Disclaimer: I don't want to own FFX. I'm content with my Tidus action figure.
Warning: Shonen ai, probable yaoi later on.
Pairing(s): AuronxTidus, possible others.
Tidal Wave
Oversoul
Jecht was drunk.
And that fact gave Auron and Tidus enough time to split apart without the rapid movement seeming strange to the man. Jecht smiled dopily at them, sauntering over to Tidus to clap him on the back affectionately. Tidus stared at him in shear horror.
His father chuckled loudly, slurring out, "what are you two doin' in my room!" before promptly falling half on the bed, half on the floor and passing out. Growling, Tidus got up and nearly succeeded in kicking the man hard enough to cause brain damage, but Auron had grabbed his elbow to throw him back.
"That's not wise," Auron mused, staring at Jecht snoring like a Shoopuf on the inn floor.
Tidus huffed indignantly. "He ruined our moment," he hissed, throwing out his arms childishly as he tended to do when he was flustered.
Auron turned a cold grey eye on him, going back to his own bed and lying down with an air of finality.
"Leave Jecht and go to sleep."
It was getting late, the sun slowly sinking away to let the moon take over. Tidus sat there on the dock, kicking his legs back and forth absently. His eyes were watering, but he refused to let the tears fall. He was humming quietly, his breathing hitching every once in a while to interrupt the song.
"Shouldn't you be inside?" a gruff voice asked from behind the small boy, and shocked, the child turned around too fast to face the speaker. His footing slipped on the dock, his arms pin wheeling out to grapple onto the air. Before he could fall into the gentle blue of the water, the man caught his hand, practically throwing him back on his feet.
Tidus shivered as he scanned this new face. Scarred over one eye, the other hard and calculating, staring through the boy. He wore a crimson coat, a sword tucked away in his belt. His face was full of hard lines, giving him a haggard look that fooled anyone to what his age actually was. Tidus immediately knew he should have been afraid, but something told him this man would not harm him, especially after saving him from falling.
"Th-thanks. Who… who are y-you?" he stammered, biting down on an already abused bottom lip.
The man smiled slightly, leaning down to better see the child. "Auron. A… friend of your father's."
Tidus nodded, glancing back to the houseboat. "My dad, he left. He hasn't come back. They say he's dead. I hope it's true."
Auron simply snorted, pointing in the direction of Tidus's house. "Is your mother home?"
"She… she's not well. Ever since dad left, she can't get out of bed." Tidus frowned, his eyes glazing over and his tiny hands clenching in the fabric of his shorts.
With a great sigh, Auron began the trek to the quant houseboat. "If she died, I wouldn't know what to do."
There was a shocked noise behind the guardian, and he turned his head curiously. Tidus was kneeling on the dock, fat tears rolling down his tanned cheeks. His small body shook with the force of his anguish, his nose running pitifully. Auron stood there watching the boy, awkward and stiff and so unsure how to handle the situation. He placed a hand on dirty blond hair, slowly running his gloved fingers through the strands. "I'm sorry," he whispered with sincerity.
The boy gradually stopped the flow of tears, looking up into Auron's face with wonder and grief mixed together. Auron held out his hand. "Let's go inside."
Tidus reached out, his smaller hand fitting easily in Auron's gloved one. Slowly he got to his feet, scrubbing furiously at the tear tracks until his face was blotched red.
They walked back, man and boy, both uncertain as to the future ahead of them.
Auron awoke before Tidus and his father, sighing heavily as he sat up and quickly evacuated the bed. That memory would always have reign over his conscious. He had failed Tidus last night. Failed him as a guardian, as a mentor, as a decent human being who would not molest his charge. The boy knew just how to push his buttons, how to move his body in the way that Auron was drawn to ever since Zanarkand. Of course, Tidus did not know this, would never know this. Auron had kept himself in check, never getting too close until last night. Their conversation had just become too heated much too fast. Auron resolved to stay away from the young summoner. Whether or not Tidus would respect this decision, Auron wasn't sure. He had a hunch.
