Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Separate Thread ❯ Threading the Needle ( Chapter 1 )

A SEPARATE THREAD

by aurons_girl

Chapter One: Threading the Needle

Tidus awakens in a beautiful clear blue ocean. "Rikku!" he shouts, hoping the girl he was just with would be near. He looks around, trying to figure out where he is, and gets smacked on the back of the head with a blitzball. "Uh!" he shouts in surprise, and turns to the shore where the ball came from and notices a group of people gathered on the beach.

"Blitzball!" he cries with excitement when he notices what kind of ball it is.

"Hey! You okay?" a man from shore shouts.

"Heeey!" Tidus yells back, happy to find someone....to not be alone. And to see something familiar.

Tidus performs an extravagant kick that sends the ball whizzing to shore, barely missing the man's head. "Whoa-ho!" the man exclaims, impressed.

Tidus swims to shore and approaches the group. Two men turn away from the first and head up a path away from the beach. The man turns and gasps in surprise when he sees Tidus. He and the other men surround Tidus.

"Yo! Hiya!" Tidus says nervously.

"You wanna try that move one more time?" the man asks. He is large, well built and tan, with brown eyes and red hair.

"Finally, things were starting to look up," Tidus thought as he showed them the move again.

"You're no amateur. Who you play for?" the man inquires.

"The Zanarkand Abes," Tidus exclaims smugly.

Everyone gasps and begins talking amongst themselves.

"What team you say again?" the man asks.

"Uh, I meant...." Tidus stammered, trying to recover. "Forget that. I got too, uh...close to Sin and my head's all foggy-like. So I don't know where this place is. Or even where I came from."

"Sin's toxin got to you. But you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon," the man exclaims as he and the others perform a gesture known as the prayer gesture. This is done by bringing your arms in front of you, right forearm over left forearm, palms separated, hands curved in the shape of a circle, and bowing. It is the prayer gesture for their deity, Yevon.

The man turns to his companions "All right, back to practice!" He turns back to Tidus. "I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs," he says as the two shake hands.

Tidus' stomach growls loudly, causing him to laugh self-consciously.

"What? You hungry? Okay! Back to the village. I'll get you somethin'!" Wakka tells him.

Tidus speaks to a few of the other team members before following Wakka.

"Hey, I'll admit we're not the best blitzers in Spira. 'To do our best.' That's our motto. Guess it's not enough, eh?" a large man named Keepa tells him.

"I really want to make Captain Wakka proud at this year's tournament. Come practice with us after the toxin wears off, okay?" a red headed man named Botta says.

Tidus runs off to join Wakka. "I felt like I could trust this Wakka, so I just had to ask," he thought. "Um...It's true Zanarkand was destroyed, right? A thousand years ago? So...it's just a big pile of rubble now, isn't it?" he asked Wakka.

"Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira. Big cities with machina-machines-to run 'em. People played all day and let the machina do the work. And then, well take a look," he said as he pointed out various ruins on the island. "Sin came, and destroyed the machina cities. And Zanarkand along with 'em. Yeah, that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said. If you ask me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get out of hand. What gets me, though...is we gotta suffer, 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when! 'Course, we must always repent for our sins! That's important! It's just that, it's hard to keep at it sometimes, you know?" Wakka told him.

"It was just as Rikku said. Wakka and Rikku couldn't both be lying. Why would they?" Tidus thought.

Wakka laughs. "But you from the Zanarkand Abes--that was a good one! Hey, I'm not saying that team never existed, ya? But you gotta figure a team living in luxury like that'd be pretty soft, eh?' Wakka teased.

"I appreciated the fact that Wakka was trying to cheer me up. But at that time, all I could think about was...everything that happened to me--all this--started with Sin. Maybe if I could find Sin one more time, I could go home! For now, I'd just live life until that time came. No more worrying about where, or when, I was. Sure it was hard not to think of home. But it was hard not to think of home. But I started to feel better already. A little better…maybe," Tidus thought.

Tidus follows Wakka until they stand, over looking a large lagoon. "Huh?" Tidus remarks, confused as to why they have stopped at an apparent dead end. Meanwhile, Wakka is surreptitiously stepping backwards until he stands behind Tidus. He then gives Tidus a shove into the water. "Waaah!" Tidus shouts as he lands in the water with a splash. Wakka jumps in with him, and Tidus asks angrily, "What's the big idea?" Wakka just laughed.

