FIC: Crooked Wings -- FFX-- Chapter 2 -- T

[batsutousai]

Title: Crooked Wings
Author: Batsutousai
Beta: Shara Lunison
Rating: T
Pairings: Tidus/Seymour
Warnings: AU, major canon-fuckery
Summary: On that fateful day when Yunalesca faced Sin, only part of her died, and the part that stayed alive finds itself in Spira a thousand years later.

Disclaim Her: Remember, Yunalesca is going to be called Gina from here on out.

A/N: Wow. A whole year? ^.^" Sorry, luvs.

So, I put up a poll both on FFN and LJ about pairings. Tidus/Seymour won, no questions, so that's pretty much set. Still trying to figure out what to do with Yuna/Rikku/Gina. The votes are more towards Yuna/Rikku, but if you'd prefer Yuna/Gina, I'm still taking votes. XD

-0-
Neither Friend Nor Foe
-0-

Tidus woke when his head hit something hard. "Ow!" he complained, looking up at the offending cliff. Then something ran into his back and he swung around in the water to catch Rikku, who was still unconscious. He slapped her cheek lightly and was rewarded with her gasping and jerking in the water. "Whoa, whoa!" he said, grabbing her shoulders to try and ground her.

Rikku stopped thrashing and let Tidus help her stand up, since the bottom wasn't too deep. "Where–?" She stopped to cough some water out. "Where are we?"

Tidus looked around himself, chewing on the inside of one cheek. "I don't know," he admitted, keeping an eye out for Gina.

Rikku glanced around as well. "Have you seen Gina?"

Tidus shook his head. "Not yet."

"Damn Sin," Rikku grumbled.

Tidus nodded in agreement with the sentiment and checked for his sword, which had somehow ended up back in the holster on his back. He looked back at Rikku to find her checking over the claw on her hand and the pouch at her hip. "Okay?" he asked.

Rikku nodded. "Yeah." She grinned at him a bit. "Nothing lost."

Tidus managed a brief smile back before he started looking around again. Above them, too high up for them to safely climb, trees swayed in a breeze that didn't quite reach them down below. The cliff disappeared into the distance to one side, and around a bend in the other. "Which direction should we try?" he asked.

Rikku considered their options, then pointed in the direction of the bend. "That way. Maybe we'll get lucky and this island will be inhabited," she added, starting in the direction she'd pointed.

"Are there many that aren't?" Tidus asked as he fell in next to her.

Rikku sighed and looked up at the leafy overhang. "Only one or two with trees that tightly packed," she admitted.

Tidus nodded and they kept on.

-0-0-0-

Gina choked on the water in her lungs and turned over to cough it up. She heard a whispered cure spell and, feeling better, opened her eyes. A large group of people stood around her, most looking concerned. One girl knelt in front of her, a staff resting on the sandy ground just in front of her knees. Mismatched eyes blinked, once, then the girl behind them asked, "Are you okay?"

Gina nodded and made herself sit up, so she was on the same level as at least one person. "Yeah, thanks," she said, then motioned to the staff in the girl's lap. "Summoner?"

The girl smiled. "Oh, yes. I'm Yuna, from this island. I'm just starting my pilgrimage."

Gina smiled in return. "Gina," she offered. "I'm also a summoner."

"That's wonderful!" Yuna said, mismatched eyes bright.

A woman wearing a revealing dress crouched down next to Yuna, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Yuna," she reprimanded, making the young summoner blush and look down. The woman turned to Gina, serious, yet curious. "Would you mind telling up what happened before you washed ashore?"

Gina blinked. "My guardian, Tidus, and I were on a ship together when Sin came up. It tipped the boat." She glanced around, frowning. "I don't suppose Tidus also washed up?"

"Not here, no," the woman replied, glancing up at the crowd for confirmation. "Where were you when the boat tipped, do you know?"

"We were headed north, to Bikanel. Up by those old ruins the Al Bhed own."

There was some grumbling at the mention of the Al Bhed, but neither Yuna nor the woman questioning Gina seemed to take any notice. "That's quite some distance," Yuna commented. When Gina rose her eyebrows questioningly, Yuna said, "This is Besaid."

