The Trinity Chapter 1

Departure

By Blue Dragon X

There I was, in front of my own son, about to merge with Sin and have to fight, Auron, Yuna, and his Beaver friends. Well, that evil part of Sin with the ability to refract time turned to me; I could see one of its many eyes from that pool of lava. I could feel it saying, "Reflect on the past". I didn't know exactly what it meant, but in a minute I was back to ten years and a few months ago, looking at myself, reliving my past . . . what a wild ride that was. By the way, my name's Jecht.

Braska is my name. I never expected what the next ten years would bring . . .

I was in the Bevelle Temple, a young man, married with one young daughter named Yuna. It was that day, that I became a full-fledged summoner, the day that Sin had attacked Besaid and parts of Luca on the Mi'ihen Highroad. My teacher, a woman named Illia, was giving me my final test. One of the only things that made me, Braska, shake, was passing the final test of summoning an aeon! Because I lived in Bevelle, I had to try summoning Bahamut before I could be considered a summoner; I had only recently completed the trial.

Anyway, there I was sanding in front of the Bevelle temple with about eleven people, priests and monks, preparing to judge my skill. Illia was tapping her foot next to me, and I held my staff nervously as I prepared to summon. The stone platform at the foot of hundreds of stairs didn't seem like enough space to begin, but I trusted my advisors and started anyway.

As I twirled my staff to begin my first summoning, I felt a stab of guilt for not telling anyone about my Al Bhed wife, I didn't know if they would still let me become a summoner if I had told them . . .

"Braska, are you ready?" Illia asked me for the second time, very gently. She was always very gentle, which made her a good teacher. Her deep dark eyes and short black hair contradicted her gentle soul, however.

"Yes ma'am. May I begin?"

She nodded and I breathed a deep breath, and began to spin my staff around, to the side, to the left, and around again. Then I twirled it eight times fast and stopped. A wave of fear washed over me as nothing happened. Had I failed? Then, out of the blue, a Yu Yevon symbol appeared above me and the holy men gasped. From up above the mighty aeon Bahamut roared, shaking the temple. He then descended at a horribly fast speed, stopping in front of me, and landing hard on the ground, shaking the place and making cracks in the stone.

I saw, in the flesh, Bahamut. He was a large thing, a black dragon with the mesmerizing symbol on his back, the sharp teeth, and the piercing eyes. He stood upright on two legs and it made him look rather sentient.

I, of course, was scared beyond belief. You see, they don't tell you what the aeons will look like, it is supposed to test the summoners' judgment. I saw that aeon stare at me, bare its teeth and growl, and then it slammed its claw down on me, and I cowered in fear.

I thought I would be crushed, but then I noticed its claw land in front of me, and open. For a moment I saw the small boy that was the fayth, smile at me. I climbed onto its claw and Bahamut dropped me on its shoulder, and from the aeon I felt wonderful warmth.

"My name is Braska," I said, semi-nervously.

I could have sworn that the aeon nodded, and looked around as if for signs of danger.

Illia looked elated and very excited.

"Wonderful, Braska! You are no longer an apprentice!"

"He has some talent. He summoned Bahamut on the first try!" a monk observed.

I felt on top of the world, that maybe I stood a chance at defeating Sin. That was the day my life came crumbling down.

        ***

My name is Auron; I was a young warrior monk in Bevelle. At the time I was at a pub, waiting for a high priest with the other warriors. He had asked us to gather at the dingy pub near the side of town off the streets to announce a very important announcement. I wasn't thinking about that though, I was waiting for my friend, Braska. He was having his first summoning, and I knew he had probably failed the test, as it was his first.

I was sitting at a small table in the corner, away from the crowds when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned towards the source and saw the person, a fellow monk, with a friendly look.

"Yes?" I asked as politely as I could.

"You hear about the guy arrested?"

"No, tell me." I said sarcastically.

He didn't take the hint and continued.

"A guy was arrested for being drunk in the streets, from the edge all the way to the temple."

"How did he navigate if he was drunk?"

"He walked fine, but he claimed he was from Zanarkand."

I laughed at that.

"No one lives in those ruins, and no one has for 990 years."

"He claims it's a big metropolis full of people, an he needs a way to get back."

