Disclaimer: Still not mine
Chapter 7
Harry stared into the water and smiled sadly as he spotted the sunken city, nudging Tidus. "Look."
"Whoa!" Tidus stared down, eyes wide. "A sunken city!"
Wakka scoffed, "A machina city– a thousand years old! They built this city on top of bridges across the river."
"But the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapse, and it all sank to the bottom," Lulu added.
"Right. It's a good lesson," Wakka nodded, arms crossed and Tidus frowned.
"A lesson?"
Harry stayed quiet, wanting to hear what they thought, or had been taught to think.
'Yeah. Why build a city over a river, ya?" Wakka asked.
"Uh… Well, it would be convenient, with all that water there," Tidus shrugged, he saw nothing wrong with a city over a river when Zanarkand had been right on the water.
"Nope, that's not why. They just wanted to prove they could defy the laws of nature!"
"Hmmm? I'm not so sure about that," Harry finally spoke up and Wakka shook his head.
"Yevon has taught us: When humans have power, they seek to use it. If you don't stop them, they go too far, ya?"
"Yeah, but don't you use machina too? Like the stadium and stuff, right?" Tidus argued, leaning back in his seat.
"Yevon, it decides… which machina we may use, and which we may not," Lulu offered.
"So what kind of machina may we not use, then?" he liked Machina, Zanarkand had been full of it and magic and there had been no problems.
"Remember Operation Mi'ihen? That kind," Wakka snapped, getting tired of having to explain everything to Tidus. When was the toxin going to wear off the kid?
"Or war will rage again," Lulu whispered, glancing down at the city.
"War?" Tidus frowned in confusion and Harry bit back a sigh. The Fayth made sure there was never war in the dream Zanarkand, Tidus would only have ever read of ancient wars.
"More than a thousand years ago… Mankind waged war using machina to kill!" Yuna spoke up, seeing his confusion.
"They kept building more and more powerful machina," Wakka shook his head in disgust.
"They made weapons so powerful… It was thought they could destroy the entire world," Lulu further explained.
"The people feared that Spira would be destroyed," Yuna whispered sadly. It was the same fear they had today, though now it was caused by Sin, it was why she had to do this.
"But the war did not stop!" Wakka threw his arms out and Tidus swallowed nervously, not sure he wanted to hear more.
"Wh-What happened then?"
"Sin came, and it destroyed the cities and their machina. The war ended… and our reward… was Sin," Lulu finished the explanation.
"So, Sin's our punishment for lettin' things get out of hand, eh?" Wakka pushed to get through to Tidus.
"Man, that's rough," Tidus admitted, it helped him understand a bit more about the things he'd seen and heard but…he wasn't sure about Sin being a punishment for Machina and war, not after a thousand years.
"Yeah, it is."
"But, it's not like the machina are bad."
"Only as bad as their users," Lulu admitted.
"It's because of people like the Al Bhed screwin' everything up!" Wakka snapped and looked away.
Harry sighed. "The city was called Atlantia, after a very old myth. The bridges were built first as a way to cross the river and the city grew up around them and then on them. it was beautiful and a centre of trade. The people knew the bridges weren't meant to hold the weight of the city and so they reinforced them all the time, but everyone knew eventually it wouldn't be enough. The location was perfect for agriculture and trade and the city flourished for over two hundred years. It sank during the war as less maintenance was being done with all of the fighting. No one died though as there was plenty of warning. There was a Temple, home of the aeon Leviathan. The crystal was within an underwater cave which is likely still there, if you want to go," Harry offered, looking at Yuna.
"How do you know all that?" Wakka demanded angrily and Harry shrugged.
"Family records," he lied casually.
"What does this Aeon do?" Yuna asked, that would help her decide.
"His main attack is Tidal Wave, but you need to be close to water to summon him."
Yuna considered it, he sounded useful, so long as they were near water. While they were heading further inland now, there were still many points in her Pilgrimage when they would be near the ocean if not a lake or river. And there was another reason… "Do you think anyone else has come for him since the war?" she looked at her Guardians.
"Unlikely," Auron admitted.
"Then I would like to, he must be lonely."
Harry nodded, smiling softly at her. "The cave is on the far side, we'll have to figure out how to get you down there. You don't know the magic Blitzballer's use, do you?" he asked, and she shook her head. "Considering we will be near water several times, it might be worth learning, just to be safe."
He was right, they should all know it to be safe. Yuna looked at Tidus who nodded so she moved to sit beside him, and he began working with her on it. Of course, that was when a loud rumbling noise began.
