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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I have had problems with my fics being stolen. Reviewers of the Silver Wings trilogy know all about the situation. Please keep an eye out for this story or any of my others posted on any other sites. I only post here and I only use the name "akksgurl". If you think my story has been stolen, please contact me so that I can look into the situation. Thanks a lot in advance for your help.
Author's Notes:
Lots of notes for this chapter. Let me first begin by talking about the reviews I've gotten from the last chapter so far. A lot of people (a lot!) have mentioned Anima and how it's not possible for him/her to be there since its Seymour's mama and so on. Well, let me first begin by saying that this is an AU meaning I can do what I want. Oh I hate that excuse, even if it is viable, because I think that just because it's an AU doesn't mean that gives the author the right to totally destroy something because it fits in their "vision". With that said, I did have a theory behind Anima and here it is.
Unless I missed something in FFX, it was never said without a doubt that Anima was Seymour's mother. We saw Seymour the child begging his mother to not become a fayth and her refusing. We saw that Seymour had the Anima aeon. I admit that I assumed that she was the fayth for Anima too, but what if she wasn't? What if Seymour had another aeon that we didn't see that was his mother's aeon? That's the theory I'm going on. I might be wrong. Who knows. I'm probably the only person on the planet that assumed Rinoa was Laguna's daughter in FF8 and didn't realize I was wrong for months. Hahaha.
As for the gender of Anima that one reviewer mentioned. We only ever saw one fayth and it looked like a little boy wearing a long robe and hiding his features. I think that the fayth lose their gender once they become fayth. There'd be no reason for them to keep their gender. They become this similar looking being. Maybe the fayth Yuna talked to was a male, maybe it was a female. I don't know. I didn't think that deeply. Haha. All I know is that Yuna thought it was a male and I really think that's all that matters.
Okay, onto this chapter. This chapter is more just silly fun than anything concrete and serious although a few things do come up toward the end that'll feed into the rest of the story. It's getting wordier than I expected so I honestly can't say when this story will wrap up. I used some lyrics from a song in The Sound of Music for this chapter. It just fit so well, I couldn't resist. In fact, when I was writing that particular little scene I started humming it to myself and…well…the rest is history. Don't flame me if you don't like it. Just ignore it. It's only a few lines anyway. It won't hurt anybody. If you're not familiar with the song, that's okay. It won't affect anything. You'll probably be able to tell that I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I have to say that this was probably the most fun I had writing any chapter of any of my stories so far. It was great to just sit back and think about what Tidus would have thought of all these weird people he was meeting and the odd situation he found himself in. I hope everybody enjoys reading as much as I enjoyed writing.
Okay, diatribe has officially ended. On with the show!
TWISTED DESTINY
by akksgurl
Chapter Seventeen: Revelations of the
Legal Kind
The blonde girl squealed.
The mean looking woman squeaked.
Yuna shrieked.
Tidus grimaced. Too much screaming. Too much. Far too much. Yuna had bounded past him after climbing to her feet mere seconds before and was embraced in the tightest of girl hugs he'd ever seen in his life.
Obviously Yuna knew these girls, but he wasn't sure who they were. Assuming descriptions went along with names, he'd wager a guess that Lulu was the mean looking one in the black dress who was currently pawing Yuna like she was a cat, running her hand over her hair in a condescending petting motion that would have driven Tidus insane if he'd been the one on the receiving end.
And the blonde currently sobbing what Tidus assumed would have been classified as 'tears of joy' – as if there really was such a thing – was probably the girl Yuna said would love him. Rikku.
After a few moments of girl time, Tidus heard Auron clear his throat meaningfully and the trio broke apart as if they'd been caught doing something incredibly naughty. Yuna smiled guiltily at them before turning back to her friends, "I'm sure you remember, Sir Auron. Right, Lulu?"
The mage was definitely more attractive than Tidus had originally thought. Her smoky good looks were initially marred by her sour expression, but he noted that even that expression suited her. Her dress, he was ashamed to admit, was making him think with regions much lower than his brain. He hoped Yuna didn't notice that he'd casually examined her friend's cleavage, but when she beamed at him brightly he figured he was safe.