I shook my head.

"The people walking the streets are getting crazier and crazier."

"Hello Lijah" It was Kinoc, one of my fellow warriors. He sat down next to me.

"Hello Kinoc, I wish I could talk but I promised the bartender I'd help her in the back . . . "

"Chasing after girls again?" Kinoc asked, half joking.

Lijah smiled.

"You know it."

Kinoc turned to me as he left.

"How's it going buddy? Why do you think we were called here by that old geezer of a priest"?

"You shouldn't say such things about the high priest" I said, turning away.

As if emphasizing my point, the priest arrived through the doors with two soldiers, and his daughter.

I didn't even know her name, but she was a beautiful girl. She caught the eye of every man in the pub easily with her golden hair falling below her shoulders, those wonderful twinkling green eyes that seemed to look at you from any angle, and there were those absolutely adorable dimples that could make my heart skip a beat. Of course I had rarely seen her, and as I said, didn't even know her name.

"You all, my warrior monks" the priest began. "I have a very special announcement. Warrior Auron, one of our most valuable members, has been chosen to marry my daughter."

My heart stopped and the room was silent. The beautiful girl who had once been smiling looked very worried.

I know now that it wasn't because she didn't like me, but she didn't even know me. And that was the same reason I was nervous. But what could I say? I would probably have to marry her.

Sure she was beautiful, but who WAS this woman? I didn't even know her name!

The pub burst out into applause and I felt my face turning red, not from embarrassment, but because my face reddens when I am nervous.

I didn't know whether I was nervous about what the priest's daughter thought of me, or what I might have had to do next.

"When will the marriage be?" I asked weakly, settling uncomfortably in me seat.

"Three days! Most of the preparations have been made. I wouldn't have chosen anyone but you, Auron."

Three days wasn't enough. I knew what I was about to do, and I knew that no one would like it.

        ***

"Let me go!" There I was, a man from Zanarkand, Jecht the star blitzball player being dragged through the streets by his shoulders to prison. How had I gotten into this mess?

I was walking freely and prestigiously through the streets of Zanarkand, the buildings towering high into the air beside me. It was the dead of night, the stars were everywhere in the sky, and the lights shone from any source. Crowds gathered around me and people whispered about the blitzball star, Jecht, me. I was on my way to my private boat to get some of my "special training" done. (Those nimrods actually thought I spent the time training, I was really just being lazy).

Anyway, I made my way down the highly advanced streets, everyone making way for me, the hero, blitzball in hand. It was a while before I reached my boat at the docks, I was busy signing autographs and lovin' every minute of it.

When I did reach my boat, I lay my blitzball down on the hard wooden deck and said goodbye to my fans. Volunteers undocked the boat, and I set sail to seclusion, waving goodbye to the roaring crowds. That was when the freaky stuff started.

I was lying on my ass doing absolutely nothing on the deck of the ship when I heard a rumbling sound, and out of the sea this monster comes out. Not just any monster, Sin, although I didn't know it at the time (and I still don't know why Sin was in that time period).

Sin, as you know, is a monstrous thing as long as a couple of football stadiums and as wide as one of them. That horrible face is dotted with the hundreds of eyes, that big, gaping toothless mouth, the two fins, and that monstrous gray tail. You could imagine me losin' it when I saw it. I tried blitzing it, it's back was to me when it rose out of the water.

"What is it!? Help!" I yelled, but no help came. My mind flashed back to my wife and kid.

Then, the thing turned and looked at me, with about twenty of its eyes. Then, it started to fly above.

"Y-you'd better run!" I yelled, my heart pounding.

Then, as if in defiance, the bottom of it opened up like a hole, I lost consciousness, and I woke up outside of Bevelle, finding from a local source that I was 1000 years in the future. Everyone kept telling me that Zanarkand was destroyed 990 years ago, but I was stupid and didn't listen, and I walked around the streets boasting where I was from, and then arrested. So that explained my situation, being dragged down the streets to a prison.

"Let me go!" I yelled again, trying to move my arms that were tied up. I may have been a blitz star, but I was still no match for these guards who had me practically hogtied. Crowds stared at me and shook their heads, which is something that crowds had never done to me before.

