Tidus sighed as he collapsed against the wall. Not two days in this place and he was already starting to hate it.
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back; wishing for all he was worth that he could just go back to his house and sleep, forget that any of this insanity had ever happened.
"Hey!"
He winced as the overly cheerful voice dragged him from his musings. Looking up, he saw the strange blond girl he had met just this morning. She was beaming down at him and holding out a tray of food.
"Here, you looked hungry."
"Thanks," he murmured as he took the tray and dug in. It was surprisingly good, for formless, tasteless paste.
He blinked in surprise when instead of leaving, the plopped down beside him, pulling her knees to her face and staring at him.
He tried to match her stare, but her odd eyes made him turn quickly back to his food.
Silence reigned for a few minutes as Tidus scraped his tray clean.
"So, how did you get all the way to Bahj temple?"
Tidus would have pointed out that the ruins he had inhabited barely deserved the title scrap heap, much less temple, but as this was the hand that fed him, literally, he decided to go with it.
"It was the middle of a Blitzball game. We were winning, easily, so I took a moment to look at the city. Zanarkand always looked so majestic from the top of the sphere…"
Words poured out of him. He felt he could almost relive the experience. The feeling as he looked at the strange, deadly vista his home had become.
Instead of the soaring towers framed by the sky, the towers were broken, waves of power crushing the steel like foil.
Looming behind the city was that huge beast, easily as big as several skyscrapers.
He remembered the burning in his arm as he tried to hold on to the support beam while the rest of the stadium fell apart beneath him, the fear as he fell into what was left of the sphere.
The relief as he stumbled out of the wreckage of what had once been the grandest building in the sector and saw Auron, leaning calmly against a wall.
Running, fighting, pain…
Sin.
When he came back to himself, the girl was staring at him in an entirely different way.
It reminded him of the Qizerati fanatics he had seen on the street back home.
Then, without a word, she stood and went back inside the ship.
Well damn, what did I do now?
O0O
Riku stumbled through the narrow, dim corridors of the Fena yht Bnyoan, ignoring the eyes of her fellow Al Bhed as she headed towards the storage holds.
She had expected some story about Sin. She'd never heard of any Yevonite ships passing this way before, and things…twisted around Sin, even if she didn't believe the talk about Yevon and Punishment.
But she hadn't expected anything like…this.
The great city of Zanarkand, holy place of Yevon…
Filled with people, filled with life…
Filled with Machina.
She could still see the ghosts of towers higher than Home dancing in her mind, soaring arcs of metal and stone twinkling with a thousand lights…
Domes beneath which all of Luca could hide without notice.
The strange young man made it so plain, as if that was how it was, how it had always been.
She had to know, whether he was truly mad, or just mad enough to be Rumo.
She heaved the heavy hatch aside and walked through the narrow aisles until she reached the door to the smaller hold of the Bmyla uv dra Uhghufh, where the devices with no discernable purpose were held.
She took one from a shelf and turned.
Now…
O0O
The vena fydan burned in his throat, the rich Al Bhed liquor spreading warmth through his tired soul.
The swirling winds of Gagazet held little discomfort for one such as him.
He stood before the Wall of the Fayth, the twisted mass of living stone, thousands of souls, writhing in the throws of The Dream.
What are you doing, Jecht?
Luca, Tidus loved blitzball, and blitzball always led to Luca.
A half a year's journey by foot.
But this close to Holy Zanakand, no ship would sail.
He turned toward the caves.
With a single step…
A fiend dropped before him, only to vanish in a whirl of pyreflys.
This is still my story.
O0O
"Hey, Yuna."
She turned form the rolling blue of the sea and looked at her friend.
"Yes?"
"I, ah, I wanted to say I'm sorry, holdin you up like this, ya."
She smiled; he always looked so awkward when he did this.
"It's alright, Wakka. This pilgrimage could last a long time; another month won't hurt."
"Ya, but…"
"Besides," she said, smiling brightly, "I'd like to see the Aurochs win, just once."
Wakka scratched at his head.
"Well, we'll do our best for you, ya."
"Yes."
He turned to the ship, but before he could start up the ramp he paused at her voice.
"Is that…"
He followed her gaze to the long bundle with his meager luggage; the one with the red ribbons fluttering in the soft breeze.
"Yeah…I been practicing, ya know. Gona be a guardian soon, not a blitzer."
"Wakka you…"
"Chappu, he always wanted Sin to be gone, ya. I figure…"
Silence settled over the pair, even as workers loaded the ship around them.
"Right"
Wakka nodded at her acknowledgement and picked up his bags, heading up the ramp to the ship.
Yuna turned back to the sea.
It's strange, but if everything goes well, I'll never see this place again…
She turned away
O0O
"Cecdan!"
Riku started as a solid hand gripped her shoulder, turning her to face the gaudily painted face of the man ducking under a pipe behind her.
"Pnudran! The man we found, he…"
"That fiend, what did he do to you?"
"Hu, Hu, it's…"
She paused, if she was wrong, things could end badly.