They swam along, fighting piranha as they journeyed. At one point Wakka comes up behind Tidus and grabs him in a headlock. "Lemme go!" Tidus shouts.

"Got a favor to ask ya," Wakka said.

"You want me on your team, right?" Tidus asked, almost sounding annoyed.

Wakka releases him, and Tidus sinks, then floats back up to the surface again, floating on his back.

"A major blitz tournament's coming up. All the teams in Spira'll be there! It's so huge, I'm sure someone there will recognize you! Then you can go back to your old team, right? It'll be fun! What do you say, huh? Come on, come on!" Wakka says excitedly.

Tidus thinks a moment. "Sure thing," he finally replies, swimming away.

"Dude! Our team is gonna rock, eh?" Wakka responds, following after Tidus.

"I thought then that blitzball and Sin where the only things that Spira and Zanarkand had in common. I wasn't too far off, either," Tidus thought following Wakka down a trail, once they were on land again.

They stop at another cliff. Below it, off in the distance, is a small village.

"This is where I was born," Wakka informed Tidus. "I started blitz when I was five. I joined the Aurochs at thirteen...ten years ago. Ten years...and we never won a game. Well, after last year's tournament, I quit. Time seemed right." He walks away, Tidus follows, stomach still growling.

Wakka keeps talking as they walk along. "So after quitting, I got this new job, ya? But every time my mind wandered, I thought about the game." He stopped and Tidus looked at him.

"Ten years without a single win'll do that," Tidus replies.

"My first match last year was my big chance. But something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus," Wakka confided.

"Nice excuse," Tidus teased.

"Hey, hey!" Wakka argued.

"So you want to win the next tournament--go out with a bang." Wakka nods. "So, what's our goal?" Tidus asks.

"I don't care how we do. Long as we play our best. If we give it our all, I can walk away happy," Wakka replied.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Tidus shouts. "If I say 'What's our goal?' you say 'Victory!' When you play in a blitzball tournament, you play to win!"

"Victory? You serious?" Wakka asks in disbelief.

Tidus nods, and they continue making their way to the village. Along the way they encounter the two men Wakka was talking to earlier.

"Ah, the one from the sea!" the tall red haired man says.

"Be on guard. There're fiends on the road today!" the shorter dark skinned man adds.

"After surviving your run-in with Sin, 'twould be a shame if something happened now," the first man replied, then both walked away.

"Who were they?" Tidus asked, turning to Wakka.

"Luzzu and Gatta--Crusaders," Wakka answered.

"Huh? Crews of what?"

"What, you forgot that too?" Wakka asks, causing Tidus to hang his head. "Hey, sorry. Don't worry about it, I'll help you out."

Tidus lifts his head. "Cool. In return, come tournament time, I'll make sure we take the cup!"

"Cool," Wakka responds. "About the Crusader's, you can ask them yourself. They've got a lodge in the village."

They continue their walk, finally arriving at the village.

"Take a look around. Let's see...the Crusaders lodge is over yonder. Luzzu and Gatta are usually there," Wakka tells Tidus, pointing at a large blue tent. "Oh, right. Over here," Wakka tells him, pulling him off away from the open, beside one of the huts.

"Huh? What's up?"

"You do remember the prayer, right?"

"I don't remember," Tidus answered. "I didn't know it in the first place to tell the truth," he added silently.

"Man, that's like the basics of the basics. Alright, I'll show you," Wakka replies as he shows him the prayer gesture he used earlier. "Go ahead, you try." Tidus performs the gesture. "Hey, not bad. Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner," Wakka tells him.

"Any blitzball player would know that prayer. It was the blitzball sign for victory," Tidus thought.

Wakka walks away, leaving Tidus to explore the village on his own.

Tidus stops by the Crusaders lodge first. He sees the two men he had talked to earlier sitting at a table in the front of the lodge.

"Hey, you! You were attacked by Sin right? Recently was it?" Gatta asked, he was the smaller dark skinned man.

"I think so, " Tidus answered.

"So Sin can't be far right? You're not hiding anything, are you?" Gatta asked accusingly.

