Golden Silence

Lady Mars

Chapter VIII: Darkness Rising

Disclaimer: WHEE! I'm too hyped up! Anywho… I don't own FFX or "Prayer."

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And the darkness will fade; the mists almost cleared

When he arises again, with even more might,

He calls out his adversary to the ultimate fight.

The summoner denies the evil call

Causing his island home to fall

Under the darkness' grueling command.

The light floods in by the one with bloody hands

And a hollowing voice that hasn't been heard.

Troops follow his harsh actions and word

To banish the evil doing to another place.

* * *

Tidus sat apprehensively on the temple steps. He had spent the entire day following Braska around, trying to figure out the guy. 'There is something wrong with this guy. There's just something radiating off of him that I just don't like. He just isn't right. But what is it that's grating my nerves?' He shifted again, trying to calm his nerves. Nothing seemed to calm him down; he was just too worked up to keep calm. 'I hate this. I can't figure him out. There is something REALLY off about him. And I don't like it.' The boy sighed again; there was nothing he could do to get to the bottom of his problem but confront Braska, but he couldn't do that because Yuna was constantly around him.

'And what's the problem with that?' Jecht's voice echoed in his head.

'There is EVREYTHING wrong with that!' Auron's voice echoed back.

'Oh really? Then what's the big problem bird boy?' Auron didn't reply. 'Well? I'm waiting.'

'It's just that… That…' Tidus' head shot up.

'You mean I'm not the only one who's noticed that?' He asked.

'No; it's not normal for a man of his stature just to drop off the face of the farplane.'

'Ok, ok,'Jecht interjected. 'We all know damn well that he's gone, but the real question is where did he go?'

'I don't know. If he was here, I would know.'

'How?'

'I could feed off of his energy, remember?'

'RIGHT. Sorry.'

'But that still doesn't tell us where he is.'

'Right,' Auron answered. 'But if it's not him down there, then what is it?'

'Fiend,'Tidus replied bluntly. 'But not like anything I've ever seen. All of the others come right out and scream "I'm a fiend, kill me!" Him? No. He's up to something .I don't know what, but I don't like it none the less.'

'So if it's a fiend, why DON'T you kill it?' Jecht asked.

'SIMPLE. It's always around Yuna and how would that look? Me, killing her "father?" I'm cold and disheartened, yes, but I'm not completely insensitive.'

'You sure?'

'Positive. Plus I don't know what that thing is packing. I have no desire to go into that fight blind; doing that would get me killed. And I have no desire to die, again.'

'Technically speaking, wouldn't you be unsent?'

'No. You have to be dead to be sent. I didn't die, I disappeared.'

'Right…'

'So, I CAN die. And I have no desire to die. Then I would be unsent… Ack .I have even less of a desire to be unsent.'

'So… Back to our original thought,' Auron interjected. 'How are you planning on taking this thing out?'

'I'm not sure. I need to get him alone, but I can't.'

'Hey smart ass,' Jecht chimed. 'How would you explain Braska disappearing?'

'Shit. I never thought of that. Great, now I'm in a real corner.'

'So we need another plan of attack But what are we going to do?'

'Damned if I know. I have to figure something out. BAD.' The blonde sat quietly again, the voices finally quieted. He watched as the islanders walked past him, not paying him any heed.

"TIDUS!" Wakka's shout shattered the peace that Tidus had been enjoying. The blonde watched as Wakka approached. "What are you up to?"

'Nothing really,' Tidus replied.

"Nothing? You never do nothing; you have to be up to SOMETHING." Tidus chuckled.

'You know me too well.'

"I should, ya?"

'Yeah, yeah.'

"So what ARE you up to?"

'I'm' trying to figure out a problem that has no answer.'

"That makes everything a bit harder, ya?"

'Just a bit. And to make things worse, I have to figure it out SOON.'

"Why is it so urgent that you solve this problem?"

'Because if I don't the island will go under.'

