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Thank you for reviewing Nikki of Spira, ThePirateJilt, Warui-Usagi, -lidOol.fantaSee.gurl-, FinalFantasyAngel92, Ratiasu, Little Pyrefly, Princess Star Neko, Lisilgirl, and PlatypusCraze. It means a lot to me.

It really has been a while, I apologize. Everything is going crazy on my end and moments to myself have become rare. I will endeavor to update more frequently, and thank you very much for your patience.

As for Tidus's out of character state, I promise that things will come full circle soon.

Please enjoy and please review.

Tears of a Forgotten Summoner

Chapter Eleven: The Forgotten Summoner

They were to set up a decoy… or that was what Yuna had come to understand about the situation.

The Gullwings were sitting near the High Summoner's bed in the wake of all the information they had just heard, each one trying to make sense out of it. After Auron's unexpected stand, the two men had exited, but only the elder male returned, giving them a brief explanation of their next move. And just like that, they were under way, flying toward Sin's current location over the ocean.

When questioned, Auron had said a few words clarifying why they were doing this, but when Yuna tried to understand their reasoning, she started to wish that he hadn't said anything.

From what he had said, Schism couldn't emerge on its own, it needed the energy and help of those around it, and for that Schism needed to form a circle, a sort of magical summoning with energy from points called 'Sinners' on the outer edges. For this to happen, it must have more than two sources, or else the 'circle' would become a 'line' and thus wouldn't work.

Apparently, when Schism emerged a thousand years ago, it had three Sinners. For the circle to work, the Sinners didn't actually need to do anything, they just had to be near to each other. The more energy, the larger the circle and larger the area in which is existed.

It was confusing and frankly, Yuna was frustrated with it.

But, luckily, Auron had also given it in a nutshell. Schism couldn't emerge unless all three Sinners were in the same place at the same time. It could also make more Sinners if need be, but it was highly doubtful Schism would have the time to, as it took several decades to make the three Sinners he had.

Bottom line, they had to distract Sin from getting near Zanarkand. Yuna accepted that as fact and had agreed to help in any way possible, but that wasn't what kept dragging her mind down.

It was Tidus.

He had yelled, accused her, said terrible things that made her want to cry, told her she was inferior, and, above all, didn't seem to share her feelings at all. Would things remain this way? Was she doomed to have him right there beside her, but so far away at the same time? The thought was almost too much to bear. But there had to be a way to fix it, right?

"That was all a load of nonsense!" Rikku exclaimed, abruptly shaking the woman out of her thoughts. "None of it makes any sense!"

Paine crossed her arms, joining in, "All he did was spit accusations at us with no founding whatsoever. There was no proof, just speculation."

Yuna wanted to believe Tidus was in the wrong, she really did, but something kept her from trusting in it totally.

"What could he gain by lying?" the summoner's soft voice startled the two and they both stared wide-eyed at her, trying to voice a retort.

The blonde succeeded first, "But none of it is true!"

"If you think about it," Yuna continued, hardly believing what she was saying. "Some of it makes sense. Why did Shuyin attack now if he knew we would be there to stop him? Why didn't he just attack when we were dealing with Sin? We would've been easily defeated."

Rikku's mouth worked like a fish's out of water.

Paine spoke this time, "But if what he said is true, a great deal of all our lives have been spent under a lie … Sin, the Calm … your pilgrimage."

Yuna felt herself nod stiffly, her throat dry no matter how many times she swallowed, "If he is right, then all of that was planned from the start to seal Schism away."

"That's not true and you know it," the Al Bhed said sternly. "We lived through all of it, it couldn't have just been some manipulation."

The woman looked up at her comrades, "But if it wasn't, why is Tidus acting like this?"

"Maybe it's not Tidus," Paine offered. "We've been fooled before."

"It is him," Yuna said quietly, frustrating the silver-haired woman to no end.

"You've been mistaken before!" Paine snapped. "You swore that Shuyin was Tidus, and we all know what happened there. Maybe you don't know him as well as you think."

The words stung and Yuna bit her lip. Paine was right of course, it could all be some sick lie, a twist of fate. But Yuna knew what she saw and felt.

