Jecht's Story
On that same fateful night, Yuna and Jecht too had their fair share of adventures, and misgivings. The two had come across the scatterbrained Laguna earlier that evening and now Laguna was insisting on him leading the way. Yuna and Jecht had discussed their options and decided that it would be wiser to inform Cosmos herself about Cloud's experience with the manikins and with Laguna in tow, they were struggling to find their way back to the Order's Sanctuary.
"I told you it's that way!" Jecht said, getting impatient.
"No," Laguna replied confidently, "I really believe that this way is a shortcut."
"You've been leading us in circles for hours now!" cried an exasperated Jecht.
"We'll make it there eventually," Laguna cheerily said, completely oblivious to Jecht's impatience.
"Sir Jecht! Sir Laguna!" Yuna called out to them, "There's a bonfire up ahead. Maybe it's one of our allies!"
"We better ask for directions!" Jecht breathed a sigh of relief and the trio headed in the direction of the fire they saw.
The campsite turned out to belong to Cecil Harvey and the little Onion Knight. They greeted the approaching wanderers warmly and invited them to join in for a break.
"The Sanctuary?" The Onion Knight asked in an incredulous tone as Jecht told them of their destination, "You're severely lost then. The Sanctuary's over the other direction."
Jecht glared at the blushing Laguna. "Well anyone can make mistakes," Laguna said, scratching his head bashfully.
But Cecil interrupted before a fight was to break out between the two. He turned to Jecht and asked, "What manner of bad news do you need to tell Cosmos about, Jecht?"
"Well you see..." Jecht began, averting his deadly glare from Laguna. But he saw a shadow in the distance, along with a group of crystalline figures which made him stop in his speech. The other warriors too followed and turned in the direction where he was staring. They narrowed their eyes and observed wordlessly before finally making out the silhouettes of Bartz and Vaan fighting a bunch of manikins in the darkness.
"Manikins, eh?" Jecht finally said, getting up as he twisted his arms and cracked his knuckles. "Let the big Jecht handle them." He dragged his massive sword and headed into Bartz and Vaan's direction.
While Bartz and Vaan were not exactly overwhelmed, Jecht's arrival certainly helped them to destroy the manikins faster. Jecht's heavy sword spared no mercy in crushing the crystal imitations while Bartz and Vaan's blades sliced effortlessly through the soulless creatures. In a couple of minutes, all that was left were a few sparkling shards on the ground and three victorious warriors.
"Thanks old man," Bartz said to Jecht while the latter raised an eyebrow at the nickname. The three headed back to the campsite where the other three warriors were watching the fray with great interest, ready to strike should the need arise.
Yuna was the first to greet them. "Are you all right, Sir Jecht? Bartz? Vaan?" she asked, concerned.
Jecht gave her a grin and said, "You bet. Those lowlifes are no match for the mighty Jecht!"
"So, did something happen with the two of you?" Cecil turned to ask Vaan and Bartz. The usually carefree duo was registering an unfamiliar expression of worry on their faces.
The two looked at each other for a moment, as though contemplating where to begin, before Bartz finally spoke up. "It's about Terra, well, and Cloud," he said anxiously, "They're acting really strange." And he and Vaan began to recount to the rest their whole experiences in the forest earlier.
Gasps can be heard as they told the others of their story. As they finished, the whole campsite was in silence. It took a while before Cecil finally said, "Could they be… mind-controlled?"
"It's not improbable," Vaan said gloomily, "We were thinking of telling as many people as we can, to keep a lookout for them. Or better, we would like to tell Cosmos."
"Well," Yuna slowly said, "We were thinking of going back to the Sanctuary to tell Cosmos something too." And now it was Jecht and Yuna's turn to inform them about Cloud's experience and warning.
"So," the Onion Knight said, "We can assume that after Cloud got separated from you guys, he met Terra in the woods, and something happened to them." The others nodded fervently.
"Yuna, you look pale," Cecil commented, seeing the color drain out of Yuna's usually rosy face.
"I…" she stammered hesitantly, "I am worried about Tidus." She knew that it was not only Tidus that she had to worry about, but she cannot help wondering if the blitzball ace was alright.
Cecil breathed a sigh of relief as he found out what Yuna was worried about. He gently told her, "Yuna, Tidus is alright. We met him earlier. He was with Firion."
"Is that so?" Yuna said happily. It was her turn to breathe a sigh of relief and the color slowly returned to the face. She placed her hand over her chest and a small smile formed on her lovely lips. "I'm relieved to hear that. Thank you, Cecil."
"You're welcome." Cecil smiled back at her. "If I may suggest, maybe we should converge with all the others first."
"To confirm the list of absentees, eh?" Jecht said, "Not a bad idea."
"Or to confirm the list of traitors…" an anomalous voice creepily joined in the conversation.
They quickly turned and came face-to-face with the Emperor of Palamecia. Clad in gold armor and purple cape, the lavishly dressed Emperor Mateus was a sore sight in the calm and peaceful night.
"What do you want!?" Jecht growled, his hands clutching the grip of his sword.
"I mean no harm tonight," Mateus calmly replied, "I simply have information that there are traitors amongst both our factions."
