Chapter Five
A Few Days Later…
The sound of the waves crashing onto the shore was soothing. Somewhere out towards the sea, a flock of gulls cried. The sea breeze was just right, cooling you, but not blowing your hair everywhere.
It relaxed him.
Tidus had been sitting out here, taking in the sun, the view of the ocean, and the events of the past few days. And he was still trying to figure things out. He had absolutely no memory before waking up three days ago. The more he tried, the more it eluded him, just like a dream that you fast forget when you wake in the morning, but you desperately try to remember. With every passing moment, more and more fades. When he first tried to remember he would get flashes of memory. A city at night, a couple of faces, a building or two. But now, everything had grown fuzzy to the point to where he could safely say that he can't remember anything.
He had also wondered how he was able to remember how to talk, how to walk, how to brush his teeth and how to fit in with a crowd, but he had no memory of who he was. The doctor had said that there were three types of memory: episodic, procedural, and functional memory, with episodic memory was the one that was frizzing out. "Probably due to the head trauma," he had said. Tidus reached up to touch the right side of his head, which is now clean and bandaged. Pain suddenly shot through his system and he pulled his hand away quickly.
Footsteps were coming up behind him.
He let out a little sigh and it floated out into the ocean. He knew it was her, Yuna. The other girl, What's her name? Ah, Rikku, he thought. Rikku had left yesterday on a boat with a bunch of people. She said she was an Al Bhed Representative, or something like that. Those were hollow words to Tidus. She had seemed devastated when she knew that he had no memory, but not nearly as crushed as Yuna.
He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned up to see Yuna smiling downward at him. "May I sit down?"
"Sure," Tidus replied, scooting over to make room for her at the end of the dock.
For a few seconds neither one spoke. They only sat there waiting for the other one to start. It was Tidus who broke the proverbial ice.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Hmm," Yuna started. "I suppose."
Tidus let another sigh escape him.
"I'm sorry," he finally said.
"For what?" Yuna replied.
"That I'm not who you expected me to be. That I can't remember anything. That I got your hopes up."
"No," Yuna said. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It is not your fault. Besides, you are who I expected to you to be, just not the way I expected you. That's all. Also, I know that at least you're alive. That means more to me than you can ever know. I just wished you did know."
"Yuna," Tidus started, unsure of how to proceed. "Were we in love?"
Yuna bowed her head and looked at the rushing water below her feet. "I was," she said. "And I think we both were."
"I just really wished you knew what we had, and what we were," she continued. "And just, for once, my dream came true, that you came back, but you don't know me. You don't know the way we felt for each other. You may not even feel the same way to me that you once did. That hurts, you know? That we were together, but now you probably don't even feel anything to me. But it's not your fault. Remember that, please?"
"Sure," Tidus said. "But I want you to remember something too."
"Ok"
"Remember to not give up on me yet. You don't seem like the kind of girl that gives in easily. I think you are more determined than that. You know, that old doc told us something that we could do that could probably help."
"Mmm-hmmm." Yuna said while nodding her head remembering what he said. "He said to put you in positions that might spark a memory. Or maybe tell you things that you did, and maybe a memory will come back."
"Yeah," Tidus said enthusiastically. "And he said usually if one memory comes back, then it will open a floodgate of others.
"Mmm," Yuna thought. "Hey, I have an idea."
"Yeah?"
"I know every weekend or so, the elders usually get together around the campfire in town."
"Every weekend or so?" Tidus said with a puzzled look on his face. He distinctly remembers seeing a few townspeople out next to the fire every night since he's been back.
"We'll, that fire is usually always going, and usually somebody is out there every night, hanging out by it. But usually every weekend or so the elders get together to tell the story of the Eternal Calm."
"The what?" Tidus asked.
"Eternal Calm. Actually, the story leading up to it. The story of my pilgrimage. My story, and your story too."
"Just mine and yours?" Something about a bunch of elders around a campfire talking about the story of him and his supposed girlfriend didn't enthuse Tidus much.
"Well, the story of how we beat Sin. Me, you, Lulu, Wakka, Rikku, Auron, and Kimahri." Yuna explained.
"Ahh," Tidus said. "Wait, who are those last two? Auron and Cimario?"
"No, Kimahri. Another one of my guardians."
"Guardians?" Tidus asked with a confused look on his face.
"Yes," Yuna answered. "I think you should hear the story of the Eternal Calm. It will tell you who you are, and what we've done."
----
Tidus glared at himself. Only his other self didn't glare back. He just stood there looking outward with his sword in hand. He looked almost exactly like Tidus did, other than the fact that he was chiseled in stone.
So I used this sword, Tidus thought to himself looking at the greenish-blue blade that was in the statue's hands. I don't even know if I can use a sword anymore. For the past three days Tidus was experiencing a certain feeling. He couldn't place his finger on it until just a few seconds ago, staring up at his stone statue. Helplessness, he thought. I have this strange sense of helplessness, and there's nothing I can do about it.
"Hmph." Tidus said aloud to himself and his statue. "I'll figure it all out, just you wait." With that, he turned and walked out of the temple towards the campfire.
It was time for the telling of the Legend of the Eternal Calm.
It seemed as if the entire population of Besaid was gathered around the campfire. Adults were sitting together, talking, laughing and enjoying the late evening. Children were running around throwing some kind of large blue ball at each other. A couple of adolescents were stocking the fire, kicking some burning embers into the air. It was a pleasant scene, and Tidus had to give a slight smile. Maybe I don't know what happened to me, but I think I ended up in a great place.
Yuna saw him and started waving her arms.
"Excuse me," Tidus said as he started making his way up through the seated people, who were more than happy to make way for him.
"Hey," Yuna said as he finally reached her. "Take a seat." Tidus promptly sat next to her and took a look around. Some of the faces he saw he recognized, and others he didn't. Lulu and Wakka were sitting on a blanket a little bit closer to the fire. Wakka noticed Tidus' gaze and waved his hand. Tidus waved back. He couldn't help but smile. Yeah, I definitely ended up in a great place.
"It is time," one of the village elders began. Immediately the quiet whisperings and the laughing of children ceased. "Now we begin the telling of the Legend of the Eternal Calm."
The elder paced back and forth in front of the fire, his voice bellowing out so that everyone could hear him.
"Rampant for a
thousand years,
A great terror arose from the deep,
It swept across the land and sea,
A lone soul still lingers,
Destiny and dreams cannot be denied,
A will grows stronger,
To the spiral of death,
Across time, space, and love,
The journey begins..."
Yuna reached over and grabbed Tidus' hand. At first he was shocked, wanting nothing more but to shake it off. However he then decided to stay as it is. She's waited long enough for this, he thought. I'll let her have this moment.
"It all began," the elder continued "with a normal blitzball practice by the Besaid Aurochs. A stray ball went deep into the water off of the shore. There it struck a limp, lifeless figure. Many thought he was already dead. That is until the figure moved, stirred, and rose up. That figure's name is Tidus, hero from another world, legendary guardian to be. And he is where this story starts…"
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Author's notes
1—Ok, so that chapter was pretty boring, but things are going to pick up pretty soon.
2—Next chapter I will do something to shock you all, so get ready.
3—All names, characters, places, and events referred to are copyrighted by Squaresoft
4—Trey-Loose, I know I jump around a bit, I did a little in this chapter, but I'm trying to do better. Fire Rules, yeah, I know what you mean. heh
5—This week/months recommended reading: Akin to Sin, by No One. The best character-insertion fic I've read so far.
6—Thanks for the support guys!!
