I've decided to forgo talking about the Cloister of Trials. They're too difficult to explain. Just pretend they never exsisted, and you enter straight into the Chamber of the Fayth, okay?

Here's the next chapter for you guys. It's a loooooooong one. Hope you enjoy!

Please RnR!

Chapter Five

The Summoner

He heard Wakka burst in behind him. "Hey! What's gotten into you?" Tidus knew he had done something very bad. He had been so overcome with emotion, he overlooked how offended everyone might get if he broke their rules. "Hey, it's okay. I explained to the High Priest and Priestess about your run in with Sin, so it'll be fine. Just try to remember: Only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important."

They had walked through a hallway inside the door above the staircase and reached a lift. "So what about you?" Tidus asked.

"Me? I'm a guardian." Wakka responded.

"A guardian?"

Wakka shook his head. "You'll figure it out." The lift brought them downwards. "Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira. Guardians protect them There are two guardians in there now. One of them's got a short fuse, and who knows what the other's thinking." He sighed. "Well, now that we've come this far...might as well go all the way!" Wakka added, somewhat cheerfully. They entered a door at the bottom of the lift.

They were met with a woman's stern voice. "What are you doing here? Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?"

One of the strangest-dressed woman that Tidus had ever seen was standing in front of them, arms folded. She had long, long, black hair in several braids. She was tall and pale, with a heavily-made up face. Her face seemed to fall in a natural-looking frown. Her dress was baffling. It was long, so long it dragged on the floor, and violet, the edges and hem lined in lace. The neck was lined in beige fur. Her arms were folded across her tightly-corsetted chest, her bony hands had talon-like finger nails, painted a violet to match her dress and make-up. But the strangest thing about this woman was the fact that she held some sort of doll. It was small and white, yet it looked hastily-made with only brown thread "X's" for eyes and a thin expressionless mouth. No doubt, it was creepy.

Another guardian was in the room. But Tidus doubted that he was human. He was tall, nearly two head taller than Tidus, and covered from head to toe in dense, light blue fur. He had yellow cat-like eyes, and his face, hands, and feet were those of a beast. He had long white hair falling from the top of his head, and he held a tall, sharp spear. Atop his head was a white stub, perhaps some sort of horn, and his muscles bulged from beneath his fur. The spear and the strange sort of clothing that he wore made him look like a warrior beast. He stood at the far end of the chamber, in front of a thick, stone door arms folded, glaring at Tidus.

"No, Lulu, it's just...uh..." Wakka turned to Tidus. "See, I told you she gets mad easy!" He whispered.

Lulu made a scowl at Tidus. "Who are you?" She asked bitterly. Tidus was opened his mouth to speak when the stone door opened.

Out staggered a girl, probably about Tidus's age. She was petite, with ash-brown locks cascading to her shoulders, framing her delicate face. She wore a white shirt made of a flowing material and a long, pleated purple skirt decorated with a pattern of white flowers. On her arms were arm warmers, which were pale pink, and long, they nearly reached her feet, on which she wore plain black boots. She held a blue staff. At the top was a large, circular, decoration, which reminded Tidus of the sun. A yellow sash with pink, blue, and purple flowers was tied around her waist, with an elaborate bow in the back. Her left eye was as blue as the ocean on the Besaid beach, while her right eye was as green as one of the trees growing in the ruins. Tidus thought her beautiful, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. 'That's a summoner?' He thought to himself. He was surprised, he'd assumed summoners were all old men.

A drop of sweat appeared at her temple and rolled down the side of her face. She looked exhausted, large unsightly bags had formed under her eyes. Her breathing was heavy, as though she had been running. She looked at her guardians and Tidus and gave a small smile. Then, she fainted, but the blue beast lunged, catching her in his arms before she hit the floor. He helped her steady herself. She took a deep breath and smiled. "I've...I've done it. I have become a...a summoner." She said softly, but happily.

Neither of the other guardians mentioned Tidus's presense as they followed the girl out of the chamber, out of the temple and into the village outside. A crowd had formed outside. All performed the prayer as the girl walked to the center of the village. Wakka stepped out of the crowd and grabbed Tidus, pulling him into the crowd. "Wait'll you see this!" He said excitedly.