"Whatsh could thatsh be?" the driver asked, looking around wildly, seeing bubbles even as the shoopuf shuddered from an impact.
Everyone got up to look over the sides. "Sit down!" Auron told Yuna when she stood.
"S-Sorry!" She sat as a blond spikey-haired Al Bhed leapt aboard, and grabbed her, making her yelp in alarm. Harry spun, fist flying for the Al Bhed's face, but he yanked Yuna up and over, narrowly missing the punch.
"The Al Bhed!" Wakka snarled as Tidus dove over the side, quickly moving to follow the younger man into the water.
Harry surprised the others by dropping his coat and following them in. one of the beauties of being immortal that he had discovered, he could breathe under water or in a vacuum…which probably meant he wasn't actually breathing but he didn't really care as long as it meant he was fine in any environment. He saw the submersible, Yuna trapped in a bubble on top and then he spotted Tidus and Wakka attacking the machine. Harry swam around the back, letting them provide the distraction, as he looked it over to find the emergency hatch. He opened it and swam in, waiting for the water to drain before opening the inner hatch, surprising the Al Bhed at the controls, landing a blow with a stunner. He pulled the person…girl, from the seat and set her against the wall, before shutting down the weapons system and then activating the PA. "Tidus, Wakka, can you hear me?" The two stopped attacking to stare and then Tidus gave a thumbs up. "Great. Well, while Yuna's in there we might as well use this thing to get her to Leviathan. You two want to let the others know?" Harry asked and Tidus motioned Wakka to head up before pointing at himself and then the submersible. "Okay, there's a hatch at the back," Harry told him and then Tidus swam out of view. Harry heard the chamber draining and then Tidus emerged, looking relieved to see Harry was fine.
He glanced down at the small figure on the ground. "Al Bhed?"
"Seems so," Harry agreed as he went to the access to the bubble and hauled himself part way up. "Hey Yuna, you okay?" he called, and she knelt down, looking utterly relieved.
"I'm alright," she smiled. "Glad to see you."
"You heard what I told the other?"
"Yes, I agree, this is the best way and time to see the Fayth."
"Okay, I'll send Tidus up to keep you company." He dropped back down and Tidus went to crawl up. "Hang on," he dug around and tossed something to the teen. "So we can talk."
"Thanks," Tidus scrambled up to join Yuna, wrapping an arm around her. "You sure you're okay?"
She leant into him. "Yes," she knew she was safe with Tidus and Harry there. She trusted all of her Guardians with her life but these two were different. "Can you keep teaching me?"
"Sure, then you can help me with my healing magic?"
She grinned, "Of course!" it was a relief to be able to help him with healing magic, Harry could heal too but the more healers the better.
Harry studied the controls, easily reading the labels and getting the submersible moving towards the shore. It took a bit to find the cave since everything looked different with the entire city under water and damaged. He finally found it and lowered the bubble down to it.
Yuna nodded to Tidus who took her hand and pulled her into the water, staying right with her, gently pulling her throw the water and into the cave to see the Fayth. The first time always felt strange and if the magic faltered he was there to help her, if it came down to it, he could share his air with her. They found the crystal and the Fayth appeared immediately, smiling at her and she didn't even need to pray for the man dressed as a fisherman to grant her his Aeon. Tidus pulled her back to the bubble and Harry brought it back to the submersible before heading for the shore.
Harry parked it in the shallows and opened the main hatch as the two teens scrambled out of the bubble. Tidus leapt ashore first, hand on his sword as he looked around before nodding. Harry helped Yuna up and then tossed her to Tidus who staggered but caught her and set her quickly on her feet, both blushing which made him chuckle. He grabbed his prisoner and jumped himself. Harry put her down and pulled her goggles off as well as the hood of her wetsuit.
Tidus blinked in shock. "Rikku?"
"You know her?"
"Yeah, she saved me. I woke up in these ruins and she was with a ship that came for salvage. She took me on board, gave me food and work. Sin attacked and I went overboard, washed up at Besaid. I didn't know what happened to her."
"Is she okay?" Yuna asked and Harry nodded, kneeling down and lifting the spell.
Rikku sat up with a gasp to see three people staring down at her, recognising one. "Tidus!" she had thought he was dead, surviving a second encounter with Sin was crazy but apparently he had. She hadn't recognised him in the water but now she scrambled up, wriggling the rest of the way out of her wetsuit.
"Why did you take Yuna?" Tidus demanded and Rikku hesitated.
"Remember the Ronso warning Tidus? Summoners going missing…the Al Bhed are taking them, aren't they?" Harry asked.