He slipped from the room with ease. Both Tidus and Jecht were incredibly heavy sleepers. He went outside, watching the sun rise over the horizon. It was both beautiful and tragic, the sun's warm light illuminating the ruins of Kilika.
Tidus woke up with a start, taking deep breaths and wiping the sweat from his forehead. Immediately, he recalled the events that took place last night and grimaced when he saw the empty bed across from his own. Auron didn't even want to be in the same room as him. "Fuck!" he growled, startled when he heard a loud, obnoxious noise from the floor. Tidus groaned loudly, glaring down at the lump of flesh.
"Get up old man!" Tidus threw his foot down into Jecht's face, smirking when the man bolted upright, yowling and rubbing his abused face tenderly. He looked around the room with unfocused, angry eyes.
"Who the fuck did that!"
Tidus whistled innocently, shrugging his bare shoulders. "Whoops. My bad, I was trying to wake you, but my foot slipped." He hoped his voice sounded at least a little believable. From the pointed look Jecht shot him, he didn't think so. Pity.
"Uh, yeah, sure. Well, whatever, I'm going to go take a shower before we leave." Jecht slowly got up, stretching out his long limbs and yawning before sauntering off.
Tidus smirked, glad that at least Jecht was feeling a hangover for the stupid shit he pulled last night. Thanks to him, the dream he had been waiting for slipped from his grip.
Tidus was so close; the tangibility of Auron's lips that near to his own. It was maddening that now, because of Jecht, Auron was ignoring him, and would probably continue to do so until something gave. Tidus scowled and got up, sloppily pulling on his robes. He exited the room, not surprised to find his guardians waiting for him in the lobby, minus Jecht and Auron. Yuna smiled at him shyly, her hand clasped around the hilt of her sword. "How are you feeling?"
Tidus took in her appearance and frowned. Her clothes seemed different, more armor, tighter around her small body. "Better. So, to Luca?" he questioned, receiving simple nods in return. He dared to look up at Auron standing beside the exit, not facing him, not acknowledging his presence. Growling in irritation under his breath, he stomped out, not caring if his guardians followed or not. Luca it was.
The ride to Luca seemed like it wouldn't be nearly as dangerous as the trip to Kilika had been, which was fine, because Tidus was too enraptured in glaring at both Auron and Jecht when he wasn't exploring the ship. Taking a break from making the two men uncomfortable, or at least trying, he had walked down the steps to the few rooms below the deck. He peaked in one to find three people murmuring quietly. They all looked similar, so Tidus figured they were related. One man turned toward him, noticing his presence immediately. He had a short pony tail tied back, his smile kinder than his companions. They stared at him with guarded expressions, untrusting.
"You must be Tidus, the summoner rumored to have Lady Yuna as a guardian."
Tidus frowned cautiously; crossing his arms across his chest in what he hoped was an intimidating way. "Yeah, how'd you hear that? Who are you guys?"
The speaker chuckled, holding out his hand to the blond. "I am Isaaru, and these are my brothers, Maroda and Pacce, also my guardians. As to your first inquiry, word spreads fast in Spira, especially thanks to Sin. Lady Yuna has an extremely famous father as well, so she is a very favorable topic." Isaaru frowned, his eyes losing some of their shine as he finished.
"Braska," Tidus asked, concerned by Isaaru's sadness that seemed to come out of nowhere. Tidus knew her father was famous, but that was about it. Yuna didn't mention him too much, probably because they were all too busy for conversation.
Isaaru nodded to him, knocking Tidus out of his thoughts. "Lord Braska is the reason why I chose to become a summoner. I owe my pilgrimage to him."
"Isaaru," the other man spoke up, effectively cutting off Tidus's question, briefly touching Isaaru's arm. "We should get some rest. Pacce's tired."
The two looked down at the child, his eyes barely staying open to follow conversation. Isaaru nodded, smiling once again at Tidus. "We will meet again. If you will excuse us, Sir Tidus."