The summoner stood in the center of the village, the crowd all watching from in front of the temple. The girl flung open her arms at the sky. A few clouds began to form in the sky. Then, the girl pulled her staff behind her. A strange series of glowing lights and symbols formed around. They morphed together, then hurled up into the clouds. The clouds in the sky burst open, and out flew a gigantic bird-like creature.

It's head and beak were white and it had glowing eyes. It's neck and lower body were covered in red feathers. Big, jagged, yellow wings sprouted from the creature's back. It swooped down and landed on the ground in front of the summoner. The crowd let out noises of amazement.

"An aeon!" A man in front of Tidus gasped.

"From the fayth of the Priestess Valefor, I suppose." A woman responded.

The girl approached the beast, Valefor, slowly. When it let her near it, she reached out and stroked the feathers on it's neck. The crowd clapped. She smiled, and with a wave of her hand, the beast flew off back into the heavens.

He had never seen anything like it in his life. Sure, it was a little scary, but he could feel a strange kind of gentleness coming from it.

That night, they talked for the first time. And after that night, everything changed.

There was a celebration in Besaid that night. The whole village surrounded a huge bonfire, to celebrate the birth of the summoner. Tidus could see the summoner on the other side of the bonfire, talking with some people from the temple. Wakka was introducing him to the team.

"This guy here wants into the tournament so bad, I let him on the team. His memory's a little fuzzy, so don't mind him if he says anything odd! Come on, say hi." Wakka instructed.

Tidus smiled and waved. "So, what's our goal?" He asked the Aurochs.

"To do our best!" They shouted in unison.

"Nope!" Wakka said, proudly. "We got a new goal now...victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team! To bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win! Easy, ya?"

"Victory?" The Aurochs asked, pondering the word, as though it was the first time they'd ever used it. They smiled, realizing that they new player would bring them hope. "Victory! Victory! Victory!" They chanted. Tidus caught the summoner's eye. She gave him a big smile.

He felt like he owed it to her to apologize for storming into her training. He excused himself from the team, and headed over to where the summoner sat.

"You heathen!" A man growled at Tidus.

"Stay away from the summoner!" A woman hissed.

"You're a bad man!" A small girl said, matter-of-factly.

The summoner looked slightly angry at them. "It was my fault to begin with." She told them. She walked over to Tidus.

"I'm Yuna." She said cheerfully. "Thank you so much for your help earlier!"

"I'm sorry about that." Tidus apologized. "Wasn't that...wasn't I not supposed to...guess I...kind of overreacted."

Yuna brushed it off. "Oh no! I was...overconfident."

They stood in an awkward silence for a moment. "I saw that aeon thing...that's amazing!" Tidus told her.

She giggled. "Really? Oh, do you think that I can become High Summoner?"

"Absolutely!" Tidus said, still unsure of what the term meant.

"Lady Yuna, come play with me some more!" Begged the girl who'd called Tidus a "bad man."

Yuna nodded, but quickly turned to Tidus. "So, tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow?" Tidus wondered.

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we? We can talk more." She turned and began to walk back with the little girl. "You can tell me all about Zanarkand!" She called back.

"She's cute, ya?" Wakka was suddenly next to Tidus.

"Yeah!" Tidus chirped, suddenly wishing he could grab the words out of the sky and stuff them back in his mouth.

"Don't get no ideas." Wakka warned him.

"No promises there, big guy. Hey, but what if she, like, comes on to me?" Tidus questioned.

"That's not going to happen." Wakka informed him. Oh, and let me now if you get tired, I had a bed made for you at the Crusaders lodge."

Tidus took Wakka up on the offer, and headed towards the lodge. That night, he had a dream.

He was on a dock, staring out to sea, Yuna was beside him. "Where's that boat?" He asked her.

"Everyone will find us," She informed him, "If it doesn't come soon."

"You sure this is okay?" He was asking.

"Would you take me to Zanarkand?" Yuna said, in a begging tone.

"Hey!" A voice chirped. It was Rikku, suddenly running down the dock to meet them. "You said you'd go with me!"

