Chapter 3
Now the fun begins
Nathan awoke slowly, his muscles not quite so sore anymore but still unhappy with him and dry. His eyes drifted open slowly and took in his surroundings, he was in a hut somewhere in Besaid village judging from it's size, contents and the sounds he heard from outside. It was evening but not yet full night, his stomach rumbled but he didn't yet have the strength to get up and move to well. His eyes scanned a small table next to the bed he was in and saw a bowl of strange fruits on it, he blinked once and took a moment to pick a fruit that looked something like a pear and flung out his arm. Luck was with him as he managed to grab hold of it and dragged it back for a closer look. In the dim light it looked like a pear only in shape, the texture he couldn't quite place and the smell reminded him of bananas.
"Oh screw it…" He muttered and took a bite of the small fruit. He only tasted it going down, it was something like bananas but he didn't pay it much mind. Two more bites and the fruit was gone, and with his hunger satisfied for the moment he let himself fall back to sleep.
When he woke up next it was morning or rather mid morning and didn't feel sore anymore or tired. "It's about damn time….." He muttered and sat up slowly, looking around. He only had a moment when two men stepped into the hut, there could be no mistaking the first one. Only one man had bright orange hair that defied gravity like that, the other wore priestly robes so obviously he had to be from the temple. Wakka broke into a grin when he saw Nathan sitting up. "Welcome back ya? Nice to see you awake finally, you been out for two days now. I know Jassu's got a pretty good kick but I didn't think it'd be enough to knock you out." Nathan blinked for a moment then spoke. "Oh, uh no, no it wasn't Jassu's fault. I was very tired see…."
The priest broke in. "Yes, we know. And judging from how wet you were, you were obviously in the water for quite a length of time. Though I've never seen anyone with clothing quite like yours, where are you from stranger and how did you end up here on Besaid Island?" Oh great, what do I tell them? Well, the truth I suppose….. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck, a sign of nervousness for him, as he started to speak. "Well, truthfully I don't know quite how to explain it….I was sleeping in my own bed one moment and then the next I opened my eyes and I was about eighty feet under water….." He trailed off, of course that was nuts! Who would believe that? "Maybe you got to close to Sin, ya? I did hear that a boat went missing near Besaid not to long ago." Wakka said thoughtfully and the priest nodded his head in agreement as if that were the most logical explanation. "But your alive and safe now! Praise be to Yevon." Then both men bowed with their arms held before them, it was that sign of victory from Zanarkand in the beginning of the game. If I told them this WAS a game they'd either think Sin's toxin really messed with my head or brand me some sort of heretic. I'd best play along for now until I can find a way home…..wait a minute…..why should I go home? Mom and Dad are still angry at me and I have only what's in my room. No money, no job, no girlfriend. This is the chance of a lifetime! I'm sure as hell not gonna pass this up!
By the way, what's your name?" The priest asked, to which Nathan blinked. I can't give them my real name, I mean what kind of heroic name is Nathan or Nate anyways? Oh! I got it! "My name is Jack, Jack uh……er……I can't remember the rest." That would hold them till he could think up a suitable last name.
"Well then Jack, welcome to Besaid Island. My name is Wakka and I'm the captain of the Besaid Aurochs!" The man said with a huge grin then indicated his hand to the priest. "And this is the head priest to the temple. Hey, maybe you should go and pray ya? Maybe it'll help you get your memories back faster." Jack looked at him with an eyebrow raised and shook his head, he did believe in God but he wasn't much of a church going man. "No….not yet….I think…I'd just like to have a look around." His nose wrinkled and he looked down at himself. "Eh……as soon as I can get my clothes washed and get a bath……and eat….I'm starving!"
Some time later Jack sat in Wakka's hut, and dressed in of all things, the robes of an acolyte from the temple. "This isn't exactly my style……." He muttered to himself as he shifted under the robes and grimaced, his clothes were clean but would take awhile to dry. He'd had to stand over the woman who'd washed his clothes and made extra sure she was careful with his blue tribal shirt, thankfully all of his clothes were cold wash only. "Sorry brudda, but I didn't think you'd like our uniforms so this is all we could get ya?" Wakka had said after handing him the robes. He'd seemed puzzled by the way Jack insisted that he be left alone to change and the way he dove under the covers when Wakka peeked in to be sure he was ok. "You sure you're a man? Cause the only time I've seen someone do that was when I walked in on Lu…." He trailed off.
"Of course I am!" Jack yelled then muttered in a softer voice. "I'm just….not happy with my body and I don't like showing it off, ok?" Wakka still looked puzzled but kept his mouth shut when Jack gave him the glare o' death. Now he sat, watching the village through the opening of the hut while munching on a fruit that seemed to be like an apple but with a strange minty aftertaste. Better get used to it….it could be worse. It could all taste like dirt or ass or…..goodness knows what else…. Wakka stepped in and sat down next to Jack as he popped the last of the fruit into his mouth. "Why don't you take a walk around the village? You can't stay cooped up in here all day you know."
Jack shrugged, for all his thoughts about this being a grand adventure he certainly was shy about going out there. "N.no….that's ok I'm happy where I am…." He said softly then found himself being hauled to his feet by Wakka, the man may have looked goofy but he certainly had a good deal of strength! "C'mon, everyone is curious about you, so go out there and introduce yourself, ya?" Jack stumbled more over his robes than from the force of Wakka's playful push out of the tent. "And don't come back until dinner time, ok?" After taking a moment to adjust the robe so wouldn't trip on it he faced the hut and stuck out his tongue before turning and nearly running into a little girl who'd been watching him intently since he first stumbled out of the tent. "Hi…." he said, only slightly creeped out by the way she stared at him. "Hi!" She said brightly before going on. "Did you really come from the ocean?" Jack looked at her then noticed some of the other villagers were watching him too and whispering amongst themselves at the strange arrival.
"Oh boy…." He muttered.
