Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Deadly Game ❯ Beautiful Besaid ( Chapter 1 )

Deadly Game

by Maya Brisa

 

Chapter 1

 

**Final Fantasy X, Auron, Seymour, Anima, Jyscal and Spira are all © Square Enix. Ideas and designs expressed in this story are all © Maya Brisa 2005**

 

As most everyone in Spira knows, strange things are always known to happen at any given moment. This particular story is about a young man named Seymour who of all the people in Spira, is the most familiar with strange things.

 

It was noon. The sun was burning high in the cerulean sky making the shifting waters around sparkle and glisten. A young man at the brink of adulthood sat leaned against an arched palm tree reading a book. He licked his thumb and flipped over one of the its large pages. To anyone that would pass by and ask, he would reply without looking, "Chapter 17." and not another peep.

 

This young man was the bookworm of the community--ask anyone around and they'd tell you Seymour Guado. His favorite place to read was always out under this particular tree. It was close to the water, yet far enough for his comfort. Poor Seymour was deathly afraid of dark water. He didn't mind it where his home was. The waters were as clear as crystal near the shore. Perhaps that was another reason why he liked his spot.

 

Ever since he could remember, he'd always had a strong fear of dark water. Of course, every day folk would blame it on the fact that the lad just couldn't swim to save his life. "He sinks like a stone." His Grandfather used to say when he was just a boy. Seymour always disregarded everyone's comments he didn't care what they thought. For all they knew, maybe there was something in the water to be afraid of.

 

"Seymour!" A woman's voice called. Seagulls cried lightly as they flew over a small house situated not too far from the beach. It was Seymour's mother, Anima, she was standing in the doorway to the house with an apron around her hips, drying her hands. Lunch had been prepared and it was time to eat.

 

"Seymour Guado, you come this instant!" She called again in a musing fashion. She was never hard on her son, one could say she spoiled him every day. Anima looked young for her age, not a day over twenty-five. Which is odd, if one were to ask anyone that lived near by-- they could have sworn that little Seymour was going to make her grow gray before her time. He was quite the brat.

 

Anima loved her son so much, it didn't matter how rotten he was. Not that he had been a bad child, he was just so needy. Born the only half guado, half man to Spira, his life was bound to have its ups and downs. He hardly had any friends. Perhaps that is why Anima spoiled him so...

 

"Mom, you don't have to yell so loudly." Seymour smirked, walking up the stone path, book in hand. Anima smiled finally letting go of her apron, "Well, you get so into your books who knows if you can ever hear me or not?" she chuckled, lightly swatting his shoulder as he passed her following the smell of the food.

 

"What is it today.?" Seymour started, setting his book down on the countertop, his mother went to open her mouth, but he interjected, "Let me guess, steamed vegetables?" he finished, smiling sarcastically. Anima frowned and sat down at the table across from her son, fixing herself a plate of just what Seymour had "guessed".

 

"You know how your condition is, sweetie..." Anima began, giving her son a sympathetic look as she watched him make his own plate.

"Mom, it's fine. I know how it is... I just wished it wasn't." he said comfortingly. He knew how much his health condition worried her. "And I wished that you would eat something else. Why suffer with me?" he asked, stirring his food with a fork.

"I don't want you to feel alone... and I know it doesn't help you, but it gives me peace of mind. I never wanted you to suffer like this..." she said, placing her hands gently in her lap.

"It isn't so bad now. It's the thought that matters, Mom. Eat anything you want. I want you to be happy." he trailed off a moment, looking down at his glass of soy milk, "Besides, the defect gene didn't come from you." he said with a grin, "Father is to blame for that." his eyes sparked with an intense hatred, though he would never admit it.

"Seymour, that isn't very nice." his mother chided, folding her napkin around her fingers. Her mood was always uneasy when her son brought up his father. The two did not get along. Jyscal had been caught cheating on his wife a few years back--he used that as a ticket for freedom and issued a divorce. Anima was still worried about her son's medical condition and needed Jyscal's aid, so she "conveniently" continued to misplace the court papers.

