Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams Come True ❯ Leaving Besaid ( Chapter 10 )

--Jecht's POV--

Alright.

Let me make something clear.

I don't belong here. Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. And I don't want to bother being where I'm not wanted; but, I'm here for a reason.

Hey, don't look at *me.* It wasn't my choice. They made me come. Yeah, they. They're still around, believe it or not. What's unclear, though, is *why.* They let Tidus come back for an obvious reason: Yuna. They still need Yuna, apparently. Sick bastards. They still need her, but couldn't work with her in her melancholic state, so they pawn around with life and death and arrange for Tidus to make an encore appearance.

Don't get me wrong. I...really never wanted to drag him into all this in the first place. I knew he was happy in Zanarkand.

But I also knew that he was the only one who could accomplish what I needed him to. Believe it or not, I'm no idiot. I'm not *that* cruel, either. What father would want to lead his son into a death trap? I never beat the kid. Not even when he was sitting there bawling like a baby and it was all I could do to stop from clouting the boy over the head just to shut him up.

I knew he wanted to be like me, and hey, that made me real proud. But...it's like I never knew what to do for him. Didn't have the damnedest clue how to make the kid happy. He was always scared a' me. If I'd try to give him pointers at blitz, he'd just get upset. And he hated that I drank. Yeah, alright, so I was a bastard about that. I admit it. He was right, I should've stopped.

Anyway. I knew he didn't want to be in Spira. And I figured if he made it through, if he accomplished what I needed him to do, I could send him back to Zanarkand. Turned out that that wasn't the case. Together, Tidus, Yuna and her guardians accomplished one hell of a lot more than I expected of them. They broke the cycle completely. That was something I hadn't even bothered hoping for.

I know I didn't exactly jump for joy when I found out that my son and my summoner's daughter were a couple. Sorry. But...I guess I'm okay with it. It's just strange. Everything's just so...weird. The only memory I have of Yuna is when she was small - a happy, energetic little kid. Wakka and Lulu, too. I remember them when they were little, kind of. Everything's changed, but I still imagine them as seven- and eight-year-olds. Well, okay. So Lulu was...ten, maybe?

I'm glad that *someone,* at least, can make my kid happy. Yuna sure as hell does. I didn't mean to be skeptical about their relationship. But it's...kind of hard, when you haven't seen your son for ten years or so. I know it's stupid, but I had to know that he really cared about her. Aw, hell - a blind could tell he was just following at her heels waiting to obey her every order. Almost kind of funny. But kinda sweet, too, in its own strange way. Yuna's the spitting image of...

...Well, let's not go into that, eh? One thing I'll tell you - if you spend ten years in thought, you learn straight-off which memories are allowed and which ones aren't. Not that they're unwelcome...just too bitterly missed, maybe. It makes me happy to know that Tidus has a second chance with Yuna - the girl looks just about to *pop* with happiness whenever he's in the room. Reminds me of Amia...

...Damn. Trying not to remember her.

If there's one thing that pisses me off, though, it's that those idiots have to go and manipulate my son to get to the person closest to him. Something got screwed up after Yu Yevon was defeated - something went wrong, and I know it. Reason one: they're alive. They're not supposed to be alive. Or maybe they are - I never stopped to ask. Not like I could. But anyway, I doubt they're supposed to exist.

But I sure as hell know that we exist only because they do.

And they exist because...

Well, I'm sure they'll let us know soon. I'm not even going to *try* for a guess.

Yuna mentioned before she stuffed us into our carriages that there would be a tournament in Luca. I'd overlooked that little fact for awhile, but it returned to me once we'd started on our journey and were waiting for the next ferry at the Besaid port. Tournament, huh? What a way to come back in with a bang.

Maybe I could get my kid to play too. From what I'd picked up from the others' conversations, he'd become one of Spira's most prized players. Now *that* gave me a laugh at first -- when I left, he was a skinny crybaby who couldn't kick a ball straight if his life depended on it. Now, he's all grown up, and he can actually blitz - or so I'm told. He looks strong, too, but still too thin. At least he's not scrawny like he used to be. But then again, everyone in Spira seems kind of scrawny. Sin's doing, of course. Mine.

And Ruka's before me, and Denadel's before her.