Tidus reluctantly left, scratching his head. Maybe Yuna had father issues as well. But then, she talked about him with such… pride. At the same time, when she spoke, her lips would be tight; her eyes scrunched up in…pain? Anger? Something was definitely up with her father, and he wanted to know. Was he dead? It seemed like it, so Tidus had to ask tactfully. Tact wasn't really his fortay, so letting her tell him on her own sounded like a better idea.
He found her on the deck, watching the waves with a small smile. Her hair blew with the wind, her eyes closed in a rare moment of tranquility.
"Yuna," he whispered, placing a comforting hand on her tiny shoulder. She jumped slightly, turning her head to greet him.
"You surprised me," she chuckled, standing up straighter and flipping out her hair. Tidus couldn't help but notice the way it shined with the sun. He grinned as he watched her stretch, hiding a blush from her. No one could deny that Yuna was beautiful, and under different circumstances, he thought he could have fallen in love with her. She had helped him so much, without any complaints.
"Sorry. I just got kind of bored. I'm not the most patient person, ya know?"
She nodded, leaning back against the rail. "I love the ocean, so I don't mind. It's… comforting to me. I enjoy watching the waves, the wind on my skin. It's nice."
Tidus hummed in agreement, just content to spend this time with Yuna. Her presence gave him a comforting feeling that he only ever had when Auron was around him.
A few minutes of companionable silence passed before either of them said anything. It was getting dark, and everyone had seemed to retire to the cabins.
Yuna broke the quiet first. "We should go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day. Wakka… he plans to participate in the Blitzball tournament. It's his last year before he retires."
Tidus gaped, eyes bulging. "Blitzball! Why didn't he tell me?"
Yuna frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean? He didn't tell you? Didn't you realize why the Auroch's were joining us?"
Growling, Tidus immediately headed for the stairs, intent on finding Wakka. Yuna called after him, but he ignored her, clenching his fists. There was no way in hell he was not playing in this tournament, summoners duty bedamned. He was so irritated, it wasn't funny. No one, not once, had mentioned his beloved sport, and all he wanted to do was play, something familiar in this foreign world. He spotted the Auroch's easily, searching out Wakka, who was spinning a blitzball on his finger with ease.
"Hey! Wakka! What's the deal with you not telling me about the blitzball tournament tomorrow?" he shrieked, startling several passengers.
Wakka stared at him peculiarly for a moment before replying. "What? You don't play blitzball…"
Tidus snarled, snatching the ball with lightning fast reflexes. Wakka gawked. "The hell I do. Play me."
"We're on a ship! We can't just jump overboard! Where did this even come from, I never knew you could blitz?"
Narrowing his eyes in annoyance and ignoring the shouts from the Auroch's, Tidus reached out to grab Wakka's collar. "I'm playing tomorrow. I'll prove to you I'm good." He couldn't help but break out into a fierce grin at Wakka's hopelessly confused, if not inspired, face.
Wakka nodded, much to the Auroch's displeasure and grasped Tidus's hand firmly in his own. "Alright, ya. I wouldn't dream of leaving you out. If we lose, it's no biggie anyway. I just want us to do the best we can, like always!"
Tidus smirked, clicking his tongue arrogantly. "To do your best? We're gonna win!" Tidus then only realized how out of character and obnoxious he sounded by the annoyed stares of the other passengers. He blushed, but couldn't fight the energy ball of happiness and adrenaline bubbling up inside him.
Wakka's eyes widened comically at his statement. "Wha…"
"Yeah! We're gonna win!"
"You sure about that?" The snide comment came from admits the crowd of people gathered around them. The crowd parted to reveal a team of blitzball players. The man who spoke, a red head, sneered at them. "We've won for the past three years. You Auroch'll get creamed, just like always." There were jeers from the other players, only serving to fuel Tidus's anger.
"Oh yeah! Who the hell do you think you are?" He reached out to grab the man's uniform, but Wakka's sturdy arm held him back protectively.
The red head grinned cockily. "You don't know? The Luca Goers. Get that memorized for when you lose."