Lulu nodded, "Of course I remember him." She said to Yuna, but her eyes were focused on Auron the entire time, questions reflecting in their darkened depths.
Yuna turned her head to Rikku, "Rikku, this is Sir Auron. He was my father's guardian."
"Cute." Tidus could have sworn he heard Rikku mutter to Yuna, but he couldn't figure out if she was referring to him or Auron as her gaze continued to flit between both of them. He quickly squashed the idea that the girl was referring to the older man, though. The mere thought that anyone could find Auron attractive was repellant to every fiber of his being.
Then again, that girl wasn't much to look at either. Not that she was bad looking. Quite on the contrary, Tidus thought she was pretty cute…if he was into girls the size of twigs. Rikku was in definite need of a major meal – or four. And the girl obviously didn't realize that wearing tight shirts and short shorts only accentuated the fact that she was built like a little boy. Well…with the exception of her butt which she pertly swung around under the guise of looking behind her. Tidus couldn't tell if she did it for his sake…or for Auron's. And it didn't particularly matter. Neither was interested in her posterior.
Lulu's eyes fastened with his then, and Tidus swore it dropped 100 degrees in a second. Her gaze was cold as she asked, "Who are you?"
Tidus opened his mouth to respond but Yuna beat him to it, "This is Tidus. He's Sir Jecht's son!"
Rikku squealed excitedly, "Really! That's so cool!"
Lulu obviously wasn't quite as impressed. She lifted a brow in Tidus' direction, "Oh really? Is that what you told her?"
"I didn't tell her anything. She saw a picture of my old man and my mother at my house and put it together herself."
"Sir Jecht never had any children." Lulu stated simply, "At least none that ever came forward after Sin's defeat."
Tidus sneered at Lulu, standing and testing his legs for the first time since waking up in the tall grass, "Well, seeing as how I wasn't in the…shall we say…area, it'd be tough for me to come forward." She was getting to be about as likeable as Auron. What a bitch.
"You may have fooled Yuna, but you won't fool me…Tidus." She spoke his name condescendingly, her own sneer forming on her face.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Rikku shouted, coming between Lulu and Tidus with her hands up, "No need to fight! I think what's most important here is how Yunie is even here!"
A voice of reason…coming from the chipper blonde girl. If Tidus hadn't seen it himself, he never would have believed it. Rikku certainly didn't seem like the type to think first and act last. Then again, Yuna didn't seem like the type that would have…
Tidus cleared his throat suddenly to divert his attentions from the thoughts he was currently entertaining. If Yuna had known what he was thinking, she would have blushed bright red.
Lulu seemed to agree with Rikku's diversion and turned to Yuna, "How did you get here?"
"It's kind of a long story." Yuna admitted with a sideways grin to Tidus, "Maybe we should go down to the village and see Wakka first."
Village? Tidus wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. He was used to towns, cities, metropolises, but villages? Aside from Nagi, he'd never been in a place that could classify as one and even Nagi was more of a metropolis than a village. As the trio of girls and then Auron started down the path, Tidus noticed for the first time that it was dirt. A dirt path. He smiled to himself. A dirt path? It was quaint…adorable almost. It made him feel like he was in a fairy tale of some kind.
The dirt path was lined by more trees that Tidus had seen in his life. Zanarkand had cut down all of their trees to make way for buildings, so the only trees he saw were either in Macalania Forest, or in the Tree Museum some brainiac in Yu Yevon's cabinet had come up with. Who would pay 100 gil to see a bunch of trees? It was a dumb idea, but people went anyway. Tidus figured it was the people too lazy to walk a few miles and see them for free.
As they rounded the bend in the path, Tidus caught his first glimpse of the village Yuna was referring to. He recognized it instantly, but also recognized that there was nothing similar to his Besaid. This place definitely fit the title 'village' to the letter. There were 6 huts, 3 on each side lining the dirt path. The largest building was also the most unattractive. Tidus figured that had to be the temple Yuna said she received her first Aeon in. It definitely lacked the bright lights and general appeal of the casino. Its drab exterior was set off by its drab surroundings. This Besaid had to be one of the most depressing places Tidus had ever seen.
