DISCLAIMER VERSION 8.0: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE FINAL FANTASY GAMES, SETTINGS OR CHARACTERS. I AM NOT ATTEMPTING TO INFRINGE ON SQUARE-ENIX'S COPYRIGHTS OR MAKE MONEY FROM THIS WORK OF FICTION. I'M JUST OUT TO HAVE SOME FUN IN MY SPARE TIME.
TIDUS
Our "family" dinner that week was a pretty strained affair. Of course
the fact that I was there made that a pretty foregone conclusion.
Auron was definitely right about one thing. I had let my team down in a
big way--and they were letting me know it by having nothing to do with me. It
was depressing.
I spent most of the day worrying about that night. I was pretty on edge
as I waited for Auron to show up. Heck, I didn't even know if he'd be coming. I
was reasonably sure that he was still mad at me.
When he did finally get there, he stepped inside the door and stopped,
just staring at me. I didn't know if he was letting me set the tone, or trying
to keep from yelling at me again.
After about five minutes of staring, I finally got the nerve to break
the silence. "I didn't think you'd be coming."
"I didn't think that you would be here."
"Is that the only reason you came? Because you wouldn't have to deal
with me?" I knew some of my cockiness was seeping into my voice, but I was
angry. Not at him. At myself for having been such a jackass.
"No." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. And for once,
I decided not to push.
I don't think I wanted to know what he had to say.
We lapsed into another of those uncomfortable silences. I dunno how long
this one lasted, but it drove me up the wall while it did. I winced inwardly as
I realized that he wasn't going to give in first. This had become my show.
"So, are you going to come in, or just hover in the doorway?"
He grunted and smirked in that way of his--the one that said this was
what he'd been waiting for all along. Then he came down the short flight of
stairs into my living room. "Better?"
Standing there, in the middle of my living room, he looked so…old. And
tired. For the first time, I realized--really realized--that he had grey hair.
Just then, he looked used up.
I had a sudden fear that he'd leave me too, now.
"Auron, I'm sorry about the other day. You were right. I've been a
jerk."
"Are you hungry?"
"Huh?" His response wasn't what I was expecting. But I guess it was his
way of saying he forgave me, and that things were getting back to normal.
"This is supposed to be dinner night. If you're hungry, then we'll eat.
And then we'll talk."
Then again, maybe things weren't getting better after all.
While we were eating, I finally clued into the fact that Auron wasn't still
angry about our fight. I waited for him to tell me, but he talked around the
subject. Finally, I pushed.
"Auron, something's bugging you. What is it?"
He took a deep breath like he was steading himself for something. "Your
mother's healer came to see me today. He says that she is not doing well."
"What do you mean, not doing well?" I felt my stomach sinking somewhere
near my shoes. I thought I knew where this was going. "She's dying, isn't she?"
He nodded. "The healers are keeping her alive, but they say that the
longer they do, the less likely it is that she will recover at all. And that
eventually they won't be able to do anything at all."
"What are you getting at, Auron?" My mind was refusing to process what
he was telling me.
"They want to stop trying now, and just let her go peacefully. But they
cannot without our permission." Without his permission, really but he was
willing to abide by my decision. She was my mother after all.
"No. I'm not ready to let her go yet."
"I thought not. I'll tell them in the morning."
The healers weren't happy about having to keep my mom alive, but since I was
paying for it, they didn't argue too much. By the time my mom finally rallied,
six months had passed. The healers all said it was a miracle.
I think she just gave up on trying to die.
My seventeenth birthday was only three months away after that. The day
when everything Auron had authority over would be passed to me. When Auron
wouldn't be able to fight my battles over my mother for me anymore. I would be
thrown to the fiends finally, and auron would only be able to help me minimally.
I was terrified that he'd leave after my birthday.
Turns out, I didn't need to worry about any of that.
TIDUS
Our "family" dinner that week was a pretty strained affair. Of course
the fact that I was there made that a pretty foregone conclusion.
Auron was definitely right about one thing. I had let my team down in a
big way--and they were letting me know it by having nothing to do with me. It
was depressing.
I spent most of the day worrying about that night. I was pretty on edge
as I waited for Auron to show up. Heck, I didn't even know if he'd be coming. I
was reasonably sure that he was still mad at me.
When he did finally get there, he stepped inside the door and stopped,
just staring at me. I didn't know if he was letting me set the tone, or trying
to keep from yelling at me again.
After about five minutes of staring, I finally got the nerve to break
the silence. "I didn't think you'd be coming."
"I didn't think that you would be here."
"Is that the only reason you came? Because you wouldn't have to deal
with me?" I knew some of my cockiness was seeping into my voice, but I was
angry. Not at him. At myself for having been such a jackass.
"No." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. And for once,
I decided not to push.
I don't think I wanted to know what he had to say.
We lapsed into another of those uncomfortable silences. I dunno how long
this one lasted, but it drove me up the wall while it did. I winced inwardly as
I realized that he wasn't going to give in first. This had become my show.
"So, are you going to come in, or just hover in the doorway?"
He grunted and smirked in that way of his--the one that said this was
what he'd been waiting for all along. Then he came down the short flight of
stairs into my living room. "Better?"
Standing there, in the middle of my living room, he looked so…old. And
tired. For the first time, I realized--really realized--that he had grey hair.
Just then, he looked used up.
I had a sudden fear that he'd leave me too, now.
"Auron, I'm sorry about the other day. You were right. I've been a
jerk."
"Are you hungry?"
"Huh?" His response wasn't what I was expecting. But I guess it was his
way of saying he forgave me, and that things were getting back to normal.
"This is supposed to be dinner night. If you're hungry, then we'll eat.
And then we'll talk."
Then again, maybe things weren't getting better after all.
While we were eating, I finally clued into the fact that Auron wasn't still
angry about our fight. I waited for him to tell me, but he talked around the
subject. Finally, I pushed.
"Auron, something's bugging you. What is it?"
He took a deep breath like he was steading himself for something. "Your
mother's healer came to see me today. He says that she is not doing well."
"What do you mean, not doing well?" I felt my stomach sinking somewhere
near my shoes. I thought I knew where this was going. "She's dying, isn't she?"
He nodded. "The healers are keeping her alive, but they say that the
longer they do, the less likely it is that she will recover at all. And that
eventually they won't be able to do anything at all."
"What are you getting at, Auron?" My mind was refusing to process what
he was telling me.
"They want to stop trying now, and just let her go peacefully. But they
cannot without our permission." Without his permission, really but he was
willing to abide by my decision. She was my mother after all.
"No. I'm not ready to let her go yet."
"I thought not. I'll tell them in the morning."
The healers weren't happy about having to keep my mom alive, but since I was
paying for it, they didn't argue too much. By the time my mom finally rallied,
six months had passed. The healers all said it was a miracle.
I think she just gave up on trying to die.
My seventeenth birthday was only three months away after that. The day
when everything Auron had authority over would be passed to me. When Auron
wouldn't be able to fight my battles over my mother for me anymore. I would be
thrown to the fiends finally, and auron would only be able to help me minimally.
I was terrified that he'd leave after my birthday.
Turns out, I didn't need to worry about any of that.