Before Tidus could shoot back an epic retort, the blitzball team left as quick as they had arrived, the head of the Goers leading the pack. Tidus clenched his teeth, growling. Wakka stared at him incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief. "You need to calm down, ya. Ignore those idiots. We'll show 'em!" Tidus nodded with a smile, pushing his fist against Wakka's firm chest.
"You know it!"
"Might you gentlemen need some help?" another redheaded man asked, coming out of nowhere. He had a strange accent, a long face, and a large backpack hung on his shoulders. Tidus frowned at him, crossing his arms across his chest. He glanced at Wakka in question, who simply shrugged. "Uh… who are you?"
The man bowed to them, chuckling. "O'aka the twenty third, at ye service!" he shot Wakka and Tidus dazzling smiles, to which they did not quite know how to take. "I'm starting up me own travel agency, and I… am in need of donations. I'll give ya a discount?" his eyes seemed to grow eight sizes, and Tidus thought it really didn't help his cause. Nonetheless, Tidus handed over a small sum of gil. He figured it would help his chances tomorrow at the blitzball tournament.
O'aka whooped happily. "Many thanks summoner! I knew you would be kind enough to help out an old soul like meself! Just you wait; I'll make a fortune in no time." With that, O'aka wondered off, whistling to himself and accosting others in his plight.
"Who… in the name of Yevon… wait, I don't wanna know." Wakka looked down at Tidus, grinning softly. "You go get some sleep, you gonna need it for tomorrow."
Tidus could only nod and walk back up the stairs with a wave, holding out just a few more minutes. He had a hunch. As he stepped up on the deck, his immediate attention was drawn to a tall figure resting on the rail of the ship. The sun had long since sunk down to let the moon rise, its light shining down and illuminating everything beautifully. Tidus slowly walked up beside man in red, trying to fight the urge to just run away. His insides felt like gum, gooey and not working properly –maybe he was sick, he needed something to explain why he was feeling like he was going to explode.
Auron didn't say anything.
If he noticed Tidus's internal struggle, he refrained from commenting.
They stood in silence for at least five minutes. Tidus just didn't know where to start or what to say, so he thought Auron might contribute something. He didn't.
"I… er, I want to say…" Tidus scratched his head, contemplative. He wasn't the best with words, and he knew Auron wasn't either, so he understood. "When we almost kissed…" he trailed off, embarrassed. He could feel the heat radiating from his face. He looked up, hoping to catch Auron staring, but the man wasn't. "I'm not mad or anything if that's what you think."
Auron snapped his head down, catching Tidus's eyes in a smoldering gaze. The blond was momentarily taken aback at this sudden movement. "Tidus, we will not speak of that again. Is this clear?"
Tidus gawked, shock written across his face. Slowly, the shock wore off and intense frustration and anger quickly shot to the surface. "Don't speak to me like I'm still seven!"
Auron growled slightly, lowering his gaze. "Then don't act like it."
If he wasn't trying to effectively 'woo' Auron, he would have punched him in the face. Instead, Tidus pivoted and stomped back to the cabins, leaving Auron alone. He wasn't going to stand for being treated as if he was some mindless idiot. That just wasn't fair! He had lived with Auron for ten damn years; the man should treat him as an equal, not dismissing him like he was still Auron's charge and not a summoner!
The morning brought with it the city of Luca. Tidus got off the ship unnaturally quiet, still bitter and angry, but trying not to let on. Thankfully, if any of his guardians noticed, they said nothing about his attitude. The docks were flooded with people, all shouting and cheering at the many blitzball players arriving. Tidus noticed with some annoyance the announcers seemed to be a little unfair in their obnoxious assessments of the teams. He looked at Wakka, hoping to see some air of defiance. The man just grinned at him. "Yo, don't let anyone get to you. It's not a big deal."
Yuna was like a little bird in his ear. "Wakka's right. Don't worry; I'm sure you'll show what the Auroch's can do." She gave him a small, knowing smile. He could only blush and nod feebly, almost choking on his tongue when Jecht grabbed him and pulled him in a headlock, laughing manically.
"Wakka tells me you're playin' today. You think you're up to par boy?"