"Why would I?" Tidus asked, appalled.

"If Sin is nearby," the red haired man spoke, whose name was Luzzu, "it'll attack the island for sure. But it hasn't. I wonder why," he mused.

"I'm sorry. I really don't know anything," Tidus apologized. "To tell the truth, I really don't even know what the Crusaders are."

"You're kidding, right?" Gatta asked

"Sin! The toxin! Gatta, tell him who we are," Luzzu ordered.

"Yes sir!" Gatta responded, coming to attention. "The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin. We have chapters all over Spira, accepting all who wish to join our struggle! The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders eight hundred years ago as the Crimson Blades. Later, our ranks grew and we called ourselves the Crusaders. We've been fighting Sin ever since."

"What, you've been fighting eight hundred years, and you still haven't beat it?" Tidus asks surprised.

Gatta stammers, unsure of what to say.

Luzzu cuts in. "Well, we've steered Sin away from towns many times! And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our mission as Crusaders is to protect the temples, towns, villages, and people of Spira.

"So then whose job is it to defeat Sin?" Tidus asked.

"Is Sin's toxin really this bad, sir?" Gatta asked in surprise.

"It does seem rather bad...We could just tell you, but I think it better for you to try and remember. Go and pray at the temple, perhaps Yevon will help you regain your memory." Luzzu responded.

Tidus left the lodge and headed to the temple. It is a large building made of gray and white stone, simple…but beautiful. He enters the temple and looks around. He sees several people inside, praying to statues.

"It was at this moment, standing in that place, I began to realize how different this world was from my own," he thought.

All through the temple are large statues. At the back of the temple, surrounding a middle door, on the wall and ceiling are two very large statues. On the left is a woman, on the right a man. They look like they are floating out of the wall.

Tidus approaches one statue in particular. It is of a man in a long robe, holding a staff. A man who looks like a priest approaches Tidus and begins to speak.

"Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became high summoner. And finally we received a statue for our temple," the man says in reference to the statue Tidus is looking at.

"Uh...What's a high summoner?" Tidus asks causing everyone to gasp. He looks around nervously, and tries to recover. "I...I got too close to Sin's, uh, toxin."

"It was funny hearing myself make the same excuse over and over. Funny, and a little sad," he thought to himself.

"The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessings of Yevon," the man explained.

"So what he meant was...that we should respect some kind of great man or something like that...I figured," he thought.

Tidus returned to Wakka's hut. Sitting there with him were a woman and a young girl. "Wakka's family?" Tidus wondered.

"Hey, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine...Marina and her daughter Aurowen," Wakka informed him.

Hearing the name of the child caused Tidus to remember Auron...he wondered where the man had ended up after they were both sucked up into Sin.

"Nice to meet you...I'm Tidus."

"Yes...Wakka told me all about you," the woman replied.

"Hey...Uncle Wakka said you're a blitzball player. He's teaching me...maybe we can play together some time?" the child asked cheerfully.

"Maybe," Tidus answered feeling a bit uncomfortable and on the spot.

"Auri...don't bother him...he just got here and he is still suffering from Sin's toxins," Marina told the child.

"Sorry," the girl responded.

"Yeah...take a nap! You look bushed," Wakka told him.

Tidus takes him up on the offer and is soon asleep. A short time later, the man he spoke to in the temple enters the hut. Wakka and Marina stand up.

"You could at least go see how they are doing," the man said.

"I knew I should have gone with them...Wakka, I'm really starting to worry," Marina said with fear.

"We can't interfere. It's a rule," Wakka stated stubbornly.

"But it's been nearly..." the man began.

The four walk out of the hut. Tidus, guided by those words began to dream. Several people are gathered around on a dock, in front of a houseboat, in his Zanarkand. They seem to be talking to one woman in particular.

"But it's been nearly...."

"It's been nearly a day already," a man says.

"Perhaps you could go look for us," the woman pleads.

"People are searching for him now," the man informs her, then walks away.

"Thank you," she says softly.

She clasps her hands as if in prayer. A moment later the young Tidus is there with the woman, who is his mother.

"Who cares whether he comes back or not?" he asks angrily.

"But he might die!" the woman exclaims.

"Fine, let him!"

"Do you...do you hate him so?" she asks, and Tidus nods. "If he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him," the woman told him.