Rikku looked at the ground. "Well…..uh….okay, yes, we are!"
"But…why?" Tidus asked, bewildered.
Rikku saw the guy she didn't know look at the Summoner who looked down and she realised that Tidus didn't know what the Pilgrimage meant for his Summoner. He was still messed up by the toxin?
"Yuna," Harry called softly and Tidus turned to look at them.
"What?"
"He deserves to hear it from you," Harry warned, and she deflated but nodded. Harry put a hand on Rikku's shoulder and led her away.
"He doesn't know?" She whispered and he shook his head.
"Yuna didn't want to tell him," he admitted, leaning against a tree. "I'm Harry, The Summoner is Yuna, daughter of High Summoner Braska."
Rikku's eyes widened, she hadn't realised who she was trying to kidnap, just that she was a Summoner. Yevon really would have hunted them if she had succeeded in taking someone so famous.
"What?"
They turned, hearing Tidus' raised voice.
The teen whirled to look at Harry. "You knew?" he demanded, and Harry nodded. "Was I the only one?" he choked before storming off.
"Rikku?"
"Um, yes?"
"Can I trust you to protect Yuna?"
"Of course!" Rikku stood tall and Harry nodded.
"The others are almost here," he pointed towards the pavilion and then took off after Tidus, catching up to him quickly. He grabbed his arm and trapped him against a tree trunk, seeing the tears welling in blue eyes. "It wasn't mine to tell, it was up to Yuna. She hated not telling you, but she loved having someone who was excited, who helped her look to a future after her Pilgrimage," he explained gently.
"Why does she have to do this?"
"You've seen what Sin does, if your life could give others peace, even if only for a few years, would you give it?" He had, several times. He felt the fight flow out of Tidus, the teen slumping against him and Harry hugged him tight.
"I don't want her to die," Tidus whispered, accepting the comfort.
"No one does," Harry assured him. "Sin will never be permanently defeated with the Final Summoning. There is another way and we will find it," he promised and Tidus looked up, staring into his eyes, trying to see if he was serious. "I promise, we will do everything we can to keep her alive and defeat Sin."
"Auron…Auron said my Old Man is Sin," Tidus stepped away, kicking at a rock.
Harry sighed. "The Final Summoning is created from a sacrificed Guardian which Sin tears from the Summoner, that is what kills them. the Aeon is then assimilated by Sin during the calm," Harry told him softly and Tidus stared at him.
"You knew?"
"When Auron joined us it became likely as Braska was only known to have two Guardians. I assumed he would have told you."
"He did, in Luca." He punched a tree. "I hate this world!" he snarled.
Harry grabbed his hand and gently healed it. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He met teary blue eyes and then Tidus used his other arm to dry his eyes before they could fall.
"How can everyone just accept this?"
"Because it's all they've known for a thousand years," Harry shrugged.
"But you don't…you've been to Zanarkand. How?" Tidus pleaded and Harry glanced over.
"Not here, not now," he nodded at the rest of the party who were running over.
"Yuna!" Waka cried in relief as he saw her talking with another girl, Harry and Tidus nearby but letting the two talk privately.
Auron looked at his old charge and saw the signs of tears and anger. He caught the eye of Harry who looked from Tidus to Yuna sadly and Auron nodded. So, she had finally told Tidus the truth.
"Sir Auron?" Yuna called and he turned to her. "I would like Rikku to be my guardian."
Auron walked over to Rikku and stared down at her even as she lowered her head. "Show me your face. Look at me," he ordered.
"Oh, okay." She raised her head, eyes closed.
"Open your eyes," he said, almost snorting at her attempt to conceal what he was sure he would see. She opened one, it was green with a dark swirl. "As I thought."
"Um… No good?"
"Are you certain?"
"A hundred percent!" she promised, he was going to let her stay? "So, anyway… Can I?"
"If Yuna wishes it," he turned away and Yuna smiled softly.
"Yes, I do."
"Mmmph," Wakka crossed his arms.
"Rikku's a good girl. She helped me a bunch!" Tidus spoke up on her behalf.
"Mm-hm!" Rikku nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm for it! The more, the merrier!" Wakka grinned, laughing.
"Righto! Then I'll just have to be the merriest!" Rikku jumped around happily. Yuna glanced at Lulu who nodded and then Harry who smiled.
"Rikku, at your service!" she introduced herself cheerily.
It was strange. Even though Wakka had always hated the Al Bhed…He never realized Rikku was one of them.
The group set off towards Guadosalam in quiet, stopping several times to fight fiends. Rikku shocked Wakka by getting in close and stealing from the things before throwing a grenade or two…and he still didn't put the clues together.