Tidus, instead of being offended, smirked with the ease of arrogance. "Pft, of course. Just wait." He stood up a little straighter, pride swelling through him. Blitzball was like breathing, so he figured he could definitely back up his talk.
Jecht chuckled, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "Hmph, we'll see then." He stalked past the group, taking on the lead position.
"Hey, where are we heading?" Tidus asked Yuna, hoping he didn't sound too ignorant. He really never paid much attention to the agenda. He made a mental note to start.
"Maester Mika will be arriving soon. Everyone is eager to see him. They say a new maester will also be accompanying him." Yuna seemed somewhat excited at seeing this person, so Tidus made a mental note to be especially attentive when they did see the new maester.
He realized as they were waling that the Maester's ship must have arrived on the dock, because the large group of people in front of them seemed to get even more excited, if that was even possible. The crowed parted, and an old man slowly stepped down to meet the cheers, smiling. Tidus wasn't sure if the smile was genuine or not on his face. He seemed creepy… really creepy. Tidus unconsciously shivered. The Maester began speaking, but they was too far back to hear the words.
After about eight years or so, he stopped his speech. He appraised the audience with cold eyes, seeing who was listening and who wasn't. The people gathered seemed engrossed. Tidus rolled his eyes, wanting to just get to the stadium. Instead, Yuna touched his arm gently, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Would you like to meet Maester Seymour? He should be coming down from the ship soon."
Before Tidus could reply, Auron cut in quietly. "He is already here. There is no need. We should move on to the highroad as soon as possible."
"Ey, not before the Auroch's participate in the tournament, ya!" Wakka stared hard at Auron, hoping probably to move the man. Luckily before Auron cut his head off, he had Jecht's help in the situation. Whatever that was worth.
"Yeah, I wanna see what blondie here can do, Auron." Jecht had the nerve to point to Tidus. Tidus glared irritably at his offending finger before shoving the appendage away from him.
"Don't worry about it, old man." Tidus gave Jecht a withering look, briefly glancing at Auron in what he hoped was a discrete way. The warrior had no expression on his face, per usual.
"Fine. When it is over, we depart." After those firm words, he stalked off in the opposite direction in search of an arms dealer.
There was an agreeing grunt from Kimahri, which surprised Tidus. The Ronso must not have liked blitzball, he thought. And then he immediately dismissed that thought, because who didn't like blitzball!
"Sir Auron seems troubled," Lulu murmured, watching the redclad figure disappear in the throng of people. Yuna nodded, a simple frown marring her features.
"I hope I have not offended him. That was not my intent –"
Wakka cut her off, waving his hand dismissively. "Nah, don't you two worry about it, okay? He just wants to get on with the pilgrimage."
Jecht scratched his mane of hair, clenching his jaw tightly. "Yeah, that's probably it. Auron is a little, eh, uptight."
Tidus glared at both Wakka and Jecht. "Maybe you guys should stop gossiping about him when he's not here. C'mon, let's go to the stadium already."
"Eager," Wakka chuckled, clapping him on the back affectionately. "We're almost there." He turned to the two female guardians sheepishly. "You, uh, wanna watch us?"
Lulu scowled at him, and he instantly withered, stepping closer to his summoner. "Just because we cannot play, does not mean we wish to watch, either."
Yuna laughed quietly, touching upon Lulu's pale shoulder to calm her. She wasn't upset visibly, but somewhat annoyed, and Yuna could tell. Tidus thought they must have been closer than perceived, and Tidus admired Yuna for being able to sooth Lulu.
Wakka sighed along with Jecht, choosing wisely to say nothing. Instead, they started for the stadium, reaching it quickly. The Auroch's had already gotten there, doing stretches in the locker rooms while Tidus and Wakka went over potential strategies. Wakka seemed impressed with Tidus's immense knowledge of blitzball.
"Where the hell did you learn all of this?" Wakka hissed, jabbing Tidus shapely in the shoulder. Tidus in turn snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Blitzball is in my blood. I just… do." He smirked, standing up fluidly from the awkward sitting position they were in. he took a deep breath, smiling to himself. He hoped, just maybe, Auron would be watching in the stands, partially hidden like back at home. He didn't count on it, though, considering the sour turn their relationship had took a turn for. He knew Jecht would be watching, jeering him on with drunken slurs most probably. Yuna had convinced Lulu to stay and observe the game, which Tidus thought Wakka was secretively happy about.