Tidus wakes up in the hut alone. "Wakka?" he calls...but gets no answer. He heads back to the temple. Wakka, Marina and the priest are standing inside.

"Is something wrong?" Tidus asked them.

"The summoner hasn't returned from the trial," Wakka replied.

"Eh?" Tidus said puzzled.

"Well, apprentice summoner, really..." Wakka amended, looking toward the door at the back of the temple.

"Huh?" Tidus asked, still confused.

"There's a room in there called the Cloister of Trials. Beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, the apprentice becomes a fully-fledges summoner, remember?" Wakka asked.

"So someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out. Right, I got it," Tidus replied.

"A day's already gone by," the woman replied, worry evident in her voice.

"Is it particularly dangerous in there?" Tidus asked.

"Sometimes, yes," Wakka said.

"Why don't you go in and help?" Tidus wondered.

"There's already guardians in there. Besides it's forbidden," Wakka responded.

Tidus runs partway up the staircase that leads to the door to the Cloister of Trials. "Hey, but what if somethin' happens? What if the summoner dies?"

"The precepts must be obeyed!" the priest shouts.

"Like I care!" Tidus exclaims.

He enters the chamber into the Cloister. Seeing he is confronted with a puzzle in order to enter, he thinks: "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

He is able to complete the trials and makes his way into the inner chamber area. Wakka and Marina catch up to him.

"Hey! What's gotten into you? Hey it's ok. Only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important," Wakka tells him.

"So what about you two?" Tidus asks.

"Me? I'm a guardian. So is Marina," Wakka answers.

"A guardian?" Tidus asks.

The stone platform they are standing on begins to descend...like an elevator, surprising Tidus.

"Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira. Guardians protect them. The guardians in there now...one of them's got a short fuse, and who knows what the other's thinking. Well, now that we've come this far...might as well go all the way!"

They enter the next room and see two other people there; a woman dressed in an odd black leather dress, the skirt being made of many belts and a tall blue-gray cat-like beast. The woman is the only one of the two who speaks.

"What are you doing here? Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?" she asked.

"No, it's uh…it's just..." he turns to Tidus. "See, I told you she gets mad easy."

She walks toward them and Tidus asks: "Is the summoner all right?"

The woman's attention is drawn to him and she gasps...then asks in shock "Who are you?"

Before Tidus can answer, the door to the inner chamber opens and the apprentice summoner slowly and unsteadily exits. She stumbles on the stairs and begins to fall. Every one gasps. The beast rushes forward and catches her. The group sighs in relief. She steadies herself and stands up to face them. She is a beautiful young woman, with long brownish-blonde hair and exotic, unusual eyes...one blue and one green.

"I've done it. I have become a summoner," she tells them happily.

"Man, was I surprised. And here I was thinking summoners were all old geezers," Tidus mused.

They exit to the main chamber of the temple. People gather around her happily. They all walk out of the temple with the summoner and her guardians. Tidus exits a little while later.

"Hey, over here!" Wakka calls to him. He grabs Tidus in a headlock and drags him backward toward a circle where the summoner and her female guardians stand. They join a group of people standing around the circle. The two guardians step out of the circle and join the group.

"What? Ow!" Tidus shouts. "I can't see anything!" Tidus complains, causing Wakka to release him.

"Ready!" Wakka tells the summoner.

"Okay," she responds.

She begins to perform a series of gestures and dance like motions. Strange glowing symbols appear on the ground spiraling around her. Lights shoot up into the sky and a large bird-like creature descends out of the clouds. It is the aeon, Valefor. It flies down and hovers above her, before gently landing beside her. She reaches up and strokes its neck. The people gasp in amazement...every one is happy. Wakka and the two women rush up to her to congratulate her. Marina in particular hugs her tightly.

"I had never seen anything like that in my life. Sure, it was a little scary, but still...I could feel a strange kind of gentleness coming from it," Tidus thought.

Later that night everyone is gathered around the circle again, where a large bonfire is blazing. Tidus and Wakka stand with the rest of the Besaid Aurochs.

"Let me introduce you to the team. This guy here wants into the tournament so bad, I let him on the team. His memory's a little fuzzy, so don't mind him if he says anything odd! Come on, say hi," Wakka says, shoving him toward the rest of the group.