Harry and Tidus were walking together at the back of the group until Yuna dropped back, glancing at Tidus. "I…I'm sorry Tidus," she whispered and Tidus stopped walking, turning to her, studying her face.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked as Harry moved to give them some privacy.
"I…you were so excited, happy…I didn't want that to go away. With you telling me about Zanarkand and the future…I could dream I had one," she admitted sadly.
Tidus swallowed, trying to see it form her viewpoint. If he knew he was going to die...would he want to pretend he had a future? Yeah…he probably would. He managed a small smile for her, and she hesitantly smiled back, darting in to hug him and he squeezed her tight. She thought she was going to die but Harry had promised they'd find a way and he believed him. "Okay." This time his smile was more real and then they began walking again, falling in with Harry who smiled at them. Yuna reached over and grabbed Harry's hand before taking Tidus' as well.
Auron glanced back at the three and hid a smile behind his high collar at the sight of Yuna in the middle, holding their hands. He felt a swell of sorrow for Harry though, this Pilgrimage was likely to rob him of both of his friends, not just one. Even if Tidus did not become the next Sin, it was likely he would fade or be returned to the dream. They found a place to camp for the night and he approached Harry. "What happened in the Moonflow?" he asked, and Harry explained about the submersible and Yuna gaining Leviathan. "So now he knows.
"He's not happy we all kept it from him, but he understands it was Yuna's to tell."
Auron nodded, glad he would not need to deal with Tidus sulking. He moved off to help settle the camp and Harry saw Tidus staring so he motioned for him to follow and headed away from the camp, setting up a privacy ward. He sat at the base of a tree and waited for Tidus who quickly joined him and sat opposite him.
"Will you tell me now?"
"What do you want to know?" Harry asked, feeling tired and every year of his age.
"You talked of Zanarkand like you lived there, like me but…everyone says it was destroyed a thousand years ago, by Sin," Tidus stared at Harry, desperate for answers and Harry smiled sadly.
"I lived in Zanarkand for over two hundred years," he finally admitted and Tidus froze, jaw dropped.
"I..you…what?"
That made Harry chuckle. "How old do you think I am?"
Tidus shrugged. "Younger than Auron?"
"I was born in 1980, forty years before World War III. That was six thousand years before Zanarkand was founded as a fishing village, it took three hundred years before it really became a city and started gaining renown. The Machina Wars began two hundred and fifty or so years later and lasted for over one hundred years."
"But…that would make you around eight thousand years old!" He couldn't wrap his head around those numbers.
"About that, I stopped keeping exact count after the first thousand," Harry shrugged.
"I..how…are you…unsent?" he asked nervously, he'd heard horror stories of such people on the boat trips and from Wakka, but Harry smiled gently and shook his head.
"I can't die," he admitted softly. He tilted his head back to look up at the emerging stars. "I don't know exactly how or why, there were many events in my youth that could have had an effect on me, or it could be a combination of all of them. I do know it does not pass to my children, all of them have lived their lives and died."
"You've had kids?" And then he felt like hitting himself, of course he would have after living so long. He thought over what Harry had told him and frowned. "You were there…before my match, with that weird kid."
Harry chuckled. "His name is Percival, he is one of the Fayth, and yes, we were there. It's why I went to Besaid, I figured you'd end up there eventually or with Yuna."
"Auron said Sin…my Old Man, that he brought me here to kill him."
Harry reached out and tugged Tidus over to sit beside him, their bodies touching along their sides. "To exist as Sin but to have no control over yourself… can you blame him for seeking death?"
"No...but why me? How did Auron even get from here back to Zanarkand to watch over me? It doesn't make sense!" he leant into Harry and an arm wrapped around him, offering comfort and he accepted.
"Tidus…do you remember the Machina Wars?"
"What? No…why would I?"
"Sin destroyed Zanarkand at the end of the war," Harry pointed out softly.
Tidus frowned, so? He shook his head…the end of the war…but there hadn't been a war before Sin came and took him… "There was never any war but then how could Sin be there. I remember, before you said a failsafe in case either side was losing. Harry…."
"Zanarkand was a Summoner city, the most powerful. Bevelle relied on Machina to wage war. Zanarkand had Machina too but they did not use it for war. I'm not entirely sure what started the war, I was in Kalm at the time, visiting friends. It wasn't too bad at the beginning, more skirmishes than real war. Those from Bevelle were fanatics who were not beyond bombing their own towns if they doubted their loyalty. I did what I could to keep the vulnerable safe. I helped build the Fayth's Temple on Besaid, although the island was considerably larger back then, even settled refuges on the island. I helped smuggle Summoners to Besaid and Kilika without Bevelle finding out. The Machina got more and more powerful, we were losing," Harry stopped, hating dredging the memories up.
