"You look beautiful in white..." Seymour smiled, putting a fur-lined coat on Tidus.
The summoner said nothing, his jaw tightening.
"Come along then..."
The Maester grabbed Tidus' arm in a bone-crushing grip and he started dragging the blonde up the path to Mount Gagazet. They were blocked by the former Maester Kelk and a bunch of Ronso at the Gagazet gates.
"Release him, Seymour." Kelk ordered.
"He is my summoner now. I can do what I wish with him."
"We won't let you pass." A Ronso to Kelk's right said. "You're not welcome here!"
Seymour just laughed, sending chills down Tidus' back.
"This is my world now." The Guado hissed. "It is you who's not welcome..."
"Seymour! Don't!" Tidus cried.
"Shut up!"
Seymour smacked Tidus in the mouth, sending the blonde tumbling to the ground. The Guado then turned on the Ronso, striking any in his sight down with Flare spells. With an angry cry the blonde summoner jumped onto Seymour's back.
"No!!"
Seymour grabbed a handful of Tidus's hair and yanked the boy over his shoulder. Tidus screamed as a bunch of his hair was ripped out.
"Don't interfere!" The Maester growled.
"Don't hurt them!" Tidus growled back.
Seymour laughed and struck Kelk down. The snowy plains went quiet. None of the Ronso were moving.
"Send them."
"No...!"
"NOW!"
Tidus slowly got to his feet. A few tears rolled down his cheeks as he sent the Ronso.
"There's a good boy." The Maester tsked. "Look at that. I bruised your pretty lips."
The blonde twitched as Seymour leaned over and kissed him.
"Get off me!"
Tidus pushed the Guado away from him. "You may've taken Wakka away from me but I still love him!"
Seymour grabbed Tidus by the back of the neck, his nails digging into the boy's flesh. "You're mine now. You will not mention that name in my presence..."
The Guado placed a rough, bruising kiss on the summoner's lips. Tidus struggled until Seymour broke the kiss. Seymour smiled thinly at the blonde before dragging him along again.
******************
Once they had bought coats to wear the group started on their way to Mt. Gagazet. Wakka was practically running up the footpath.
"Whoa. Slow down there, tiger." Lulu said. "Or you won't have enough energy to kick Seymour's ass."
"Sorry." Wakka smiled ruefully.
Wakka and Lulu were the first to reach the gates of Mt. Gagazet. Both guardians froze at the sight before them.
"Lu?" Rikku asked warily.
"Seymour was here..." The mage replied quietly.
Kimahri ran up beside Wakka and Lulu. The Ronso let out an anguished cry at the sight of his fallen people.
"They've been sent." Auron said.
"So Tidus is still alive..." Rin added.
Auron nodded. "But he won't be much longer if we don't catch up to them."
******************
"Why are you putting up such a struggle? Are you stalling so what's left of your pathetic guardians can come save you?" Seymour asked.
Tidus said nothing and pulled his arm from the Guado's grip.
"Actually...that doesn't sound like such a bad idea..."
Before the blonde could react Seymour whirled him around. One of the Maester's hands clamped over Tidus' mouth. In the other hand he created a Flare spell.
Now both Kimahri and Wakka were speed-walking through the snow. Rikku was jogging along behind them, trying to catch up. Lulu, Rin, and Auron were in back.
Tidus "mmphed". He could hear his friends getting closer. As soon as they rounded the corner Seymour was going to blow them away with a Flare spell. They were getting closer now. The blonde refused to give up. He saw Kimahri about to round the corner. A surge of adrenaline ran through Tidus and he bit into the Maester's finger, hard. Seymour yowled and released Tidus.
"GUYS! DUCK!" Tidus exclaimed.
He saw Kimahri duck down, but Seymour turned on him. The Flare spell hit Tidus dead on. All the air whooshed out of the teen's lungs and his ribs splintered painfully. The blonde fell backwards into the snow, coughing violently. With a roar Kimahri ran at Seymour. Rikku ran to help Kimahri and Wakka ran to Tidus' side.