Tidus steps forward, and scratches the back of his head nervously. "Uh...hi guys."

The group mumbles hello.

"So...what's our goal?" Tidus asks them.

"To do our best!" the team shouts.

"Ech!" Tidus remarks in annoyance.

"Nope, we got a new goal now! Our new goal...is victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team! To bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win! Easy, ya?" Wakka says.

The Auroch begin to chant "Victory!" as Tidus turns to look at the summoner, sitting with a few towns people and the older female guardian and her daughter. He looks back to the team, who are still chanting, but his eyes are drawn back to the beautiful summoner. She notices his stare and turns her head and smiles at him.

He walks over to her. An older man sitting there calls him a heathen, because of his attitude in the temple. An elderly woman warns him to stay away. A small girl calls him a bad man. Marina's daughter sticks her tongue out at the rude little girl, causing Tidus to laugh. The summoner stands up and one of the people warns "Lady Yuna! Be careful!"

"But it really was my fault to begin with," Yuna states.

Marina interrupts the people's threats. She can sense he has a purpose here...though her power isn't strong enough to let her see what it might be. "Leave him alone...he is important," she scolds, and they quickly back down, aware of her talents as a seer. She was naturally very talented in various magic arts, and used that talent as a healer and protector. She was even able to see things before they happened, just vaguely, using her own inner power.

Yuna walks over and introduces herself to Tidus.

"I'm Yuna, thank you so much for your help earlier," she tells him.

"I'm sorry about that. Wasn't that...wasn't I not supposed to...Guess I...kind of overreacted," Tidus apologized.

"Oh, no, I was...overconfident," she assured him.

"Um, I saw that aeon thing. That's amazing!" he told her.

"Really?" she asked excitedly, stepping closer to him. "Do you think I can become high summoner?"

Tidus nods and they are interrupted by the rude little girl. "Lady Yuna, come play with me some more!" Yuna nods but turns back to Tidus.

"So, tomorrow, then?" she asks him.

"Tomorrow?" Tidus asks confused.

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?" she said.

"Oh, really?"

"We can talk more. You can tell me all about Zanarkand!" she told him, then walked away to join the rest of the villagers.

Wakka joins Tidus. "She's cute, ya?" he asks, elbowing him in the arm.

"Yeah," Tidus agrees.

"Don't get no ideas," Wakka warns.

"No promises there, big guy. Hey...but what if she, like, comes on to me?" he teases.

"That's not gonna happen. If you get tired, let me know...I had a bed made for you in the lodge....it's gonna be a long trip to Luca," Wakka informed him.

Later on in life, when he looked back at that night; at that time he had no idea how much would change after his first meeting with Yuna...for everyone...for him especially.

As Tidus slept that night, he began to dream. He is sitting on a dock...it is the dock at Besaid. He runs to the end of the dock where Yuna stands, looking out to sea.

"Where's that boat?" Tidus asked.

"Everyone will find us if it doesn't come soon," she informed him.

"You really sure this is okay?" he asked.

"Would you take me to Zanarkand?" she inquired.

"Hey!" Rikku shouts running up to them. "You said you'd go with me!" she complained.

"Oh, hey...I, uh...." Tidus stammered.

"I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas?" Rikku said.

"He did?" Yuna asked her.

"Yeah, so you're coming with me!" Rikku replied.

Jecht is standing on the beach, shouting. "Hey! Stop dreaming!" startling Tidus. "You with a woman? You can't even catch a ball!"

Tidus becomes a child again...scrunched down with his hands over his head.

"Oh, what's the matter? Gonna cry again? Cry, cry. That's the only think you're good for!" Jecht taunts. Rikku and Yuna stand on either side of him.

"I hate you," the young Tidus says softly.

"Huh? What'd you say?" his father asks.

"You have to speak loudly," Yuna remarks.

"I hate you!" Tidus says louder, standing now.

"Eh?"

"That's the spirit!" Rikku shouted.

"You can do it!" Yuna exclaimed.

"I hate you!" Tidus screamed as he awoke.

He hears two people talking outside the lodge.

"He's dead, okay? Dead."

He walks to the entrance of the lodge and peaks out. The younger female guardian is speaking to Wakka.

"He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!" she says with annoyance.