Yes, those were the last Sins. 'The precious guardians,' they were called by the Farplane populace. I remember - we met briefly, Ruka and I. I'd been angry, confused, maybe even a little scared. So I said to her,

"I'm going to be the last Sin, y'know."

And she looked at me and just...grinned.

"I said that, too. I was wrong - let's hope you're right, eh?"

I guess she meant it as much as I did. I guess we all meant it.

But it's really all up to chance in the end...

Or one hell of a son. That'll do you well, too.

Heh...damn. Braska'd be surprised. The 'eternally miffed' Jecht, gone soft with gratitude.

Eh...it sickens me a bit, too. But the boy deserves it.

Bah. I'm just full of angst today, huh? Can't even keep focused on a single subject. Back to blitzball - maybe I could get the Aurochs to let me and Tidus go in for a half; maybe a full game if they don't mind. The Aurochs are doing much better, so I hear. Tidus helped bring home their first Crystal Cup in...how many years? Twenty-eight? No...twenty-nine. Almost thirty by now.

'Man, that kid has racked up some *serious* brownie points.'

That's what Anta would have said. Anta: Zanarkandian blitzball legend. Taught me the game and became my best friend. 'Course, he retired before my name was anything special, so I never actually played alongside him in the pro matches. Heh, he was kinda like a dad to me. If he'd said that, I would have laughed and said he was right.

And he *was* right. The kid was set for life - he'd beaten Sin completely, become a blitz legend all on his own, and very clearly had the eye of the most eligible bachelorette around. Just in time, too - I'd spared Yuna the knowledge that the line of suitors had by no means ended. There were a few waiting just around the corner, in Besaid Village - while I was wandering over towards her house, I'd overheard a villager grumbling about all the suitors camping out there now that the Lady Maestress' residence was closeby.

Oh well, Yuna'd find out soon enough.

Man...I only wish I had an empty sphere to record Tidus' reaction. *That* would be some grade-A humor. 'Course, he'd probably try to kill me for taping it, but it'd still be funny.

"Sir Jecht?" Yuna asked suddently , wiggling around in her seat to look back at me. She and Tidus had taken the front row of the carriage, and I'd stretched out as best I could in back. The thing was cramped; it was a small carriage, not suited for more than a short trek, but that didn't mean it couldn't be fancy. This one cart alone must've cost eighty thousand Gil. Something told me it hadn't been Yuna's decision to buy these; she seemed much more...conservative, I guess.

"Eh?"

"Would you -- ...do you mind if I introduce you and Tidus at the tournament's opening?"

Knew it. She'd want to make a big whoop-dee-doo out of it, announcing the wondrous miracle of our return.

"Whatever's good. Hey, Yuna. You think they'd let us play?"

"You two? In the tournament?" She grinned at me, and then at Tidus, and then back at me. "That would be wonderful! I'm sure they'll let you! Tidus...would you want to?"

He looked a little surprised at what I was suggesting. "Uh...okay."

I snorted. "It'll give me the chance to show you that you'll still never get as good as your old man."

"We'd be playing on the same team." Tidus replied simply, with this *infuriating* calmness to his voice.

"Yeah, so?"

"Teammates don't compete."

"Nothin' wrong with a little test of skill. Who says?"
"Me."

"Oh, and who're you? Don't forget who I am, kid."

At that, Tidus finally started to look pissed. Finally! For god's sake, the kid didn't have a bit of temper to him at all. Absolutely annoying!

"Coach of the Aurochs." Tidus flashed a patented Crest smile my way.

"Wha? Coaches don't play," I grumbled.

"Maybe not in Zanarkand. But here, they do."

"Listen, boy --"

"Um...Sir Jecht...please, calm down." Yuna stammered, trying and - after a moment - succeeding at an air of confidence. "Tidus is right, it's the rules. Fighting or competition among teammates can result in immediate disqualification..."

"...Puh. Fine, fine. Who're the Aurochs playing?"

"Well, we don't know...the teams draw once they get there. Prelims are already over, though, so it's just between the Aurochs, the Psyches, and the Goers." Yuna replied. Tidus had turned back around, choosing to ignore me. Ugh...that kid had some nerve. The *least* he could do was at least get mad back at me.

"Dad." My son said a little too evenly, and then I knew that he'd just been holding his tongue the entire time. Hah - he *did* have a temper!
" Yeah, whaddya want?"

He turned his head back towards me, chuckling dryly - not really looking at me, just addressing me.