"I'm from Zanarkand, I tells ya!" I yelled, simply making the people laugh, and some even looked upset.

I found myself in front of a very fancy looking building, dragged inside to a beautiful exterior. The floor was of white marble at the entrance, but the rest wasn't as great. I was dragged finally to an empty cell, the only one in the place, and thrown in.

One guard smiled and pushed a button that slammed criss-cross bars made of some primitive material in front of me.

"You call this a prison!? Back in Zanarkand, you had a trial immediately! In Zanarkand, there were forty times this many cells and prisoners! Back in Zanarkand, the bars weren't crappy like this!" I started trying to break the bars but they were surprisingly hard. One guard left and the other one stayed to stand guard.

"So tell me more about Zanarkand," he asked mockingly.

"Well, the bars for prisons there were made of pulse-sonic lasers!"

He started laughing crazily and began rolling around on the ground, but he wouldn't have been laughing if he had known what I had planned.

        ***

I was walking home, currently in the residential area, with a big smile on my face. The metal streets and colorful buildings bordered my left and right and became thicker and denser as I made my way to my residence.

My Al Bhed wife, Meilinna, was waiting for me undoubtedly. I hadn't told anyone she was Al Bhed yet, or even let her come out openly. I had even had to sneak her into Bevelle after I first met her when I was training in Macalania.

She joked that I was ashamed of her, and also that I was cheating on her with Illia, and of course it wasn't true. She was a lovely woman that loved to joke, complimented by her bright orange hair and the swirls in her green eyes that I always loved. She always had a smile on her face and didn't mind the fact that I was a man with a gentle nature.

I would announce her heritage and my marriage to her today, for it had been secret. I had warned her not to go out, but she never listened . . . why didn't she listen? Little Yuna was at a friend's house, as not to draw attention. I didn't want anyone thinking I had an illegitimate daughter.

I neared my house, which was among three others in an alley between two large buildings.

When I turned my key and opened the door, I didn't find Meilinna stretched out on any furniture as usual. I listened for her, for she was sometimes washing, but heard nothing. Then, I did hear something, the sound of sobbing. It wasn't very loud, but light.

I wound my way through the halls, and slowly opened the door, to find my wife sitting on the bed with her head in her hands, sobbing. I could only see the right side of her face at the time.

The lights weren't on, the windows were closed, and the air was damp. As a matter of fact, the room looked as if it hadn't been touched. As I inched through the doorway she didn't even seem to notice me standing there.

"Meilinna? My dear, what's the matter?"

She tried to stop crying.

"Braska, I'm so sorry. I only went out briefly to pick up a few groceries . . . you know that it was right across the street. It was only quick."

I became nervous.

"I know I asked you not to go out, but I forgive you," I said slowly. I didn't know why I had even tried, because I knew that wasn't the reason she was crying. Her soft voice was even softer than usual, barely audible. I doubt I would have been able to hear her hadn't the place been completely silent.

I carefully walked in front of her and kneeled, and I noticed she tried to turn away.

I took great care in removing her hand from the left side of her face, and gasped. She was black and blue, her lip swollen and her eye black. I also noticed that her clothes were ruffled and torn.

"Great Yevon!"

"I was so close to home . . . outside a group of men they-they found out I was Al Bhed and then they-" now she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"It was fifteen minutes before I could break away and get inside"

"Meilinna! Who did this to you!? I will report them to the authorities!"

"I didn't get a good look" she curled up on the bed. "They saw I was Al Bhed . . . " the crying still didn't stop.

My happiness crumbled, I would protect Spira, but had failed to protect my wife. I had to reprove myself, somehow. Was that the reason I went out and fought Sin? Then, all I knew was that I had to leave the next day, I couldn't find myself having second thoughts. But first things were always first, I had to find Auron. The problem then was the thought of leaving Meilinna alone.

She was practically my whole world. If this could happen to her while I was in another part of the city, then could she make it on her own when I was fighting Sin?

Of course children, husbands, and wives of summoners get pay benefits, insurance, etc. to ensure basic financial security, but no money could replace the love that only existed when I was around. If a brief separation could lead to what had happened . . . I almost decided to quit my pilgrimage before it began, and that was why I had to leave tomorrow, before having any second thoughts.