Tidus listened in silence, a sick feeling growing in his stomach, how could he not know this? Yeah, he had hated school and dropped out to play Blitzball….but there is no way he could miss a war they'd been losing. What did that mean?
"That was when Yu Yevon became the leader of Zanarkand. He was a powerful Summoner, Mage…and good friend. I was Godfather to his daughter and helped raise her after her Mother died when she was five. He knew about my Immortality, I took a Death spell meant for him and was up again in minutes. He used that, sending me on missions that meant sure death, because he knew I would come back, he used to look so guilty when he did though. He hated using me like that and that is why I always accepted the missions. It was during the war that I met Aiden and we fell in love. He was a Summoner, though not a strong one, and it was tough since I was away so much, but we made it work. He knew about me too and he…he became a Fayth so that he wouldn't die and leave me. I would have stayed with him for his whole life, he never needed to do that. In the end we were separated, he was moved to Kalm and I slept. I went to sleep in a cave in the mountains near Luca…they are now cliffs, I was lucky they weren't in the sea."
"You slept?"
"One perk of Immortality is the ability to sleep for centuries. I went to sleep shortly before the end of the war, I'd been awake for over a thousand years and I was just so worn out by all of the death. I woke up not long before we met on Besaid."
"That's some nap," Tidus muttered and Harry chuckled.
"I didn't expect to sleep that long," he admitted. "What I know of the end of the war I have learned from the Fayth," he warned and Tidus nodded. "Bevelle bombed Zanarkand, killing many. Yu Yevon turned all surviving citizens of Zanarkand into Fayth, except Yunalesca, and her husband, Lord Zaon, to summon a Dream Zanarkand. He created Sin as his armour to protect the dream city, but as his humanity faded Sin went on a rampage and ultimately ended up destroying Zanarkand. As soon as the news of Sin reached Bevelle, a ceasefire was called, and the war ended."
A dream Zanarkand…with no war… he swallowed hard. "Harry…what am I?" he forced out past a throat that felt blocked and Harry looked at him.
"You've already worked it out, haven't you?" Harry whispered sadly, reaching out to gently grip his shoulder. "I'm sorry Tidus."
"No…no, no, no. that's impossible! I'm real! I eat and sleep and bleed…"
"Contact with Sin, changed you, enabled you to exist outside of the dream…so long as the Fayth keep dreaming."
Tidus scrambled to his feet, stumbling away from Harry, not wanting to hear it but…his strange dreams, the boy…how could he travel 1000 years into the future? "Why me?"
"Jecht was their first attempt to finally defeat Sin but it failed."
"So I'm the next try, huh?" he demanded as Harry stood up. "What happens to me if the dream ends?"
"the Fayth believe you will fade with the dream…I don't know. You're more than a dream now but enough to keep you alive without their power?"
"But they'll keep dreaming, won't they?" he pleaded.
"They're tired Tidus, the want to rest. For that to happen Sin has to die. If we fail, they will keep dreaming, I told you we'd find a way to keep Yuna alive…and I will do the same for you."
"Why? Why do you care?" Tidus demanded, hands balled into fists as he got in Harry's face.
"I've been there, with a death sentence hanging over my head. I went to my death willingly because it was literally the only way. I was given the choice to pass on or come back to defeat my enemy, no one mentioned it would be a permanent return. I saved my people but in the end little changed. I will not sit by and let that happen to you or Yuna. I care about both of you," Harry admitted and Tidus felt his anger fade away, leaving him tired, swaying on his feet and Harry pulled him into a hug that Tidus found himself returning, leaning into the Mage's strength. "I promise I will do everything I can to save you both," Harry whispered in his ear.
Tidus clung to him, mind spinning from shock after shock. Harry was like a rock that he clung to, seeking stability. He cared about Harry too, like he cared about Yuna. How could he tell her that her Pilgrimage could mean his death as well as hers? He let Harry take his weight, head resting on his shoulder and he felt Harry lower them to the ground, too tired and hurt to do anything.
"Sleep Tidus, I'll keep you safe," Harry promised, a hand running through the blonde hair and Tidus closed his eyes, trusting him, despite the bombshells Harry had dropped on him.
Twenty minutes later Lulu approached and saw Tidus sleeping in Harry's arms and Harry shook his head. She nodded and retreated back to the rest of the group, assuring them they were fine.
TBC…