Hello guys. Sorry it's been so long since the last update, I honestly didn't intend to leave it this long. Just got caught up in other stuff like writing for other stories and doing things away from my computer. I'm back now though so let's continue. One plus though is that I had plenty of time to decide on what I want to do next and what direction the story should go in.
Please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes. Please enjoy.
Location: Luca Docks
Tidus had been walking around the Luca docks for a good few hours. It was almost dusk now and the whole area was beginning to wind down with people finishing work for the day. He'd decided what he was going to do several hours ago. He wanted to go to Zanarkand, in two separate senses.
He wanted to get back home, back to the Zanarkand he knew and loved. The Zanarkand where he'd grown up and had been a famous blitzer. The Zanarkand where he had a house and champagne lifestyle. The Zanarkand where he didn't have to worry about fiends, aeons and Sin. The Zanarkand where he didn't have to be afraid, lost and sad. But in order to get there he had to go to another Zanarkand first. The Zanarkand in Spira. That's why he'd come here to the docks. He was looking for a boat that would take him there.
He'd decided that perhaps this Zanarkand (where summoners apparently went to complete their pilgrimages) could hold the key to finding a way back to his Zanarkand. The others had told him though that it was abandoned and just a big pile of rubble. It must have been the ruins of former Zanarkand after Sin's attack. He really must have been transported into the future after all.
"I just wanna go home Dad," Tidus stopping to think to himself. "Why did you have to bring me here? Why did you have to have what happened to you happen to me? Why did you send Auron to Zanarkand to watch me and bring me to Spira? Why do I have to be the one who has to stop you now you're Sin? It's not fair dammnit!"
"It's not all about you know," said a voice out loud now. Tidus spun around to see himself face to face with a little boy dressed in a purple hood. He could have sworn he'd seen this kid before.
"Hey, how did you…." he stuttered.
"You remember me?" asked the boy.
"Yeah, I do. We met in Zanarkand. My Zanarkand. Right before…." He broke off.
"Correct. But now we need to have another talk. Follow me." The boy then turned around and began to walk away. Tidus thought about it for a moment before doing as instructed.
The boy led him to the end of the Luca pier which looked out towards the vast blue sea. Eventually he turned around to face Tidus again and spoke.
"Why did you leave your friends?" the boy asked calmly.
"Look, before I tell you anything you need to tell me who you are!" demanded Tidus now.
"How do you know me? How do you know about everything? Did Auron or my old man send you?"
"You don't have to worry any about that right now, you'll find out the answers to those questions at another time. Now, tell me. Why are you here and not with Yuna and the others?"
Tidus looked towards the floor and didn't answer right away. He eventually admitted;
"I… I… I can't do this anymore. I'm not… I'm not cut out to be a guardian. Or a hero. Or anything that defeats Sin and saves Spira. I'm just a blitzer from Zanarkand who wants to go back home. Is that so much to ask?"
"It depends in what context," replied the boy.
"Huh, wha?" was all Tidus could say in confusion.
"The Zanarkand you grew up in was destroyed, you won't find it anywhere." The boy's calm tone was slightly spooky.
"I know, it's just a big pile of rubble now. They told me. But if there's a way to get back there, to my Zanarkand, then I'm going to try and find it. I don't want to stay here in Spira anymore, I don't belong here."
"I thought you said you'd help Yuna in her pilgrimage?"
"I know I did but… but that was before. That was before I knew about… knew the truth." Tidus said the last part of that sentence with some choke in his voice.
"They didn't tell me, they hid it from me and that hurts."
"I'm sure it didn't hurt as much as when one of their group abandoned them," the boy replied now dryly.
"Hey!" said Tidus angrily. He had no real defence for the boy's accusation though.
"I understand that it was upsetting for you. This whole experience must have been upsetting and world-changing, literally. You should have stayed though. Leaving Yuna has done neither you, her or anyone else any good at all."
"But I can't!" Tidus burst out now. "I can't… I can't face her. Not after all that stuff I said, after everything that's happened. I can't look her in the eyes ever again. It's too painful. I… I…" he broke away again, too distraught to finish what he was going to say.