Shrieks, squeals, and howls of delight greeted Tidus as he walked through the main entrance. They weren't for him, though. They were for Yuna – and, to a lesser degree, Auron. People from the village were running to her, crying and hugging and kissing her like she was a long lost relative. For Tidus, they reserved odd glances and whispered rumors. He didn't mind much. He was wearing clothes that obviously hadn't been in style in 1000 years judging from the odd robes everyone here was wearing. Still, he self consciously gripped his Abe's necklace to cover the symbol. If they were whispering rumors about him now, he knew it'd only get worse if they saw that symbol. He didn't want to make things bad for Yuna.
Yuna led them to the farthest hut on the right side of the dirt path. There was no door, only a sheet covering the entrance. So much for home security. She swept the curtain back and Tidus heard two loud screams, both came from men. Then he heard a loud thump.
Yuna rushed into the building, followed by Lulu and Rikku. Auron was fourth and Tidus meandered in last and was immediately wishing he hadn't. Yuna was knelt on the floor next to a blonde guy with an eye patch. Rikku was on the man's other side, rubbing the head of a prone red-headed man on the floor.
"I'll get some water for him." Lulu offered, rushing quickly out of the building and back again a moment later with the liquid. Tidus wondered just what she thought an unconscious guy was going to use with a drink of water when she answered the question for him. She poured it on his face.
Effective…if not a bit messy.
The red head sputtered and spat the water from his mouth and nose, sitting up as he did so. He shot Lulu a nasty look, "You do that, ya?"
"That'll teach you to faint like an idiot." Was her retort.
"I didn't faint." The man insisted, "I…uh…I fell asleep."
"You fainted."
The man pointedly ignored her and stood. Tidus' eyes went to his clothing. It wasn't a robe like the rest of Besaid wore. In fact, it didn't look like street clothing at all. More like a uniform. Tidus thought for a moment and then decided that the man must be Wakka – the one Yuna said would want to discuss blitzball with him. His gaze immediately went to the man's physique and decided that Yuna didn't know much about blitzball at all. If she did, she would have known immediately why the man's team kept losing. Tidus wondered if the rest of the team was like Wakka, and then decided that they probably were.
Wakka was composed enough after a moment to grab Yuna and pull her into another hug, "I missed you, ya. Where you been? How you back here?"
"That's a very good question." The pirate wannabe said, patting Yuna on the back until she turned to him, "I'm Gippal, by the way. Friend of Cid's girl."
"I have a name!" Rikku shrieked in a high pitched whine that made Tidus cringe but Gippal only laughed at.
Yuna smiled, "Nice to meet you Gippal."
Gippal was probably about Tidus' height judging by his height compared to Yuna's. His patch distracted from the rest of his face, but Tidus figured that if Rikku thought Auron was cute, than she definitely thought Gippal was. The patch-wearing blonde was a sight better looking that Auron in Tidus' opinion. Then again, what did Tidus know about male attractiveness to the female? Gippal appeared like a relatively normal person compared to what Tidus had met so far, except for the fact that Gippal was currently standing with his left foot braced against his right knee like some deranged pelican. Oh well, at least it was better than the nasty brunette, the squealing blonde, and the fainting red-head.
"I think its time you explain to your friends, Yuna." Auron decided that that particular time seemed as good a time as any to butt in with his unnecessary pearls of wisdom. Tidus wanted to punch him, but he'd sworn to be good, so he was going to be. No matter how tough Auron made it.
"Right." Yuna agreed readily, taking a seat on the floor. There were times when she was so strong in her convictions against Auron and others when she buckled beneath him like a weak floorboard. Tidus didn't get it. He just hoped that over time he could cultivate the part of her that told Auron off until the weak side of her didn't exist anymore. He hated when Auron exercised his power over her.
