DISCLAIMER: I do not own FFX or FFX-2 or any of the characters or places associated with it. I do, however, own the twisted idea for this story.
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Author's Notes: I've had this chapter outlined in my head since I started the story. It's a section I'm sure most of you have seen coming. "Maechen Quotes" from FFX in this chapter that are changed a bit to fit for this section
TWISTED DESTINY
by akksgurl
Chapter Thirteen: Mourning Period
She wasn't sure why they hadn't killed them. It didn't make any sense. Shuyin and Lenne had been trespassing just the same as they had been and yet Shuyin and Lenne were gone and they were still alive.
At least for now…
The cell wasn't big enough for all three of them and yet they were all thrown in together. If all three of them kept their legs pulled up close to their bodies, there would be enough room to breath. It was difficult holding that position for any length of time, though. Tidus seemed to be dealing with it, however, even though he didn't appear to be dealing with much else.
Tidus had his face buried in his knees in the farthest corner of the cell. He alternated that position with glaring at the tiled floor as if it were his most hated of enemies. He hadn't said anything since being thrown into the cell a few hours before. In fact, it seemed as though he'd lost all emotion the moment Shuyin's head lolled back in the ground for the last time.
After Shuyin died the soldiers had moved in on Tidus. Yuna was surprised they didn't do it sooner, but it was almost as if they were giving him a chance to say goodbye. Auron and Yuna had been held back by several of the soldiers but no one had moved on Tidus until it was obvious that Shuyin wasn't breathing anymore. He hadn't even fought with them. He'd just slowly and casually stood up and let them tie his hands behind his back. He stared straight ahead but at nothing. As they were being led out, Yuna took one last look at Shuyin and Lenne. She didn't know what happened to them after that.
Yuna reached out and touched Tidus' shoulder gently, "Tidus…"
His head snapped up quickly and he directed his tile-floor glare at her before shrugging her hand off of him roughly and moving as quickly as he could to the other side of the cell. It only put three feet between them, but it was enough to tell Yuna that he wanted to be left alone. She didn't think he should be dealing with it on his own, but she wasn't in a position to make him change his mind. Maybe in a day or two when he was feeling better he'd be willing to talk about it.
If they survived a day or two…
A guard came in and paced around the cell slowly, pausing every few seconds to examine them and make sure they weren't trying anything. When he deemed all to be in order, he casually walked out of the room again.
Auron squirmed next to her to free his hand from it's position wedged under his rear end, "We've got to get out of here."
"Any ideas?" Yuna asked him, ignoring the fact that he was stating the obvious.
Auron nodded and leaned toward Tidus, "I need your necklace."
Tidus lifted his eyes to Auron and then lowered them again. He didn't move for several seconds and Yuna began to wonder if he was going to help them or not. Then he lifted his hand and pulled the necklace off roughly, handing it to Auron.
"I'll pick the lock with the sharp end of this." Auron whispered to Yuna, pointing to the bottom of Tidus' Zanarkand Abes symbol necklace.
"But what about Tidus? He hurt his knee again and we don't have crutches."
Auron grew thoughtful for a moment, scratching his chin and biting his lower lip. Finally he said, "We'll just have to help him. It'll be slow going, but we can do it and if necessary I'll carry him."
Tidus didn't show any reaction to them planning their escape. He continued to stare at the floor, blinking sporadically. Auron leaned over Yuna and began to pick at the lock with Tidus' necklace. Yuna kept her eyes firmly caught on the door where the guards came and went from. It was unspoken between Auron and Yuna that she would watch for any possible problems. They both knew Tidus was beyond caring at the moment.
Yuna heard a clinking sound and turned her head to see Auron carefully removing the lock from the cage door and placing it on the ground. He handed the necklace back to Tidus who put it back on emotionlessly. Yuna glanced back at the door and saw no one. She nodded the okay to Auron who slipped out of the cage slowly and turned to wait for Tidus and Yuna.
