The Aurochs ran up to Wakka and Zell who were carrying a large crystal statue. Wakka had wanted both Zell and Tidus to go with him to receive the prize but the man Auron had dragged Tidus off to talk to him. So it was just Wakka and Zell. The judges had asked what Zell's name was so he told them. And they smiled bright.
"We have never seen a blitzer like yourself, Sir Zell. We hope you will be in next year's tournament too. We want to see your skills again." The judges told him. Zell just blushed and scratched the back of his neck. Wakka laughed. Now they were in the middle of the Aurochs letting the rest of the team check out the statue.
"You're really leavin', Cap'n?" Datto asked sadly. Wakka nodded. Letty stepped closer. "Shouldn't you heal up first?" He asked. Wakka shook his head as he set the trophy down. "Yuna needs me with her now. I can't be lying around in some bed." He told them. The Aurochs all hung their heads looking sad. "Yeah, but…." Datto was saying. Zell smiled stepping forward. "Guys, it's not like Wakka's going to be gone forever. He'll be back. Along with every else. And when we get back to Besaid, we'll have a huge party." He said. Wakka nodded with a grin. The Aurochs smiled faintly.
Wakka rolled his eyes and stuck his head up higher now looking strict. "Come on, look sharp!" He barked an order. The Aurochs quickly stood straight and tall. Zell did the same. "The Blitz season just started. Don't make those faces, ya?" He picked the statue up and handed it to Datto who looked happy to carry the trophy.
Zell nodded. "Besides, I might be sticking around. Yuna hasn't asked me to be her Guardian. So there's a chance I won't be going anywhere." He said. Letty shook his head. "I kinda doubt that, ya?" He said. Jassu nodded. "Yuna seems ta like have you around too. I heard her tellin' Lulu that she might ask ya to be her one of her Guardians." He said. Wakka shrugged. "Either way we will be back. And when we do, we'll all play blitz together, ya?" He asked. The Aurochs smiled and nodded. Zell did the same. He turned and looked off into the ocean's horizon.
"I wasn't sure about what I told the Aurochs and Wakka was true.
I knew I wouldn't be back. I just had a gut feeling that
sooner or later, I would be returning to my home world.
I would be leaving Spira. Leaving them, my friends, for good.
I don't know…..if I would want to go home but then again I was
feeling homesick. I was missing the others so much.
I hope they're all right."
Wakka patted each Aurochs' back. "Well….see you, boys! You be good." He said. The Aurochs sighed and nodded. "Cap'n." they said non-enthusiastically. Wakka gave a fake scowl. "I can't hear you!" He barked with a smirk growing on his face. The Aurochs jumped a little. "Cap'n!" They all cheered loudly. Zell laughed and shook his head.
Everyone was waiting near some stairs now. Wakka was telling Yuna that he wanted to continue the journey with her. "Are you sure?" Yuna asked worriedly. Wakka shook his head. "Never liked long goodbyes anyways. Sorry for making you wait, Yuna. I had some promises to keep, ya. From now on, I'm your full-time Guardian." He said.
Yuna smiled and nodded. "Then welcome back, Sir Wakka. Good to have you with us." She said. Wakka nodded. "Hey, it's good to be back, ya?" He paused looking at Zell who was standing off wondering what was going to happen to him.
"What about Zell? We said we'd talk after the tournament about him. So what're we going to do about him, ya?" He asked. Lulu looked over at Zell who was trying not to meet anyways eyes. He was feeling a little embarrassed. But Yuna smiled. She walked over to him and gave the prayer gesture.
"Zell Dincht, I would like to ask you to be one of my Guardians. Your skills with fighting has been very impressive. Please, will you join us on our journey to fight Sin?" She asked. Zell grinned and saluted her with the SeeD salute. "As a member of SeeD, I would be honored to support you and your Guardians, Lady Yuna. By the code of SeeD, I will fullfill my duties as your Guardian, even if it costs my life." He said standing like a soldier, just straight stiff and tall.