"It's...good to have you here."

...

Bah, to hell with it.

What kind of comeback could I possibly make to *that?*

"...You know, boy, you're useless for picking on these days." I muttered darkly.

He laughed a little at that. "That's good."

"Yeah, yeah. Nice to see you too."

I'd said it gruffly, but I'd really meant it. And I think maybe he knew that.

There was this long, uneasy silence that followed; it was unbroken until Yuna said quietly, "We're almost there."

'There,' of course, would be the Besaid port. A short trip, indeed - I didn't even see what the carriages were for now.

"Hey, so how're we gonna get all these carts into one boat?"

"We're not," Yuna blushed. "It wasn't my idea. Rikku's and Lulu's, I think. We're staying a day or so in Luca, and then we're heading out towards Guadosalam for a conference and a peace talk or two. We don't need the carriages until we leave Luca, so...tomorrow Cid's taking them by airship to Mi'ihen Highroad so we can use them there."

"All that, just so you don't have a bumpy ride? Gyeesh. They're doing a nice job of spoiling the Lady Maestress, eh?"

Yuna looked down at her hands. "I'd be just as happy going on foot, but by carriage it's faster, and everyone's eager to get things settled quickly, so I just --"

"You just said 'To hell with it,' and agreed to their demands. Right?"

"Well...I...I guess -"

"Yuna, you're the one in power; you gotta put your foot down. Even over something that small. You've got plenty of time, don't you? A little chat over coffee and bread can wait a day or so if you'd rather go on foot."

"Yes, I suppose...but...it *is* more efficient by Chocobo carriage, so that's why I agreed. Once everything gets settled, I'll have plenty of time for leisure," Yuna reasoned. "And anyway, it's pointless to squabble about something so insignificant."

I huffed, surprised. After all this, shouldn't she have known better?

"Yuna, when do you expect things to settle down? They never completely do. You should know that."

"Well...it'll get easier soon! Once the peace is issued and all the representatives are well-set in their jobs. That's got to be the first thing taken care of. Then I can think about wasting time traveling at my own leisure,"

I couldn't help it - I shook my head, chuckling. At that rate, she'd work herself to death before she even got a glimpse of peace and relaxation.

"What?" she demanded, a playfully irked confusion on her face. "What'd I say *now?*"

"Absolutely nothing, *dear.*" Tidus grinned at her and they shared a just-between-us look, just for a split second, that was so sickeningly sweet and repulsive I wanted to gag.

And to think I'd been that way once, with Amia.

Gyeesh.

Thankfully it didn't last very long, but Yuna still had a little grin as she turned her head back towards me. "Really, what'd I say?"

"Nothin'. Forget about it."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, and she turned back the way she was seated. "If there's anything I'm doing wrong, please tell me..."

Now *that* made me laugh. "You expect me to know? Yuna, I can make a full sphere pool of pro blitzers kiss my ass and beg for mercy. But for god's sake...how would I know how to run the world?"

"I'm sorry..." she amended, being painfully polite. I found most polite people incredibly annoying. Yuna wasn't that bad - she wasn't so meticulously raised that she couldn't make light of a situation, or be casual at times. But Christ, some of her apologetic outbursts drove me nuts. She was like a female, teenage Auron.

Well, at least she wasn't half so quixotic.

Heh...

Auron. It'd be nice to talk to him again. It's been awhile since we last spoke.

Well, no...we spoke in my last moments as an untouched Sin. I'd accused him of being late. Sarcasm, cynicism, gruffness - I hadn't expected that he would be able to do it at all, much less alone. Naw, I didn't *doubt* Auron, really. It all just seemed so goddamned impossible.

But hey - when you're Sin, anything's possible. Right?

Yeah, yeah, that's not funny. I know.

Yuna continued, "...to hear many different opinions. A different perspective...you know? So I don't miss anything..."

"Mmmhm." I nodded, hardly soaking in a word. Auron would be gone now. When I'd seen him...he'd been at peace. He wouldn't have even stayed on the Farplane too long. That's the thing - if a soul is truly, completely at peace; if they reach total ease of spirit; *then* they're granted eternal rest. That is the only death a pyrefly suffers. But the Farplane's so crowded with all those damn whiners that hardly anyone ever gets that far. Only a few, out of millions. Billions. But Auron's life was complete, I was sure of that. He would have no reason to linger.