"Come on." Yuna whispered to Tidus. He didn't respond. In fact, if Yuna saw correctly, he turned his head further away from her. She frowned, "Do you want to stay here forever?" She sighed and tried her trump card, hoping that would get a reaction, "Shuyin wouldn't want you to sit around on your butt feeling sorry for yourself."
He made eye contact with her then and for the first time Yuna realized he had been crying; he had been crying recently. Without a word, he slid using his good leg until he reached the door to the cage. Auron pulled him from the arms until Tidus was on his feet and then the older man slipped Tidus' right arm over his shoulders so that most of Tidus' weight was on Auron. Yuna came out last and slipped the lock back on the cage, locking it back the way it had been.
Slipping out of the jail area was more difficult than they had imagined. Their room may not have been well guarded, but the halls were swarming with guards carrying rifles. Moving with Tidus was difficult to say the least. Yuna would dart across the hall to another cell room and then motion for Auron and Tidus to cross. Auron would lift Tidus up and run, carrying the blitzer until they could take refuge in the room with Yuna. They continued this pattern until they reached the end of the hall and the elevator that led back to the temple above-ground.
"Now we've got a problem." Auron said, lowering Tidus back to his feet and waiting until he'd leaned against the wall to walk away, "We can't exactly barge to the temple like this. Three prisoners would be arrested immediately."
Yuna frowned, "Maybe not. In my Spira the Bevelle jail was in another location. Maybe it's the same here."
"I don't know if it is." Auron replied, "I never had to find out before."
"It's on Hopler Avenue." Tidus said, speaking for the first time in several hours. He winced as he moved his busted knee a little, "Maximum security on Hopler."
Yuna grinned and said to Auron, "See! I bet most people don't even know this prison is down here. I bet we can just walk out casually."
"And if we can't?" Auron asked. He sighed and looked around their location, "I'd rather have a more fool-proof plan."
"Everybody knows about this prison." Tidus muttered, still staring at the floor, "They just don't know about Vegnagun."
Yuna was in total agreement with Auron, but she didn't think they had the luxury of a fool-proof plan. They had to take their chances. It wouldn't be long before someone realized they were gone and set off the alarm. She began to pace nervously around the small corridor they were in. The elevator was sitting there. Waiting. All they needed to do was get on it and get out of Bevelle. As Yuna circled around for the fourth time, something caught her attention lying in a darkened corner. Curiosity got the better of her and Yuna leaned over, lifting the objects.
Bevelle clothes.
One man's robe.
One woman's robe.
Tidus was staring at the clothes as Yuna lifted them. Auron was watching them too, but with a different look in his eyes – as if they'd just found their salvation. Yuna was staring at them, thinking the same thing Tidus was.
So this was how Shuyin and Lenne got in undetected…
Auron took the garments from Yuna and inspected them carefully, "These will do nicely." He said, slipping the robe on to test for the size, "It fits pretty well. A little tight in the arms, but it'll do. Put that on, Yuna."
Yuna wasn't sure what he was planning, but did as she was told. The robe was a bit long on her and just a size too big. She felt like a child wearing mom's clothes. She hadn't realized how much taller Lenne was than her until that moment.
When she was dressed, Yuna turned to Auron, "What's the plan?"
Auron grinned and grabbed Tidus' arm, "Prisoner transfer."
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All Rikku could think was that Maechen had better be in Zanarkand this time. She was sick and tired of trying to find him. If she had to cross paths with Seymour one more time, she was certain it wasn't going to be pretty. After the man had informed them that he intended to use Yuna's good name to make himself more powerful among the Yevon elite, Rikku wanted to kill him and she would have had Lulu not insisted they continue looking for Maechen. It had effectively cooled Rikku's anger because she knew that if anybody loved Yuna more than herself, it was Lulu. Therefore, if Lulu wasn't concerned – or realized there wasn't anything that could be done – then that was just the way it was.
At least for now…
Rikku was determined to stop Seymour eventually. She just needed to figure out how.