He also hated stories that he'd already heard before. Worse than that, he hated hearing stories he'd lived. That was the main reason he tuned out her retelling of their whirlwind few months together. The secondary reason was that he didn't want to hear what Yuna said about their relationship. She'd already buckled under Auron. He wasn't sure if she'd casually neglect to admit to their relationship for fear of being looked down upon.
While Yuna talked, Tidus took the opportunity to examine Yuna's friends more thoroughly.
Rikku was sitting closest to Yuna with her knees pulled up to her chin, listening with rapt attention as if Yuna's words were the most important words ever spoken. The girl had a serious case of hero worship.
Gippal was next to Rikku, sitting cross legged on the ground with his hand casually playing with Rikku's belt loop on her shorts. He appeared to only be half listening to Yuna because he was more interested in Rikku's posterior. Tidus smirked to himself. Maybe Rikku should have been shaking it at Gippal instead of trying to ensnare Auron and himself with the sensuality she thought she possessed.
Wakka was next, leaning back on his arms with his legs bent up in front of him. His belly was more pronounced in that position, but Tidus could see that Wakka was probably a well built man years ago. He supposed that if he hadn't won a game in 10 years, he'd be apt to let himself go too.
It was Lulu that surprised Tidus most of all. The woman was knelt next to Wakka with her skirt around her so it looked like she was just incredibly short. Her left arm was crossed over her chest, running gently up and down Wakka's left arm. Her right arm was draped over his shoulders with her head resting upon the closest one. He noted that Yuna had seen the cozy appearance of the two as well, but was continuing with her story and not mentioning it…yet. Tidus knew from her expression that this wasn't going on before she left and he wondered what it was that Wakka saw in Lulu. She wasn't the nicest person in the world. Then again, maybe he'd just caught her on a bad day.
Although Yuna did say that she hated everybody…
"Is there anything I missed, Tidus?" Yuna asked suddenly, breaking Tidus clear from his musings.
He hadn't heard a word she'd said but didn't want to admit it, so he simply nodded, "Not that I noticed." It wasn't entirely a lie. He hadn't noticed anything.
"Wow!" Rikku exclaimed, twisting until she was on her knees, "So Baralai was right. He said that maybe Sin sent you back in time."
"Who's Baralai?" Yuna asked.
Rikku grinned excitedly, "He's an almost-priest in Yevon. Oh, Yunie…it's such a shame too. He's gorgeous! Men like him should have babies. Lots of them so that those good genes can keep going!"
Gippal rolled his eyes at Rikku's proclamation, "You're talking about Baralai like he's a slab of meat. Typical child."
Rikku spun on her knees so fast Tidus thought he saw smoke and winced. She flung her arms onto her hips and snapped, "I am sixteen going seventeen! I am no longer a child!"
Sixteen! Tidus smirked. So that was why she was still built like a kid. She probably hadn't even hit puberty yet.
"Well, at least you're lusting over a priest. You'd be in trouble otherwise. I mean…eager young lads and rogues and cads, what do you know of those?"
"I could ask you the same question! You are seventeen going on eighteen. You honestly think I'd depend on you?" Rikku let out a laugh, "Ridiculous."
Wakka scratched his head, "Uh…what are they arguing about?"
"Gippal's jealous." Lulu replied with a smirk that Tidus was shocked to see on her face.
Gippal's mouth dropped, "I am NOT!" Tidus joined in with the group laugh that had started at Gippal's expense and the other blonde shook his head at Tidus, "Here I was thinking you were gonna be cool and instead you're laughing at me." He feigned a sniffle and wiped at his dry eyes as if they were wet with tears, "Fine…I see how it's going to be."
Tidus laughed, "Sorry, but its funny!"
Yuna was the first to stop the laughing and regain her serious expression, "Now that you know what happened to me, I'd like to know what I've missed.'
Tidus could tell instantly that whatever it was, Yuna wasn't going to like it. Lulu looked warily at Wakka and he at her. Gippal pulled at the collar of his shirt uncomfortably. He was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to answer her when Rikku, in uncharacteristic anger, spat, "Seymour's at it again!"
