Disclaimer: The characters used in this fic are the sole property of Square-Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, and anyone else with copyright on the Final Fantasy series and characters. I own nothing, save it be my own plot ideas and original characters.
Day 5: Mother
A/N: Little to no humor. Mostly sorrow and anger.
When Tidus awoke the following afternoon, he couldn't help feeling nervous. Auron's words after the game the previous afternoon had kept him awake until 3 am, causing him to toss and turn in bed as he tried to contemplate the meaning behind his guardian's words.
"That's irrelevant. In three days, everything you know won't matter anymore."
Whatever the words meant, Tidus knew that it couldn't be a good thing. Tidus sighed, rolling out of bed with a sigh. He walked slowly out into the front room, ignoring his guardian's nonchalant gaze as he headed into the kitchen for some breakfast. Without much thought, Tidus grabbed a random box of cereal from the cupboard and whipped the orange juice out of the fridge. He turned, grabbing a clean bowl from the dishwasher and filled it up with the cereal before silently pouring the orange juice in.
"Strange," Auron muttered from the couch.
Tidus ignored him and took a seat at the kitchen bar, blankly staring out the window as he ate. At this point, nothing Auron said could faze him. For that had already been accomplished. Tidus sighed and let the spoon fall from his mouth. It bounced off the counter top and hit the floor with a metallic sound that rang in his ears. He shut his eyes and slumped over, his chin resting in his bowl of orange juice and wheat cereal.
He breathed slowly, still trying to work Auron's puzzle out in his head. But nothing he came up with made any sense. His first thought had been that Auron might be hinting at something reckless. But when he thought about it seriously, something like that would be far too uncharacteristic for a stoic man such as Auron. And everything else he came up with was completely, and utterly stupid. So stupid, in fact, that Tidus hated himself for coming up with such things.
"Something's wrong," Auron said, staring at the teen through his dark glasses.
Tidus merely sat up and nodded. "Yeah," he said, not bothering to make some mouthy remark. He was tired and confused. And trying to pick a fight with Auron wouldn't solve his problem. Nor would it answer his questions. "What did you mean yesterday when you said that nothing would matter anymore?"
The blond watched quietly as Auron dropped the newspaper to the floor. "I meant just that," he said, crossing his arms. "On the day of the tournament, life as you know it will change."
"But why?" Tidus stood up, his hands balled into tight fists. "Why does it have to be me?"
"Because you have been chosen. That is why."
Tidus threw his hands up and rolled his eyes. "That doesn't make any sense!" he shouted, climbing over the counter. "I don't care that I've been chosen! I just want to know why! Who the hell chose me and why? That's all I want to know!"
Auron smirked. "I suppose I could tell you. But, knowing you, you wouldn't believe a word of it. Not yet."
The teen roared and slammed a fist on the counter. Nothing made sense anymore. From the day Auron had shown up in Zanarkand, nothing had been the same. Tidus had lost his mother, and fiends from the sea had started appearing out of nowhere. Fiends that Auron had often tracked down for days at a time, only to corner and obliterate. Tidus had lived a life full of mystery for ten long years. And now he wanted answers. He wanted the truth.
"You should probably get some work done," Auron suggested, turning his attention to the book that sat beside him.
Tidus rolled his eyes. "Why don't you do it?" he shot back. "You're the adult here."
"First of all, I'm not your maid," Auron said, pointedly. "And I'm not your mother, either. So, if you want laundry done, you're doing it yourself. I would think that ten years of the same routine would have taught you a little independence."
Tidus bit his lip, drawing blood. He hated it when Auron brought his mother into their conversations. The blond scowled and sped down the hall to his mother's room where he locked himself inside. He sat quietly on her bed, willing himself not to cry. His eyes closed as he thought back on her last few minutes of life, and the words that would forever be engraved upon his heart.
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"Mama," seven-year-old Tidus whispered, clasping his mother's hand in his own. "Mama, please... please, don't leave me!"
His mother sighed, the look in her blue eyes telling her young son that she was far too close to death. "I'm sorry," she told him, squeezing his small hand. "I'm sorry, love. Promise me something, please. Promise me that you'll be a good boy. That you'll do everything you're told when I'm gone."
Tidus shook his head, small tears appearing at the corners of his sky-blue eyes. "No, Mama!" he shouted. "You're not going to die! You're going to get better! You'll see, Mama!"
"No, sweetheart," she said, stroking his face. "No..."
The little blond boy continued to shake his head, ignoring the headache that had started to form at the base of his skull. He couldn't... wouldn't let his beloved mother die. It was far too soon for her to leave him all alone in the world. The dam collapsed, and a flood of tears ran down the child's face, falling steadily to the floor as they rolled off his chin. He held her hand tighter, looking away from her weary face only to glance outside at the sky.
Gray, as far as his eyes could see. Gray clouds... and a high chance of cold rain.
"You can't die!" he shouted, causing his mother to flinch. "Don't you leave me, Mama! Please..." he collapsed at the side of her bed, squeezing her hand as tightly as he could, "please, don't leave me here... I need you..."