        ***

I took a deep breath.

"Priest, I don't even know your daughter, not her name, anything. I request a year at the least to get to know her" I tried to stall what I would have to say eventually.

"The arrangements have been made, the wedding must be carried out in less than three weeks."

I sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I must refuse"

The entire crowd went completely silent, and the priest's daughter's face looked relieved, and she mouthed the words "thank you".

The high priest looked at me, then everyone else, and with his daughter, left abruptly. Most of the other monks gave me weird looks and left as well. Kinoc remained with me, in a few minutes everyone but the two of us had left.

"Auron?" he asked, looking up while leaning back in the chair.

"Are you crazy? How could you refuse the hand of a woman like that! She was beautiful!"

" . . . I don't even know her, Kinoc."

"So?"

I looked at him sharply.

"There is no way that it would have worked for long. Besides, I am soon to be a guardian of Apprentice Summoner Braska, I wouldn't be much of a husband if I had to leave on a life-threatening trip!"

"I guess you are right . . . shouldn't you be seeing him now?"

"True. Are you coming?"

Kinoc shook his head.

"I have business."

"Fine. Later then?"

"See you later, Auron."

Kinoc and I parted, and I walked out of the pub and down the darkening streets towards the residence of Braska to consol him a bit as he had probably failed his first test.

But, of course, in a few minutes I saw Braska turn a corner and jog towards me.

"Braska!" I waved, giving one of my rare smiles. I'm not grumpy or withdrawn, but for some reason smiling and acting isn't my forte.

Braska stopped in front of me, leaning on the side of a convenience store as his garments blew in the cool wind.

"Auron, how are you?" he asked, looking as if he were disturbed.

"Braska? You have a funny look on your face."

"I'm fine . . . you have that same look, you know."

" . . . "

" . . . "

"So how'd you do?"

"On what?"

"You're test!"

"Oh, I passed."

I couldn't believe he said it so casually. It was extremely rare for someone to pass a summoning on their first test.

"You . . . passed?"

"Yes. I summoned Bahamut."

"That-that's incredible! Good going!"

"Auron, we have to start my pilgrimage tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? So soon?"

"Yes . . . "

"Braska, something happened, tell me!"

"It's about my wife."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Your wife? You don't have a wife."

" . . . "

"You got married behind my back!? Why didn't you tell me! I would have been your best man! Was I the only one that didn't know?"

"No one in Bevelle knew, Auron."

"Why in Spira . . .?"

"She is Al Bhed."

My heart stopped.

"Braska, I have nothing against Al Bhed, but are you CRAZY?"

"No, what I feel isn't insanity."

"Then what?"

"It's called love, Auron. And if you were in it then you might understand where craziness comes in."

I had no response to that.

"So, we're going to leave so soon?" I said eventually.

"What, you aren't ready?"

"No, no, I just thought we might want to find another guardian is all."

"Why is that?"

"The two of us won't be able to handle all of the fiends, will we?"

I shrugged.

"Then we may as well start looking."

        ***

I braced myself, and faced the bars, and then ran at full speed, feeling the satisfying buckling of the weak bars that had "held me in". The sleeping guard snapped awake and fumbled for his primitive firearm, something that shot a harpoon.

I sprinted through the building towards the exit, and when I dove through the doorway I found four soldiers with more dangerous looking weapons pointed at me.

I immediately stood up and put my hands up.

"Hey, you don't want to hurt the star player of the Zanarkand Abes!" I negotiated.

One soldier walked up and turned me around, then marched me back to my cell. As I walked with my hands up, he poked me in the bum with his gun.

"Watch it Bubba!"

He poked me even harder and shoved me back into the cell, and immediately they put bars on my cage twice as thick and numerous, and assigned three guards.

Now, you'd think this would have stopped me, but the great Jecht wasn't through yet!

        ***

I was wondering what was wrong with Auron, he wasn't talking and he had a funny look on his face.

"Auron, what's wrong with you?" I asked as we turned the corner.

"You know the high priest's daughter?"

"The really hot one?"

Auron stared at me.

"I thought you said you were married."

"Don't change the subject."

"I refused her hand in marriage."

