Chapter Fifteen: Broken Promises

A week later, a powerful tremor struck the island of Besaid in the early morning hours. Tidus was shaken from his sleep, and quickly rose and dressed; knowing deep in his heart that the second of the Great Four had awakened from his slumber. The Minotaur was a great half man, half bull creature, and it consumed human flesh. After sleeping for a millennium, he was bound to be hungry. Tidus has decided not to wake Yuna or Miliyah from their sleep. He knew they would be furious with him, but he regarded that as a necessary risk. He quickly wrote a note to them both, laying it on Yuna's chest, which rose and fell in rhythmic heaves, as she slept peacefully. He took his twin swords from their sheathes on the wall, put a soft kiss on her lips, and silently melted into the shadows of the night, running at top speed through the jungle to the shaded glade where the Minotaur was sealed away a thousand years past.

Yuna was shaken awake three hours later by Miliyah, who had shoved Tidus's letter in her hands. The usual calm face of the former summoner grew a furious red, as she read what her husband had written to them.

"Yuna, Miliyah, forgive me for what I'm about to tell you. The Minotaur has awakened, and I must kill it before he regains his full powers. I waited too long for Phoenix, and she nearly killed me. This time will be different, as I will strike the first blow, which will surely be the only. Yuna, please stay home with our babies, and let me fight this battle for us all. Miliyah, watch her to make sure she does not come. I love you both."

Yuna and Miliyah nodded silent agreement, knowing that if he was to fight alone, he would not win easily, but he would win. Yuna went about her day like nothing was wrong, feeding her babies and doing some sphere hunting, until around noon, when Miliyah burst into her room.

"We have to go after him. I sense he is in mortal danger. I know he told me to stop you, but if I go too, the three of us can overcome anything."

Yuna shook her head, and drew her best friend into a hug.

"I have faith in him, but if he doesn't come back by nightfall, we'll go after him together. Wakka and Lulu won't mind watching the twins I'm sure. I have my guns, but I've never seen you fight Miliyah. Will you be able to help?"

The raven haired beauty only smirked.

"Get some sleep. We're leaving in four hours. He won't be back by then. It takes six hours to get to the Sealed Glade, where Minotaur resides."

They both lie down in their beds and fell into a deep sleep.

Tidus had reached the edge of the Sealed Glade, where the Minotaur was pacing and cutting notches in the trees with his horns. The Beast of the Earth caught the scent of someone approaching, and in his mind he thought only of his first meal in one thousand years. He lowered the swords to the ground in his new stance, blades digging slightly into the soil, waiting for the Minotaur to notice him. The great beast made eye contact, and charged, horns lowered, ready to gore the lone swordsman he saw as no threat. The Minotaur was incredibly fast, despite him being at least three feet taller than Tidus, and easily weighing 600 pounds. He just managed to jump out of the way, sending the Minotaur sailing past him, the beast's hooves crushing anything in its path. He crashed into a thick sturdy oak, and his horns were lodged in the bark, and he was temporarily immobilized.

Seeing his chance to strike, Tidus brought the Brotherhood and Caladbolg at a 45 degree angle to his feet, and he started a new technique only available to him once a month, on the night of the full moon. Rays of moonlight began to gather into the blades of the swords, and they radiated a soft glow, an almost silver eldritch sheen. He began to swing the swords in his hands, and stabbed them both into the ground, and ran at full speed, dragging the blades through the soil, and he plunged one into the beast's spine and another into the back of the head, piercing the brain. He called it the Dance of the Full Moon. He expected the beast to rumble to dust, but Minotaur was not a normal creature, for it had no heart, no blood, and no brain. It swung one massive leg, which caught the young Blitzer full in the stomach, and sent him careening into the middle of the Sealed Glade, ready to be devoured by the Minotaur.

Yuna and Miliyah had left Yunalyn and Zaonus with Lulu and Wakka, and had not told them of the Minotaur or Tidus's disappearance earlier that morning. Yuna's guns had been upgraded, and she now had the option of rapid fire if the need arose. Her Gunner dressphere was the same as it had been a year ago, with the exception she had added a smaller holster for the guns. Miliyah carried with her two mysterious bundles, which she had simply said were part of her abilities and a gift for Tidus. She wore her long hair in a tight tail, which was draped elegantly over her shoulder and swung from side to side as they ran through the jungle, to where she had sensed her cousin in danger. Yuna arrived first at the Glade, and stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the Minotaur. It was a gruesome sight to behold. Eight feet tall, built like a man, but having the rough flesh of a bull. Its face was anything but human, and seemed to be more bestial than human. Four fingers lay on each hand, each ending in claws six inches long. The horns were gnarled and wizened. The sheer sight of the beast made her fall to her knees in fear, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. Miliyah swung the bundles from her shoulders, unwrapped them both, and held it in front of her.

Tidus was unaware that they had come after him, and he lay on his back dazed and wounded from the kick the Minotaur had delivered. The Brotherhood was shattered, his favorite weapon broken into pieces, and the Caladbolg was in even worse shape. It was embedded in the stone remains of the Minotaur's seal, and had turned to stone. Left weaponless and badly injured, he knew he had once again miscalculated his enemy's strength, and he closed his eyes to accept his fate. He was going to die here, leaving Miliyah and Yuna alone again.

The Minotaur was thrashing about the Glade in triumph over his meal. He swung his horns threateningly, lost in the thrill of a successful hunt. He gloated in loud roars that shook the trees from their roots, and he hunched his body over the fallen Blitzer, ready to gorge himself of Tidus's flesh. He opened his mouth to reveal his teeth, each as long and sharp a newly forged dagger. His breath was putrid, and it made Tidus nauseous as the Minotaur bent down to remove his flesh. A sudden sharp noise and a windstorm split the roars of the Minotaur, as Miliyah tossed a sword to her cousin, holding her own weapon, the Staff of the Magi, in both hands, arms spread wide as she called down a whirlwind, using the Wind Magic of Aeroga. This was Miliyah's talent. She was a black mage, surpassing even Lulu, as she commanded eight different types of elements. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light, Shadow, Lightning and Ice. All were the raven haired beauty's to command. Yuna ran to Tidus's side and healed his wounds, and he stood, clutching the new sword, a black blade with the face of a demon set into it. It was the Deathbringer, the cursed sword of hell itself. The three of them would fight together for the first time, here in the Shaded Glade on the Island of Besaid. Their opponent was the Beast of the Earth, one of the Great Four, whose powers had fully returned.

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: I know it has been far too long since I have updated this story, but I will try and update it at least once a month, if not more. I have three other stories to write, along with balancing college fulltime, homework, family, and my girlfriend. I tried something different with this chapter, to set up the fight against a monster three times as powerful as Sin. The next chapter will be the conclusion of this titanic battle. Thank you for reading, and please review. Reviews are like an author's drug. It feels so nice get feedback, good or bad.