Yuna giggled and nodded. "That's good to know. But please, don't get yourself killed while guarding me. You still need to find a way home too. Maybe during our journey, we'll find a way to get you back to your world." She told him. Wakka nodded placing his fists on his waist. "Ya! We'll help ya out, Sir Zell." He said. Zell then pulled a face. "Hey….uh, why don't you just call me Zell. The title of Sir Zell makes me sound like an old man." He said. Yuna laughed.
Wakka looked around. "So any news on what happened?" He asked. Lulu shook her head. "Not really. We don't know where the fiends came from. Maester Mika is safe and sound, thanks to Maester Seymour. That's about it." She said. Yuna looked distant now. "Maester Seymour's aeon….it was so powerful." She said softly. Zell turned away looking off again.
"No kidding there.I have never seen a summon like that.
And when it destroyed those fiends, I could almost feel it's power.
I don't know if I ever wanted to fight it if I had to.
But then again, if I did it would have to feel my favorite move, My Final Heaven. Let's see it survive that."
They were still waiting now talking about Tidus. Wakka was looking a little worried. Zell knew how he felt. He wanted to see Tidus come along with them. But if he was going to stay….he would be sad. He liked the kid. And if there was no way of him going home to Zanarkand, he would happily take Tidus with him back to Balamb to live. After all, Balamb Garden was the home of many homeless kids who could make a living.
"Do you think he's gonna stay here?" Wakka asked. Lulu shrugged. "Sir Auron knows him, apparently. You were right. He did meet someone he knew." She said. Yuna looked a little downcast at the idea of leaving Tidus in Luca. "Do you think he'll find a way back to Zanarkand?" She asked.
Zell looked at her. "If he doesn't and I do, I could take him with me. He can have a home there." He said. Yuna smiled towards him. "That's very nice of you to offer him a new home." She said. Zell shrugged. "It's the least I can do. He's a friend. And a good one at that." He said. Yuna smiled but Zell could see a small sadness in her eyes. He could tell that if Zell and Tidus was to go back to Zell's home world, she would miss them terribly.
Wakka shrugged. "Well in any case, I'll miss having him around." He said. Yuna looked at him. "He's still in town, isn't he? I think I'll go see him." She said and started to walk away but stopped. "Oh!" She frozed. Everyone turned and saw Auron walking with Tidus behind him. The blonde wasn't looking too happy about something. "Whoa." Wakka said.
Yuna covered her mouth with surprised. "Sir Auron!" She gasped. Auron stopped right in front of her. "Yuna." He said calmly. Yuna nodded. "Sir?" She asked. Auron just looked calmly at her. Zell didn't know how he could get so calm. He hadn't ever seen someone like this guy. Not even Squall was this calm. It was like Auron was a living, walking statue.
"I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?" He asked. The others looked shocked. "You're serious?" Lulu asked losing her stoic ways. Auron looked at her. "You refuse?" he asked. Yuna shook her head vigorously. "No, no! We accept! Right, everyone?" She asked. Wakka nodded quickly. "O-Of course! No problem at all!" He said. Lulu squinted her eyes though. "But…why?" She asked.
Auron looked back at Yuna calmly as always. "I promised Braska." He told them. Yuna blinked in surprised. "You promised my father? Thank you, Sir Auron. You're welcome to join us." She said, bowing to Auron. Auron, still looking at her reached back and grabbed Tidus' shoulder. "And…he comes too." He said as he pushed him forward.
Tidus staggered a little but then stood straight rubbing the back of his neck. "Hi….guys. Eh….howdy." he said. Zell smiled feeling a happier that Tidus was going with. "This one I promised Jecht." He said. Yuna looked surprised. "Is Sir Jecht alive?" She asked. Auron turned a little. "Can't say. Haven't seen him in ten years." He said, although his eyes went straight to Zell.
Yuna nodded. "I…see." She said softly. Auron was still looking at Zell, who stared back. "You'll meet him eventually." He told Yuna. Yuna smiled. "Yes. I'm looking forward to it." She said. Auron walked over to Lulu. "What's our itinerary? Where are we headed?" He asked. The adults began talking. Tidus wandered over the railing close to where Zell was. Yuna walked over to join them.