Tidus briefly wondered who Seymour was before deciding that he didn't really care. Standing before Rikku could continue, he touched Yuna's shoulder, "Is there a bathroom around here?"
Yuna blushed and looked innately embarrassed. Tidus wondered why. It wasn't like he was asking her to join him, "Well…you might be able to use the one in the temple but it's usually reserved for followers of Yevon." She paused, "I guess the best place would be in the forest."
"The forest?" Tidus asked dumbly. He wasn't sure what she meant, honestly. Was there a bathroom in the forest?
Rikku nodded, "Sure, just pick a tree and squat!" she wrinkled her nose in thought, "Or aim…or whatever boys do."
Tidus blinked steadily a few times, "You're kidding, right?"
"No." Yuna replied, biting her lip nervously.
"You don't have indoor plumbing?"
"The temples do." Yuna said, "But they're funny about who can use them."
"It's better without it anyway, ya." Wakka said, nodding ferociously, "Them indoor things are just machina and machina is bad news."
Tidus put his hand to his head and took a deep breath. Okay. Okay. Okay. He had wanted to come here. He'd signed on for this. It was either live like Neanderthals or be dead. He forced a smile to his face, "Okay then. I'll be in the…uh…forest if you need me."
Tidus made his way out of the building and across the path to the nearest wooded area he saw, "This is disgusting." He muttered as he found a secluded spot to relieve himself, "How can they stand this?" Then his mind wandered to another question, "No indoor plumbing…how do they bathe?" Tidus then decided that he didn't want to know.
He'd never been one for survival. Shuyin used to love going camping with Lenne in Macalania Forest and had tried to talk him into joining them several times, but the thought of being away from amenities for days on end made his skin crawl. It wasn't that Tidus didn't like the outdoors. He really did. He just preferred knowing that at the end of the day he could go home and be far away from weather and bugs.
When he finished, he absently looked around for a place to wash his hands and realized there was none. He looked at his hands and sighed before noticing a small stream and quickly ran his hands in the cold water until he felt they were substantially clean. He wiped them off on his pants and made his way back to the house. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of finding out that they didn't have other amenities…like air conditioning, but he wouldn't be surprised. If they didn't have toilets, they didn't have anything.
He reached the curtained doorway to the hut and reached out to push it away when his hand stopped. Rikku's falsetto voice was coming to him through the doorway, "…Seymour's your husband!"
Tidus pushed the curtain aside in shock, "You're married!" he asked Yuna, his voice shaking as he said the words. Visions of adultery were dancing through his head. He'd done some bad things in his life, but he'd always believed in the sanctity of marriage. The thought that he – even unknowingly – had a fling with a married woman made him feel dirty and used.
Yuna spun around, shaking her head violently, "I…I wasn't when I left. I swear!"
So she was married. Tidus felt his legs getting weak so he leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
Lulu stared at him, "What does it matter to you whether she is or not?"
Tidus took another ragged breath. So she hadn't told them about him and her. Was her marriage the reason? Was Auron? Tidus felt himself getting angry at the sheer unfairness of the situation and snapped angrily, "Because I'm her boyfriend, damnit!"
"Tidus…" Yuna spoke his name calmly and sweetly like she'd done a hundred times before. She touched his face gently, "I swear I didn't know about this. Will you let me explain?"
Tidus' first instinct was to say no, but then he remembered how close he'd come to losing her the last time he tried to push her out of his life. He didn't want to do that again. He nodded, "Okay. Explain."
"We'll leave you two alone." Auron stated, motioning in a way that allowed no questioning to the others that they were to leave the room. For the first time in a long time, Tidus was grateful to Auron.
When they were alone again, Yuna motioned to a large chair sitting in the corner of the room, "Why don't you take a seat?"
"I'm fine." He said. He knew he sounded like a petulant toddler, but he was telling the truth. He didn't want to sit. At least by standing, he knew his legs still worked.
"Seymour is a Yevon Maester. It's slightly higher than a priest and doesn't have the same rules."
