DISCLAIMER: I do not own FFX, FFX-2, FFVIII or any of the characters and locations affiliated with it. I do, however, own the story "Silver Wings", "Silver Wings 2: 1000 Confessions" and all references to dialogue not originated by Square-Enix.
DO NOT COPY MY STORIES!!
If anyone wants to post my stories anywhere else, please just ASK and then give me credit for writing it. Email akksgurlyahoo.com with any requests.
PLEASE NOTE: "PaineOfBevelleSairysSkyeWind" is a fic stealer!! Watch out for her. She is also known as "Paine" and "Paine of Spira" I am sure I am not the only one she is stealing from so be sure to keep an eye out for my fics as well as others on other sites. She has been known to post on apocalypse.com, adultfanfiction.net, and nfiction.com.
Author's Notes: The title of this chapter means "Children of the Fate" and it's from a Latin chant that is featured in Final Fantasy 8. I have the full translation of the entire chant below.
SILVER WINGS 3: Back Into My Arms
by akksgurl
Chapter Seventeen: Liberi Fatali
"Tidus!" Yuna called after him as he tried desperately to get as far away from her as Besaid would allow. It was a problem, however, that she grew up there and knew everything there was to know about the island. This left him with very few places to hide.
"Leave me alone!" he shouted over his shoulder as he made a beeline for Wakka and Lulu's hut. He knew that Wakka would give him the solitude that he needed.
She didn't listen to him, though, as he heard her footsteps continue to echo behind him even as he made a dash through the door of the hut. Wakka opened his mouth to speak to Tidus when he saw Yuna stride through after him, tears still streaming down her face. Lulu looked at Wakka pleadingly so her husband rose and walked over to the duo. Tidus had his arms crossed and his back to Yuna. Yuna was crying quietly and wordlessly pleading for him to speak to her. The tall, red-haired man touched shoulders on both of them, "We need to talk, ya."
Tidus gritted his teeth, "There's nothing to talk about."
"Oh, but there is, ya." Wakka said, gripping Tidus' wrist and pulling the man to the sofa and forcing him to sit and then doing the same with Yuna until the young couple was seated directly across from him, Lulu, and little Vidina who was napping peacefully in his mother's arms.
"This is ridiculous…" Tidus muttered, scooting away from Yuna on the sofa.
Wakka rolled his eyes, "No, what is ridiculous is the way you been acting, ya!" he motioned to Yuna, "You love this girl and she did somethin' stupid, but that don't mean that you got the right to be angry with her, ya!"
"She cheated on me and then she hit me Wakka!"
Wakka grimaced at Yuna, "Yeah, that was pretty stupid, Yu…" he said, but turned his attentions to Tidus again, "However, that don't change the fact that you love her and she loves you and you don't purposely hurt the people you love."
Tidus sneered, "Yeah, I'm sure her hand just accidentally went into Gippal's pants."
"I told you that I thought you were dead!" Yuna cried.
"Like that's supposed to forgive it?!"
"It should!"
"Both of you be quiet!" Lulu shrieked suddenly in a high pitched cry that awakened Vidina and shut up the quarreling duo. She rose to her feet and crossed the room to place Vidina in his basket before turning back to them, "The entire time I saw you two falling in love on the pilgrimage, I was against it because I knew that one day you'd be at each others throats." She shrugged, "Of course, I figured it'd be Tidus doing the cheating, but in the end I suppose it doesn't matter."
"Why would you think I would…?"
"Did I say you could speak?" Lulu asked, her arms akimbo as she glared at him menacingly. Tidus shook his head in silence and Lulu nodded, "That's better." The darkly beautiful black mage sat down next to her husband again. She propped her arms onto her knees and cradled her head in her hands as she gazed at the couple before her, "Yuna was wrong. She was wrong to be with Gippal and she was wrong to hit you. However, Tidus, she didn't cheat on you. She thought you were dead, therefore her being with Gippal has nothing to do with you. Its between her, Rikku, and Gippal. As for the hitting part…you shouldn't have called her a slut."
"Oh…so it's all my fault." Tidus asked, sarcastically, standing and making his way toward the door, "Thanks for enlightening me, Lulu."
"Did I say you could leave?" Lulu asked.
Tidus shook his head, "No, and frankly I don't care. I just want to be alone." He stared pointedly at Yuna, "And tell your little boyfriend that this applies to him too. I may have made nice with him earlier, but it ends now. The next time he crosses my path, he's dead meat."
"I took care of thing with Gippal…" Yuna said to him but Tidus just scoffed and made his way to the door.
