoilers.
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"Sin!" an Al Bhed shouted. Tidus quickly turned around, and Rikku was running. With a tremendous lurch, he fell backwards, hitting his head against the ship's railing. Everything around him was slowly going dim.
The ship lurched again, and Tidus was flung against the cabin door. There was a splitting pain at the back of his head, and that was all he could remember.
_|_
When Tidus woke up, he was in one of the bunks, still on the salvage ship. He could tell because he heard the water lapping gently at the sides of the ship. He turned his head a little to look out a porthole window. It was early, and the sun was coming up.
Tidus had a bandage wrapped around his head that was dirty and bloody.
"Ruf'c dra cmaabehk bnehlacc?" An al Bhed voice said with a snicker.
"Lid res cusa cmylg! Ra luimt ryja teat!" Rikku protested.
:: I'm stuck here...:: Tidus thought to himself. :: This is going to be my life now... this is my story...::
"Hey! Are you awake yet?" Rikku's face was hovering inches above his. Tidus turned his head away. "Okay, well, you have to get up now." Rikku stood upright. After a few minutes Tidus hadn't moved. "I'm serious!" She said. "You have to get up now! They said that you have to work."
Tidus got up slowly, but when he stood, everything around him seemed to spin, he put his hand against the ship's wall for support.
"Come on!" Rikku waved her hands before rushing out.
It had been two weeks that Tidus had been working on the salvage ship. He still couldn't speak Al Bhed, but he could understand a little. His Blitzball uniform was stained with grease, he would need new clothes, sooner or later.
"Rinno ib!" Rikku's brother shouted at him. Tidus was hunched over, working meticulously on a tiny switchboard. It was for one of the smaller machina. He would get new 'chores' every morning that he would have to finish by the end of the day. Someone would literally kick him out of bed in the morning, and then someone else would give him a bunch of scrap metals or a broken machine and tell him to 'Vaq rd!'.
It was getting late, and he probably wasn't going to get dinner again. Sometimes they forgot to feed him, and If he didn't get his task done, he definitely wouldn't get anything to eat.
He carefully put the switchboard in place. :: All Done.:: Tidus thought to himself, but he was so tired, he went back to his bunk without even bothering to ask for food.
The next morning all he heard were the shouts of Al Bhed 'Rusa!' 'Rusa!' Tidus looked out his window. A desert Island was slowly coming into view. This was 'Rusa', whatever that meant.
_|_
'Rusa', Tidus learned, meant 'Home' - where the Al Bhed lived. But even here, even at 'Home' things hadn't really changed all that much. Tidus was given a new set of clothes - A blue shirt, grey vest, baggy white pants, and a new pair of boots. But everyone knew he wasn't Al Bhed.
"Oui yna du nabyen draca." An older Al Bhed female instructed Tidus, before turning to leave. A giant pile of scrap metal was scattered out in front of him. Tidus scratched his head, and looked at the wall opposite him. On the wall was the plans for modifying some kind of ship. An airship, he realized. It would have to fly.
When he started working on the frame, he wasn't really sure what he was doing. They hadn't given him a lot of tools to work with, either. An old, rusty ratchet, a broken screwdriver, a welding torch, and a knife.
It was two months that he worked on the Airship, when Rikku came back.
"Oh wow, you did a good job on the framework!" Rikku exclaimed. Brother walked over to the half assembled machina that Tidus had worked so hard on and kicked it. Most of it crumbled, and tiny screws and bolts went flying.
"But I guess you should make it stronger." Rikku suggested, smiling. For some odd reason, Tidus had a strange urge to wring her neck.
He worked on other machina, too. The kinds used in battle, or weapons, like guns. He would always go back to working on the airship, though. In the months that passed, Tidus learned Al Bhed. He spoke slowly, and he was often teased or taunted about it.
One day he snapped. He had been working on the Airship, and one of the Al Bhed with a few friends came in.
"Ruf ec dra fung lussehk?" [How is the work coming?] he asked.
"Lussehk ymuhk. Cmufmo." [Coming along. Slowly.] Tidus answered, not taking his eyes off his task. The Al Bhed raised his eyebrow.
"Talk too slow!" He exclaimed in Tidus' own language, Then turned to his friends. "Ra sicd pa cmuf eh dra rayt yc famm!" [He must be slow in the head as well!] He began to laugh, as did the group of Al Bhed he was with.
Because his head was turned, he didn't see Tidus running up to him.