"Obviously, if you married him." Tidus spat. This wasn't fair.
Yuna ignored his childish outburst and continued, "I met him for the first time on my pilgrimage when we stopped in Luca. Wakka and the Aurochs were competing in the games and Seymour and Maester Mika were there for the opening."
"Love at first sight?" Tidus felt his heart breaking as he asked her that, but he needed to know. Did she love Seymour?
"No." stated Yuna, "I was in awe of him. I respected him. But I didn't love him. Not once. He frightened me a bit, if truth be told. He seemed to be obsessed with him and I being the next Zaon and Yunalesca." Yuna turned her back to Tidus and began pacing the room, "He wanted us to defeat Sin together and restore the Calm to Spira. He kept telling me that it was my duty to make the people of Spira happy. That's actually the reason he proposed to me. He convinced me that by marrying him, I'd make the people happy for a while before I defeated Sin."
"Sounds like a smooth talker."
Yuna smiled ruefully, "He was. But he was also evil…demented. I didn't give him an answer right away about his proposal. I wanted to go to the Farplane and see my father before I made any decisions. I ultimately chose to marry him, but when I went back to his home to tell him, he'd already gone on ahead to Macalania Temple where he was a Maester. That was our next stop too, so we went after him."
"Happy reunion? Kisses and love?" Tidus knew he sounded like a jealous brat, but that's exactly what he was.
"I had found a sphere left by his father who had died a fortnight before when we were leaving the Farplane." Yuna continued, ignoring Tidus' obvious attempt to anger her or to make her feel guilty, "Seymour had killed his father. The Guado are able to see into the future and that is what Lord Jyscal saw. I decided then to use the marriage proposal as leverage. I'd marry him, if he'd turn himself in."
Tidus lifted a brow at him. Why did Yuna always put herself on the line for others? Whatever the reason, it was one of the things he loved about her.
"He laughed in my face and had his men attack my guardians so I fought him too. We were interrupted by his manservant, Tromell and then Sin appeared and we were all separated. I didn't know it at the time, but my guardians were sent to Bikinel Island – home of the Al Bhed. I ended up in Bevelle. Seymour kidnapped me and told me that he had my guardians and that he'd kill them if I didn't marry him. Since I didn't know any different, I agreed."
"He forced you to marry him?"
"Yes. My guardians showed up just before the 'I dos' but Seymour had them held at gunpoint and told me that he'll still kill them if I refused. I did as he wanted and married him, only to have him decide he wanted to kill my guardians anyway. We escaped and then I had the marriage nullified through the Yevon courts while finishing my pilgrimage. I didn't want to die married to that wastrel."
"Then how are you still married to him?"
"He managed to convince the Yevon courts that we were madly in love and that my guardians tricked me into the annulment during duress." She sighed and shrugged, "I've come to realize that Yevon is very corrupt. The high officers of Yevon know what truly happened. They were at the wedding."
Tidus smiled sadly and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him, "So what now?" he asked, pressing warm kisses on her head.
"I think now I should pay a visit to my darling husband." She replied sarcastically and with a hint of anger in her voice.
"I don't think that's necessary, Yuna." Auron said from the doorway. Tidus released Yuna and she turned to Auron, "Any time now, the affects from our defeat of Sin will happen and your marriage to Seymour will never have even occurred."
Yuna shrugged, "And if it doesn't? Sir Auron, shouldn't it have happened already?"
"I am surprised it's taking so long," Auron admitted, "But there's no question it will happen very soon."
Tidus scratched his chin, "What if it takes a really long time. I mean, there's like 1000 years of history that has to change. It might take 1000 years to change everything!"
"He's right, Sir Auron." Yuna agreed, taking Tidus' hand, "And I do not want to go another day married to Seymour if I can help it. I'm going to talk to him."
"Talking isn't going to help, Yuna." Auron warned, cocking his head to the side to look at the younger girl.
"Then I'll make him listen." Yuna said with a grin up at Tidus, "He's always been one with an eye for a bargain. I'll make him one he can't refuse."