Wakka grinned at him, shooting him a knowing look. "I bet. Well, we should get out there. The Goers are going down, ya!" He extended his fist, and Tidus eagerly punched it.
"You're damn right."
The score was tied. There was less than a minute on the clock, and Tidus was nervous. He had been played pretty well up until now, and the crowd cheering for them helped boost his ego. He was just exhausted for some reason. When he glanced over at Wakka, the man seemed overexerted as well. Luckily, the Luca Goers didn't seem to be fairing any better.
Tidus kept sneaking furtive looks at the stadium seats, hope swelling in his chest that maybe he would spot a quick glimpse of red, but he never did. He had found Yuna, Lulu, Kimarhi and his father early in the first game, and with some strange sense of pride he played even better, he thought.
He swam over to the dividing line, about to fight for control of the ball when a loud explosion sounded off somewhere. He stopped, shooting Wakka a confused look. Before the guardian could answer him, screams rand through the stadium, and it was then that Tidus understood. Fiends had invaded Luca, and it was run or become devoured. Tidus looked around frantically, signaling for everyone to leave the area. The Goers were already swimming back to their locker rooms when the first wave of water fiends attacked. Wakka thwarted them off, grabbing Tidus's arm and hauling ass in the opposite direction of the Goers. When they broke through the locker doors, Yuna, and the others were already there.
Yuna immediately ran up to Tidus, clutching his wrists in a lethal grip. "We should leave, this place is infested!" Before Tidus could even reply, Jecht was on his left, a scarily serious expression taking control of his face.
"She's right. No arguing." His stone face faded a little, his lips curving into a satisfied smirk. "You've gotten better than I remember. Been practicing?"
"Jecht!" Yuna shrieked, glaring heatedly at the older man. "This is not the time. Luca is dangerous right now. And as guardians we must protect our summoner!"
Tidus's eyes widened at the angry outburst from the generally mild tempered girl. He smiled softly at her intense gaze, placing his own hands on her shoulders. "Yuna, it's okay. I'm not weak; I can take care of myself. Besides, we have to find Auron."
Yuna blushed, perfect white teeth peaking out to nibble on a plump lower lip. "I… I know."
Jecht was watching them out of the corner of his eye, noticing their display. He smiled widely, his large hand grazing Tidus's back. The boy gave him an inquiring look, only have it disregarded as Jecht opened the door, his sword drawn. "Alright, Kimahri, up front with me. Yuna and Lulu with the kid, Wakka bring up the rear. Let's get the hell out of here."
To Tidus's annoyance, everyone got into position from Jecht's rough orders. Damn.
The fiends had not yet flooded the underground locker rooms, so the party had a relatively easy time moving through the halls. It was when they reached the upper level and stepped out into the fresh air that the problems started. Luca was overrun, to say the least.
Right away, a four legged beast threw itself at Jecht's head, and right before its massive jaws could rip into him, his thick sword came up and smoothly sliced the monster's head cleanly off.
"Should I summon Ifrit?" Tidus whispered frantically to Lulu, who simply shook her head. They were surrounded in a matter of minutes, aerial fiends and four legged beasts alike. Tidus yelped as an avion dived for his neck, only to have a fire ball hurled at its wings. The fiend landed with a loud thud on the ground, smoke curling up from its carcass. Tidus didn't have time to thank Lulu, because they broke through the crowd of monsters, running down through the Sphere Announcement building to the highroad Auron had spoke about. Jecht seemed to know exactly where to go, which Tidus thought was somewhat strange.
Before the large group could race up the steps to a hopeful freedom, a tall man with wild, electric blue hair stood in their path. He smiled eerily, holding out his hands. They were long and talon-like, frightening in a way. Tidus observed him as he chuckled, bowing to everyone.