She hadn't been in Zanarkand since Yuna's pilgrimage and saw that it hadn't changed much. It was still as broken down and depressing as before. If it hadn't been for the lack of Kimahri and Yuna, Rikku could have convinced herself that they were back on the pilgrimage again. Not that it was any more pleasant than their current journey.
Lulu led Rikku and Wakka into the mouth of the former blitzball stadium turned temple. Rikku, during the pilgrimage, had tried to imagine what it had looked like back in its heyday, but it was as difficult to do now as it had been then. If she hadn't known it was a blitzball stadium, she never would have guessed. There didn't seem to be any place for the blitzsphere to go. There didn't appear to be any stands for the fans. Everything was collapsed in on itself. The only rooms that had survived were the ones in the basement which Rikku assumed were probably locker rooms 1000 years before.
To Rikku's eternal surprise, Maechen was standing in the main room by the elevator as they came in from the entryway. He appeared to be deep in thought as he always was, but that didn't stop Lulu from marching right up to him, "Maechen, do you remember me?"
The old man turned to Lulu and gazed at her for a few moments before smiling, "Why yes. You are Lady Yuna's guardian, Lulu." He nodded at Wakka and Rikku, "And Wakka and Rikku. To what do I owe this honor?"
"Rikku noticed something strange about Yuna's vision in the Farplane when she was there and we were wondering if you could tell us what's going on." Lulu explained. She wasn't wasting any time.
Maechen seemed intrigued as he lifted his hand to his chin and rubbed it slowly, "Strange? How so?"
Lulu turned to Rikku. That meant it was Rikku's turn to explain what she saw. She wasn't sure what Maechen could possibly tell them that they hadn't already considered, but Lulu's eyes demanded she obey and Rikku didn't want to cross the black mage. She explained to Maechen what she and Gippal saw on the visit to the Farplane and asked if their being Al Bhed had anything to do with it.
Maechen was thoughtful for several minutes, absorbing the information Rikku had just given him. Finally he said, "That is indeed quite puzzling. The nature of your origin should have nothing to do with the Farplane visions. The Farplane is the place where pyreflies born from a sending gather. They appear in the shape of people who've died and gone to the Farplane. Quite the phenomenon: how I wish I understood it more fully!"
Rikku stifled a groan. He was about to go into one of his long winded stories again. She usually walked away to leave Yuna to listen while he ranted, but realized in this situation it wouldn't be polite and Lulu would probably kill her, so she stayed.
"The Al Bhed have a theory, you know. They say the pyreflies are just reacting to visitors' thoughts and dreams. But only the dead appear on the Farplane. No image of the living has ever been seen. It's a great mystery! But maybe... Maybe the dead leave a bit of themselves in the hearts of the living. And that little bit borrows the pyreflies' power for their paranormal performance! Or maybe not. Who knows? And that, as they say, is that."
Lulu was obviously less than enthused with Maechen's explanation and talented scurrying around the question at hand. She put her hands on her hips, "But you didn't explain why Yuna's vision is different. They take on the vision of people when they die. Why would it show Yuna as an old woman?"
Wakka nodded, "Yeah! Something wrong with them flies, ya?"
"They may be called pyreflies but they aren't really flies, you see." Maechen said. Rikku rolled her eyes. Here he goes again, "They're those lights you see whenever a fiend dies. The little fellows are responsible for a few fantastic phenomena. Visions of the past, spheres, fiends--these are all the pyreflies' doing. In fact... pyreflies have something to do with aeons, too. The dreams of the fayth reach through the spirit of the summoner... And that which is unreal becomes real for all to see! Or maybe not. Who knows? And that, as they say, is that."
Rikku nudged Lulu and whispered, "We should have gone to Baralai."
Lulu glared at her. It was obvious that the woman wasn't about to give up on Maechen without a fight. She spoke through gritted teeth, "Maechen, can you please just tell us what is wrong with Yuna's visage?"
Maechen shrugged so softly Rikku barely noticed it, "The Farplane thinks Yuna died as an elderly woman."
"But that's not true." Cried Lulu, fully exasperated now, "She died fighting Sin three months ago!"