"Wakka...you're alive..." The blonde whispered, placing his hand on the redhead's cheek.
"Lulu and Kimahri saved me." Wakka smiled, giving Tidus a potion for his ribs.
Lulu, Rin, and Auron rounded the bend, weapons ready. Wakka helped Tidus to his feet. Seymour was standing at the cliff's edge, smiling.
"You killed Kimahri's cousin and friends..." Kimahri growled.
"Tidus..." Seymour grinned.
Tidus glared up at Seymour.
"You could end Kimahri's suffering."
"What?"
"Allow Kimahri to die, and release him from his pain." The Guado turned to face the group. "Spira...is a land of suffering and sorrow caught in a spiral of death. To destroy, to heal, Spira... I will become Sin. Yes, with your help, Summoner Tidus. Come with me. Once I have become the next Sin, your father will be freed again."
Tidus' eyes flashed in anger and he unsheathed his sword. "Fuck. You."
The Maester's hands curled into fists. "Pitiful mortal..."
A huge machina-looking thing ascended behind Seymour. Odd-colored pyreflies started to swirl around the Maester.
"Your hope ends here..."
The Guado floated up into the air. The weird pyreflies merged the Maester into the machina.
"...And your meaningless existence with it!"
Auron, Rin, and Kimahri took position in front of Seymour Flux. Rikku hung back to cure them. Lulu went to help Tidus. Using a controlled Thunder spell she carefully melted the anti-magick bracelets off Tidus' wrists. The blonde cast Cura on himself to heal the wounds the Potion didn't.
Rin hit Mortibody away with his Nunchaku and Kimahri cast Reflect on Seymour. The three guardians were caught off guard as Tidus went sailing over their heads, stabbing his sword into Seymour's chest. The Guado laughed and zapped the blonde away with a Thundara spell. Wakka tossed his blitzball at the cord that connected Mortibody to Seymour. The spiked ball damaged the cord somewhat, but not significantly. Kimahri performed his Seed Cannon limit break on Seymour. Mortibody tried to cast Cura on Seymour but it bounced off the Reflect barrier and the healing magick landed on Auron instead. Auron used his limit break. Rikku mixed a Flash Flood up and threw it at Seymour.
"Stand back..." Tidus suddenly said.
The guardians looked at Tidus, puzzled, but did as the summoner asked. Seymour chuckled and motioned for Tidus to "bring it on". The summoner took a deep breath and prayed for the Phoenix. There was a flash of light and suddenly Seymour found himself unable to move. The guardians watched in awe as four fireballs swirled down from the sky. They slammed into the ground sending snow spraying everywhere. There was an explosion and a cloud of fire billowed in the sky. A huge orange, red, and gold phoenix descended from the fire. The phoenix was wearing a silver, ruby-encrusted bridle. Alexia sat upon the huge bird's back, reins in hand. The phoenix squalled and its tail feathers burst into flames. Tidus looked up at Seymour then at Alexia. The Fayth nodded. She tugged on the reins and the phoenix flew high up into the sky. Once it was high enough it dive bombed through the fire cloud and straight through Seymour. The Maester barely had any time to make the slightest noise before he broke down into pyreflies. Alexia nodded at Tidus and she and the phoenix flew back into the fire cloud. With a sizzle sound the fire cloud imploded into a smoke cloud. The Aeon was gone.
"Wow! Tidus! That was amazing!" Rikku cried. "The bastard should stay dead after that!"
"You kicked his ass..." Wakka grinned, leaning in to kiss Tidus.
The blonde crossed his arms and turned away from the redhead. Wakka frowned.
"He will become Sin...with my help..." The summoner murmured.
"Lies. Forget them." Auron replied.
Lulu frowned thoughtfully. "What did Seymour mean by 'your father will be freed again'?"
Tidus turned to face his guardians, squeezing his eyes shut. "Sin...is...my father. Jecht became Sin."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
R&R please ^^.