So, I was playing through Final Fantasy X on the Switch, and got to Djose Temple. Then I noticed the way those little monkey-things all are gathered around Auron the next morning, after you cleat the Temple (I know they do this with pretty much every character, but still). And I got this idea of:
"What if all animals actually love Auron?"
And then I decided I have to write this. I haven't written Final Fantasy before, so this was pretty interesting to make.
Enjoy! And please let me know what you think!
Auron and Animals
Tidus can not believe it took until Djose Temple before he noticed it. Looking back, it's been quite obvious, but for some reason he just hasn't noticed it until now, when it's blatantly happening right in front of him.
The way the (admittedly quite cute) little monkeys at the Temple jump around Auron, look at him while making these curious noises, and even climb up on his feet and halfway up his legs, even though the man himself is completely ignoring them, seemingly staring off into the distance, makes it so clear, he can't believe he didn't pay attention to it before.
Animals like Auron.
Actually, that's not quite accurate.
Saying animals like Auron, is like saying Tidus likes Blitzball.
Animals adore Auron. They gather around him wherever he is, just sitting around him, watching. Some poke at him, demanding pets, while others go as far as climbing on him, some sitting on his legs or his lap or curling around his shoulders.
All while the man does absolutely nothing to encourage such behaviour. It would be understandable if he fed them or something, but most of the time he acts like they're not even there, aside from maybe occasionally petting them for a moment or two.
Looking back, it was quite obvious even back in Zanarkand. Even if the big city didn't exactly have a lot of animals, apart from some domestic cats and birds so used to humans they might as well have been domestic. It hadn't been unusual to see Auron petting a cat whenever he was outside, nor was seeing him sitting somewhere with a bunch of felines all around him, one or two on his lap.
Tidus always just thought nothing of it. After all, these cats were pets, they were used to having humans around who would pet them (even if they ever only ran away from him whenever he tried to pet them). And the birds were always flocking around people, hoping for some scraps of food.
Now that he's actually noticed, however, he starts keeping an eye open for these occurrences, and notices more than he has paid attention to before.
He notices the way there are more birds around whenever Auron is nearby. Not just in the trees either, but on the ground around Auron, and a few brave ones even briefly land on his shoulders, or even his head (only to leave almost immediately as Auron shoos them away). He notices the way Kimahri gets better along with Auron than with the rest of them (apart from Yuna, of course). He notices how, whenever they're somewhere around people, be it towns, cities, or just meeting some travellers, somehow there's always a cat, dog or other pet that's hanging around Auron, pushing against his legs or otherwise begging for attention, just like the cats in Zanarkand.
Looking back, he also remembers when they rented those Chocobos all the way back on Mi'ihen Highroad. How the one Tidus got was wild and irritable, not liking him at all, while the one Auron got was very calm and well behaved. It's what Tidus pointed out when Auron told him to hurry up, as the others had already left. The older man gave him a look, before dismounting his Chocobo, motioning for Tidus to take it, before making his way over to Tidus and the Chocobo he was given, clearly indicating they would trade birds. The moment Auron touched the Chocobo, it instantly became calm and docile, letting out a happy chirp as it nuzzled against Auron's hand.
And one night, when they're camping along a road for the night, he just happens to get lucky enough to see something even more incredible.
They have set up two tents, as is normal. Yuna, Rikku and Lulu share the smaller tent, while Tidus, Wakka and Kimahri share the bigger one, which is also normal. Kimahri has to be convinced to get some rest and not stay up all night, not uncommon. Auron is keeping watch, very normal. (As a child, Tidus used to think Auron didn't sleep at all. He still believes he wasn't completely wrong.) Tidus is awakened by Wakka's snoring, more common than he would like. The tent being open, giving Tidus a good view of the outside, not very normal. It's pretty bright out, despite it being night, just because of the moon and the pyreflies, so he can't not see what's going on outside.
He has to blink his eyes a few times, and even pinches himself, convinced he's dreaming. Or maybe hallucinating. Some of the monsters they fought earlier that day really managed to mess with his head.
But no. That's Auron, sitting on a rock, keeping watch. And that's a fox, sprawled across his legs, looking as relaxed as a fox can be, with one of Auron's hands absentmindedly stroking its fur and scratching it behind the ears. And those are deer walking around, eating some grass, seemingly without a care in the world, as if they weren't so close to Auron that he could easily touch them if he wanted to.
Tidus is really too shocked, and maybe tired, to really react to the sight in much of a way, but he does stare long enough for his eyes to start hurting, and after some time he eventually drifts back to sleep.
So, yeah. Auron and animals, definitely something not normal. Even a blind person should be able to notice that.
Except, the weirdest part is that no one seems to notice this. They somehow don't see any of it, at all, and when Tidus tries to tell them, to make them notice, they all just look at him like he's the weird one. Like he's just seeing things that don't exist.
They can sense when someone is uncertain or nervous, Lulu tells him when he brings up the Chocobo thing. They respond better to someone who keeps calm and steady. (He was plenty calm, thanks very much!)
Are you sure you weren't just dreaming or something? Wakka asks him when he brings up the deer and the fox. Wild animals don't do stuff like that, they're way too shy to go anywhere near people, ya? he says.
No way, why would animals like him, he so grumpy! Is what Rikku says when he tries to bring it up with her. He thought she might have noticed, considering how her sharp eyes are usually so good at noticing even the smallest things.
He has no idea what Kimahri thinks, or if he's even noticed it. Tidus wonders if it would be weird or rude to ask Kimahri "Hey, have you noticed how animals, and you, seem to really like Auron?" so he doesn't.
He doesn't even consider asking Auron, figuring the answer would be either a grunt, or silence accompanied by a look and a raised eyebrow. Not helpful, in other words.
At least he gets to see the look on everyone's faces when they finally actually get to experience first-hand what animals are like with Auron. It's priceless. It takes most of their journey before it happens, but it's worth it.
They have just left Zanarkand, picked up by the Al Bhed airship. They have learned the truth of the Final Summoning, Yuna has refused it, and they have defeated Yunalesca. Now they just need to find a way to defeat Sin for good, which is admittedly easier said than done. They're all sitting around, hoping someone comes up with something, thinking and waiting, as Auron put it, while they're making their way to Bevelle, to see if Mika has something useful to say. Make him talk, as Kimahri put it.
Now, that aside, it turns out the Al Bhed have pets as well, like most people. Even if Tidus didn't find out about it until just now, when he spots some kind of desert-cat entering the room by some air-vent. It's holding a tiny kitten in its mouth. It quickly catches the attention of everyone in the room, as they watch it looking around.
It then makes its way over to them and drops the kitten in Auron's lap. The room is completely silent as the cat leaves and returns twice, bringing two more kittens and putting them right on Auron's lap, just like the first one. After bringing the third kitten, it hops up on Auron and curls around his shoulders, where it starts purring.
"Is this... normal?" Tidus leans over to ask Rikku, as everyone else stare at the sight with large eyes (except Kimahri. Either he's not surprised by this, or Tidus isn't all that good at reading him yet. Either is possible.)
"No," she whispers back, looking completely shell-shocked, not taking her eyes of the sight in front of her. "Our cats are not really the cuddly type, and they're normally very protective of their kittens. Brother almost got his fingers bitten off once when he got too close to them."
The looks on everyone's faces, and the satisfaction of knowing he was right, that he noticed something before anyone else, is enough to keep a huge grin on Tidus' face, as Auron lets out a quiet sigh, apparently resigning himself to his fate.
Would you believe me if I said I re-wrote that part with the Chocobos eight times? And I'm still not completely happy with it. But I also didn't want to nit-pick on one part, so it is what it is.