"Did she really?" asked Maechen, lifting a brow to Lulu, "Did you see evidence of it?"
"No."
He shrugged again, "Then perhaps all is not as it seems."
"What do you mean?" asked Rikku, suddenly interested in the old man's ramblings.
Maechen shook his head, "I'm…I'm not sure." He put his hand to his head and sighed, "Oh, I seem to have lost my train of thought. Ah well. Another time, perhaps." Maechen smiled softly and walked away from them, vanishing down the elevator shaft to the rooms below.
Rikku groaned, "I told you we should have just gone to Baralai! This was a waste of time!"
"I kinda agree, Lu." Wakka admitted sheepishly, "Maechen does tend to lose his train of thought fast, ya."
Lulu nodded, looking off into the distance before making eye contact with both Wakka and Rikku, "Then let's go talk to Baralai. Maybe he'll be able to give us some answers."
Rikku sighed. Finally they were going to listen to her. She turned to follow the two of them back the way they had come, "We should probably get Gippal to come with us. That'd guarantee Baralai'd see us, I think."
"You're right." Lulu agreed, "Where is he now?"
Rikku thought for a moment and then replied, "He said he was going to Djose Temple. Apparently he started some group called the Machine Faction. I don't know what they want at Djose, though."
"What's a…machine…ya?"
"A machina."
Wakka scratched his head, "Then why not just call it a machina?"
"Cause Gippal's an idiot." Rikku replied, "That's why."
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She was still amazed at how easily they had evaded capture in Bevelle. Auron's idea to pretend they were transferring a prisoner worked like a charm. The guards had simply moved aside and let them pass. They hadn't even asked for identification or proof of any kind. She couldn't believe how lucky they had been.
She glanced over at Tidus who was struggling to remain standing while Auron pulled him along beside him. Maybe lucky wasn't quite the word. Tidus didn't seem to think he was too lucky. The normally jovial guy hadn't smiled since initially leaving Zanarkand and Yuna was beginning to wonder if he ever would again. She wouldn't blame him if he never did. She'd blame herself.
For the last hour of the walk she'd kept thinking to herself…if only. If only she had just told Tidus about Auron's plan. Then maybe Shuyin and Lenne wouldn't have done such a stupid thing. If only she could have done something to save their lives.
The sight of Zanarkand in the distance was a welcomed one. At least she was grateful to be spared the journey directly through war torn Nagi. Perchik had led them through the tunnel he had lead Shuyin and Lenne through so they used that to go back as well. Yuna had been surprised just how kind Perchik was once he wasn't trying to kill her. He reminded her of Kimahri.
The journey down the mountain toward Zanarkand was trickier than the journey up. At least it was for Tidus. Auron struggled to keep Tidus standing while they made their way carefully down the slope. Yuna wanted to help, but the decline wasn't wide enough for all three of them to walk down in a line together so Yuna was unwittingly relegated to walking in front of them. She would have much rather walked behind. She felt she'd be of more use being able to grab Tidus if he started to fall forward rather than serving as his landing pad should he fall.
The main roads in Zanarkand were quiet when they finally reached flat land by the airship station. It was only mid-day but already the streets were quieting substantially. It was obvious that the war was weighing heavily on the minds of the residents and they didn't want to be wandering in the middle of the street if something should happen.
"I think we'll take Tidus back to my house." Auron said to Yuna as he tried to turn Tidus in that direction. The blitzer wanted nothing to do with it and struggled against Auron by planting his good leg firmly on the ground and refusing to move. Auron hissed through gritted teeth, "Stop being stubborn. It's best if we all stay together."
"Best for who?!" Tidus spat suddenly, pushing Auron away from him only to fall onto the ground from the lack of support. He summoned his dignity and forced himself to his feet, balancing impressively on one leg, "Best for you? Well I don't give a shit what's best for you. I'm going home."
Yuna took a step forward, but Auron held his arm out to keep her back as he turned his attention back to Tidus, "How do you plan on doing that? You can barely stand up."