"Yeah, but...he needed our help!" Wakka said.

"Excuses again?"

"Yeah, but..."

"That's it. No more. Enough Wakka!" she said angrily as she stormed off. Wakka sighs and enters the lodge where Tidus is.

"Scary! So...who's Chappu?" Tidus asks Wakka.

"My little brother. He looked like you."

"He's dead?"

Wakka walked over to a bed and sat down. Tidus sat on the bed across from him.

"He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it," Wakka said sadly, head down. "I first heard on the day of the tournament."

"Oh...so that's why," Tidus remarked thinking of the conversation they had earlier.

"I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?" Wakka said determinedly, looking at Tidus.

"Revenge, then?" Tidus asked.

"That was the idea. I'm more worried about a stupid game now than avenging my brother. Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian full-time. I know it kinda looks like I'm using you...but I'm not," Wakka tells him softly.

"Don't worry. I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out a lot. What I mean is..." Tidus said, standing up and holding out his hand for a handshake, "thanks, Wakka."

Wakka lifts his hand to take Tidus'...but becomes self-conscious, and pulls away. "Stop, you're embarrassing me!" he jokes. He leaves, letting Tidus get back to sleep.

As Lulu walked away from Wakka, Marina stopped her. "Lu, I know it's hard, seeing him...looking so much like Chappu."

Lulu looked down and her cheeks flamed. She was a bit embarrassed at having the woman she looked up to as a mother see her lose her temper like that. "I--I'm sorry," she whispered.

Marina put an arm around her. "It's okay...I understand. But I'd like you to give him a chance...there is something about him. I think he will be important to us somehow, I just wish I was strong enough to see what it was. Any way, let's wait and see."

"Marina?" Lulu began.

"Hmmm?" the older woman asked.

"H-how do you go on? How do you cope…being without him?" the younger mage asked.

"Well, I kind of had to, for Auri's sake. But it certainly hasn't been easy. I really miss him. But you just do, you try to cope. And it gets a little easier, in time. Not to say I wouldn't jump at the chance to be with him again. But I feel there is someone out there for you. Chappu was a wonderful part of your life. He showed you about love, and I know you will have that again in your life. Now you better get some rest. We have a long, hard journey ahead of us," she told Lulu, and the two women parted.

Tidus jumped out of bed the next morning and wandered out to find the others. He sees Wakka gathered with the two female guardians.

"Hey! Sleepy head! This is Lulu, she's one of the other guardians," Wakka said pointing to the younger woman.

Lulu was arguing with Marina. "Marina, are you certain? I mean...what about Auri? What if..."

Marina cut her off. "She will be fine. She is with my aunt Osane. I have been a part of Yuna's family for so long now. They have done so much for me. I will travel with Yuna on her journey, and give her what help I can. Don't worry so much," she said softly, smiling at the younger woman as she patted her arm.

Tidus, ever curious, blurted out, "Well where's her father?"

A look of sorrow crossed the older woman's face. "He--he's no longer with us. He traveled as a guardian on Lord Braska's pilgrimage to defeat Sin and...never returned," Marina replied quietly.

Wakka intervened. "Something I want to give you." He hands Tidus a beautiful crystal blue sword. It looks almost alive...as if the ocean's waves are trapped inside.

"Whoa! You're giving this...to me?" Tidus asks stunned.

"Yeah...use it well," Wakka tells him.

Tidus slices through the air, testing it out.

"That's the sword you gave Chappu," Lulu said, her voice filled with a twinge of hurt and anger.

"Well, he never used it. Where's Yuna?" Wakka asked, evading her statement.

"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right? Why do we gotta wait here?" Tidus inquired impatiently.

"Yuna came to this village ten years ago with Marina, when the last Calm started," Wakka stated.

"The Calm?" Tidus asked, confused.

"Since then, she's been like a sister to me and Lulu...even closer to Marina...who's known her since she was born. She had the talent. She became an apprentice. Now today, she leaves as a summoner," continued Wakka.

"This is our journey...we should leave together," Lulu adds in annoyance.

Yuna exits the temple, dragging a very heavy trunk behind her. Lulu actually had a smile on her face as she teased Yuna. "You really don't need all that luggage."