"Oh, hey...I, uh..." Was Tidus's smart response.

Rikku put her hands on her hips. "I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas."

"He did?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah, so you're coming with me!" Rikku said sharply.

"Hey! Stop dreaming!" Another voice cut into the dream. Tidus turned and saw his father, Jecht, standing on the nearby beach. Rikku and Yuna had suddenly appeared beside him. "You? With a woman? You can't even catch a ball!" He was still on the pier, but he was younger now. The same ten-year-old boy he'd been when Jecht disappeared, crying. "Oh, what's the matter? You gonna cry again? Cry, cry, that's the only thing you're good for!" Jecht said with a laugh.

"I hate you..." The young Tidus was whispering.

"Huh? What'd you say?" Jecht said, in his loud, obnoxious tone.

"You have to speak loudly." Yuna told him.

"I hate you!" He shouted.

"Huh?" Jecht still couldn't hear him.

"That's the spirit!" Rikku cheered.

"You can do it!" Yuna said, encouragingly.

"I hate you!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. But he wasn't in the dream anymore. He was in his bed at the Crusaders lodge.

"He's dead, okay? Dead!" A voice from outside the lodge cut through the air. Tidus crept over to investigate.

Pulling back the curtain, which made a makeshift door to the outside of the lodge, he saw that everyone in the village had left. Only Wakka, and the dark, frowning guardian, Lulu stood in front of the dying fire. It was Lulu who had informed Wakka that whoever was dead.

"He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu! You shouldn't have brought him hear in the first place!" Lulu said threateningly to Wakka.

"Yeah, but...he needed our help!" Wakka tried to explain.

Lulu folded her arms across her chest. "Excuses again?" She demanded.

"Yeah...but..."

She held up her hand, as if trying to physically end the conversation. "That's it. No more. Enough, Wakka!" She turned and walked towards the temple. Wakka slumped his shoulders, looking defeated.

"Wakka!" Tidus whisper-called. Wakka went over to the lodge and joined Tidus inside.

"Scary!" Tidus said, thinking of the tone Lulu used with Wakka. "So, who's Chappu?"

Wakka sat down on the bed across from Tidus. "My little brother, Chappu. He looked like you."

"He's dead?"

Wakka sighed. "He was...with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it. I first heard on the day of the tournament."

"Oh. So that's why you couldn't focus."

Wakka nodded. "I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?"

"Revenge then?"

"That was the idea. But, now I'm more worried about a stupid game than avenging my brother." Wakka said. "Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian full-time. I know it kinda looks like I'm using you, but I'm not."

"Don't worry. I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out, you know? What I mean is... thanks, Wakka." Tidus said with a smile.

"Stop! You're embarrassing me!" Wakka said with a laugh.

The next morning, he headed out of the lodge and met Wakka and Lulu at the center of the village. "Hey! Sleepyhead! Something I wanna give you." Wakka told him.

He handed Tidus a beautiful, crystal blue sword that reminded him of the ocean at the Besaid beach. It was amazing, and probably a lot better than the sword he was currently using. "Woah! You're giving this...to me?" Tidus asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Wakka said proudly. "Use it well."

"You need a weapon to be a guardian?" Tidus wondered.

"It's not a rule, but it's recommended. Gotta protect the summoner with all your might!" Wakka held up the blitzball he was carrying. "I'm a hard-hitter. I think I can make a few enemies, and a few blitz opponents, go down!" He added with a laugh.

"What about you?" Tidus asked Lulu. She rolled her eyes. At that moment, the stiching eyes on the doll she was holding glowed bright red. There was no denying it. Lulu could control that doll.

Lulu frowned and pointed to the sword that Wakka had given Tidus. "That's the sword you gave Chappu."

"Yeah, well, he never used it." Wakka quickly changed the subject. "Where's Yuna?"

"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right? Why do we gotta wait here?" Tidus asked.

"Yuna came to this village ten years ago, when the last Calm started." Wakka explained. "Since then, she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu. But she had the talent, and she became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner."

"This is our journey." Lulu added. "We should leave together."

Yuna walked out of the temple to join them, along with her staff, she was carrying a large suitcase.

