Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Guardian ❯ Green ( Chapter 4 )

Guardian, Chapter 4
Green

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Satisfied now that introductions had been made, Tidus went back to the vastly entertaining pastime of kicking the ball against the side of the house, but the dejected set his small shoulders had lifted, and he was now humming some happy mindless melody just softly enough that I could block out the rambling, patternless notes if I really tried. Stretching the kinks out of my back, I indulged myself and allowed my mind to staunchly maintain that the aching stiffness in my joints was merely from a battle-weary body sleeping on an unfamiliar mattress, and nothing at all resembling rigor mortis. But I had a morbid imagination, and my twisted sense of humor induced my lips to curve in a small, self-mocking smile.

My black amusement dissipated suddenly as I caught the scent of something both achingly familiar and totally unexpected. The heady scent of flora drifted around me, increasing in potency as I followed it around to the back of the house. At last reaching the source, I stopped dead in surprise; it was as if a tiny patch of my homeland had been transplanted here and hidden furtively behind this house. It looked as out of place here as I felt, but it was unquestionably beautiful. In the center, a riotous collection of color bloomed on deceptively delicate stalks, jewel-like petals still sparkling quietly from the early dew that the sun had not yet burnt away. Fragrant herbs reached small green leaves toward the sky from a box under the window, lined up like tiny verdant soldiers in neat, even rows. Glossy-leaved bushes nestled closest to the wall, a darker emerald backdrop for the bright flowers and other lush greenery in the foreground, some with long wispy viridian leaves that danced leisurely under the wind's persuasion, others with wide leaves intricately marbled with pearly white lacework. One lone yellow rose blossomed on a trailing vine that stretched curling thorny tendrils around the window frame, a tiny spider dangling from a gossamer silver web in the corner.

The boy had followed me around the corner curiously. "That's her Garden," he breathed, emphasizing the word with childish reverence. "I'm not allowed to touch it."

"The reason for that quite eludes me," I muttered.

"What?" His open expression reminded me that I was no longer among company capable of appreciating my brilliant sarcastic wit. I felt slightly abashed.

"Nothing, boy." The flowers looked thirsty, the soil dry and parched around them. "Does your mother have a watering can or something?"

He appeared to be thinking hard about that one, brightening after a moment. "Be right back!" He called as he ran gleefully around the far corner of the house.

This random bit of greenery marginally lifted my mood, though it also evoked a fierce longing for the vast lushness of the Spiran forests, grasslands, and meadows that still stood out clearly in my mind. I wondered when and if I would ever return to them. But even so, such things were only for the living. After my death I had walked through many such places in my search for Jecht, and being surrounded by such vivid color and vibrant life had only seemed to draw my attention to the fact that I no longer belonged there. The discrepancy was muted and much easier to bear in the cold uncaring urban world that I walked in now. Even knowing this, a sharp pang of homesick longing caught me in the gut anyway.

"Here, Auron!" Tidus waddled over to me, struggling with the weight of a very full watering can in both arms. It was decidedly less full when it reached my feet, but still managed to slosh a plentiful amount distastefully over my boots.

I grunted in irritation but merely picked up the offending can and spent a long moment distributing what liquid was left over top of the small garden, taking care to cover the whole area and letting myself bask in the simple pleasure of nourishing something so beautiful. I could almost forget everything, just for a moment, standing there wrapped in a blanket of warm golden sunlight and sweet floral perfume, watching the bobbing of crisp green leaves under the sparkling gentle spray of life-giving water.

"You're watering my plants?" A voice broke into my thoughts, edged with a hint of concern.

Jecht's wife walked toward me at an almost hurried pace, a slight frown marring her features. I shrugged. "They needed it. Don't worry, I didn't give them too much."

"Mom!" The boy threw his arms around his mother, who didn't even seem to notice that his entire front was completely soaked from his long sojourn with the watering can. She slowly returned the hug, stroking his hair.

"Hey Mom, is Auron going to stay with us?"

"Auron," she said slowly, as if digesting new information, reminding me that I hadn't yet given my name to her either, nor asked for hers.

I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, but Jecht never gave me your names. Tidus and I have been getting acquainted, but..."

"I'm Serra. Can't quite say I'm pleased to meet you, though." There was the ghost of a sad, mocking smile on her lips that disappeared as soon as I thought I'd seen it.