Gina blinked, mentally considering a map from her childhood. It took her a moment, but her eyes eventually widened in shock. "Besaid?" she whispered, silently cursing what was left of her father for sending her all the way south.

Of course, Yu Yevon had never done anything without a reason.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked.

Gina nodded and reached behind her to grab her spear, glad that she hadn't lost her weapon that time around. "Yes," she said to Yuna, pulling herself to her feet. "Is there a fayth here?"

A few people looked at her oddly for her question – it wasn't her fault Besaid hadn't had a fayth a thousand years ago – but everyone else nodded while Yuna and the woman both got back onto their own feet.

A couple villagers offered to show Gina to the temple, and she agreed with a smile, then turned back to Yuna. "I hope we meet again, Lady Yuna."

Yuna smiled. "So do I. Will you be okay without your guardian?"

Gina snorted, considering that, if Sin had bothered to take the boy from the dream world, the monster wasn't about to let Tidus drown. "He'll be fine. I'm sure I'll come across him playing blitzball somewhere in a couple of days and have to drag him away."

A couple of people laughed, though others, including Yuna and the woman in the revealing dress – Gina thought she'd heard someone call her Lulu – looked rather like they believed Tidus to be dead.

"The first tournament of the blitzball season is in Luca in two days time," a redhead helpfully offered. "You'll probably find him there."

"Likely," Gina agreed, looking around at the group of men behind the redhead who wore matching clothing. "I take it that's where you're headed?"

"Yup. We can keep an eye out for him, if you'd like?"

Gina smiled. "If you'd like. He's about my age–" and wasn't it strange to think of herself being so young! "–blond, and carries a red sword. If that helps?"

The redhead grinned. "I'll keep a look-out. Tell him to wait for you in Luca."

Gina nodded. "Thank you."

Lulu sighed and shook her head. "We should get to the boat," she reminded the party headed for Luca. Everyone agreed and there were a great deal of good-byes being said.

Once the boat had pulled out of the bay, an older villager turned to Gina and said, "Let's get you to the temple, hm?"

Gina smiled. "Please. And, forgive me, but how often does the boat run?"

"It leaves Besaid every morning, getting to Kilika by early evening. You can pick up the connection to Luca shortly after that, but there's a temple there, as well, that you may wish to stop at."

Gina nodded. She'd got Ifrit, the fayth on Kilika, during her first pilgrimage. If she could still summon him, she could skip the second island and make straight for Luca, which would get her there in time for the tournament.

Temple first, she mentally ordered, then see what you can still summon.

-0-0-0-

They'd come across a river mouth a while back. They'd discussed taking the river into the island, since all of the cities in Spira were built on some body of water or another – all cities anywhere, from what Tidus remembered of his schooling – but Rikku hadn't been certain this particular river would have a city on it, so they'd kept swimming around the island.

It was getting on towards evening when they finally found an area they could climb. Through the trees, which were sparse where they'd come up, they could see a city built out over the ocean and Rikku said, "Kilika."

Tidus nodded, trying to pretend he knew where that was. "Should we go down and say hello?" he suggested.

Rikku bit her lip. "I don't..." She looked up at Tidus, but he wore an expression on his face that said that he didn't understand what she was getting at. "I'm Al Bhed, Tidus. Normal people don't trust us."

Tidus blinked. "So don't tell them," he replied and turned to walk towards the village.

"I wasn't going to!" Rikku shouted, stumbling after him. "But all they have to do is look at my eyes, you know!"

Tidus didn't know, so he shrugged and called back, "Then look down and let me do the talking."

Rikku groaned and grabbed his arm. "Would you slow down?" she asked.

Tidus sighed. "I want something to eat," he commented, pointing towards the village. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Of course I'm hungry," Rikku replied, "but I'm also a little tired."

"Tired?" Tidus repeated, not understanding.

Rikku rolled her eyes. "I was just heading to bed when Sin attacked. And we've been swimming for hours."