The three looked at each other. Yuna nodded to them with a big smile. "Hey, watch!" She said. She whistled. Both blondes smiled. "Hey, you got pretty good." Tidus said. Zell looked at him. There was a sad tone in his voice. Like someone had just told him something bad. He looked sad too. Zell wondered if it was the reason he had to go with them, but then again he knew that Tidus wanted to go.
"You sound sad." Yuna broke the small silence. Tidus shrugged. "Yeah…maybe." He said. Yuna smiled. "Wanna scream?" She asked. Tidus' corners of his mouth curved a little. "I really don't think that's gonna help this time." He said. Yuna looked away. "You know what? It's embarrassing to say this myself…but summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad, you know? I know it's hard." She said.
Tidus nodded. "Yeah…I understand. I think." He said. Zell smiled and shook his head. "What she means is, even if you are sad, try and smile." He said. Yuna nodded. "Right, now let's see what you can do." She said. Tidus looked at her. "Huh?" he asked. Yuna nodded. "Come on!" She said. Zell nodded. Tidus smiled but he had several weird facial expressions. Zell laughed a little. Yuna smiled brightly. "Next, try laughing out loud." She instructed.
"What?" Tidus asked. Zell reached over and nudged Tidus. "Come on, show us. Show us how to laugh." He told him. Yuna giggled. Tidus shrugged. He stretched and forced out a laugh which was very loud and obnoxious. Zell frowned and looked surprised. He looked over and saw that everyone was looking at them. Yuna looked awkward.
"You probably shouldn't laugh anymore." She said. But Tidus kept laughing the annoying laugh. Yuna giggled and joined in. Zell laughed normally then joined in. They kept doing it until the all broke down into normal laughs. "Too funny!" Yuna giggled. Tidus smiled. "It was your idea." He told her.
Yuna looked towards the sun. "Um…thank you. Both of you. I want my journey to be full of laughter. That's why I want you both to be there. You make me laugh." She said. Tidus and Zell looked at each other. "Okay." Tidus said. Yuna looked at Tidus. "If we should get separated, just whistle. I'll come running, I promise." She said. Both blondes nodded. "Well, let's go." Tidus said. They all turned around and everyone was still staring at them.
"What're you looking at?" Tidus asked blushing. Wakka folded his arms. "We were worried you three might've gone crazy." He said. Zell scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry." He said. Yuna nodded. "Well, then, alright. Now we will go to the temple of Djose. And Guardians? Don't forget to smile." She said. Zell smiled looking at the ground.
Both Tidus and Zell raced each other up the stairs and looked around. They saw a winding dirt road ahead of them. A sign close by that read Mi'ihen Highroad. The others joined them and they began travelling down the road. A few times they were attacking by monsters, and Zell got to see exactly how good Auron was. And he was good.
He usually killed the rock fiends with one hit. Tidus had a heck of a time trying to get them. Auron kept telling him to leave the rock fiends to him. Zell noticed that Tidus didn't like Auron too much. He kept shooting sarcastic remarks but Auron didn't seem to care. As they walked Zell spotted an old man wearing green. The man looked at ruins.
"Do you know what those ruins are from?" The man asked. Tidus shrugged. "Some old city?" He asked. Yuna walked up to them to listen too. The man nodded. "Correct. A city most ancient. A terrible testament to Sin's power. I tremble every time I see them. Compared to Sin, humans are mere mudpuppies." He said. Yuna shook her head. "But I believe humans are the only ones capable of defeating Sin." She said.
The man nodded. "A good reply. I am relieved to hear you say that, m'lady summoner. Where are my manners? I am Maechen, a scholar. At your service, m'lady. I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets...My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I have seen. Fragile smiles on people's faces crumbling at the mere mention of Sin. They are counting on you, m'lady. Give them a reason to rejoin once more."