Tidus tackled the Al Bhed at full force knocking him down, and got a good punch in, too. The others had taken up the chant 'Vekrd! Vekrd!'
The Al Bhed, had some fighting experience, whereas Tidus did not. He quickly turned the tables, and got Tidus in a headlock.
Tidus flailed his arms wildly, and The Al Bhed laughed, tightening his grip. "Huf oui Ghuf fryd ed ec mega du pa hudrehk, Cdyn bmyoan uv dra Zanarkand Abes." [Now you know what it is like to be nothing, Star Player of the Zanarkand Abes.] He hissed, releasing Tidus from the headlock. And laughing, they shuffled out of the large room, letting Tidus finish his work.
But he didn't do back to his work, he instead picked up his knife, and held it against his left forearm.
"Hudrek. Drad'c fryd oui yna. Hudrek." [Nothing. That's what you are. Nothing.] He applied pressure to the knife, letting it sink into his skin. There was a sharp pain, but he knew that the pain he felt came from the knife, not from some emotion he couldn't explain. Not from being alone, not from remembering Zanarkand. From a simple knife.
He pulled the knife along, blood came pouring out from his cut. He stopped when he reached the elbow. Tidus removed the knife, and touched his wound with his right index finger in a kind of bizarre fascination. He took up the knife again, and made another cut. Blood was all over his hands and arm, and the knife. He heard footsteps. Tidus quickly wiped the bloody knife clean, and tossed it to the side. He grabbed a thick rag, meant for applying grease, that was still clean, and wrapped it around his right forearm. He cleaned off his hands on a greasy towel.
"I heard a fight broke out." Rikku said. Her chirpy voice echoed throughout the room. The ceilings were high, and the walls spaced far apart. Giant lights from the ceiling illuminated the room, where the unfinished airship stood in the center.
"Ed fyc hudrek." [It was nothing.] Tidus said.
"Okay... well... here. I brought you some food." Rikku produced a small tray filled with food that was mostly burnt, and unrecognizable.
When Tidus didn't start eating, Rikku smiled at him, and left. Tidus grimaced at his food, before getting up, and dumping it in a trash bin.
If Rikku hadn't saved his life, that would have been much better. Then he would be dead, free of sorrow, free of pain.
Auron - It was Auron that brought Tidus away from Zanarkand, To Spira. All he wanted to do was go home. Home! His home, Zanarkand.
But he couldn't go home.
And so, he sat in the corner, hunched over, his arms covering his face, with only his memories of Zanarkand to console him.
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Months went by, Rikku was often away, and that was good. Tidus decided he hated Rikku, too. She often would fancy that she was looking out for him, but that was definitely not the case.
Tidus' clothes were grease stained, and he had grease marks on his face. A once - blue knit cap was pulled over his head, and a large pair of goggles covered his eyes. He was working on one of the smaller battle machina, and he had been welding two copper plates together. Then he came to the fuse box.
Any kind of electrical energy that came in contact with the fuse box could cause it to explode. It might seem like an accident.
Tidus flipped a switch, turning on the machina. The loose pieces clanked together, and small jolts of electric energy ran through the fuse box. He put the flame from the welding torch onto the panel.
The explosion was heard by just about everyone, and Tidus was flung across the large room, against a thick metal wall. Everything went black.
At first he thought he was dead, but he heard the laughing voices of others, and the world faded from black, back into focus. He was dizzy, and everything seemed to be spinning.
"Cdibet vuum! Uhmo y eteud fuimt nabyen y vica frema ed fyc dinhat uh!" [Stupid fool! Only an Idiod would try and repair a fuse when it was turned on!] Tidus recognized the voice. It was the Al Bhed he had gotten into a fight with a few months ago. His name was Keyakku.
"Fryd fana oui drehk!!" [What were you thinking!!] Rikku exclaimed. Tidus turned his head away from the voices, he hadn't died. He was still here. Zanarkand. He turned his thoughts back to home. "Oui luimt ryja paah gemmat!" [You could have been killed!] But Rikku's voice was meaningless, and it didn't seem to reach Tidus, as he lie there, dreaming of Zanarkand.
The next morning, he got up, and was told to work as usual. This time on a much bigger machina, that was of a more simple design. He was told to repair the simple model so that he wouldn't do something 'stupid' like he did last time.
Tidus figured he could cause another explosion by lighting the fuel cell on fire, But they hadn't given him a blowtorch.
"Meva ec vemmad fedr csymm bnupmasc." [Life is filled with small problems.] Tidus grumbled to himself. He put a hand in his pocket. He pulled out a small fuse.
