The group made the short trip back to Besaid and their hour-long trek through the jungle. They were greeted by a priest as they entered the village.
"The S.S. Liki will wait until you are ready." He said.
"Thank-you Father Malv." Tidus said and did Yevon's prayer.
The priest returned the prayer and took them to Besaid Temple. Tidus was nervous. His knees felt weak. He hoped he could get through the Cloister of Trials. He'd look pretty damn stupid if he couldn't even get through the trials.
You can't do it, kid. I'm the best.
"Yoo hoo, Tidus. Anybody home??"
Rikku's voice snapped Tidus out of his daydream.
"Father Malv asked you if you were ready." Wakka whispered in the teen's ear.
"Uh y-yes, Father. I'm ready."
The priest smiled and opened the Cloister doors for the group. Once the doors closed it formed a tiny enclosed room.
"Way cool, ya?" Rikku grinned.
"Don't tell me you picked up that bad habit too, ya." Wakka teased.
Kimahri shook his head. Tidus examined the intricate carvings that covered the walls. He stepped on something that clicked under his foot. The blonde jumped as the wall opened to reveal a glowing glass sphere.
"Ooo shiny." Rikku giggled.
Kimahri shook his head again.
"It's a Besaid Sphere..." Tidus said, removing the item.
He weighed it in his hand. It was quite heavy for a thin sphere. It felt incredibly smooth and the magick inside the sphere tickled his palm. Tidus and his guardians searched the wall for a place for the sphere to go.
"Tidus. Over here."
Tidus walked over to Wakka. There was a circular indentation in the wall. It looked big enough for the sphere but Tidus doubted it would hold it.
"I'll catch it if it falls." Wakka promised.
Kimahri and Rikku looked over Tidus and Wakka's shoulders as the teen placed the sphere against the indent. To everyone's amazement the sphere stayed there!! There was a small noise and the far wall slid silently open.
"We're good." The Al Bhed grinned.
Tidus chuckled and shook his head. The group walked through the new doorway into a narrow hallway. They dragged their feet to set off any switches on the floor and studied the walls as they walked along.
"Choo-choo..." Rikku joked.
Wakka and Tidus laughed. Kimahri shook his head. They came to a dead end with a very detailed glyph on it. Going by gut instinct Tidus set his hand on the glyph. It started to glow and pulse under Tidus' palm. There was a slight tink and a glass Sphere dropped from the ceiling.
"Catch it!" Rikku shrieked.
"I got it!" Wakka said, making a dive for it.
He got the sphere, but hit the ground and scraped his elbows up as well. Rikku winced.
"Wakka...! Are you all right!?" Tidus crouched by his redheaded guardian's side. "That was quite a catch."
"I was goal keep for five years y'know..." Wakka replied, smiling.
Tidus smiled back and pulled a Potion vial from his carrier. Wakka grit his teeth as Tidus applied the Potion to his scrapes. It burned...!
"Thank-you, Wakka." Tidus said, taking the sphere.
"No problem. What are guardians for?"
Rikku was about to say something lewd but Kimahri gave her a gentle warning thump to the back of the head. She half-glared, half-smirked at the Ronso and said nothing. The crew spent the next ten minutes looking for a place to set the sphere. Tidus ran his finger around an indent in the floor before shrugging and setting the sphere in it. He blinked as the sphere turned a purple color. The sphere rolled towards him as the indent in the floor vanished. Click, click, tink.... Another Besaid Sphere fell from the ceiling.
"Sphere!" Rikku called.
The sphere bounced off Kimahri's head and Rikku caught it.
"Got it!" She announced, grinning.
Kimahri rubbed his head.
"A Destruction Sphere and a Besaid Sphere..."
"Look at this..." Wakka called.
The trio walked over and looked at the ground. There was another indent but this one had a line of purple magick leading away from it and into the wall.
"Destruction Sphere..." Tidus said, placing the glass orb into the circular recess.
The line of magick sizzled and spat like a fuse. The group backed away as the wall exploded to reveal a chest.
"Cool." Rikku said.
Tidus opened the chest and looked inside.
"What's in it?" Wakka asked.
"An Elixir." Tidus replied, pulling the bottle out.
The blonde jumped as the chest vanished. A weird glyph flashed at Tidus for a few seconds before it vanished to.
"Look, look! A hole!" Rikku exclaimed from around the corner.
Tidus put the Elixir into his carrier and followed Wakka around the corner. They found Rikku pointing at a sphere-sized hole in the wall. The summoner shrugged and deposited the sphere into the hole. The wall swung open like a door to reveal a pedestal in the middle of a large circular room. The room was decorated with Yu Yevon symbols in red paint. Rikku grabbed the sphere from the hole in the door and handed it to Tidus. His guardians gathered around him as he placed the sphere into the pedestal. An odd chime sounded and the floor started to move.
"Elevator!" Rikku said.
"Yeah. Thanks. Didn't realize that." Wakka grinned.
The Al Bhed made a face at Wakka. Tidus rolled his eyes. Kimahri shook his head. Finally the elevator reached its destination and the group walked down a small hallway into a well-lit room. Distinctly male voices were singing the Prayer of the Fayth.
"Wish me luck, guys..."