Yuna nodded. "I will." She said and they continued to journey. They were walking along the path when suddenly a trio of chocobo riders rode up. Zell was surprised to see Chocobos here. He didn't think they had them. The riders themselves were two females and one guy. "Lady Summoner, I presume?" The leader said.
Yuna nodded. "Yes, I am Yuna." She said. The leader bowed her head in respect. "I am Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights." She said. The other girl nodded. "And I'm Elma. We've been charged to guard the Highroad." She said. Lucil nodded. "There have been reports of a large fiend appearing in this area, with the taste for chocobos. Do take care, Summoner Yuna, if you are to rent any chocobos." She said. Yuna nodded. "Thank you. We will be careful." She told them.
Lucil nodded. "Good. We should get back to our rounds. Farewell." She said. Elma nodded. "Our prayers are with you." She said and they rode away. Zell thought about their warning. He didn't like the idea of some monster eating chocobos. Thinking about chocobos reminded him of the Garden's pet Chocobo, Boco. Zell loved Boco with all his heart. Boco was like a summon to them but he wasn't a GF. He was a good Chocobo. Zell wondered how he was doing anyways.
Tidus looked thoughtful. "A large fiend….Let's go get him!" He said. Auron looked at him. "Why?" He asked. Tidus shrugged. "It's the right thing to do." He said with a nod. Auron rose an eyebrow. "It's the right thing to do?" He then started laughing to himself. Tidus looked annoyed. "What'd I say now?" He asked. Auron shook his head. "Jecht said that a lot too. And every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska and me." He said. Zell laughed at the annoyed look on Tidus' face.
They continued to walk. Zell saw that Auron was glancing his way. He was wondering what was so interesting to let the 'Hero', as everyone believed, look at him. He looked at the ground trying not to catch Auron's eye. But too late. They ended up running into a woman and a young child possibly 12 years old.
"My Lady Summoner!" The mother gasped. The girl looked intrigued. "You're a Summoner?" She asked. Yuna nodded. "Yes. My name is Yuna." She said. The girl smiled brightly. "I'm Calli." She said. Yuna bowed to Calli. "Nice to meet you, Calli." She said. Calli looked towards the group, her eyes laid on Zell and she smiled at him. She waved looking shy. That earned a snort from Tidus and a nudge. Zell gave him a look trying to think of what so funny.
Calli looked back at Yuna. "Lady Yuna, are you going to bring us the Calm?" She asked. Yuna nodded. "Yes, very soon." She said. Calli started jumping up and down in cheer. "Yay!" She then ran around in circls around Yuna. The mother smiled. "We're looking forward to another Calm, My Lady Summoner." She said. Yuna nodded. "I'll do my best." She said.
The mother looked at the Guardians. And good luck to you, Guardians." She said. Calli picked a flower and ran over to Zell holding up to him. "Here you go! I'm Calli!' She said. Zell smiled feeling awkward and took the flower. He gave a nod to her. "I'm Zell." He told her. Calli giggled and threw her arms around his chest hugging him. Then she ran after her mother. "I hope to see you again!" She called as she left.
Zell waved and looked at the flower. Everyone was either smirking or laughing. Zell looked around. "What?" He asked. Lulu rose an eyebrow still smirking. "I think someone has an admirer already." She said. Zell still looked confused. Wakka nudged him in the side. "I think that girl's got the eyes for you, ya?" Zell caught on and jumped. "Ah! No way! She's cute and all but she's way too young for me!" He said waving his hands.
Everyone laughed. Tidus looked at Yuna. "So, what's the Calm?" he asked. Lulu looked at him. "The Calm is a time of Peace. It comes after a summoner defeats Sin and lasts until Sin reappears." She said. Yuna nodded. "Sin dies and is reborn." She said. Zell stuck the flower in his pocket just for memories but looked a little peeved about the idea of Sin being reborn.
"I get it. I thought it was weird. Yuna's dad defeated Sin ten years ago, right? But Sin's still here. Didn't make much sense till now. Wait….If it just comes back…." He paused. Yuna shook her head. "Don't say it isn't worth it…because it is." She said. Tidus nodded. Zell just looked away.