"WHAT? What do you mean?" Tidus sighed. "Tidus." The boy didn't reply. "TIDUS. WHAT IS GOING ON?" Tidus didn't respond. "TIDUS." Tidus sighed.

'It's really complicated Wakka."

"What's the problem?"

'The problem is Braska.'

"There's something wrong with Braska?"

'Yes, there is a problem with Braska.'

"What's the problem with Braska?"

'It's not Braska.' Wakka stared at him blankly. 'Don't give me that look, I'm being serious. That thing isn't Braska.'

"Thing? He isn't a thing, that is Braska."

'It is not, Wakka.'

"If it's not Braska, then what is it?" Tidus sighed and got up from his spot.

'Trust me Wakka, you wouldn't understand.' The blonde started to walk away.

"Hey Tidus." The blonde stopped and turned to look at the redhead. "Don't forget a about the celebration tonight." Tidus groaned.

'And if I'm not there?'

"Not there? Yuna will kill you. And you better be dressed properly." Tidus sighed and walked away.

'I will, I will, I SWARE!' Wakka shook his head, watching the blonde walk away.

* * *

Tidus sighed, staring at himself in the mirror. The long white robe wasn't flattering for the young Blitzer. 'I look like a fucking marshmallow. Why?' He slowly turned and spotted the small red bird sitting on his table. 'Get lost.'

'But I was sent here to monitor you.'

'Get lost.'

'But I can't. I never break promises.'

'GET LOST!'

'But I…'

'GET THE FUCK LOST!' The bird stared as the angered summoner stormed past.

'But Tidus...'The blonde turned abruptly on his heel and stalked up to the table. He set his hands on either side of the bird and loomed over the creature.

'You have five seconds to evaporate from my sight before you become a wall ornament, do you UNDERSTAND ME?' The bird cowered under the angry man.

'Yes, I do.'The bird disappeared into oblivion again. Tidus spun back around and exited his hut. 'Damn bird. Can't the just leave me the fuck alone every once in a while?' The cool night air smashed into Tidus like running into a wall. The blonde summoner scanned the area, eyes catching on the other three summoners there. Izzaru, Yuna, and Braska stood mingling with the island villagers. 'Shit, there are far too many people here for me to do anything now. Did all of Kilika show up to this thing?' He scanned the other islanders as he walked along. 'All these fucking people and I can't find who I'm looking for.' The man stopped abruptly when he plowed into someone.

"Shit!" Tidus shook out of his ravine and looked down.

'Sorry Lulu, I didn't see you there.'

"That's ok." Tidus helped Lulu back to her feet.

'While I'm thinking about it, can I ask you something?'

"Ask away."

'What do you think of Braska?'

"What do you mean?"

'Something is unsettling about him and I'm trying to figure out what it is.'

"Unsettling? I haven't noticed anything. Why?"

'It's nothing really.' Tidus slowly walked away from her.

"Are you sure?" Tidus nodded and continued mingling through the crowd. He slowly came to a stop by the large fire that had been started near the temple.

"Some night, huh?" Tidus turned to see Izzaru standing next to him.

'Yeah, that's ONE way to put it.'

"Something wrong?"

'I think the easier question would be what's not wrong, that would be a shorter list.'

"Problems?"

'Understatement of the century. I had problems the first time around. This, this is beyond problems. I don't know what problems are anymore.'

"Anything I can help with?" Tidus looked at Izzaru for a moment before fixing his gaze on the fire once again.

'No, not really. You would probably think I'm nuts, just like everyone else has.'

"You sure?"

'Positive.'Izzaru shrugged and walked away from the blonde. Tidus remained where he was, oblivious to all that was going on around him.

'Alone again with our thoughts, I see,' Jecht's voice echoed through his head.

'I was until you came in,' Tidus snapped back.

'What crawled up your ass and died?'

'Everything.'

'What?'

'Anything and everything dealing with Braska has put me in a foul mood.'

'Obviously. So what are you going to do about said problem?'

'Damned if I know. I have to do something soon or we are going to be in so much trouble.'