"Greetings, summoner. I am maester Seymour. It is a pity we must meet under such unfavorable circumstances. Allow me to rectify the situation."
Tidus could only nod dumbly, confused that this Seymour knew him and spoke of him so highly. He looked down at Yuna in question, who didn't acknowledge him, gazing ahead as Seymour brought up one of his large hands, closing his eyes. The blonds' own eyes nearly flew out of his skull when the sky began to darken, a creepy, shrill noise erupting from out of nowhere. He jumped back, clutching at Yuna's arm when a chain flew down and buried into the stone of the Luca. Looking up, he gaped at the enormous creature that was attached to this chain. It screamed in pure agony, shivering and jerking its body around. Arms were bound by bandages, more chains keeping its claws close to its body. With a shudder and not much more, all the fiends covering the ground began changing into pyreflies, floating back to the fareplane presumably.
This Seymour had singlehandedly Luca from destruction.
Once finished, the aeon was dismissed, the screams of such agonizing pain leaving a nasty feeling in Tidus's stomach. Seymour stepped slowly closer to the group, a small smile curling his lips just like before.
"I must leave for now, summoner. Please forgive me." Tidus noticed as the man left, his cold eyes glanced over at Yuna, observing her as he departed in the opposite direction. Jecht snarled at his retreating form, not one to be shy. "I've got a bad feeling about that guy."
Wakka grunted, cocking his hip out and shaking his head. "Don't speak that way about a maester."
"Whatever. Humph, where the hell is Auron? We're almost at the highroad."
"I was caught up in a barricade. Forgive me."
Everyone jumped at Auron's soft, firm voice coming from behind the party. His apology was directed at Tidus, who merely nodded. He wasn't sure how to take the man. He wanted so badly to just reach out, to talk about what could have happened. What Tidus had wanted to happen. Instead he just sighed, waving his hand dismissively. And then he noticed Auron's massive sword. He smirked. "Find something you like?"
Auron smiled wiry. "I suppose." He nodded at Jecht. "Let's go, the road is up ahead."
And so the party ran up the stone steps to see the beginnings of a road. Mostly the entrance was covered in shrubbery, large trees running along the road's edge to shroud it, making it scarsely look like a road at all.
Tidus frowned, looking to Yuna for answers. "Hey, are we at the right place?"
She chuckled gently, giving him a nod. "Yes. This is the road we must travel. It has not been walked on for many years, likely because of machina."
Tidus brought his fingers to his chin, thinking quietly. "Ah I see. So machina makes life easy, yeah? Then why aren't we using it to cross the road? Wouldn't that be simpler?"
Lulu decided to answer his inquiry. "We could, but there have been several disputes since Sin that have led the religion of Yevon to look down upon the use of machina. We do not want to draw attention to you in a time like this."
"Oh, I see. That's why there was arguing in Kilika when people brought in machina to help rebuild. Well, how do we know for certain that Sin has been brought because of machina?"
Wakka glared at him, shaking his head. "Yo, you can question the teachings later, we need to get going."
Tidus returned his glare in full force. "War could break out over something that might not even matter! I'm just trying to –"
"Tidus, that's enough. We need to leave."
The blond had the urge to pout, but refrained. That would just annoy everyone. So he growled and clenched his staff, trudging through the copious amount of greenery.
"Ah!" Tidus gave a broken cry as a sharp horn plunged unexpectedly into his back. His lungs constricted painfully, his knees giving out and his hands suddenly too weak to grasp his weapon. His staff fell precariously to the ground, clattering loudly. The fiend roared with murderous intent, extracting its horn from Tidus before raising a menacingly clawed paw to finish what it started.
Tbc…..!
Sorry this is such a boring chapter, so much filler to accomplish. The next chapter will be better –promise.
I was debating about what to do with O'aka, because he's really annoying to me. But there ya go… enjoy haha. And yes, events are different from the original ffx, of course.
To clarify, this is the past. Meaning, the Crusaders haven't been formed yet, so the Mi'ihen Highroad is just a road. The war is beginning between Bevelle and Zanarkand over machina.