"I knew why Yuna said that, Don't say it isn't worth it. It was because it was true.If Sin would be gone for a while,That would mean people could sleep without being scared. Maybe that was why I was here.I was to figure out how to keep Sin from appearing again.
Maybe I was to destroy Sin.
Sin, Jecht, that kid.Who was that kid?
Why haven't I seen him yet? I've seen Sin aka Jecht.
But why not that kid? I couldn't figure it out.
But there seemed to be a lot of time.
So he might just show up again.
Whoever he was, I'm going to wring his scrawny little neck for taking part of this.
But then again……maybe I'll thank him."
The group continued to travel down the road. As they did, they came along a Chocobo carriage. Luzzu and Gatta were there leading the caravan. The two turned and saw them coming and smiled. "Hey! We saw the game! You guys were great!" Gatta said. Luzzu nodded looking at Wakka. "Congratulations, Wakka." He said. Wakka nodded. "Thanks, Luzzu. But I couldn't have done it without Tidus and Zell." He said nodding to the two blondes.
Tidus shook his head. "I really didn't do anything. The one you should say that too is Zell. He's the one who made that final shot." He said. Zell shook his head. "But it was Wakka's idea. He told me to do that." He said. Everyone shrugged.
Just then Elma and Lucil rode up. "Hey! Stop loafing around!" Elma ordered. Gatta looked nervous. "Uh….The Lady Summoner and her Guardians…" He was saying. Lucil shook her head. "This mission requires our full attention. We've not time to waste. Understood?" She asked harshly. Luzzu nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Apologies, ma'am." He said. Lucil nodded. "Carry on." She said and they rode off.
Luzzu looked at Gatta. "See? Keep your head down, say 'sir' a lot, and you'll do fine." He said. Gatta nodded. "Right….sir." He said. Yuna giggled. Zell rose an eyebrow. He hadn't ever heard of that rule though. He knew it was out of respect when it came to military tactics but he was used to the idea of the bosses calling the soldiers 'Sir'.
Yuna giggled. Luzzu looked at her. "Hey, Yuna. Even though Yevon rejected us….we still believe in you. That won't ever change." He said. Yuna nodded. "Thank you, Sir Luzzu, Sir Gatta. But you know, it's not too late for you to go back to Besaid and…." She was saying. Gatta jumped a little. "We should be going, sir." He said. Everyone nodded and the two hurried off.
The group continued on the way. Zell was trying to of why Yevon would reject Luzzu and Gatta. What did they mean by that? Up ahead there were two people arguing. A Crusader and a young girl. "We'll defeat Sin any way we can!" The man growled. The girl shook her head. "But Yevon's teaching says….." She was saying. The Crusader growled. "Enough!" He barked and stormed off.
The girl sighed shaking her head. "I-I only meant to…." She cut off looking sad. "Are you all right?" Yuna asked stepping forward. "Lady Summoner...?" The girl asked. The two girls bowed to each other. "Yes, I am Yuna." Yuna said. The girl smiled. "It is an honor, my lady. My name is Shelinda. I am a disciple of Yevon." She said. Wakka stepped forward and folded his arms. "What was all that about? The Crusaders' operation?" He asked.
Tidus looked at him. "You mean the one Gatta and Luzzu were talking about?" he asked. Wakka nodded. Shelinda sighed. "I heard they were to use forbidden machina! I had to stop them." She said. Zell straightened. "Huh? Why?" he asked. Lulu shook her head. "The use of machina is strictly forbidden by the Yevon priesthood." She said. Wakka nodded. "That's bad, ya?" He said. Zell tilted his head. "So that's why you don't like machines." He said. Wakka shrugged. "Yeah, that and another reason." He said.
Auron shook his head. "Let them use whatever they want. They still won't defeat Sin." He said. Shelinda looked stunned. "But, it's not about defeating Sin. The teachings of Yevon must be upheld." She said. Wakka nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Right." He said. Shelinda shook her head. "But you don't understand. The Crusaders won't even listen to me. And it's all because I'm just a lowly acolyte." She said.