"Because you love her. Don't you?" The boy had finished his statement for him. All Tidus could do was nod without looking up.
Yes, he did love Yuna. He was madly in love with her and there no point trying to deny it any longer. Since he'd met her his feelings had developed from a cute friendship, to an embarrassing crush to finally full-blown love. He loved her and couldn't bare the idea that she'd die and there being nothing he could do about it. It was better he just got away. Got away from everything.
"I can't make you do anything but I think you know that you should go back," said the little boy now. "Yuna needs you. And you need her too."
"But, what if… what if… she's angry or upset?"
"You know Yuna so you'll know how she'll have felt and how she'll feel when she sees you now. But it's either that or literally chasing a dream in trying to find a way back to Zanarkand."
Tidus looked up now to face the little boy.
"So you're saying there's no way for me to get back home? None at all?"
"You can find that out for yourself. You will find answers you desire when you reach Zanarkand but you shouldn't go there alone. You should go there with your friends and find your answers together."
The little boy then turned around again and began to walk towards the water. Tidus watched in astonishment as the boy didn't halt upon reaching the edge of the pier. Instead he'd just kept on walking and was now walking in thin air! He was several feet above the tide of the water and slowly began to fade away.
Tidus was amazed. Who was that boy? Was he a ghost? Or possibly some sort of strange fiend? He was left to think about this and all of what they'd discussed. He had some serious decisions to make.
Luca: City outskirts
"Now that we're here it's time we split up," declared Auron now. Everyone else nodded in agreement and proceeded to arrange themselves into the groups they'd previously agreed upon. Yuna with Lulu, Wakka with Rikku and Auron with Kimahri.
"We must be cute in our search," explained the aged man now. "Nobody draw unwanted attention to themselves, never stay in the same place for more than a few minutes and don't look anybody in the eye. Yevon will no doubt be searching for us."
Everyone nodded again.
"We meet back here on the balcony at sunset," he said now. "Make sure that you're not followed."
With that the former monk turned on his way with Kimahri walking forwards to follow him. Everyone else bore each other a quick farewell and a "see you laters" before going off themselves.
A little later
"Hey Wakka?" asked Rikku as she and the Besaid blitzer were walking the Luca market area searching for any sign of the blonde man.
"Yeah, what is it?" he replied.
"Do you think Tidus and Yunie are…."
"Are what?"
"You know," she prodded.
"Huh, what you tryin' to say?" he asked, completely jaded.
"Oh, you're so dumb," Rikku moaned.
"Hey! Who you calling dumb? What are you even talking about anyway ya?"
"Do you think that Tidus and Yunie are…. In…. love?" she eventually managed to ask aloud.
"WHAT!? NO WAY! Yuna's not in love with anybody. She's a summoner!"
"Yeah I know that, but have you seen the way they would always look at each other? And how they used to talk, have private conversations? Do you think there was something there?
"No Rikku. Yuna can't fall in love as I said. She's a summoner on a pilgrimage ya."
"That doesn't mean she doesn't feel things like the rest of us! She can fall in love with somebody just like anyone can. And Tidus too."
Wakka didn't reply to this. Rikku's words were very unnerving for him because although he hated to admit to himself, he knew Rikku was probably right in her comments. He and everyone else had of course noticed the growing chemistry that Tidus and Yuna had developed since he'd first introduced them? What would happen if they did see each other again?
Meanwhile
"Are you okay?" asked Lulu quietly. She and Yuna were sticking close and the young summoner who still hiding under her veil. Luckily, they didn't seem to be attracting much attention from the many people around them who were all too busy with their own business. They had seen a fair amount of Yevon's soldiers in packs roaming around though, they did their best to make sure they kept their distance.
"Yes," Yuna replied quietly to her friends question. "Where do you think we should search?"
"The Luca docks and port?" Lulu suggested.
"Okay," she replied with a small nod. They set off in direction of this newly chosen destination.
In another place
"Does Sir Auron really think that we will find Tidus in Luca?" asked Kimhari of Auron. It was rare sight to see the Ronso be the one to start a conversation. Auron answered him unmoved though.
"I'm not sure," he replied honestly. "He may have come here or he may not. There's a good chance he'll have gone to Zanarkand."