The Tidus from her pilgrimage was pure and innocent, his actions compassionate and light-hearted. The summoner couldn't help but wish that this new Tidus was the lie. On her pilgrimage, she really knew him, and during that time, she sensed the sadness and loss in him, but it was never like this, never. From her standpoint, his personality back then seemed the real one, the closet to his inner self.

And, who knew, maybe she was right.

---

The ship slowed down significantly as it approached its target, the palms of Brother and Buddy already wet from the realization of what they were about to do. They were about to bait Sin, an entity they had been brought up to fear and despise. Auron knew that they were nervous, of course, no one, even himself, was completely at ease in this situation, and thus he did not push them forward when they dimmed the engines so that the ship would hover.

"That's close enough," he said quietly, there was no need to speak loudly, everyone was silent anyway.

There, scarcely a few thousand meters from the ship's hull, was Sin in all its glory, its gigantic body white against the dramatic backdrop of dark clouds. Auron expected no less, the last time Schism emerged, the sky was eternally black, but the man still took hope in the fact that these clouds still had a silver lining. Though, if they did not act fast, it would soon disappear.

With a few scant movements, Auron was before the screen that displayed the upper deck via commsphere. The sphere was positioned so that it provided a panoramic view of the deck which in turn showed Tidus, his hair whipping in the winds as he waited for Auron to give the word.

A crackle of static announced that the camera like apparatus was indeed on and Tidus turned to it, studying the image of Auron.

"We're ready," the man said between bursts of noise and the blonde man gave a curt nod, stepping away from the sphere and toward the middle of the platform.

Auron couldn't help but smile, if anything could get Yu's attention, it was this.

---

Yuna couldn't help but bite her lip as Tidus readied himself. She knew full well that Rikku, Paine, and herself should be on the bridge now, but she couldn't bring herself to stand still and do nothing. The woman was sure that Tidus hadn't seen them yet, in fact, he seemed completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

From everything that he had said, the Gullwings heard loud and clear that he thought them essentially worthless. It angered Paine, irked Rikku, and saddened Yuna. Now she could only think of how to prove him wrong, to show him that she wasn't helpless and maybe then he would accept her again.

If she understood the plan as much as she thought she did, the three Sinners were still around and were once again in danger of reviving Schism. Sin was one of them and if they could somehow distract him from getting closer to the other Sinner, then they would have some time to think up a new plan of action.

That's where the Gullwings planned to deviate from Auron's plan. As soon as Sin was in range, the trio would use the glider Rikku swiped from the engine room and attack. They destroyed the beast once; they could do it again and prove to Tidus that they weren't helpless or to blame.

At least, that's what she hoped would happen. There was still a lingering doubt in the back of her mind that they were getting in way over their heads; that they were meddling in something they didn't understand.

With an effort, Yuna shook it off, it didn't matter anymore, they were committed now and no matter what, they were going to go through with it. Chewing on her lip again, the woman watched as Tidus walked to the center of the area, his sword drawn and at his side.

Her eyes narrowed as she observed him take a deep breath, as if preparing, then slowly, he raised the blade horizontal in front of him, his left arm lifted as well as if to touch the metal. Yuna resisted the urge to gasp as she recognized the stance.

Summoning.

She stared, transfixed as he moved slowly, his body following the patterns she had worked so hard to memorize. It was undoubtedly the same ritual, but as he went through the motions, she couldn't help but notice that he wasn't following the tradition as strictly as he should have.

Every so often, his arm would extend a little too far, or not far enough, then the sword would be at the wrong angle time and time again. She shook her head slightly, it was happening too often to be an idle mistake, Tidus was doing it on purpose.

The Summoning circle appeared nonetheless, the runes swirling as they should, but Yuna couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He was purposely invoking something beyond the actual Summoning.

She could hear her teammates gasp, but she ignored them, unable to tear her eyes away as the form of the same guardian dragon she had summoned many times slowly appeared. The Summoning was at a close, but Tidus didn't stop moving. Something else was forming in front of the Summon now, the edges of it blurred and indistinct, but becoming more and more tangible by the second.

Yuna resisted the urge to creep forward to get a better look, knowing that if she did he would have a better chance of noticing them, but, even so, she couldn't keep herself from shifting to get a better look. The shadowy form was undoubtedly one of human shape, small, like a child's.