Tidus ascended the stone steps to the Chamber of the Fayth. He took once last look over his shoulder. Wakka smiled at him and Rikku waved. Kimahri nodded. The blonde forced a smile before the wooden shield dropped closed. Bluish light filled the small hallway from the Fayth's chamber. He walked into the Fayth's Chamber. He kneeled in front of them and examined them. They had been triplets at one time, three boys. All had dark hair and flawless tan skin. The right one was holding a very mean looking scythe. The one in the middle held nothing but had both his brother's arms linked through his. The one on the left had his hand out, palm upturned, a magick flame hovered inches off his hand.
[Trapped forever by their own selflessness...]
Tidus took a deep breath and began to pray to the three Fayth's. In front of him an image started to form over the Fayth. It was smoky at first but the more Tidus prayed the sharper the image got. The blonde's eyes widened as he found himself looking into three pairs of eyes. A demonic looking three-headed dog sniffed at Tidus. The right head spoke first.
"We are the Cerberus brothers. What do you wish of us?"
"I wish to obtain your help. I wish to defeat Sin."
"Why do you want to defeat Sin?" The middle head asked.
"I want to give Spira a break. I want to bring the Calm. Even if Sin is reborn...I want to bring the people of Spira at least a few years of peace..."
Now the left head spoke, "You are young and inexperienced..."
Tidus hung his head, [This is where they send me packing. Where they tell me I'm too weak to be a summoner...]
"...But I think you are ready."
Tidus head snapped up. All three heads nodded at him.
"I can only perform physical attacks." The right head said. "The middle brother can only heal us and the left brother can only use magick attacks. Remember that."
"I will."
"What name will you use when you call us?"
"Cerberus."
"Welcome to the world of hurt and heart break Summoner Tidus." Cerberus' 3 heads said.
Cerberus turned transparent and lunged at Tidus. The air whooshed out of Tidus' lungs as the Aeon burrowed into his body. He fell backwards onto the marble floor, hitting his head. The blonde's eyes rolled up into his head and he convulsed on the floor. Finally, Cerberus found a comfy space in Tidus' sub conscious and settled down. Tidus hung between awake and unconscious for over an hour. His head was throbbing and it felt like his body's insides had been replaced with Jell-o. Finally, He struggled to his feet, thanked the Cerberus brothers, and stumbled towards the exit. Everyone looked up as the blonde walked out of the Chamber. A sharp pain ripped through his skull and he pitched forward. Everyone gasped. Kimahri raced up the stairs, two at a time, and caught Tidus before the boy could even fall from the top stair. Wakka and Rikku sighed in relief. The Ronso carried Tidus down the stairs. He held his paw out to Rikku and she gave him a Hi-Potion. Kimahri popped the cork and helped Tidus drink the pink liquid down. Once his abused skull was healed he felt much better. Kimahri put Tidus down. Everyone was looking at him anxiously.
"I'm a summoner..." He said quietly.
The group was greeted by a fair sized crowd once they left the temple.
"Please, Sir Tidus, a demonstration?" An old man asked.
Tidus nodded and walked to the center of the crowd.
"This is the cool part." Rikku said.
Tidus unsheathed Liquid Steel. He took a deep breath. He was nervous again. He slashed at the air. The crowd gasped as it ripped open like paper. Black smoke billowed out of the tear. People gasped again and backed up. Cerberus emerged from the tear. It closed as soon as Cerberus was free. All three heads howled in unison, making people jump back another meter. Rikku, Wakka, and Kimahri were the only ones standing calmly, smiling.
"He won't hurt you." Tidus assured the crowd.
To verify Tidus' point the three-headed animal whined and nudged at him. The blonde smiled and patted each head. The crowd relaxed and started talking excitedly amongst themselves.
"Ask him to do something." Rikku encouraged.
Tidus nodded and turned to Cerberus. The left head threw its head back and shot a huge fire ball into the sky. The fireball exploded in a heated firework. The crowd was impressed. The excited chatter picked up. Tidus thanked Cerberus and dismissed the Aeon. It jumped into the air and vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"Tidus. It's time. Let's go."
The small crowed followed the summoner and his guardians to the dock. More Besaid Villagers were crowded on the beach and lined the dock. The said good-bye to Tidus. Some were crying. Some looked proud of the blonde. Quite a few villagers gave Tidus and his guardians gifts. Wakka smiled and accepted a potion from an elderly woman. The group boarded the S.S. Liki. The guardians waved and Tidus performed Yevon's prayer.
"Good-bye." He whispered.
The ship's horn blared and it pulled out of dock.
"We'll probably reach Kilika before sundown." Rikku said.
Tidus nodded. Kimahri went to the upper deck to enjoy the view. Rikku went below to nap. This left Wakka and Tidus alone on the stern's deck. Wakka cleared his throat slightly and looked out at the calm ocean.
"So Yuna is Braska's daughter, huh?" Wakka asked.
"Yes. I think she took quite a liking to you..."
The redhead snorted in disgust and Tidus laughed. From the second level Kimahri raised an eyebrow as Wakka scooted a bit closer to Tidus. The Ronso's brow lowered and he looked around for something to throw at Wakka's head.
"Who was that Guado with her? He didn't look like any Guado I've ever seen."
"That's because he's half Guado and half Al Bhed. His name is...Varian, I think."
Kimahri found a run-away blitz ball and was about to lob it at Wakka's head when something huge emerged from the water. Enormous waves crashed against the S.S. Liki sending Tidus sprawling into Wakka.
"Sin!!!" Someone on the bow screamed.
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As I've said before. I love writing cliff hangers *ebil grin* R&R Please.