Yuna sounds embarrassed as she replies. "They're not really my things. They're gifts for the temples we're to visit."

Wakka was smiling as well. "This isn't a vacation, Yuna."

"I guess...I guess you're right," Yuna responded.

She leaves the luggage behind and approaches the group. Marina gives Wakka's arm a playful slap, giving him a look to admonish him for teasing Yuna. He smirks back at her and says, "Okay! Off we go!"

Yuna takes one last look at the temple, and Marina gives one last good-bye hug and kiss to her daughter Aurowen.

"Be good. I promise to return soon," she whispers to her, hoping she can keep this promise to her child. "Remember to practice the magic you've been taught, but don't use any to bug Aunt Osane. You know you'll not only be in trouble with me…but also with your Aunt Lu!" Marina teased, causing her daughter to giggle. "I love you very much."

"I love you too, mommy. I promise to practice and be good for Aunt Osane," the child answers.

The five of them leave Besaid and make their way to the harbor. As they approach the cliff overlooking the village, the women pause and stare down at it, as if memorizing it.

"Take your time," Lulu says quietly.

Tidus, impatient, and not understanding the meaning of this moment, shouts: "Let's get going, man!"

"We're gonna wait," Wakka tells him.

"Huh?" Tidus queried.

Yuna walks up between the two men, prompting Wakka to ask: "Are you ready?" Yuna nods and walks off. Lulu and Marina turn, nodding to him as well, and follow Yuna.

"What's going on?" Tidus asks as he approaches Wakka and the women, who are praying at a stone statue.

"It's an ancient custom. People leaving the island pray for a safe trip. Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat," Wakka answered sadly.

Tidus joined them, standing near Marina. He could hear her prayer...just barely.

"Auron...if you are out there, please watch over our daughter while I am away...and give me the strength to return to her. I love you...I miss you," she said quietly.

"What? Auron?" Tidus thought in confusion.

Wakka stands, interrupting Tidus' thoughts. "That should do it."

Suddenly, as they continue their walk toward the dock area, the large beast-like guardian leaps down from some ruins, landing in front of Tidus. His claws dig into the earth, then he smashes both fists into the ground before standing and emitting a fierce growl. A fight begins between the two of them, but is quickly ended by Wakka.

"That's enough!" Wakka shouts, walking toward Tidus as the guardian walks away.

"What's with that guy?" Tidus asked.

"Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso Tribe. He's learned the fiends' way of fighting," Lulu told him.

"That's not what I meant!" Tidus said in exasperation.

"He's another of Yuna's guardians," replied Wakka.

"Huh?"

Yuna giggles and walks over. "Sometimes, we don't understand him either. Well...I think Marina does some. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway. But he has protected me since I was a child."

Meanwhile, Marina had followed Kimahri. She almost has to run to keep up with him. He finally stops when he reaches the dock.

"Kimahri...." Marina said softly as she placed her hand on his massive arm. He turned to look at her. "That boy, Tidus, he is important to Yuna's life, somehow. I don't know how yet. But I feel we need to be patient with him. I know he is young, impulsive...but I think we should give him a chance."

Kimahri snorted...but nodded.

Her grip tightened on his arm, and she looked up into his eyes intently. "You can hide it from everyone else. But you can't hide it from me. You've spent ten years away from your people. And if Yuna succeeds...we will no longer have her." Kimahri started to protest, but she interrupted him. "I know you want to be here for Auri and I, and you will always be part of our family. But you're lonely, for something we cannot give you, and you are far to young to live without someone like that in your life." She closed her eyes and concentrated on him, clearing her mind of every thing but him as she tried to sense what the future held for him. After a few moments she opened her eyes and looked at him intently. "I see some one for you, but it's very vague. It is someone you won't expect. It's there though, you just have to start opening up...let her in," she said to him softly.

He looked at her, and she saw the sadness in his eyes for just an instant, before he closed down again. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Do not worry about Kimahri," he answered quietly. Noticing the others, he stepped away from her, and headed to the boat.

The others join them in boarding the ship. As the ship readies to leave, Yuna watches the dock, where people from the village are gathered, sad to see that she is leaving. They wave and cry, as she waves back and return prayer gestures. "Goodbye," she says quietly...mostly to herself...making peace with her decision. The ship pulls away, headed for Kilika Port.