Tidus sighed again. "Yeah, okay. We can walk slow...ly..." He stared at something past Kilika, frowning, and Rikku turned to look as well. She saw a flash of spells far off in the distance and a shape which sent shivers down her spine.

"Is that..."

Tidus nodded, then took off towards the village shouting, "SIN!"

Rikku hurried after him, adrenaline burning away her exhaustion. It was never good when Sin was close enough to be seen from land. It usually meant that someone was about to die. And while there were clearly people out there, given the spell light, Sin could never resist a village.

A young man met Tidus halfway, expression one of disbelieving anger. "What has you hollering that monster's name?" he snapped.

Tidus grabbed the man and spun him around, then pointed to the sickeningly familiar form of Sin, which was getting larger. "Look," he whispered.

The man jerked away and they all started back towards the village, Tidus shouting about Sin while the other gave the order to evacuate.

By the time Sin made it to the island, most of the villagers had made it to the forest. A few had turned back, however, when Sin had submerged, and weren't quick enough to get back to the trees before the monster hit. They all stood there in the trees and watched as Sin destroyed the houses and planking. There was nothing anyone could do.

Once Sin had left, the villagers slowly trickled out of the forest to see what they could recover and how much had to be rebuilt.

"It looks bad," one of the village elders told Tidus and Rikku, both of whom were staring over the wreckage in horror, "but this is not the worst attack I've seen."

"No," Rikku agreed quietly. "Most of the village survived. Homes can be rebuilt, but people can only be found again in the Farplane."

"That is correct," the elder agreed. "Thank you, both. You've saved many a life today."

"Lucky we were coming over that ridge right then," Tidus replied quietly.

"Luck or not," the elder replied, "you are both always welcome in Kilika." He smiled at Rikku, adding, "And it's not often I say that to an Al Bhed."

Rikku gasped and covered her eyes. Tidus laughed at her, so she elbowed him in the stomach. When his stomach replied with a growl of hunger, the two teens and the elder laughed.

"Let's find you some food," the elder offered.

Still laughing, the two teens followed him back into the village.

-0-0-0-

After they'd eaten, Tidus and Rikku both found something to help with, since they didn't have much else to do and there was little hope of them finding Gina in the wreckage. Assuming she was even on Kilika. Rikku had commented, over supper, that no Al Bhed boat would dare show its hull south of Luca, so they were best off waiting until the boat to Luca left. There, they could commandeer an Al Bhed boat and look for the missing summoner.

Rumour got around pretty quickly about there being a female summoner on the boat from Besaid, and both Tidus and Rikku followed the crowd to the sight of the sending to see if it was Gina. It wasn't, but they both stayed to watch the young summoner dance, both thinking about how it was such a beautiful, yet heart-breaking dance.

"Does Gina dance like that?" Rikku whispered to Tidus as the summoner completed her dance.

Tidus shrugged. "Wouldn't know."

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Some guardian you are."

Tidus glared at her for a minute, but had to admit, even if only to himself, that he was, by no means, a good guardian. He'd only been so for two days and he'd already lost his summoner. Somehow, he didn't think that was part of the job.

Tidus was just turning to go back to helping on one of the walkways when someone shouted, "Hey! You Tidus?"

Tidus turned around and saw the summoner, as well as a red-headed man and a black-haired woman staring straight at him. "That's me," he replied.

The man broke out in a grin. "Lady Gina was looking for you."

"Where is she?" Tidus pleaded.

"Back in Besaid," the dark-haired woman helpfully offered in a quiet voice. "She'll most likely be on the boat here tomorrow."

Tidus breathed out in relief while Rikku popped up next to his elbow. "Gina's okay?" she asked, looking between Tidus and the summoner's group.

Tidus nodded. "They said she's in Besaid. She'll be here tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Rikku replied, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet. "We won't have to borrow a ship after all!"

Tidus laughed and shook his head at his friend, then turned back to the summoner's group. "Thanks."

"Sure thing," the redhead replied, holding out a hand to shake. "I'm Wakka, by the way. I hear you like blitzball?"

"Love it. Gina told you?"

"That she did. You any good?"