None of the Cosmos Warriors said a word; they simply stared at the Emperor, waiting for him to continue. Mateus drawled slowly, enjoying the dramatic effect that he has created, "You see, traitors are the most dangerous type of enemy. They can strike from the back."
"Just cut to the chase!" Vaan barked at him.
Feigning surprise, the Emperor smiled and continued, "I have information that Kain and Golbez are meeting regularly, and I have seen them once before. I fear that they have their own plans… to steer this war to suit their terms."
"Why should we believe you?" Cecil retorted. Kain was his best friend and Golbez was his brother. He would not easily believe that the both of them are traitors.
"Believe what you like," the Emperor smirked, "It's your loss if you don't believe me anyway." And without another word, he was gone.
"Geez," Jecht said, "I really hate their habits of teleporting here and there." He nonchalantly seated himself back on the rock beside the bonfire, as though he had nothing more of a short conversation about weather with an old friend. He knew the Emperor better than swallow his words whole and had resolved to ask Kain personally about it when he meets him. However, with one look, he could tell that some of his companions begged to differ.
Bartz, Vaan and the Onion Knight were pale in the face, and looks of disbelief were clearly evident. Jecht could tell that these youngsters have a hard time trusting Kain. After all, Kain himself was much of a loner and that did not contribute positively to these kids' trust in him. Yuna, on the other hand, looked pretty much unperturbed as she sat down beside Jecht. Knowing Yuna, Jecht knew that she would trust Kain no matter what, even IF he was caught red-handed. She would probably try to reason with him and such, Jecht thought. But, the look on Cecil's face was unperceivable. Jecht knew of the shock Cecil must be feeling. It was not so much as trusting Mateus's words, but rather the shock that whatever plans Kain and Golbez might have, they weren't sharing it with him.
"Y'know," Jecht said, trying to break the silence, "Why not we all get some rest and set off before dawn tomorrow? Then we can find Kain and the others before they leave camp." The others murmured their agreement and took their places to chance a short sleep. Satisfied, Jecht said, "I'll go patrol for a bit," and left the camp.
As Jecht destroyed a lone manikin, a voice was suddenly heard behind him.
"Oh, Jecht! You really are too strong~!" It sounded like a stray fan from Zanarkand, Jecht thought as he turned his back to find Tifa.
"Tifa!?" Jecht asked, puzzled.
Smiling seductively, Tifa walked up to Jecht and ran her fingers up Jecht's muscular chest before whispering to him, "What do you say to a night, Jecht? Just you and me…"
"With a kid as big as you!?" Jecht asked surprised and amused at the same time, "What would other people say?"
"No one will know," Tifa smiled even wider, "It'll be our dirty little secret…"
"Heh," Jecht grunted appreciatively, "You sure know how to flirt… BUT I AIN'T FALLING FOR THAT!" With a sudden roar, he pushed Tifa roughly back, causing her to roll on the ground. "Show your true form!" He said savagely, pointing his sword at her.
As if overcome by madness, Tifa slowly picked herself up and chuckled creepily. But the moment she got to her full height, it was Ultimecia's image that Jecht saw overlapping Tifa's solid form.
"You…." Jecht growled in anger.
"Hahahaha," Tifa laughed, but the voice which rang in Jecht's ears was Ultimecia's creepy voice. "Impressive, Jecht! Although you should've accepted my offer. The girl won't touch you without my control…"
"You disgust me, witch!" Jecht snapped at her, mustering his whole strength to keep himself from harming Tifa.
"Pass a message to Squall," Ultimecia said smugly, "Tell him to come for the girl personally… if he still cares…" And with a reverberating laugh, she disappeared in a flurry of feathers.
"Damn, I really hate those stupid teleportation techniques!" Jecht grumbled as he headed back for the campsite.
…
Elsewhere, a wandering Gabranth caught sight of the mysterious swordsman, Gilgamesh. He was astonished at the sight of him. The unfamiliar red-clad man had somehow made his way into a world in which he was not summoned. An idea then struck Gabranth. If this swordsman can fight for their cause, he would be a useful ally indeed.
"You," Gabranth called out to him, "You are not a warrior of this conflict…"
The swordsman searched clumsily for the source of the voice before finding Gabranth. He then casually said to him, "No. Why does everyone keep asking me that lately? All I want is to find Bartz."
Gabranth smiled. He had just gotten the key. "I'm afraid Bartz is busy. This war… as long as it rages, Bartz wouldn't face you. You won't find glory or fame or riches here… not as long as the war continues."
Gilgamesh caught the hint. "So I have to end the war before I can face Bartz?" he asked with his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"You can help me with the… ahh… backstage preparations." Gabranth cunningly said, "We are warriors who are not supposed to play any part in this conflict. We are free to alter the course of history."
Gilgamesh frowned in confusion. "Did you come from the Rift too?" he asked, almost innocently.
"No," Gabranth answered, "I am but a warrior cast aside by the tides of time over the course of these endless cycles of destruction."
"Well…" Gilgamesh said, contemplating Gabranth's words as he did. "If I can't face Bartz unless the war ended, then I guess I have no choice but to help you for the time being."
"You'll come when summoned then?" Gabranth asked.
"A swordsman never goes back on his word!" Gilgamesh assured him.
And Gabranth gave a satisfied smile.