Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Ninety-ninth Sacrifice ❯ XII ( Chapter 12 )

XII

990 S.A.

 

Jecht stepped unsteadily onto the deck of the extensive dock at Luca. He hadn't remembered Luca being so large, but that was of course about one millennium earlier. “How many more boats do we have to go on?”

“None,” said Braska, walking past Jecht easily. Braska had no time for land sickness. Even Auron was queasy, but he kept up easily with Braska.

Jecht's mouth dropped open. “You mean that we're walking to Zanarkand all the way from Luca?”

Without turning around Braska answered, “It's the safest way to make it to Zanarkand, taking the overland route.”

Jecht snatched the map out of Auron's hand and peered at it closely. “Holy, that's a long way to go!”

Auron stopped Jecht and looked at the map with him. “You see that river there?” Auron pointed to a long sea between Djose and Guadosalam. “That's the Moonflow. We take an amphibious creature across it the full length. We can also take Chocobos on the Mi'ihen Highroad and in the Calm Lands.”

“Yeah,” added Jecht, “But we have to climb Mt. Gagazet all on our own!”

“It's a test,” said Braska impatiently from up ahead. “Now you two start moving and maybe we'll get somewhere!”

After a few moments, Jecht asked, “So, where is the temple in Luca?”

“There is no temple in Luca,” said Auron, walking with Jecht behind Braska. “Luca has such a large population because it's the only city with a functioning bliztball stadium.”

Jecht felt tears of recognition well up in his eyes. “Blitzball! That's what I did at home! Can we go see it, please?”

Braska asked, “Why do you want to see blitzball?”

“Back home in Zanarkand I am a bit of a celebrity for my blitzing skills,” bragged Jecht.

“Why would you want to watch it then, if you play it so much?” asked Braska, ignoring Auron's impatient gestures.

“I feel homesick,” said Jecht, searching the skyline of Luca for the stadium. “Besides, I want to shoot some footage of the games for my kid. He wants to beat me real bad, and I thought it would help him get better.”

“Alright, Jecht, we'll go watch a game,” said Braska, tired of traveling.

“We have to set out on the Mi'ihen Highroad as soon as possible,” warned Auron.

“Don't be such a killjoy Auron,” grunted Jecht in his deep voice, his head craning over the crowd. He found the stadium and the ball was already filled with water. “Blitzball, here I come!” shouted Jecht, running towards the stadium excitedly.

 

***

 

Making their way through the city after watching the game, Braska asked, “Do you want to take a visit to your home, Auron?”

Passionless, Auron kept walking, his eyes on the walkway ahead. “I haven't been there in seven years.”

“I know, right around when Yuna was born.” Braska began the long ascent of white marble stairs they had come to. “Even if you don't want to, we're going. Your parents deserve to know what's become of their son.”

“Yes sir,” said Auron, beginning his stalwart journey up the steps.

 

***

 

After a few days of walking down the Highroad, they came to a small village on the coast. Jecht would have never noticed it because it veered off the main road, but Auron found it no sweat. Every one of the little houses were little more than shack and were in serious disrepair.

“So, this is your home kid,” said Jecht, looking about the area.

“Yeah.” After a pause, Auron added, “Just wait until you see your home town, then we can talk about how rundown a town is.”

“Okay you two,” said Braska, smiling to a young woman who was walking by with a fish basket under her arm. “Hello, we were just looking for … um … Auron, what were your parents' names?”

The woman nearly dropped her fish basket when she heard the name. “Holy, Auron, is that you?”

“Aye and you are?” he said tiredly.

The woman screwed up her face in slight anger. “Of course, big traveler you are, forgetting about your home.” Sticking her nose up in the air, she added, “Oh yeah, you're parents have been dead for a while.”

Jecht expected this to get a rise out of Auron, but he was as emotionless as ever. “Alright then. I told you it was a useless point on coming here.” And with that, Auron was beginning to leave the village for the Highroad.

“Hey, aren't you going to at least say hello to Tralisa while you're here?” asked the young woman as Auron was walking.

“So, she's not dead then?” asked Auron, slightly annoyed. Tralisa reminded him of a part of his life he would rather forget. Since his teenage fling with her Auron had kept a celibate lifestyle, honing his bushido skills alone.

“B-but, didn't you love her?” asked the young woman, watching a young girl walk down the path she had just come from.

“No,” said Auron. His frankness not only stunned the woman, but his two companions as well. “She was only a lapse in my personal judgment during a weak stage in my life.”

The woman took the little girl's hand and looked sadly at Auron. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

Being the kind father figure as usual, Braska bent down to talk to the little girl. “Why, hello there, what's your name little girl?”

“Paine,” she said in a painful way not suited to a seven year old child.

“She's Tralisa's daughter,” added the young woman.

This was one of the only things that could have gotten a sense of life out of Auron. “She's Tralisa's, is she.” Feeling tears well up in his eyes, Auron looked intently at the little girl, taking a mental photograph. As a guardian, his life was no longer his own, and he never expected to see this little girl again in his life. Her short cropped hair was such a wet sand looking brown it appeared gray. Her sad eyes were a deep red, and her skin was an uncharacteristic white of fisher people.

Bending down as Braska had, Auron pulled a little knife out of his jacket. It was nothing special, but it was a well sharpened but old blade whose cover on the handle Auron had replaced himself. “Paine, I'd like to give this to you.” Holding the blade, he offered the handle to the little girl. “Just remember to not stick it at anything you don't want to hurt, and to pass it like I just did. And never run with it, unless you have to, do you understand?”

The little girl nodded.

“What do you say Paine?” asked the young woman.

“Thank you,” squeaked the little girl.

Nodding, Auron said, “Good bye,” and left with his two companions.

Behind them, back in the village, Paine asked the young woman, “Who was that man?”

“He was your daddy.” The young woman released the little girl's hand, and went back to her chores.

“My daddy?” asked Paine, looking at the knife. Even though she did not know it, this gift would come to lead her down her chosen path in the world. Though, that is another story.

 

***

 

“So, what just happened there?” asked Jecht, catching up the Auron and Braska. He often lagged behind because he was looking at the scenery, and he had to carry the supplies.

“When Auron was younger, he often slept with this young woman named Tralisa,” said Braska objectively. “That was her daughter.”

Jecht's eyes went wide. “So, you just found out that you had a kid?”

Auron sighed and kept on looking straight forward. “Yes, that is what appears to have happened.”

“So, then why aren't you more shaken up about it?”

“Believe me, I am,” said Auron. “But we have a task to finish. It's about a week to Djose, and we need all the time we can get. Plus, I am a guardian, and it is my duty to serve my summoner until he no longer needs me. Then, when this is all done, I can focus my energy on other things. You would do well to remember that.”

“Yeah,” said Jecht in resignation. Even though he knew it was his duty to serve Braska at this present moment, his thoughts still went back to the son he left in the past; the son who had been dead for almost a thousand years.

 

 

 

 

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