'Well we've determined that pretty well. But what are you going to do?'

'I'm not really…' Tidus stopped for a moment.

'Tidus? Tidus?' Tidus walked away from the fire and back to his hut. 'Tidus? What are you doing?' The blonde rummaged through one of his drawers and pulled out his short daggers. He hacked off the sleeves and the long portion of the robe. The blonde dropped the short dagger into its sheath and walked over to the mantle, pulling the long sword off of its stand. He gripped the end of the sword loosely and stalked out of his hut, a determined scowl spread across his face. Once outside, he stopped to scan the area, eyes locking onto every soul present. He smirked lightly when his eyes locked upon what he was looking for. 'Its now or never, no turning back.' The blonde shifted through the crowd, making his way to his target. Unfortunately for him, his target caught on before he could strike. Braska latched onto Yuna's wrist and swung a short blade up to her neck.

"The next person to move will cause this lady to loose her life," the man hissed. The crowd froze, all eyes locked on the two summoners. Tidus quietly slipped behind the crowd and into the shadows of the temple. "Now the first one of you who brings the boy to me will be rewarded with this fine lady's life."

'That won't be necessary.' Tidus stepped out in front of the pole, glaring at Braska. 'Fiend. I should have killed you when I had the chance.' Braska threw Yuna into the crowd of on lookers and walked in front of Tidus.

"Do you really think it would have made a difference? I would have killed you either way boy, its just much more fun this way." Tidus stepped down a few stairs, his cold gaze never leaving the high summoner.

'If you really wanted it this way, you should have said so.'

"It is your death boy, I figured you wanted to be in charge of it." Tidus snorted.

'You really think you can defeat me? I have taken out hundreds of your kind without even breaking a sweat.'

"But I am not the run of the mill fiend my boy. And you shall pay for under estimating me." Before Tidus could reply, the man raised his right hand and sent a powerful wave of energy crashing into the boy, sending him, in turn, flying into the pole. The pole cracked under the force of the blow and Tidus slammed into the ground at the base. The blonde didn't move. Braska snorted. "Fool. He should have known better than to mess with the darkness." A low, haunting laugh floated through the air. The summoner, along with the crowd, scanned the area to find the source. As the volume increased, Braska turned back to Tidus. The blonde was slowly rising to his feet, laughing manically. The blonde's blue eyes seemed hollow; he looked possessed.

"You truly think that I fight on the side of the light?" The summoner stared at him blankly. "Only a fool would side with the light. Everyone knows that darkness holds the ultimate power. This has become more of a battle of skill rather than a battle of power. A one sided battle it has become. There will be only one victor and that victor shall be me." Braska grew enraged at what Tidus had said. He once again launched an attack, this time aiming for the long pole towering over the blonde. The attack hit its mark dead on, causing the large beam to fall. The pole came down with a thundering crash on top of the blonde; it seemed as if the battle was over before it had even begun.

"The poor fool, he thought I could be beaten. The poor fool." The summoner hadn't been watching close enough; the pole slowly began to crack at the site where it landed on Tidus. In a blast of pure rage, Tidus burst through the pole in a shower of small stones and red mist. The red haze settled over the stairs and flowed towards Braska.

"Fool?" The blonde had taken a demonic tone to his voice. "It is not I who is the fool, far from it. You have sentenced yourself to this brutal ending." From the haze appeared two long black tentacles. They flowed steadily from the ground, surrounded by the red mist, wrapping around Tidus' exposed legs. "It is because of you and your master that I am this way." The boy had started crying, releasing years of pent up rage in long streams of bloody tears. "It is your fault that I have been cursed with silence, your fault that I have been driven away from the ones I loved, your fault that I had to keep my identity hidden for so long, your fault that my friends were drawn into this, YOUR FAULT I HAVE SUFFERED FOR SO LONG!" The blood was now running down his shirt and the tentacles had branched off, wrapping themselves around his wrists. He stared intently at the fiend, his breathing becoming heavy. "And you shall pay." At that moment, the two longest tentacles came in contact with the blood on his shirt, releasing an enormous pulse of energy across the area. When the dust settled, everything still remained in tact. No one had been hurt by the release, but Tidus was now bleeding from every point that the tentacles had come in contact with, the most blood flowing from his palms. He continued to stare at Braska.