Yuna shook her head. "Don't say that. Well, I haven't been a summoner for very long myself, you see. Still, I can't put myself down every time I fail. People are depending on me. They're depending on both of us." She said. Shelinda nodded. "Yes! Yes, you're right, my lady. Absolutely right! Thank you so much, Lady Yuna! Now, I feel I have the courage to finish my training." She said.
The group continued on their way finally reaching a building. The sun was starting to set anyways. Auron stopped and looked around. He then turned to the others. "We rest here." He said. Wakka looked around. "But, this is an Al Bhed shop!" He said. Auron looked at Wakka. "Is that a problem?" He asked. Wakka nodded. "They don't believe in Yevon and in Luca they…" he paused choosing his words carefully. "They kidnapped Yuna!" he said. Auron rose his eyebrows. "Where were her Guardians?" He asked calmly. Both Wakka and Lulu looked embarrassed. Yuna looked at Wakka. "Sir Auron's just concerned about your health." She said.
Wakka folded his arms and looked smug. "I'm not tired one bit." He said. Zell could tell he was lying. So could Auron. He turned away. "Well, I am." He said and walked towards the shop. The others followed him. Zell didn't know what was wrong with Al Bhed. Surely not all of there bad like the Psyches were. He shrugged and went into the building to sleep.
Zell couldn't sleep though. His mind was too troubled. He got up and went back outside. The sun was setting and everything looked beautiful. He saw Tidus and Yuna talking. Auron was walking away from them. Apparently he was talking to them not long ago. And now he was making his way towards the shop where Zell was standing. Zell stepped aside to let him past but Auron stopped right in front of him.
There was a long silence over the two. Zell felt weird with the silence. He wished that Auron would just walk on or say something. Finally he did. "So you're a Gaian." Auron said calmly. Zell blinked. "Huh?" He asked. Auron just stood there. "Jecht told me about you. Before I went to Luca." He said. Zell just blinked. "Jecht….?" He paused. Auron nodded once. "Sin. I know of your knowledge of him. Sin is Jecht. The one that brought you here." He said.
Zell nodded softly. "Isn't Jecht Tidus' dad?" he asked. Auron nodded. "He is." He spoke softly in his calm stoic way. Zell tilted his head. "Does Tidus know?" He asked. Again a nod. Zell lowered his gaze. "Tell me, Auron. Is there anyway I can go home? I mean, after we get rid of Sin. Is there any way of me returning to Gaia?" he asked.
Auron stood there silently before turning his head away. "I can't say." He said softly. Zell shook his head. "You can't or you won't?" He asked. Auron looked back at him. "I won't." He said. Zell stared feeling like someone had just punched him in the chest. "There is no way, is there?" he asked. Auron shook his head. "It's up to the Fayth if you go back or not. They're the ones who ordered Sin to bring you here."
Zell stared. "Why? What do they want from me? Why did they do this?" he asked. Auron shook his head again. "I can't say. And this time I don't know." He said. Zell shook his head and lowered his gaze. He felt upset now. There was no way of going back. He sighed and turned to his side. Auron was watching him. He then stepped forward, practically standing over Zell because he was much taller than him. Zell looked up at his face.
"You were the chosen one out of the SeeDs for a reason, Zell. There is something here that the Fayth wanted you to have. I can't tell you what I don't know. But you will know when the time comes." Auron whispered. He placed his hand on Zell's shoulder and then walked on. Zell sighed and walked towards the cliff side a ways from Tidus and Yuna. His baby blue eyes gazing off.
"Well I had my answer.
I couldn't go home unless the Fayth said so.
But why me? What did the Fayth want from me?
I wasn't happy. It was clear of that.
And everyone else could see it when I went back
into the shop.
Tidus tried to ask me what was wrong but I wouldn't
Answer.
Auron told him to leave me alone for awhile.
I think…..I think Yuna already knew.
She always knew, doesn't she?