"Me?" Tidus grinned a bit madly. "Oh, I certainly think so. You?"

Wakka gave a nervous laugh. "So-so. You're not playing in the tournament?"

"Tournament?" Tidus asked, eyes brightening.

"It's tomorrow, in Luca," Rikku supplied. "I swore I mentioned it..."

Tidus gave her an incredulous look. "No, it must have slipped your mind," he offered a bit drily.

Rikku gave a hiccuping sort of laugh. "Whoops."

Tidus just sort of shook his head. After traversing the outside of Kilika Island all day with her, he was almost used to her little quirks.

Rikku grinned at him, then hopped off toward the house she'd been helping to rebuild.

Tidus turned back to Wakka – the summoner and the dark-haired woman had both left to rest while Tidus had been talking to Rikku. "No, no blitzball for me, I'm afraid. Have to wait for Gina; bad enough already that I lost her for a whole day."

Wakka nodded sympathetically. "I got you. This is my last game, then I'm a full-time guardian."

Tidus grinned. "Good luck, then."

"Thanks," Wakka agreed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing," Tidus agreed, then turned to go help the building on the pathway he'd been working on. A couple of people from the boat had joined to help, as well, so the work went a little bit faster and, when the sun had left them without any light to work by, none of them felt bad about calling it a night.

-0-0-0-

When Gina stepped off the boat from Besaid, she felt almost as much like a summoner as she had when she'd gone off to face down Sin. She had a brand new aeon – well, new to her; the fayth claimed to be almost eight hundred years old – and had been able to connect with three of her old aeons: Ifrit, Yojimbo and Ixion. Her other four, alas, were completely gone. So far as Gina could figure, their crystals must have shattered, possibly during an attack by Sin. (Considering that three of those four had been from Zanarkand, she wasn't all that surprised.)

The temple summoner at Besaid had been quite helpful in placing the temples with the names of the aeons. (More than once, Gina had heard someone mention Sin's toxin, whatever that was.) The poor man had had a little bit of trouble placing Yojimbo, but had eventually mentioned that there were said to be a couple of temples in the Calm Lands – which had taken an additional ten minutes to explain, since the Calm Lands had been a beautiful forest with a prosperous city when she was last alive – which had been all but forgotten to the years. Gina recalled getting Yojimbo in the city there, so figured it must be right. Really, other than Yojimbo's temple being lost, only Ixion's fayth had been moved a great distance; he'd rested in the area now known as the Thunder Plains, but had been moved when the storm he naturally created got so bad that no one would go there any more.

The other temples had been pretty easy to figure out, once she'd found a map in one of the temple back rooms. The next one for her was the temple at the Macalania Lake – she'd briefly wondered about what had happened to the beautiful city that had once been there, as there'd never been a lake before – then on to Bevelle. Other than the one in the ruins she and Tidus had woken up in, there was the other rumoured temple in the Calm Lands, and then the 'Final Aeon' in Zanarkand.

Gina had to wonder what the Final Aeon was, since she was pretty sure Zaon hadn't lived through their fight with Sin. Did that mean summoners continued to have to sacrifice one of their guardians, only to have them turn on them and kill them? (And, about that, how was Gina alive when all other summoners died during the fight?)

"Gina?" a somewhat familiar voice asked.

Gina glanced up from her musings – she should have been watching her feet, honestly – and saw Tidus and Rikku waiting for her, the latter having been the one to have spoken. "Tidus? Rikku?" she whispered.

Rikku jumped forward and Gina immediately found her arms full of hyper-active teen. "You're okay!" Rikku shouted, and Gina didn't really mind that her eardrums were ringing, because Tidus was okay. They were all okay. She hadn't lost another guardian.

"You found new clothing, I see," Tidus commented as Gina got Rikku untangled from the three hanging belts around her waist.

Gina nodded, glancing down at the dress, herself. It had been the least extravagant dress the temple summoner had in her size, and although it wasn't meant for a summoner who was willing to fight physically, Gina had tested it out and found that she was able to do so, after a couple of modifications. The belts had been more decorative than functional, but she'd borrowed a few pouches and used the multitude of belts to hold gil and medical items. She'd also found a strap for tying her spear to her back, as well as a new, much more impressive spear, which was just the littlest bit sharper and weighed less.