"We heard shouting. Are you okay?" Squall asked as Tidus stormed out of Wakka's hut, letting the door slam behind him. The blitzball player barely noticed the SeeD commander was there until he slammed into him with his shoulder while trying to make a left turn.
"Sorry…" Tidus muttered to the brunette as he continued on his path. He thought he heard Squall call after him, but Tidus didn't hear what he had said. His mind was too full of thoughts to comprehend anything else.
Tidus continued along the rocky path that led back to the beach, passing Besaid residents and 'dream world' visitors left and right until he reached the waterfall and stopped. The water beat down upon the rocks below and Tidus stood, staring at it as if mesmerized by it.
How could things have gone so wrong?
When he came back to Yuna and Spira things were supposed to be happily ever after. They had so many plans for their future together. What happened?
Tidus glared at nothing at all.
Shuyin had happened.
Tidus' hands were covered with the blood that Shuyin had spilt. Shuyin had used his body to kill Baralai and Tidus had to live with the fact that the last thing Baralai saw in this world was his eyes staring, his mouth smiling as he died. Shuyin had wreaked havoc on Tidus' relationship with Yuna and Gippal had continued the trend with such finesse that Tidus wasn't sure he and Yuna could bridge the gap that had formed between them.
Tidus continued along the rocky path letting the waterfall be a distant reminder at his back until he could no longer hear the water rushing to the earth below. Two blond heads were seen in the distance and as Tidus got closer he recognized Quistis Trepe and Seifer Almasy standing with their backs to him engrossed in a conversation. Quistis saw him first and smiled at him, "Hello, Tidus."
Tidus nodded at her and then at Seifer who turned to see who Quistis was speaking to. His green eyes connected with Tidus' blue ones and Tidus saw then how similar both were. Both of them knew what it was like to be forced to do things against their wills by forces more powerful than themselves.
"Still fighting with your chick?" Seifer asked with a tone in his voice that sounded more like he felt he had to ask rather than being actually interested in Tidus' answer.
Tidus shook his head, "I don't want to talk about it."
"We understand," replied Quistis who then glanced pointedly at Seifer, "And women are not chicks."
Seifer shrugged, "Whatever you say, Instructor..." replied the man as he turned his back to her again. Quistis appeared ready to speak to him again when Seifer suddenly dropped to his knees, clutching his head and letting out high pitched shrieks of pain.
"Seifer!" Quistis squealed, dropping down next to him. Tidus was there in a second as well and both tried to calm Seifer who seemed on the verge of hyperventilation.
"Calm down, Seifer!" commanded Tidus.
The blonde rocked back and forth on his knees, squeezing his head like a vice and whispering barely audible words under his breath. Quistis ordered Tidus to stay with Seifer while she ran for help. Tidus nodded in agreement and continued to try and calm the man but to no avail. He simply kept whispering to himself. Leaning in closer, Tidus strained to hear with Seifer was saying…
"Fithos…lusec…wecos…vinosec…"
"What…?"
"Fithos…lusec…wecos…vinosec…" repeated Seifer, the words like a mantra as he stared blankly out in front of him. His green eyes seemed to look right through Tidus as if he wasn't even there.
"Seifer…?"
"Fithos…lusec…wecos…vinosec…"
"Come to me, little one…"
Tidus's head perked up at the familiar voice that echoed in his ears. Seifer had quieted and was no longer whispering to himself, though he still stared blankly forward.
"Come to me…"
Tidus turned to face the Celsius that was just barely visible over the tree tops. For some reason he knew the voice was coming from there. But why did it seem so familiar? Did he know the person this voice belonged to?
"Yes…" The voice in his head answered.
Tidus thought his heart had stopped. Whoever this voice belonged to, they could read his thoughts. The only person able to do that was…
But no…this voice was feminine. It couldn't be Shuyin.
Then who was it?
"Come to me…" the voice repeated and Tidus found himself unable to resist any longer. Suddenly forgetting that he had promised to stay with Seifer, he started to cross the distance between himself and the Celsius. He could have stopped if he wanted to. It was this fact that made him realize that Shuyin was not controlling him. This person was giving him the will to choose but was making the temptation to go to the Celsius so great that Tidus found himself uninterested in resisting.
He wanted to go.
As soon as he stepped on board the ship, the doors and windows closed, barring his exit. His hand went to his sword holster only to discover that he didn't have it with him. Then again…why would he? He'd lost it somewhere.
He swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that he was in an abandoned ship, unarmed, with a strange voice calling to him and beckoning him to come closer.