"I'm standing now, aren't I?" retorted Tidus with a sneer. He took a shaky step forward, limping drastically but maintaining his upward posture, "I'll be fine. I don't need…or want…your help." He looked directly at Yuna and his look made her blood run cold, "Either of your help."
"Tidus…" Yuna croaked out, but Auron shook his head and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Let's just let him be, Yuna."
"But…!"
Auron turned her in the direction of his house and she began walking away from Tidus without even realizing it. She was on Auron's stoop before she spoke again, "We shouldn't have left him behind. He didn't mean what he was saying."
"Of course he doesn't." Auron agreed, opening the door and walking inside. Yuna was mildly surprised to notice that he didn't take his shoes off or insist she do the same. She would have said something about it, but now wasn't the time for jokes. The taller man sat down on the arm of the nearest chair and put his elbows on his knees to rest his head in his hands, "He's in shock. He's in mourning. He's angry and he's got every right to be. If he doesn't want us around then I think that's best for now."
Yuna gaped, "You think ignoring him is going to make it better? This is the time when he needs us the most."
"People deal with grief differently, Yuna. Some people want to be surrounded. Others want to be left alone. Some people cry constantly. Some cry sporadically. Some don't cry at all. Some get sad. Some get angry." He smiled at her, "When he wants us, he'll come and find us."
"But if you have it your way, we won't be here for much longer." Replied Yuna somberly. That was the truth too. She could see it in Auron's eyes that just because Vegnagun was out of the question didn't stop him from his determination to get home.
Auron nodded, "That's true. I have to come up with another plan, though, and soon. Sin should be along at any time."
"So what you're saying is that we'll be here for Tidus when he wants us…until you decide that he's not worth waiting around for."
"I wouldn't say it like that, Yuna. It's a bit harsh. But…yes, I suppose that's what you could say."
Yuna felt herself getting angrier than she'd ever been in her life. This man that she respected. This man that she admired. He was nothing but a cold and heartless person. He didn't really care about Tidus. Why would he? Tidus would just end up being a statistic in the Zanarkand death count while he and Yuna were basking in the Calm she brought to Spira.
She straightened herself to her full height and said more calmly than she felt, "I understand if you can brush Tidus away and pretend like he never existed, but I can't. I won't."
"He doesn't want to see you or me, Yuna."
Yuna shrugged, "He doesn't know what he wants right now. His brother was murdered before his eyes. That'd make anybody a little bit confused."
She never believed she had true courage before. She'd almost chickened out so many times during her pilgrimage. She'd only ended up completing it because of guilt. Not through any true heroic deed. And yet since meeting Tidus, Yuna had done more brave things than she'd ever done before. They weren't brave in the usual definition, but they were brave to her. She'd run head on into a war zone just to save two people she had only known for a few months. She'd rushed headlong toward a girl, risking herself in the process, to keep her from being crushed by a chandelier. And she'd stood up to the man she respected most in the world after her father…not once, but twice about Tidus. It was because of all these things that she was practically trembling the whole way to Tidus' house from the moment Auron's front door slammed behind her and the entire walk to the boathouse she'd been to so many times in the past.
It looked so different now. So empty. The wooden makeshift bridge was broken in half and lying on the side of the road. Tidus must have taken his anger out on it. Auron had been right about him being angry. Yuna could sense it from that time in the cage and during the entire journey back to Zanarkand. It came off of him in palpable waves. But everything was going to be okay. They were going to talk. He was going to cry. They were going to get through this together. If anybody knew anything about grief, it was Yuna.
She hopped over the little gap and quietly made her way to his front door. The only light in the house was coming from the main room and Yuna knocked. There was no answer. She waited again and still no answer, not even the sound of someone getting up. Finally she tried the knob and found it unlocked so she quietly slid it open and stuck her head in.
Tidus had his back to the door. He was staring at the wall in silence. He didn't even flinch when Yuna walked in. She shut the door quietly behind her and took a few steps. He turned his head to the side but still remained silent as if he was waiting for her to speak.
"Hi there." She whispered, taking a few more steps.