Hopefully, if he turned the damn thing on, he could use an electrical spark to set the fuel cell aflame.
And that's what he did.
But, like before, his attempt at suicide was unsuccessful.
_|_
Tidus woke up in his bunk surrounded by not only Rikku and Keyakku, but Brother, and several others.
"Zylgycc! Ra ymsucd talybydat racamv!" [Jackass! He almost decapitated himself!] Brother laughed, but he was silenced by a glare from Rikku.
"Dra dycgc oui yna kejehg res yna duu tevelimd!" [The tasks you are giving him are too difficult!] Rikku protested.
"Ra tet veha pavuna! Fedruid pmufehk rescamv ib, Y sayh." [He did fine before! Without blowing himself up, I mean.] Brother retorted.
"Yna oui cikkacdehk ra tuac drec uh binbuica!" [Are you suggesting that he does this on purpose!] Rikku exclaimed.
"Oac!" [Yes!] Brother folded his arms across his chest.
But even so, Tidus was sent back to work two days later. Rikku was supposed to be helping him. It was another one of the small battle machina, and Rikku watched as Tidus worked before she realized that he was totally competent.
Tidus could see that Rikku was somewhat confused. But he had finished his work for the day, so he shuffled off to see if there was anything for him to eat.
_|_
A few weeks later, Tidus was told to do maintenance work on a security panel. It was simple, really. All he had to do was open a panel, look at some wires and gears, and say everything was fine.
Tidus had flipped open the panel, and reached in with his right hand to connect a loose wire.
"Hud kuehk du ryja yho 'Ylletahds' drec desa?" [Not going to have any 'Accidents' this time?] Brother appeared on the scene.
"Ayd cred dra tea." [Eat shit and die.] Tidus responded angrily.
"Syopao E'mm ramb oui drec desa!" [Maybe I'll help you this time!] Brother snapped, shoving Tidus into the panel. His left hand was caught in the gears, and blood and chunks of his hand sprayed everywhere.
When he finally managed to pull his hand out, or what was left of his hand, the entire thing was a bloody mess. Large chunks of flesh were missing, and he could see the bone in a lot of places. There was blood everywhere.
"Fro dra vilg tat oui cdub fungehk!" [Why the fuck did you stop working!] An Al Bhed demanded. "RUMO CRED!" [HOLY SHIT!] He exclaimed, the colour on his face drained, he looked somewhat faint, and sick from all the gore.
Tidus stood there, calm, in a kind of morbid fascination, examining his hand, holding it up close to his face, turning it over and examining whatever was left of his palm.
Keyakku had sewn the bits of skin together, and his hand, looked shriveled and stretched out in some places. It wasn't a pleasant sight to look at. At least he still had the use of that hand. Tidus pulled out a small crate that had his Blitzball uniform in it. He took his metal glove, and arm plate from the crate and strapped it onto his right arm, moving his fingers experimentally. And then he saw something else in the crate. His silver chain that had the Blitzball logo on it. Tidus examined it for a moment, before putting it into his pocket.
Cid, Rikku's father and the leader of the Al Bhed even came to apologize for what brother had done.
As he was leaving, something fell from his pocket. A sphere, maybe? After Cid had left, Tidus carefully picked up the sphere, and watched closely as memories that weren't his own swirled before his eyes.
In the Sphere's recording, a young woman was talking to her brother, Cid. Tidus didn't understand much of what was being said, but one image caught his memory, and remained there.
A small girl, five or six years old, 'Yuna' the woman called her, she was her daughter. Tidus couldn't help starting at this child. One thing he noticed straight away were her eyes - She had one green eye, and one blue.
"Yuna." The woman said. "I have told her... to seek you out if there is ever any trouble..."
Tidus listened to the recording again, just to catch a glimpse of the young girl. Eventually he put the recording away, in his crate, so that he could watch it again.
His foot hit something metal that went scattering across the room. Brass. Tidus picked up the piece of metal. Brass.
_|_
It had been a long time, now. Almost two years, that Tidus had come to stay with the Al Bhed. On one day, he was woken up by a gruff voice that belonged to Keyakku :
"Kad ib! Oui yna kuehk uh dra Cymyjka Creb du Luca!" [Get up! You are going on the Salvage Ship to Luca!] He said. "Drao haat cusauha du tu syehdyhla fung." [They need someone to do maintenance work.] Keyakku explained.
And so, Tidus threw everything into a canvas rucksack, and began the trek across the desert.
