Tidus stretched his arm over his head, and held a fist to his mouth to stifle the yawn. For over an hour, he had been listening to the Yevonite priest drone on and on about the proper prayers and supplications to the Fayth. He was in danger of falling asleep very shortly. Extending his arm in a halting gesture, he stopped the clergyman in mid-sentence. "Listen, could you answer a question?"

The priest blinked, and stopped his spiel. "Of course."

"Isn't it true that the Fayth give Aeons according to how devoted the Summoner is?"

"Yes, that is true."

Tidus could hear the uncomfortable rustling of his Guardians behind him, devoted Yevonites all, but Tidus didn't care about that. He only agreed to become a Summoner because of Yevon's decree, and the fact that he loved the world enough to die for it. "Then why do I have to learn all these prayers and stuff? I bet the Fayth don't give a damn about it."

The priest's mouth opened in shock before this outright heresy. "Sir Summoner, I assure you! It is very important. The proper forms must be obeyed!"

Stretching his arms over his head again, Tidus got to his feet, and suppressed a snicker at getting such a rise out of the old priest. Summoner he may be, but a worshipper of Yevon, never. "Tell you what. Why don't you keep your prayers and little ceremonies, and I'll just let the Fayth judge my heart."

"Sir Tidus! I-"

Tidus interrupted, "You'll be ready for me to enter the sanctum in a few hours?"

'Yes, we--"

Tidus pivoted and headed to the door. "I'll be back then."

The priest's face turned red with rage, "Sir Summoner! You should be spending this time in meditation and prayer! You are in danger of the Fayth condemning you!"

Tidus waved a hand in the air as he opened the door, "Yeah, yeah." He then stepped through the door, and departed.

The priest turned to the Guardians, and took a moment to calm himself before uttering, "I have seen troublesome Summoners before, but he is the worst of the lot. He carries a sword for Yevon's sake!"

Lulu pursed her lips, "He will be a difficult one."

Wakka said, "Come on Lu. Give the guy a chance. He was a good guy when I knew him as a Blitzer."

Lulu completely ignored the comment, "And he showed an unhealthy interest in that girl. What was her name?"

Kimahri surprisingly answered, "Yuna."

The black mage hid her surprise well, as she continued, "You saw how the two looked at each other. There will be trouble. Mark my words."

The priest fixed Lulu with a pointed stare, "Whatever happens, I trust you will do your duty?"

Each of them knew exactly what the priest was talking about, though no Guardian ever wished to discuss it. Summoners had been known to falter, and give up on their pilgrimages. A Guardian's job was to make sure the Summoner finished, or died trying. Protecting Summoners was their duty, unless they decided to quit the pilgrimage, or if another Summoner succeeded before them. Then, their job shifted. Then it was the Guardian's job to kill the Summoner. It was a Guardian's final task.

*****************************

Balancing the ball on the top of her head, Yuna caused the sphere to lift into the air with a jerking of her neck. Flexing her knees, she jumped high into the air, and performed a half vertical rotation. Her foot connected with the ball, and sent it flying like a rocket. Completing her flip, Yuna landed in a crouch to the amazed cheers of the Aurochs surrounding her. Upon learning that she was a Blitzer, Yuna had been granted a tryout. Judging by the reactions, she had made the team. Which wasn't a surprise to her. She was the star of the Abes after all.

With a smile, she leapt to her feet, and asked Datto, "So, do I make the team?"

Datto grinned, "That's up to the Cap'n, but you've got my vote."

The rest of the Aurochs chimed in with their agreement, and Yuna heard a sharp whistle from the side. Turning, she saw Tidus at the entrance to the beach. He yelled, "Nice shot!"

Yuna flushed a little in embarrassment, and the Aurochs performed the ritual that Yuna had been told was the Yevon greeting ritual. It was strange, because it was the same as the Blitzball sign for victory. She had decided a short time ago to stop trying to figure things out, and just take them as they came.

Keepa said, "Sir Summoner, you shouldn't be out here without your Guardians. There are fiends on the road today."

Tidus laughed, and patted the sword at his side, "That's why I've got this." The Aurochs all looked at each other in discomfort, and the Summoner rolled his eyes. "All right, if it makes you guys happy, how about if I pick an escort?" They all looked between themselves, but Tidus didn't give them a chance to answer. He pointed to Yuna, "You."

Yuna blinked, "Me?"

Tidus smiled, "Yes, you." He winked conspiratorially at her, "Come on, wouldn't want to leave a poor, defenseless Summoner alone would you?"

Yuna suppressed her urge to cheer. She had been hoping for a chance to spend some time alone with him. "I hardly think you're defenseless, but I'll come along." She walked over to get her sword by the beach, and presently joined Tidus at the entrance, "Shall we?"