"I like it," Rikku offered. "It fits you."

Gina grinned. "Why thank you, Rikku." She considered them for a moment, frowning at how sweaty they appeared. "What have you two been getting in to?"

Both teens laughed a little nervously and glanced at each other. Tidus offered, "Sin attacked here yesterday. Most of the people are okay, but the houses and the walkways need some serious re-building. We've been helping out."

"Huh. Well, that's good. I suppose." Gina considered Rikku for a long moment, having learned during her stay on Besaid exactly how much the religion of her father's name hated the Al Bhed; it would have made more sense for the teen to have avoided civilization.

Rikku offered a crooked smile. "Tidus was the one that saw Sin coming and so we got them to sound the alarm. The village people see us as their saviours, or some such, so they don't really care what I am."

"Huh," Gina said again, then shook her head. "Well! When does the boat for Luca leave?"

"In about an hour," Tidus offered, glancing briefly at the sun to judge the time.

"But, don't you want to go to the temple?" Rikku asked, frowning.

"I've already got Ifrit," Gina replied.

Rikku blinked, still frowning a bit, but Tidus nodded in understanding. "Right. Well, I'm going to go let the group I've been working with know that I'll be leaving soon, okay? You hungry?"

Gina smiled at the young man, who had an earnest look in his eyes. Even though she wasn't all that hungry, she agreed to getting something to eat, so both teens took her to the inn and set her up with some of the house special. Then Tidus went back out to let the men know he'd be leaving.

Gina considered Rikku once Tidus had left. "What will you do now?" she asked.

Rikku shrugged. "Go home, I guess. I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me kidnap you again?"

Gina chuckled. "No. But, then again, I also don't intend to 'sacrifice' myself to destroy Sin. I'd like to find another way."

Rikku considered her, eyes bright with hope. "You think there's a way out there?" she pleaded.

Gina sighed and rubbed at her face. "I don't know, but I can't sacrifice an–" She choked on the words, at the mere thought of sacrificing another guardian for a possibility that could never be. She shook her head and swallowed. "The answer is in Zanarkand, somewhere. I'll go there and find it, and I'll continue collecting aeons on the way." She managed a smile. "What's the point of the victory if there is no journey?"

Rikku nodded. "Then, is it okay if I come with you? Travelling to Zanarkand... Finding a way to destroy Sin for good..." She grinned. "Sounds a lot better than sitting around in the desert, fixing broken machina that no one understands."

Gina laughed and held out a hand to the Al Bhed girl, which Rikku took. "Welcome to the pilgrimage, then, Rikku."

Tidus stopped next to their make-shift table, blinking. "Rikku's coming with us, then?"

"Yup!"

Tidus nodded and sat between the ladies. "Excellent."

-0-0-0-

Summoner Yuna and her party joined them on the boat just before they set off. Everyone was still getting settled, but Yuna found time to approach Gina and her friends before they lost sight of the village of Kilika. "Hello again," she said to them.

Tidus and Gina had been watching the water while Rikku was fiddling with something from her pouches before Yuna approached them. At the younger summoner's greeting, Rikku hurried to shove her toys away, looking guilty. Tidus shot her an amused look while Gina smiled at Yuna. "Hello. Lady Yuna, correct?"

Yuna smiled, pleased. "Yes. And you're Lady Gina."

Gina inclined her head. "I am." She glanced over at where Tidus was helping Rikku to her feet. "Rikku, Tidus, this is the Summoner Yuna, of Besaid. I've been told she is the daughter of High Summoner Braska."

Tidus frowned and opened his mouth to enquire after the name, but Gina caught his eye and shook her head. They would have to talk later and compare notes on this world, especially if they were to be travelling with Rikku. They couldn't continue asking so many questions about things that seemed to be widely-known.

Rikku looked at Yuna in surprise. "Your mother was Miki?"

Yuna blinked. "She was, yes." She frowned a bit. "Do I...know you?"