"What was that?" Wakka whispered to Lulu. "It didn't do any damage."

"It was a warning signal. Every fiend in a six mile radius is high tailing it off the island right now because of the power he's giving off."

"And why isn't Braska leaving?"

"He's stupid, REALLY stupid." Tidus smiled cockily at the other man.

"I can't believe that you're still here," he hissed. "Are you mad?" Braska didn't reply. "Last chance to leave now." He didn't move. "Fine, your loss." Tidus raised his sword above his head, the blood red mist following it. "To all those who have perished in the rage of war, I SUMMON THEE!" From the mist rose hundreds of small tentacles, each one writhing and twisting around Tidus. The blonde lowered his sword and lowered himself down to them, running his hands trough the mass of tentacles. After a moment, Tidus got back up to his feet and stared at Braska. ""Heaven's glorious charm is nothing more than life shying away from hell's cold, demonic embrace. The dead have arisen to top take their next SOUL!" In a flash, the tentacles disappeared and reappeared, latching themselves onto Braska, dragging the man to the ground. The red mist that surrounded Tidus grew to a deeper shade as the tentacles sucked the life out of Braska and returned it to their master. The blonde hefted his sword and walked slowly over to Braska. "Nothing can happen more beautiful than death."* Tidus raised his sword over his head and plunged it into the chest of Braska, a long stream of blood splattering him and the areas close to them. He pulled the long blade back out, another stream flying back at him.

"You shall not win," Braska sputtered, dying. "My master is too powerful for you to defeat."

"Then bring him forth. I am ready to accept my death." The demon died without another word; Tidus began to walk away from the bloody scene, but Yuna stopped him.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?" The woman was enraged. "HOW COULD YOU KILL MY FATHER?!"

"It wasn't YOUR FATHER!" Tidus roared back at her. "That THING IS NOT AND WAS NOT YOUR FATHER!" Yuna didn't move out of his gaze.

"You insensitive, ungrateful BASTARD!" Tidus' eyes flashed fire. He roughly gripped Yuna's shoulder and threw the high summoner out of his way. He took a few steps away from her before turning sharply on his heel.

"If anyone is the ingrate it is you my dear lady." The animosity dripped from his voice. "I just save you and your worthless ISLAND. You SHOULD be thanking me, but apparently you've forgotten how to do that. Heaven forbid that someone of a higher stature fess up to their mistakes! It'd be a crime against NATURE!" The crowd stared quietly at Tidus.

"How," Rikku mumbled, breaking the silence. "How do you know that thing wasn't Braska?" Tidus spun to look at the Al Bhed.

"You want to know how?" He snorted lightly. "You'd never believe me if I showed you."

"Try me." The blonde shook his head and took a few steps back.

"Fine." He shut his eyes and kneeled on the ground, mumbling a prayer. No one could hear what he was saying, but a small black circle formed in front of him. He continued for a few moments, gaining volume until the crowd could make out what he was saying. "Return to me, return to me, return to me, return to me, leave me no one. Return to me, return to me, return to me, return to me, cast aside. Return to me, return to me, return to me, return to me, leave me no one. Return to me, return to me, return to me, return to me, make me turn away. Living just isn't hard enough; burn me alive inside. Living my life's not hard enough;
they take everything from you. Living just isn't hard enough; burn me alive inside. Living my life's not hard enough; take everything away." When he finished, everyone gasped. Standing the small circle was the last thing they had ever expected to see; a miniaturized version of Braska.

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WHHEEE!!!! OOCness abounds! I need more sleep, BAD. Oh. And the *, brownie points to anyone who can figure out who said that WITHOUT looking it up on the internet.