"Lets."

They started down the path, and Yuna asked, "I thought you were supposed to be praying or something. Isn't that what Summoners do?"

He laughed, "I'm not completely a Summoner yet. Besides, praying just isn't my style."

Yuna giggled, she had sensed that about him. "I'm sure you'll be a good one regardless."

Tidus' gaze drifted to the sword by her side, and he asked, "Do you know to use it?"

"The sword? Not really. I need someone to teach me."

"You're in luck then. Tidus, sword instructor extraordinaire, at your service."

"You'd teach me?"

"Sure," He pointed to a clearing up ahead. "Looks like a good spot. No time like the present."

They reached the clearing, and Yuna began to draw the sword from it's sheath. Tidus gently placed a hand on her wrist, "Not yet."

Yuna glanced at him, confused, "I don't understand. How can I learn without a sword in my hands?"

Tidus grinned, "You'll see. First, you have to learn something else. Know how to dance?"

"Huh?"

****************************

Rikku breathed a sigh of relief, and took her goggles off. The airship behind her had certainly been fun to fly. Luckily, the controls were not difficult to figure out, and in some ways it seemed to fly itself. All in all, it had been a most successful adventure. Except for the lost member, that strange girl they had found. Sin's attack had thrown everything into chaos, and Yuna had been thrown overboard. She was most likely dead. Rikku tried to be sad, but her family had seen so much death that she was practically numb to its effects.

Turning away from the underground hangar under construction, she began to walk down the path to Home. Halfway there, she was met by one of her friends, who immediately began shouting, "Rikku! Quickly! You must come!"

"Keyakku! Calm down! What's got you in such a knot?"

Placing his hands on his knees, Keyakku paused for a moment to regain his breath, "Your Uncle Jecht, he's furious! He's ranting and raving, and breaking everything in sight. You're the only one he might listen to!"

Rikku rolled her eyes. She truly loved her uncle, but he did have a temper. It always fell to either Tidus or herself to calm him down when this happened, "I'm on my way. Stay here, catch your breath."

She didn't wait for a reply, but ran as quickly as she could to their residence. Opening the door, she was greeted by loud shouts coming from upstairs, punctuated by loud crashes. Ranting and raving was not uncommon, but property damage was certainly new. She wondered what had gotten him into such a state. Racing up the stairs, she reached his study. Gathering her courage, she thrust open the door and was greeted by a room in absolute shambles. Jecht was pacing back and forth like a wild animal. She decided it was best to try and intervene, "Whoa Unc! Hold your horses! How many times I got to tell you about restraint?"

"Screw restraint!" He pointed to a letter on top of the wreckage of a desk. "It's from Auron. A Ronso delivered it years ago. He specifically stated he didn't want it opened until today's date."

Rikku scratched her head. No one in the family had heard from Auron in years. Not since he had accompanied her father on the pilgrimage. "What's it about?"

Jecht threw his hand up, and pointed to it. Rikku took the hint, and picked it up, beginning to read.

Jecht,

If all goes well, I will have returned to Spira by now. Know that I will always look over your family. I had another pledge to fulfill, a promise to Braska. If I guess correctly, they will have decreed that Tidus or Rikku become a Summoner by now. I will join them shortly after my return, and become their Guardian. It is the least I can do.

I will guard them with my life, from anything, even other Guardians. It is time you truly know what happened to your sister, my love. Her protectors did not abandon her, as you have been told. I hunted each of them down, and received the same story from each. Ruba had decided to give up her pilgrimage right at the gates of Zanarkand. It is time you know the truth about Guardians. If another Summoner succeeds first, or they decide to quit, then it is their job to kill the Summoner.

It has been so since the pilgrimages began, and will continue to be so. I hesitate to give you this knowledge, for I know well what you might do with it. However, you deserve to know the truth. Jecht, I plead with you to show restraint. I will be with them, and allow nothing to happen to either.

Auron

This was something that had long been suspected, but never proven,. Now, to see the proof laid out in front of her eyes was stunning, to say the least. "Oh my god. Tidus..."

"Yeah kiddo. He's dead, no matter what. Yevon will make sure of it. Now we know why no Summoner ever returns from a pilgrimage. Goddamnit!"

"What are we going to do?"

"What else?! Stop the pilgrimages!"

Rikku's mind raced for an answer. She knew doing it the way Jecht meant it, likely meant war. Even with the airship, the Al Bhed were heavily outnumbered. They would likely lose, but maybe there was a way to do this without anyone suspecting her people were responsible. "Uncle Jecht, I have an idea..."