"Rikku?" Gina asked.

Rikku grinned. "Miki is the name of my aunt. Father always goes on and on about how she shamed the family by marrying a hume."

"You're an Al Bhed?" Yuna whispered. Then, realising where they were, she looked around them, relaxing when she was sure no one had heard.

Rikku was still grinning, unconcerned, though Gina had tensed and Tidus was frowning a bit. "Father's name is Cid," Rikku told the younger summoner. "We're cousins."

Recognition dawned in Yuna's mismatched eyes. "Yes, I think we must be. Mom always said her brother, Cid, disapproved of Father, but that if I ever needed help..."

Rikku, always easily excitable, jumped forward and hugged Yuna. "It's great to meet you, Yuna!"

Yuna seemed momentarily surprised, but she quickly returned the hug, also smiling. "You too, Rikku."

Gina and Tidus traded looks behind the girls. They needed to talk, but getting Rikku to leave them to it without questions wasn't going to be easy. Unless she wanted to catch up with her cousin. "Rikku," Gina called.

Rikku glanced back, still grinning, until she realised she was sort of taking all of Yuna's attention. "Oops! Sorry, Gina."

Gina shook her head. "If you wanted to catch up with your cousin, Tidus and I will be fine on our own."

Rikku's smile returned. "Yeah?" She turned to Yuna, who was smiling a bit nervously. "Cool!"

Yuna's smile widened – Rikku's excitement was contagious. "Thank you, Lady Gina, for understanding."

Gina waved her thanks away. "It's no matter, Lady Yuna. Please, Rikku is as much my friend as she is my guardian; if she wishes to catch up with family, who am I to deny her?"

Yuna nodded. Just before Rikku could drag her away, however, she remembered something she wanted to tell the other summoner. "Oh! Lady Gina, I thought I should let you know that Summoner Dona is also riding on this boat. Uhm, she's a bit...rude."

Gina smiled. "I'll keep my eyes out for her, then. My thanks."

Yuna smiled and nodded, then let Rikku lead her away.

Gina turned and relaxed against the railing, staring down at the ocean. Tidus rested next to her, watching the boat. "High Summoner Braska?" Tidus asked, picking the most recent question he had to ask.

Gina shrugged. "When summoners defeat Sin and die, they become known as a 'High Summoner', for bringing the Calm, which is the period of three to six months that marks Sin's disappearance. Yuna's father, Braska, brought about the last Calm ten years ago."

"They only have peace for half a year?" Tidus whispered. "And the rest of the time, Sin just runs around wrecking villages, like Kilika? How can they live like that?"

"They have no choice," Gina murmured, eyes downcast. "They enjoy the simple things in life – blitzball, birthdays and the Calm – when they can. This is a world of little joy." She was silent for a moment, then added, "It reminds me very much of living through the war with Bevelle, except we could usually get forewarning of attacks. Here, now..."

"Everyone dies," Tidus finished, remembering the destruction of Kilika. If he hadn't seen Sin, if he hadn't warned them... "What's up with the Al Bhed hate? Rikku tried explaining it to me, but..." He shrugged.

Gina snorted. "When Sin started attacking the land, I made a deal with what was left of Bevelle's government: I would face Sin for them if they would find a way to remember my father kindly. They created a religion called Yevon, which taught the absence of machina. That absence became a hatred of all things machina, and anyone who dared to use it."

Tidus' eyes widened in understanding. "The Al Bhed spend their lives trying to understand and use machina. Rikku told me they were hoping it could be used to defeat Sin."

Gina shook her head. "I don't know. It's worth a try – using an aeon doesn't seem to work – but what kind of machina is strong enough to burst through Sin's shell? Papa made it too strong for machina. After we spent all that time fighting Bevelle, he wasn't about to let them destroy our last hope with a missile strike."

Tidus sighed and turned around to lean over the edge of the boat with Gina, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "What are we going to do, Gina? Are you really going to continue this pilgrimage, even knowing there's no chance?"