The sound of his mother's bedroom door opening reached his ears, and Tidus scowled. He clamped his eyes shut, willing himself not to look at the man his father, Jecht, had sent to take care of them. Tidus felt his breath shake. The man had only been with them for a few weeks, and now... now his mother was dying.
A light snore startled Tidus. He glanced up to find that his mother had fallen asleep. He sighed, a light smile on his young face. At least she was only asleep. Not gone, but asleep. He placed a hand above her face, sighing with relief when he felt her steady breathing upon his little palm. He released her hand, tucking it gently under the sheets as he took the washcloth from her forehead. Without a word, Tidus ran quietly down the hall to the bathroom and dumped the cloth in the sink to soak in the cold water.
As soon as the cloth was cold again, Tidus rushed back to the room, placing the cloth gently upon his mother's forehead. "Hang in there, Mama," he whispered, planting a gentle kiss upon her warm cheek. "I love you."
Tidus turned, noting Auron's solemn gaze upon him as he walked out of the room. The child frowned to himself. If his mother died, he would never forgive Jecht for leaving them. He headed for the front door, not bothering to put on his shoes as he stepped out onto the dock. In a burst of speed, Tidus rushed down the docks, heading for the one furthest from the house. The dock where his mother had taught him how to fish when he was only three.
He sat down, dangling his little feet into the cool waters. The tide was high, which saved him the trouble of having to hang off the dock just to get his feet wet. Tidus kicked his feet slowly, making little waves and bubbles in the water. He stared out across the calm, blue waters. Even far out at sea, the sky was gray, and thunder rumbled in the distance. It was here that Jecht had gone out to sea to train. And it was here that his mother waited for him every day at sundown.
But he never returned.
"I hate you," Tidus muttered, Jecht's face appearing in the water at his feet. The boy stood up, staring down at Jecht's image with malice. "Do you know what you've done?" he shouted. "Because of you, Mom's going to die! You caused all this! You left us, just so you could have another reason to brag about how 'great' you are! I hate you, you bastard! I hate you!"
With a burst of energy Tidus leaped into the water, causing the image of his father to vanish. He slapped his little fists against the surface of the water, imagining that he was, in fact, punishing Jecht for all the suffering he'd caused.
When his energy ran out, young Tidus walked further into the water, failing to notice that it soon came up to his neck. He narrowed his gaze at the horizon. "If Mom weren't sick... Then I wouldn't want you to come back. But... you're the only thing that she thinks will make her better. She keeps asking for you," he muttered. "And she cries herself to sleep when we tell her that you're still gone. You stupid bastard... I hate you... I hate you so much..."
Tidus gasped when he felt himself being lifted out of the water and onto the dock. He whirled around to find Auron crouched beside him, staring into the water. "You shouldn't say things like that," he said quietly. "Your mother wouldn't like it."
The boy grimaced. "What the hell do you know?" he shot back, giving Auron a good kick. "You don't know anything about me! And you don't know anything about my mom, either! So don't act like you do! You don't even belong here!"
In a fit of tears, Tidus fell to his knees, hugging himself as his body shook with sobs. His mother couldn't die. She just couldn't. How would he survive without her? He was only seven; not nearly old enough to get a job or cook for himself. Surely, he would die alone without his beloved mother.
Tidus whined as Auron picked him up. Although Tidus had only known Auron for a few weeks, he found comfort knowing that his father's friend cared. The boy hung his head over the man's shoulder, his tears making a trail along the docks as Auron carried him back to the house.
"I'm sorry," Tidus whimpered as the door opened. "I didn't mean it... I just... How am I gonna live without her? What will I do if she dies?"
"Tidus..." his mother's weak cry reached the boy's ears from her room. "Tidus..."
The child's eyes widened, and he jumped out of Auron's arms, running down the hall to his mother's room. He fell to his knees at he bedside, clenching her hand in his own. "Mama," he whispered as the tears began to flow again. "What is it, Mama?"
She turned to look at him, pain evident in her soft blue eyes. "Promise me," she said, her face barely audible. Sweat coursed down her face, causing her red hair to stick. "Promise me you'll be good. Promise me..."
"I promise, Mama," he said. "I promise."
He watched as her gaze moved from him to the door. "Take care of him..." she whispered.
Tidus turned in time to see Auron nod.
Her gaze turned back to her young son. She placed a hand under his chin, her eyes beckoning him to come closer. He leaned close, and she planted a gentle kiss upon his cheek. "Be a good boy for me," she said. "And remember... I love you."
Tidus nodded, his little face scrunched up in sorrow. "I will, Mama. I will."
She sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm coming... Jecht... Forgive me... Tidus..." Finally, she fell silent.
Tidus erupted in a fit of tears, crawling on top of his mother and bringing her arms around him. "Mama!" he cried. "Mama, come back! Please, please, come back! Mama!"
With her last breath, she had whispered the name of her son. The name of her sweet Tidus.
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Tears coursed down Tidus' face as he stared at his mother's photo. "Come back," he mouthed, holding her image to his chest. "Come back..." Without another word, the teen rolled over in his mother's bed, placing her photo beside him as his eyes closed in sleep.
This was mainly meant to be my take on Tidus' mother's death. Once I think of a name for her, I'll be sure to edit this chapter.