"You really don't need all that luggage..." Lulu told her.

"There not really my things. They're gifts for the temples we're to visit." Yuna explained.

"This isn't a vacation Yuna." Wakka said, warningly.

"I guess...I guess you're right." Yuna said softly. She ran over to them, abandoning her suitcase on the temple steps.

"Okay!" Wakka cheered. "Off we go!" The group began to walk towards the village gates. Tidus looked behind him and saw Yuna, straggling, gazing at the temple. With a quick bow, she hurried up to join the Wakka, Lulu, and Tidus up ahead.

They followed the same winding dirt path Tidus and Wakka had taken when they first arrived. When they reached the high cliff with the village down below, Yuna stopped. She walked to the edge of the cliff and stared at the village beneath. "Take your time." Lulu said kindly.

"Let's get going, man!" Tidus shouted. He was eager to get to the boat. No, he was eager to play blitzball.

Wakka folded his arms. "We're gonna wait. For Yuna." Yuna stared down at the small village for a long time. Finally she turned and gave Wakka a small smile. "You ready?" He asked. And when she nodded, they began walking the path to the beach again.

Lulu, Yuna, and Wakka walked over to a strange, tall, carved statue. It reminded Tidus of the ocean's waves. Wakka and Yuna knelt down in front of it and made the prayer gesture. Lulu did it hastily. "An ancient custom," Wakka explained. "People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip. Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat." Tidus felt uncomfortable. He just watched. Eventually they finished and continued on their way.

They took a new path this time, "the long way," Wakka had explained. This path didn't lead to the bridges over the lagoon, this one wound through a forest, around old ruins, and next to a waterfall, so close the spray sprinkled the path.

When they walked through part of a forest so thick and full of ruins, the sunlight could barely get through, Tidus stopped and stared up at all the ruins. The forest seemed so peaceful. Nothing like in Zanarkand. He didn't even notic that Wakka, Lulu,a nd Yuna had walked further and further away from him.

A dull roar sounded suddenly rocked the tranquility. Tidus looked up and saw something, or someone, leaping from atop the ruins and into the trees. The roars became louder, and the figure dove down from the trees, landing in front of Tidus.

It was the beast that had been so protective of Yuna in the temple. His spear was clenched in his large, sharp-nailed fist. Anger surged in his yellow eyes. He let out a thunderous roar, then lunged at Tidus, spear pointed.

Tidus drew the sword Wakka gave him and raised it, blocking the blow. The beast tried again, raising the spear above his head, and swinging it down with a swoop. Tidus nimbly dodged it, and prepared to strike.

"That's enough!" Wakka walked towards them, Tidus put his sword down, feeling foolish. The beast shook his head and walked away, joining Yuna and Lulu who were waiting behind Wakka.

"Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe." Lulu explained. "He's learned the fiends way of fighting."

"He's another one of Yuna's guardians." Wakka added. This didn't surprise Tidus.

Yuna gave a giggle. "Sometimes we don't understand him, either. Kimahri doesn't talk much, anyway. But he's protected me ever since I was a child." Tidus understood. Kimahri had been Yuna's guardian all her life, he could see why he, and stranger, would be so concerning to Kimahri. They continued along.

The reached the beach. A somewhat boat, very different, and a little bigger, than the Al Bhed's, floated near the dock. Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri all climbed aboard without saying a word, or even looking at the crowd of villagers gathered on the beach. Tidus followed their lead, but Yuna walked slowly through the crowd, bowing at the people who gave her the prayer gesture. Most of them looked very sad, a few of the children were even crying. One little boy grabbed hold of Yuna's skirt and begged her not to go. Yuna softly patted his head and gave him a sad smile. Tidus was confused. Yuna would be coming back, wouldn't she? Why were they so upset? Would it take long to go on this pilgrimage? Questions flooded his mind.

Yuna boarded the vessel, joining Tidus and her guardians on the deck. She waved to the villagers, who all sadly waved back. The crewmen yanked up the anchor, and the boat began to sail to sea.

Yuna gave the villagers the prayer gesture, and the dock was growing furthey and further away. "Good-bye." She whispered. She stared until Besaid was only a small island in the distance.