"In Zanarkand, I have been told, lies the 'Final Aeon'," Gina whispered, glancing cautiously over her shoulder at the deck. "When Zaon and I found Sin in Zanarkand, we faced him with everything we had, but it wasn't enough. He–" She choked and Tidus grabbed her shoulder in silent support. Gina took a deep breath, then said, "Zaon wasn't ready to give up hope. He turned to me and told me to sacrifice him. Focusing on our love for each other, he became a powerful aeon. So powerful..." She trailed off, eyes lost to the memory.

"Something went wrong," Tidus guessed when she didn't continue.

Gina shook her memories away. "Zaon used everything on Sin and the armour finally cracked. And then, before he could finish the job, something..." She shook her head. "I can't describe it. It was like he was torn away from me. We had a bond, and then there was nothing. And Zaon turned to me and..." She swallowed. "I don't know. I woke in the ruins, with you." She glanced over at Tidus, tears in her eyes.

Tidus frowned down at his Abes pendant, hand squeezing Gina's shoulder gently in an attempt to comfort her, even as he analysed all she'd said. Finally, he looked over at her. "This 'Final Aeon'. What is it?"

Gina shook her head, having gathered herself while Tidus thought. "I don't know."

Tidus nodded. "You want to find out."

"Yes," Gina agreed. "I want to find out what the Final Aeon is. I also want to find out what happened to me back then. What happened to Zaon. The answers must lie in Zanarkand."

Tidus stood up straight. "Right. So we're on our way to Zanarkand?"

Gina smiled grimly. "Yes. Same as every other summoner out there."

"We'll just have to beat them all." Tidus grinned at her, determined. "We'll beat them all and we'll defeat Sin. For good."

Gina managed a true smile for a moment before she realised something. "Tidus..."

Tidus blinked, surprised by the broken look in her eyes. "Gina... what is it?"

"Sin is controlling the dream," Gina whispered, unable to meet her guardian's eyes. "When he's gone, the dream will end."

Tidus let out a hiss of air through his teeth and looked away, staring out across the ocean.

Gina touched his arm. "Tidus..." she whispered.

Tidus clenched his jaw. He remembered the people of Kilika. He remembered Rikku and Yuna. He envisioned people who didn't deserve to live in fear just so he could live.

In that moment, he understood the summoners who went out against Sin, knowing they would end up dead at the end. Because to defeat Sin, to give others life, he would die.

Could he do that?

Laughter reached them from the upper deck. Tidus glanced up and saw Yuna trying to teach Rikku a Cure spell. They were both laughing, enjoying the time they had.

Tidus looked back at Gina, who was watching him with tear-filled eyes. Tidus reached out and gently wiped at one eye. "If I die," he whispered, "then I die. But I can't live, knowing others are suffering for it." He managed a half-smile. "I thought I had time, but I guess this is it. I'll learn from the people of this world; I'll live in the moment. I'll enjoy what time I've got left, and when I die, I'll die without regrets. Because you and Rikku and the people I met in Kilika... You can live."

Gina shook her head and wrapped her arms around Tidus. "You're a good kid," she whispered.

Tidus managed a real smile at that. "I thought I told you not to call me a kid?"

Gina let out a choked laugh.

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A/N: And as a part of Tidus' resolve to live in the now, he's going to jump the first hot guy he sees and do him. Poor Seymour, he'll never know what hit him. (This is where about half the fandom insists that Seymour is not hot. But, hey, I ship Voldemort/Harry. My definition of hot is a little skewed. XD)

~Bats ^.^x

Chapters:
1 - Otherworld ||| 2 - Neither Friend Nor Foe ||| 3 - Sometimes Good-Bye is a Second Chance
4 - Heaven Sent a Hurricane ||| 5 - My Secrets Become Your Truth ||| 6 - Every Clap of Thunder
7 - Throw Your World Away (For Love) ||| 8 - Poisonous Drugs of Hate ||| 9 - Wisdom, Justice, & Love
10 - Turning on a Dime ||| 11 - Kings and Queens of Promise ||| 12 - Stepped Into a Cruel World
13 - ???
Incomplete

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Comments

[atlysha.livejournal.com]

Hey, I love your story.