Tidus seemed to be straining to complete what he was doing, as if some great force was resisting him. Yuna nearly jumped as a small pinprick of light appeared beside her, but calmed as soon as she recognized it as a Pyrefly. She looked back up to Tidus and immediately did a double take.

Pyreflies swarmed everywhere around the Aeon and Summoner, as if trying to prevent Tidus's second summoning, but the man didn't give up, continuing to strain against whatever barrier he wished to surpass.

Moments passed, the glowing things flitting around almost in a panic, then were abruptly thrust out of the Summoning circle, their movement making an odd, keening noise that made Yuna grit her teeth. With the way partially clear, the ex-summoner could see clearly into the circle, but she wasn't ready to see what was there.

The Fayth. The same one that had appeared countless times on their journey was standing in front of the Aeon it was a part of as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But, how? The Fayth were supposed to have faded, the Aeons with them, but yet, here they were, right next to a man that was supposed to be dead.

---

Tidus was conscious of the small droplets of sweat on his brow, but he didn't dare stop the Summoning to prevent them falling into his eyes. The Summoning he remembered was so different from those practiced today, and the Aeons were so bound and limited by the unfortunate souls of the Fayth.

When Schism had emerged, he had done so in the ocean near Zanarkand, Tidus could still hear people scream when he thought of it. It was during the Forgotten War, a time of conflict between Bevelle and Zanarkand, the two great cities literally murdering each other, but when Schism came, it made no distinction between them.

It took a great deal of energy for that creature to emerge, and when it did, that energy was released in great waves. A grim smile spread over his face, the Sinners' pact with Schism had been slowly degrading their city, but if their mistakes had made Zanarkand a nightmare, Schism made it a living hell.

The soldiers, the civilians, even the buildings were instantly transformed. Stone crumbled and fell, weapons turned on their creators, flesh became stone and shattered. Just the memory of it still made the man's blood run cold. In this instance, dying was the least of those people's problems. Schism's power went far beyond death.

The very essence of the people, their souls, their consciousness, was thrown from their bodies to drift, crystallizing. What was left of them were contorted endlessly; Pyreflies, the wretched messengers of Schism itself, swarmed, transforming the remains into fiends. Those further out from the epicenter were instantly petrified, their will and minds still intact.

Temples that held the great summoning beasts in esteem were struck as well, the spirits of the Aeons cast out from the shells they had inhabited for so long, injured by the presence of Schism. To avoid dying, they merged with those petrified, thus binding their powers.

Fayth.

Tidus raised his sword again for another symbolic pass, going past what Yuna had used to summon Bahamut, his hand turning at the angle he had been trained to do so long ago. This was not the usual summoning tradition, it was the one that had been used to summon the unbound Aeons. A thousand years ago, the great beasts were not the consciousnesses of those who had once walked upon Spira, but beings greater than any Spiran could imagine, and only forged bonds with those lower than them so that they could escape Schism's ravages.

If he completed the summon as it was supposed to be, then that bond would be broken, then that small boy he had known so long ago would be free.

Tidus brought the sword down again, breathing deeply before swinging it to the side again. His eyes closed for a brief moment and when they opened again all he could see was the swarming rainbow of colors that Pyreflies exuded. He had to stop a smirk from spreading on his face.

Schism was trying to stop him. That meant that it recognized him as a threat, recognized that he might succeed. The man sighed a bit, trying to banish the tension in his body to increase his chance of actually breaking the bond. He continued moving though, losing hope each step. The Pyreflies weren't dispersing, Schism was dampening his Summoning.

He cast his eyes to the ground and found himself staring at a small transparent boy. Pangs of nostalgia hit Tidus and he nearly stepped toward the boy, but stopped short. The Pyreflies were gone, this was his only chance.

The ex-guardian raised his sword high then immediately brought it back down, the tip hitting the metal platform not with the piercing effect many would have expected, but left no scar on the surface and made no sound. A small magical circle stemmed from where the sword had impacted setting the lines of the larger Summoning circle alight.

Tidus brought the sword up and horizontal to the ground, his eyes closing. Beneath his feet the lines of the circle stretched, wrapping and crossing, shining with the power that was being released.