But…
"The way he speaks, the story he tells. He could be Rumo"
The anger fled the tall man's face, leaving a ghostly white beneath the bold tattoos.
"Are you sure, cecdan?"
She smiled and held out the hard shape of the device she had taken.
Her brother nodded.
"We will see."
O0O
Tidus started awake when the door clanked open and the bond girl from before stepped out.
"Hey, what…"
Followed by what looked like the weirdest biker gang he'd ever seen.
All of whom surrounded him, hands resting on an assortment of weapons.
This didn't seem good. He had a sword, but they had guns.
"Oui cbayg uv matkahtc yht bnubralo. Oui femm cruf ev oui yna dnimo dra Rumo-Uha, un y cesbma bnadahtan."
Tidus blinked. Whatever the big man with the Mohawk had just babbled, it didn't sound friendly.
"What…"
Before he could finish, the blond girl held out something expectantly.
"Hey, a player. What…"
"Ra ghufc ed!"
A wave of noise washed over him as every single person on deck besides himself started screaming.
"Dra ghufehk uha…"
"…Ra ec rana…"
"Dra tnays lremt…"
Tidus wasn't sure what was going on as he was hustled inside, but at least it was a bit warmer.
And everyone was smiling, that was a good sign.
Wasn't it?
O0O
"We?"
Tidus scratched at his head as the girl…as Riku shook her head and did that odd twisting flicking gesture he'd decided was the Al Bhed sign for frustration…
Again.
"No, no, no! Oui, not We!"
Maybe…
"Ohi?"
"Ooohh!" She sounded even more frustrated.
Damnit!
"Closer, but…listen."
He listened.
"Oh-oo-ee, but faster, get it?"
"Oh-ui, no, Ou-I, umm, Oui?"
She nodded.
"E ys Tidus, oui yna Riku?"
"Oayr! Oui kud ed, oui kud ed! Riku, sycdan daylran aqdnutehyen!"
Tidus sighed as the girl danced around the small room in glee.
He could pick out a few words from her babble, you, teacher and what sounded almost like yes.
The rest was a complete mystery.
And from what she'd told him, he was aperently Al Bhed now, he still wasn't sure how that worked, and was expected to learn the language as soon as possible.
He fingered the goggles hanging around his neck.
It was going to be a long few months before they went back "Home."
Wherever that was.
Riku finaly finished her dancing and dropped to sit beside him.
"So, fru yna oui?"
He sighed, again.
Back to practice.
"E ys Tidus."
"Fru ys E?"
"Oui yna Riku."
"Yeah!, you realy got it!"
At least that last was in plain Lucan.
He was starting to get a headache.
O0O
Dim firelight flickered in the caverns, the thousand cyristals twisting the ruddy glow into a sinuous, rainbow cloud.
"Auron is known to Biran. Auron is legendary guardian, ledgendary warrior. Biran hold much respect for Auron."
"Biran is not kown to Auron, but only fine Ronso fight fiends so well. Auron hold much respect for Biran."
The massive Ronso noded, once.
"Biran remember Auron from long ago. Biran was young Ronso when Auron came to Gagazet without summoner. Biran remembers prayers, when legendary warrior vanish into snow."
The large head leaned towards the fire.
"Biran asks, where has Auron gone, for past ten years."
Silence fell but for the howling wind outside the cave, and the low sizles as wolf meat dripped over the flames.
"A story for a story, Biran. Auron asks, what of Spira, these past ten years."
A low rumble of amusment, more felt than heard.
"Spira as it always is, always has been. The Calm of Braska came, the Calm of Braska went. People lay blame on neighbor, enemy, Al Bhed, never on themself. Sin comes, people die. Sumoners come, Sumoners die. Fayth sing, priests talk, people live."
Auron didn't bother asking questions.
"Auron travel far from Spira, deep into strange land..."
Biran lifted his horn as Aruon paused, Rronso hated dealbreakers.
"Auron saw Zanarkand as it was..."
And so Auron told his story, And Biran listened into the long darkness as the fire burned low.
Auron pulled the spited carcas from the fire, waiting until his companion did the same before tearing a strip of meat off to chew.
Tender, for wolf meat...
"Many summoners reach Gagazet this year." Auron said.
Biran nodded, "Few leave."
They ate.
"Auron asks, what of the maesters, what of Yevon."
The rummbling tremmors of amusement again.
"Maesters rule as ever, people listen as ever. Biran go here, Biran go there, Biran return to Gagazet, Biran leave for Spira."
Yellow eyes gleamed in the fire.
"Biran cares for Biran, Biran like danger of flashing teeth, of swiping claw, not danger of false smiles, of poisoned drink."
A smile.
"Biran is wise."
A snort like falling stone.
"Biran is not wise, Biran was not wise, Biran may be wise one day."
Auron turned from the fire, pulling his coat about him.
"Biran, is wise."
When Biran woke to dawns shifting paterns on the crystals, he was alone with the embers.
O0O