"Why did Sir Auron not suggest this?" said the Ronso now.
"Because this is Yuna's pilgrimage Kimahri. We let her decided where we go and we follow her no matter what. It shouldn't be a guardian telling a summoner how to lead their journey."
Kimahri understood Auron's words and their message. He nodded in agreement and went back into his shell.
Several hours later
None of three pairs had managed to find to find Tidus anywhere in Luca. Little did any of them that he'd actually left the city shortly before they'd have arrived.
Flashback
Tidus had been doing some very serious thinking since being left by the boy. He'd mulled everything over and eventually he'd come to a decision about what he needed to do.
"Hey buddy," he shouted towards a sailor. "Can we talk?"
"What it is?" asked the sailor.
"Where's this ship headed?" Tidus asked in reference to the ship on the edge of the pier they were standing on. Tidus assumed this guy had to be one of it's crew.
"To the Calm Lands," the sailor replied. "We got drop a shipment off to a buyer out there. We're leaving soon."
Tidus nodded at being told this. He bit lip for a moment before speaking again;
"Look man, I know this is going to sound crazy but is there anyway… (sigh) would it be okay if I tagged along? I need a ride to the Calm Lands and I wanna get there ASAP. Do you think it would be okay I came with you?"
The sailor was utterly bewildered by this request. He hadn't been expecting to be asked this by a complete stranger.
"Erm, well who are you? Why is it you have to go to the Calm Lands anyway? Can't you make your own way?"
"My name is er… Cid," Tidus lied. "I need to go to the Calm Lands to meet my friend who's there. He's waiting for me and getting there on foot will take days, maybe even weeks. Come on man, you'd be doing me a real favour by letting me go with you. Please?"
The sailor thought about Tidus' request for a while before ultimately making up his mind.
"You know what, why not? You look like a decent kid. As long as you pull your weight on board the ship I don't foresee there being any problems with you coming with us. Yeah, we'll give you a ride. This is a time when the people of Spira should be lending each other a hand. My name's Squall and I'm the driver of this floating piece of metal."
He extended his hand and Tidus shook it and offered his thanks. The reason he wanted this ship to take him to the Calm Lands was a simple one. He was heading to Zanarkand. He knew that in order to get there you had to pass through the Calm Lands and then pass over Mt. Gagazet. It was daunting task but one he knew had to do.
Yuna and others had probably done exactly this after leaving Bevelle. Perhaps he would meet up with them again in Zanarkand. Yuna would be there receiving here Final Aeon. He was going there to search for answers.
Luca Balcony – Sunset
After a fruitless day of walking around the town and find neither hide nor hair of Tidus, Yuna and Lulu made their way back to balcony as Auron instructed They fortunately had managed to avoid being recognized all day and weren't being followed (or so they thought). Yuna was unable to mask how demoralized she was. When they reached the balcony and found it completely empty. None of their friends had arrived yet.
"I hope the others had more luck than we did," she said to Lulu as they admired the view whilst waiting.
"Don't raise your hopes up too high Yuna," advised Lulu. "The others may not have found him either and you should prepare for that."
"I know," she replied sadly.
"I promise you we will keep searching for him for as long you wish us too," reassured the black mage now. "All I'm saying is it will probably take us a long time."
Yuna nodded. They waited for another minute or so when….
"FREEZE!" roared multiple voices. Before Yuna and Lulu could react they found themselves completely surrounded from all sides by Yevon soldiers all aiming rifles in their direction. There had to be around a dozen of them overall. They had been recognized and followed after all.
"Lady Yuna," said a man who stepped forward. It was Maester Kinoc.
"So good to see you again."
Yuns just gave him her meanest scowl. He laughed in response.
"We have the rest of your little group too," he bragged. He turned towards his men and ordered;
"Take them to my ship at the docks."
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story is really starting to heat up now isn't it? Not sure when the next chapter will be to be honest, I have other stories I'm currently working on too which will take up my time. Maybe in about 2 weeks or so but it could be longer. Thanks for reading and being patience. PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW! I get some of those it will help convince me to make this story my main focus.
Cheers.