Bahamut screamed and the Fayth's voice joined his, the Aeon itself changing. The large dragon's wings stretched, becoming silver, netted together with delicate bone structure and spanning off the edges of the ship. The Aeon's body streamlined, the tail and neck lengthening.

It was a grand sight, a delicate, beautiful, yet deadly dragon, its image enhanced by the glowing lines of the Summoning circle beneath it.

---

Auron felt a growl grow in the back of his throat as he watched the screen. His eyes were not on the Summoning though, instead, they were on the three young women hiding on the far edge of the ship, a small glider by them.

He stood, storming out of the bridge, but no one seemed to notice, they were all too involved with the drama unfolding in front of them. The growl grew into a snarl as he realized what the Gullwings were planning, and that he was a little too late to stop them.

Yu had undoubtedly sensing the Summoning, a Summoning done in the tradition of a thousand years past, no less, and was honing in on their position. As soon as he was in range, it would be a matter of child's play for the three young women to use the glider and reach the beast. He knew that they believed that they could defeat Sin just as they had three years ago, but that was far from the truth.

Sin was something like an Aeon, infinitely powerful, but when weighted down with the burden of Fayth, the Final Summon, it becomes weak, relying heavily on the soul of the trapped Aeon. The victory three years ago was a carefully planned and executed strike, one that had roots tracing back at least thirteen years ago.

In order to prevent Schism from ever emerging again, the last step of the Sinners was to put themselves beyond reach. For that reason, Jecht allowed himself to become the Final Aeon, binding Sin and weakening himself. Ten years later Auron himself led them to destroy Sin by first destroying the Final Aeon, setting Jecht beyond Schism's reach, then attacking Yu himself, who was still reeling from the shock of losing the power it had previously relied on. After that, Auron requested that Yuna Send him, and, although taken away by Pyreflies, the servants of Schism, he was no longer 'alive' and, thus, of no use to Schism.

Now Schism revived all three Sinners by renewing the Pact made a thousand years ago. It was true, Auron himself had the power Schism had granted, not in its weakened, fluctuating way, but at its peak. Jecht had his wish as well, to the fullest and most terrifying extent. It only made sense to assume that Yu had been granted all the power he was granted by Schism, an undying power that only after a thousand years of scheming were the other Sinners able to destroy. That power was now back to its original form, and three women, oblivious to what they were doing, were headed straight for it.

They were like animals headed unknowingly to their own slaughter.

---

Tidus looked down at the small child that was sprawled on the ground. The bond was broken; he was free … at least for the time being. The man looked up, watching as the small blur that was Sin headed their way. As soon as it was near enough, Bahamut was to be sent out to lead it somewhere over the sea and keep it as stationary for as long as was possible. Sin was almost there, it was only a matter of a few minutes and then they could finally decide on a way to end this once and for all.

The door hissed open and Tidus whirled, seeing Auron emerge, but that wasn't what drew his eyes. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine were lurking around a corner, a metal device underfoot. He couldn't believe that he had been so absorbed that he didn't notice them.

Auron started toward the three and Tidus chanced a glance back at Sin, the beast now coming into the range that the glider was built for…

Tidus turned toward them, a shout lost in his throat as the three held onto the glider, taking off. Auron ran a few steps, but no more, stopping near the other man and making no further attempt to stop them. The blonde man gritted his teeth, starting forward, trying to stop them even though it was too late.

An arm clamped about Tidus's front, preventing him from going any further, and he looked back at Auron, "Why? We have to stop them!"

The red clad man calmly shook his head, "Let them go."

Panic raced through Tidus's veins and he searched the sky for the women again, "… but Yuna—!"

Auron held firm, "It's too late." His voice and face was impassive.

"How can you say that? She could die!"

"Calm yourself!" he said harshly. "Let them be! They are of no use to us as they are now, you said so yourself. This will be good for them…"

Tidus hung his head, "That's just like you… 'Whatever almost kills you, makes you stronger'."

---

Author's Note: Well, I can't say that I'm completely happy with this chapter. I have been having more than a few difficulties in my life to date, and more than a few continuing projects that divide my attention and stress me completely out, and so, I apologize for the lateness of the update and will try to update more regularly.

As for the chapter and story… how do you think it's going? Is there anything you like? Dislike? Downright loathe? Please review.

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you

Rose Northe