Tidus turned his head back to the wall, "Get out."
Yuna stopped. That wasn't the reaction she had expected. She licked her lips self consciously, "I thought you might want some company."
"I don't. Get out." He said again, his voice coming out in monotonous, yet angry, tones.
Yuna didn't want to give up. She didn't want to close him out like Auron seemed so willing to do. She took another step toward him, "I thought you might want to talk. I'm sure you want to get some things off of your chest."
Tidus spun around suddenly and Yuna realized he was sitting in his wheelchair. She had barely noticed. His eyes were bloodshot, his nose was pinkened and there were tearstains on his cheeks. It was obvious he had been crying, and quite a bit, since they'd parted ways. He rolled toward her, his eyes narrowed, "Actually, there are some things I want to get off of my chest."
Yuna unconsciously took a step back, "Like what?"
"Like why you didn't lift a finger to help my brother."
Yuna suddenly felt dizzy and put a hand to her temple. Hadn't she told him why she couldn't have helped Shuyin or Lenne? Didn't he know? He was angry at Auron. She knew that. He'd glared at Auron so many times during the journey back…or had he been glaring at her? Auron had been standing with her the many times she'd noticed it. She swallowed hard, "Are you angry at me?"
Tidus tilted his head to the side in thought before spewing sarcastically, "No, Yuna. Absolutely not. Why would I be angry with the person who is ultimately responsible for Shuyin and Lenne being with Vegnagun?"
"Auron is responsible for that!" Yuna cried.
"And you are guilty by omission!" he shouted back, wheeling toward her until he had her pinned in the corner by the front door, "You didn't say a damn thing about it! You should have told me! You should have told somebody!"
Yuna screamed back at him, "And maybe Shuyin and Lenne should have used some intelligence and not gone after Vegnagun!"
"They wouldn't have if you had just opened your damn mouth instead of acting like an idiot who thinks Auron deserves to be put on a pedestal!" His rantings were getting louder with every word, "You were so damn worried about changing the future and yet you were willing to use a weapon that would have destroyed Sin and kept Yunalesca and Zaon from doing it!"
"It was Auron's idea! Not mine!"
"And that's supposed to make it better!" Tidus shrieked, turning abruptly and rolling back to the other side of the room, "Don't you ever take responsibility for your own actions?"
"Yes!"
He spun to her, blue eyes connecting with her own, "Then admit that you didn't help my brother because it would have changed the future. Admit that you stood there and let him die in my arms because you were so damn concerned with your own damn Spira! To hell with mine! To hell with me!"
"That's not true." Yuna cried, shaking her head repeatedly, "That's not true. You have to believe me."
"No I don't. I don't have to believe anything that you say."
Yuna felt panic starting to rise. He was angry and he wasn't listening to her. He had every right to be angry and in mourning, but he was blaming her for not doing something she couldn't have done no matter how hard she tried. She needed to get this conversation calmed down. She needed to get him calmed down so they could discuss things rationally.
"Tidus…I know that you hate what…"
"That I hate what happened?" He asked angrily, "Of course I hate what happened, Yuna, but that's not all I hate." He wheeled toward her again, slowly and deliberately, "I hate that Shuyin died. I hate that Lenne died. I hate that Reanna died. I hate that there's a war. I hate knowing that Zanarkand is going to be destroyed and that I'm not going to make it. I hate that I have nothing left."
"You don't have nothing left." Yuna replied quietly but Tidus wasn't listening. He kept going.
"I hate that I can't walk so even if I wanted to escape, I couldn't. I hate that this house is so empty." He stopped and lowered his gaze, "But most of all Yuna, I hate that…I hate that you made me love you."
Yuna opened her mouth to speak but just as quickly Tidus lifted his gaze again, "Get out."
"Tidus…"
"Get out!" he shouted, "Haven't you done enough?!" He flung the front door open and pushed her out of it, slamming it abruptly behind her. She heard the sound of locks being clicked from the other side and finally the sound of quiet sobs getting further and further away as Tidus moved away from the door.