**************************

Yuna sped up her movements as instructed, but was still confused. For the last three hours, they had been doing nothing but dancing. Tidus performed a series of movements, and she mimicked. Slowly at first, but faster as he saw her doing better. Yuna had danced before at clubs in Zanarkand, but nothing like this. These dances consisted of precise footwork, and odd arm and torso movements. Whenever she missed a step, or didn't flow with grace, Tidus was right there to correct her. He was demanding and exacting, which was fine. She was used to that from her Blitzball coaches. The problem was, she didn't see what this had to do with sword fighting.

A bit of jerkiness hampered her movement, and Tidus stopped the dance, "Stop, from the top."

Yuna hissed in frustration, "So it was a little ungraceful! So what?! I'm a Blitzball player, not a ballet dancer!"

Rather than become angry at her outburst, Tidus chuckled and drew his blade. He launched into a slow demonstration of sword work. "This is why grace is important." He lifted the blade over his head in a slow sweep, and pirouetted. "True strength with a blade isn't how hard you swing it." Following the pivot, he started into a set of intricate and flowing maneuvers, dazzling to behold. He continued to talk as he demonstrated. "True strength comes from the purity and purpose of your movements. It doesn't come from how strong you are. It's why you'll be able to fight as well as any man with a blade." His last movement was a graceful slice that made the air whistle as it traveled. "It'll just take time." He flourished his weapon in a ritual salute, before allowing it to fall to his side.

Yuna gave a start, as she realized that she had been watching in open admiration of his performance. Too much admiration perhaps. It just wouldn't do for him to think she was too forward. She shook her head and recovered quickly. "Ok, I get the point., but why these movements? The things you have me do are so odd."

Tidus grinned, and said. "Maybe you're ready for the first bit. Draw your blade."

"Why?"

"Just do it." She did so, and then he commanded, "Dance!"

Without asking why, she began to follow the steps and movements he had taught her. Tidus surprised her by launching into an attack, but she continued the dance. The first step she performed resulted in her blade meeting his, and she immediately followed with the next movement, which proved to be a counterattack. Grinning, she immediately understood why he had been teaching her the odd steps. They were a sequence of sword maneuvers. Staying with the dance she had been taught, she fell into rhythm with him, and blocked every thrust and sweep he threw at her. At the end, slightly out of breath, she couldn't help but laugh. "Did I just do that?!"

Tidus sheathed his blade, and smiled. A smile that made her somewhat weak at the knees. "Very good. The dances do serve a purpose, besides teaching grace. They teach your muscles to react in a certain way. You'll be an accomplished sword fighter in no time."

"Where did you learn to teach like that?"

The smile fell away from his face as he replied, "Guy named Auron. He was kind of like a friend to the family." He chuckled, "You wouldn't think a big tough guy like that would teach you how to dance, but that's how he instructed me."

Yuna blinked in surprise. It was too much of a coincidence. "Auron?"

"Yeah, he disappeared about 10 years ago. After him and a guy named Braska accompanied my Uncle Cid on his pilgrimage. Braska was a funny one. He said he was from Zanarkand too."

Yet another surprise. Yuna did not like discussing this subject, but it had to be said. "My father's name was Braska."

"Hey, no kidding! When you said you were from Zanarkand, you really meant it, didn't you?"

Yuna surprised herself by telling the truth. Something about Tidus made her want to trust him. "Yes. I don't know how or why I got here, but I only know it happened. You believe me?"

He considered for a moment, and finally nodded, "Yeah, I do. I don't think you'd lie about it. So Braska was your dad, and you both came from Zanarkand."

"It can't be my father! It's impossible! How could he get here?"

Tidus shrugged, "You're here. Aren't you?"

Yuna stammered, but found she had no answer. A rustling movement attracted both their attention, and they saw Lulu moving down the path at a stately pace. She said, "Sir Tidus, they are ready for you at the temple." Her eyes narrowed, "You should have been there an hour ago."

Tidus waved her off, "They can wait for a bit."

Lulu's eyes flashed in anger, "And every hour we delay, means another may die due to Sin. Have you considered that?"

For a moment, Tidus looked like he would erupt in rage, but he controlled himself, and started on the road to Besaid. Yuna and Lulu watched him depart, and the black mage turned to her, "Who do you think you are?"

"Excuse me?"

"Trust me, he is one you don't want to get entangled with. Stop coming on to him."

Yuna sniffed at the insult, "And what if he comes onto me?"

"That won't happen. I'll make sure of it. If you interfere with this pilgrimage in any way, I'll make you regret it." Without another word, she left. Leaving Yuna to ponder what exactly she had gotten herself into.