And closer he went…
Keeping his eyes open for sudden dangers, Tidus made his way to the back of the bridge and the elevator that was housed there. Without thinking, his fingers pushed for the level of the crew's quarters. Deep inside, he knew that's where he'd find his quarry.
The door to the quarters was cracked open and he saw a shadow move along the far wall as he pushed the door open fully. The first thing he saw was a trail of bloody footsteps all around the room but before his mind could wonder where the blood was coming from, he saw it.
Gippal…
"Shit!" Tidus cried, falling to his knees and crawling over to Gippal as quickly as he could, "Gippal! Wake up!" His hands felt for a pulse and, upon finding a faint one, he began to rip at pieces of his clothing and Gippal's to make bandages. The blood was seeping violently from Gippal's face and head until the man was almost unrecognizable. Every time Tidus would wipe away blood, three times more would appear until he was certain Gippal would bleed to death.
"Now…I might be wrong, but I think this might seem a bit familiar to you…"
Tidus stopped what he was doing and turned to face the intruder. Her blonde hair and striking green eyes gave her away instantly as she sauntered nearer to him in her usual attire, "…Rikku…?"
"You see…Gippal thought that too, until I shoved him down the stairs and beat his brains out with a wine bottle."
Tidus squirmed to Gippal's other side, cradling his bloodied head in his lap as he continued to attempt at stopping the blood. He stared at the girl, "…Not Rikku…"
"Very good…"
"…Ultimecia…?"
Ultimecia nodded, Rikku's hair falling into her eyes as she grinned, "…Excellent…"
Tidus' hands started to shake until he could no longer hold Gippal's head up for fear of dropping it. Gently as he could, he laid it back down on the floor and stood, wiping blood onto his pants absently, "W…what do you want?"
"Doesn't this look familiar to you…?" Ultimecia asked him, taking a step closer, "This is where Baralai died by your hand, isn't it?"
Tidus felt like his insides were caving in and he backed up another step.
"Or maybe the blood reminds you more of Lenne…" Ultimecia suggested, "When she was attacked by Allyn's hired thug?"
Tidus stared at her, "How do you know that? Who are you?"
"I know all and I see all. I am Ultimecia," the woman replied, "but before that, I was a young lady not much younger than Yuna is now. I loved a man with all of my heart and soul and I knew that if I lost him, I'd go insane. And I did lose him. I saw him die before me and it drove me insane."
"What does this have to do with me?!"
"Nothing…" Ultimecia replied, "Nothing at all."
"Then…why…?"
"Yuna was turned back into Lenne. I want to turn my love back into the person he used to be instead of the spineless dream he is now."
Tidus stared at her, unable to speak. She advanced toward him and he retreated until his back was firmly against a wall. She was so close to him that he could feel her breath against his face, "…You need Shuyin…" he replied as the realization hit him.
"Yes…"
"How do you know he'll help you?"
"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." She replied, "I'll give him back Lenne, if he gives me back Squall."
Tidus's eyes widened, "Squall!"
Ultimecia didn't reply to him. Her hands waved in front of his face as her words echoed in his head as they had before, only this time there were in a language he didn't understand.
Excitate vos e somno, liberi mei
Cunae non sunt
Excitate vos e somno, liberi fatali
Somnus est non.
Tidus tried to escape her, but found that his limbs didn't want to cooperate. He was entranced by her lilting voice in his head and her eyes that dared him to stare into them.
Surgite
Inventite hortum veritatis
In her eyes he saw strange sights. The destruction of Zanarkand – both real and dream. His first kiss with Yuna; her kiss with Gippal. The death of his mother; the death of his father. Baralai's last breath; Gippal drowning in his blood.
Ardente veritate
Urite mala mundi
Ardente veritate
Incendite tenebras mundi
"I'm going to make you crack, little one." Ultimecia whispered to him, waving her hands about his head one final time.
Valete, liberi
Diebus fatalibus
Fithos lusec wecos vinosec
Fithos lusec wecos vinosec
Fithos lusec wecos vinosec
--------------------------.
Author's Notes: The words that Seifer and Ultimecia say in this chapter is a Latin chant called "Liberi Fatali". The translation is as follows:
Succession of witches
Succession of witches
Succession of witches
Arise from your sleep, my children
Your cradles shall no longer exist
Arise from your sleep, children of Fate
Abandon your cradles
Arise
Discover the garden of Truth
Brilliant truth
Burn the heavens of evil
Burning truth
Set ablaze the heavens of darkness
Prevail, children
Fated day
Succession of witches
Succession of witches
Succession of witches