"Same here," I answered, to let her know that I understood and would rather have had him here in my stead, too.

She nodded slightly, acknowledging the response before walking slowly back toward the house.

After another hour or so outside, Tidus decided that it was time to go inside. Serra was nowhere to be seen. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching 'movies' on the 'holoscreen'. It seemed like a pointless, brain-rotting endeavor, but it kept the boy quiet so I was all for it. They seemed to be like spheres, except that the stories recorded and played back for the watcher were fabricated and scripted. The insubstantiality prevented it from holding my interest very well, but there seemed to be nothing else to do, and the boy was absolutely enthralled. I picked up a book lying on a corner table, setting it down again less than a minute later after discovering that the writing made no sense at all to me, the sigils trailing across the page completely foreign and unrecognizable. Well, that would give me something to do, at least.

Around dusk Tidus piped up, "Hey Auron, are you hungry?" Something in his voice told me he wasn't asking solely for my benefit.

Okay. What was I supposed to feed him? I walked into the kitchen but had no luck locating anything that looked palatable. The 'fridge' seemed to contain only condiments and items best left alone to continue growing in peace.

I stepped back and nearly fell over the boy, standing right behind me. "Damn it, don't do that."

He looked properly contrite for all of a second. "Wanna order pizza?"

It sounded safe enough, so I nodded. "Yeah, so how do we do that?"

"I can do it, I'm just supposed to ask a grown-up first."

"Okay." He proceeded to pick up another weird piece of technology that I would later learn was a phone, talking into it. He spoke with the ease of someone who had performed this same task many times. Finished, he turned to me, saying, "They said thirty minutes. I got soda, too."

I didn't have any of their currency on me. "How are we going to pay for it?"

"I just put it on Dad's account. I do it all the time."

In due time, the promised goods arrived. Carrying the box over to the low table in front of the couches, he came back from the kitchen with two plates and cups. Picking up the bottle, he filled one with something dark brown and ominously fizzy. "What is that?"

He gave me a strange look, as if to say 'you're a funny adult'. "It's soda. Mom says it isn't really good for you, but she lets me have it sometimes anyway." He glanced toward the hallway and I got the sad impression that he rather desperately wanted her to storm in here and chastise him for drinking it.

I sighed and reached out for the cup. "Let me try it." It looked absolutely repulsive, but he seemed interested in my response.

It was syrupy, sickeningly sweet and burned my throat going down. I couldn't imagine washing down a meal with it. "Interesting. But I think I will just have water." And some sake. A lot of sake.

And indeed, I sat with the jug at my side long after I'd carried the sleeping boy to his room. The people in these movies were vapid and shallow, but at least the flashing colors and bright explosions forestalled any deep thinking on my part. Eventually I could bear no more and shut it off, retiring to my own room. Serra had not stepped foot out of the master bedroom all night. I wondered sadly if by taking care of Tidus I was merely allowing her to retreat further into her sorrow, and that maybe I should leave and force her to emerge and care for him...or that if I did so he would only suffer alone.

Something later jerked me out of a light sleep; the dead do not, in fact, sleep 'like the dead'. True, dreamless slumber had eluded me for quite some time. Irritated, I rolled over and attempted to get comfortable again when another low cry caught my ears. The child cried out in his sleep, caught in the grip of some nightmare. Not a sound issued from his mother's room...was she so deeply immersed in her grief-imposed isolation that she couldn't even hear him when he called for her? His haunted cries tore even at my deadened heart, and finally I dragged myself out of the bed and padded softly to his room, peeking through the partially open door to see him thrashing around in the sheets, so tangled up in them that he could barely move.

"Otousan--" His pale brow was beaded with sweat, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He quieted when I sat on the bed next to him, reaching out blindly to me and wrapping his arms around my midsection with a much stronger grip than I would have thought him capable of.

"Papa..." he mumbled into my shirt, and as he visibly relaxed, I realized that he still walked in dreams. He truly thought that I was Jecht.

After a while my eyelids grew heavy, and as the boy seemed disinclined to release his death grip on my torso, I shifted into a more comfortable position and closed my eyes...I would just rest a minute. But his soft breath was warm on my arm, his small head a comforting weight on my chest. And for the first time in many long restless nights, I slept.

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End Chapter 4

Sorry 'bout the wait. Too many projects and all that ^_^