But Braska...no, Braska wouldn't have passed. Just like Amia didn't pass, waiting for both me and Tidus. Braska's waiting for his daughter. Oh, yeah, his wife's long since reunited with him, but his link with Yuna's too damn strong to let him go.

Heh. He'll be waiting awhile longer, but I don't think he minds that much. Pyreflies can't see their outside world directly unless they're *there,* like normal people, so Braska can't watch her, but Tidus told him all about her and plenty more, I'm sure. He'll wait for her.

"...you think?" Yuna's voice came floating back to me, snapping me back awake from my memories.

"Eh?"

Yuna smiled. "I said it's wonderful weather today, don't you think?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah. Great. Going to be nice and scorching."

"Well aren't you just bubbling with good nature today," Tidus remarked dryly. "It's not gonna get too hot. It's good blitz weather. We're here - come on," He easily opened his door and hopped out, so I followed suit. Yuna started to, but Tidus beat her to the punch - he was already there, opening her door, helping her out with a bright grin. Yuna laughed, and my stomach rolled. I'd have to make a point of it to tell Lulu to stick someone *else* in a carriage with those two. I couldn't take it.

They were immediately off in their own little world, apparently racing towards the dock. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Lulu walking up beside me.

"Did you enjoy yourself, Sir Jecht?" Her voice held a tinge of humor.

"Is that sarcasm?"

"It can be sickening, can't it." Definitely humor. But there was happiness there too.

"Enough sap to drown a shoopuf." I scowled. "You stuck me with those two deliberately, didn't you?"

"Of course." Lulu looked at me. "Everyone here wants you to be at ease with Tidus. And I wanted you to see how happy he and Yuna are."

Yeah...I saw it. Hated to admit it, but I saw it. "They're a good match. I guess."

"You'll get used to it," Lulu chuckled. "It's much better than when he wasn't here. All Yuna did with her spare time was mope."

"I'm not unfamiliar with the concept."

"Hm..? Oh...your wife?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Sir Jecht..."

"It was a long time ago." I said simply, and roughly enough not to invite further discussion. "Let's go."

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A/N: Yeep! Sorry for the OOC-Jechtness of this chapter.. I've yet to use Jecht for my own devious ends >D But right now, he's more of an informative piece of the puzzle. There's a big huge 'Space for Rent' in the fabric of this story, and Jecht has a good idea about what's there when everyone else doesn't have a clue. Of course, it won't stay that way for long. Not that many chapters will be in his POV - If you haven't noticed I've limited the POV-ness solely to either Tidus, Yuna, or 3rd person. But I don't like doing third person POVs for some reason. x_X Not enough insight into the characters I guess. I use first person to let the readers get a direct look into a character - his/her motives, emotions, et cetera. And THAT is why I'll NEVER be a mystery writer XD I give WAY too much away.

Sorry about the lack of updates, I've been reallllllllly BUSY. As in BUSYBUSYBUSY kinda busy. =3 We've only got a week 'till Finals at El Modena High for my swim team, and I've been going to meets and invitationals 'till my head spins. We had the Savanna Invitational on Saturday - I dropped 6 seconds off my best time for 100 free! Yay!!! 6 seconds, for those of you who aren't acquainted with the world of swim, is a massive dent. o_o I'm really happy. So was my mom - she bought me FFIX. XD Great game. I've rented/beaten it before. I recommend it.

The next few chapters will actually have - *gasp!* - plot development! Whoa! Yeah, really! I mean it! =P

Tidus/Yuna-ers, don't fret - I'll be back on track shortly after they leave Luca. >D

More to come soon. Feel free to contact me: MSN/Email - sheolshadow@hotmail.com.

One more thing! I know I don't say it much, but thank you guys so much for all your reviews. =3 They mean SO much to me. If there's anything that needs to be fixed, or if you have a suggestion, or even if you just want to yell at me or something, DEFINITELY put it in a review. I'll take it into mind!

Hey! One FINAL thing! The humble author ( that's me o_o I think. ) is considering a new title for DCT. Have any suggestions? Either email or review with the possible title, and I'll consider it. If I pick yours, I'll give you tons of credit =3 Or maybe I won't change it and just see what other people think the story should be called...I can't dub it the title I want to dub it, because it's a spoiler in itself. Wah. x_X Thank you!