 

Jyscal hadn't married Anima because he truly loved her. The two had met in college and hit it off right away. Jyscal was already trying to make political moves to gain the public--he was majoring in politics. Not too surprising for his classmates, but heart breaking for Anima when she found out she was pregnant and that she had merely been a ploy to gain points for Jyscal's class.

 

Anima's mother had passed away many years before, so she turned to the next woman she knew she could trust; Jyscal's mother. Furious, Anima spilled the whole thing to her and how scared she was for her unborn child. Jyscal's mother was enraged that her son would do such a low thing--When Jyscal returned home for that summer, his mother blessed him out and forced him to wed Anima in order ensure a healthy life for the child...

 

"I won't apologize, Mom. What he did was wrong... and you're all that I have." he paused, furrowing his brows, "I just wished that you would sign those papers..." Seymour replied, fidgeting his fork over an empty plate. Anima's face was one of pure shock, like her personal life had been invaded.

 

"How did you know about those?" She asked, surprise on her tongue.

"I live with you?" he replied, quirking an elegant brow. Anima groaned letting her forehead slide into her palm, "You know he's coming over tonight..."

"Oh, wonderful." he said in a monotone.

"I don't want you to have this sour attitude when he gets here... if it bothers you that much you know where you can go." she said, her voice a different tone now. It was serious and low as opposed to the rich, happy sound her voice had only an hour before.

"If it will make things easier for you, then I will go. I'd rather not cause any more grief than there has to be..." he trailed off, getting up from his chair. Anima folded her hands in her lap again pursing her lips as she watched her son clean up the table. She always grew weary when these sort of things happened--all she ever wanted to do was help to make Seymour's life as simple as possible. Unfortunately, keeping that schmuck of a guado around was necessary for the time being, which is why Anima still refused to sign the papers. Jyscal was footing the bill for research on Seymour's condition...

 

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The sun was setting on the peaceful scenery, turning the ground shades of orange and red. Besaid had always been a beautiful place to live. Anima had chosen this place because it was far from Guadosalam, and far enough from any dangerous cities. They would have still been living on Baaj Island, but Seymour had an accident there when he was five. That was twelve years ago... An undertow had caught hold of his little body and took him beneath the surface pulling him farther into the sea.

 

Anima had gotten up to go into the beach house for some more sandwiches--she heard her son scream once before she was running back down the rock ledge. When she finally reached the shore, little Seymour was cradled in the arms of another boy, unconscious. As soon as she'd seen the other boy, he was gone. Seymour remained floating on his back as Anima waded frantically into the water to fetch her son. She never spoke of the incident after that, mostly feeling regret for leaving her son alone in the first place. She blames herself to this day for his fear of water.

 

"There isn't anything that can be done with him, Anima. He's healthy enough, look at him." Jyscal rambled, snagging his cup of coffee from the table. Seymour was washing the dishes left over from their dinner. Anima and Jyscal had kept the conversation saturated, Seymour ate in silence.

"Yes, he looks healthy, but I need to know if he's going to be okay." Anima replied, giving her husband a pitiful look.

"He's still alive, isn't he?" Jyscal sneered, "If not for you, who knows?" he added looking bored as he sipped his coffee. Seymour cringed at those words and lost grip of a glass and it smashed on the floor. Jyscal craned his head, "Can you handle that, boy?" he asked, laughing rudely.

"Jyscal, please. Leave him be." Anima started, rubbing her forehead.

"What? He's my son too." he protested, setting his cup down. Seymour shut his eyes and bent down to pick up the broken pieces. He felt awkward to say the least, and hurt that his own mother would force him to endure such visits. He knew where he could escape to... but that meant facing those dark waters again. He finished cleaning up the pieces and discarded them in the trash.

"We raised a good son." Jyscal glared, trying his best to upset him.

"I'm not your son." Seymour said, anger seething in his pale indigo irises as he passed by Jyscal's chair and out of the kitchen. He'd gone to pack his things for the trip to Baaj Island.