I stopped in my tracks. Now it was my turn to ask the eternally paradoxical question.

"Are you crazy?"

"No, what I feel isn't insanity" Auron said, mimicking my words.

"Then what?"

"It's called the LACK of love. I don't even know that woman."

"Forgive me for sounding crude, but, what's love got to do with it? What's love but a second-hand emotion? I mean, what's love got to do with it!? Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?"

"That doesn't sound like you, Braska" Auron told me as we walked around yet another corner, surprised to be confronted with a large group of people, all looking at us vehemently as we walked past.

"What's this about?" I whispered to Auron.

I heard side conversations about Auron refusing the hand of the priests' daughter, and I heart other ones about me being married to an Al Bhed.

"Word has spread quickly" Auron muttered.

It is probably predictable what happened next. No one wanted to be on a pilgrimage with us, the new talk of Bevelle, the two immoral ones, so of course I couldn't find another guardian and was beginning to get worried.

I sat down on the bench at one of the many parks, Auron by my side sharpening his gigantic katana.

"Auron, have you noticed that I couldn't find a guardian at all?" I asked.

Auron nodded and didn't look up.

"At this rate, we'll have to drag one from prison" he said sarcastically.

" . . . "

Auron looked at me and saw the large smile on my face.

"Oh no! Not that guy that got arrested!"

"So there's someone, huh?" I asked, looking up.

Auron covered his big mouth, realizing his mistake.

"Braska, if we take someone from prison we'll go from being the immoral duo to the immoral trio!"

I shrugged as a woman walked passed us giving a dirty look, and then a couple of other women walked by.

"I hear that he even had a kid with that filthy Al Bhed woman" she whispered unusually loudly, as if to insult me.

"As you can see, Auron, we have no other choice." I said, motioning to the retreating couple.

At that moment a group of half a dozen warrior monks walked over from the paved path, excluding Kinoc. They had a confident stride, and didn't have their weapons. They just basically looked like they were out for trouble.

"If it isn't Auron the Celibate and Braska the Unholy" one mocked.

"Can you believe he actually screwed an Al Bhed?" Another one asked.

"You know she was just in it for the money."

"Back off!", commanded Auron, sharpening his katana with more power.

"What authority do you have?" the big-mouthed one asked.

"He'd probably have more if he got a girl."

Auron stood up quickly, and I put a hand on his shoulder, so he just sat back down.

"That trashy girl you married can't love you for you" another one began, grinding my nerves.

"In the end, she's just like all Al Bhed women, a whore."

I grabbed my staff and leaped up, losing my composure and decorum in a flash. Fortunately, Auron was faster than me and grabbed me back, and the warrior monks started walking off chatting about us.

We were both breathing heavily.

"May Yevon help them if I found out they were the ones that battered and abused my wife." I said through clenched teeth.

Auron's eyes got wide.

"So that's what happened. You should go to the authorities about that."

I shook my head.

"They'll ignore me. I just hope she can learn self defense . . . her brother, a man named Cid, would seek justice even if it took him a lifetime. Why can't I be like him?"

Auron looked down.

"How about we go get that guy out of prison, and then meet your wife."

I calmed down.

"Why is he in prison?"

"Kinoc told me that he claimed he was from Zanarkand and assumed a drunkard"

"Don't you think he will hate my wife as well?" I asked miserably.

"If you bail him out, I doubt it."

I shrugged.

"Then lets go and add to our immoral party, the immoral trio, huh?"

Auron nodded.

"Immoral Three, strangely fitting."

        ***

I sat down in my cell that was twice as thick with three times the guards. Night was falling, and I didn't want to have to sleep in here.

They said my sentence was almost up, but I wanted to make an honorable escape, being let out on account of good behavior simply isn't my style.

I took out my knife that I had hid behind my back until then and began making incisions on key parts of the weak bars that seemed to be made out of bamboo. After that I rammed my body into it and heard them creak.

The guards looked up, and then went back to talking to each other. This was to assure them that my bars wouldn't bust. Then, I made cuts on the upper left, right, and lower right of the bars, and slowly opened the cage. A guard was around the corner, poking his gun at me.

"That's another six hours for you, bub. And I was just going to let you out, too."

I growled in anger as I was marched back into my cage, and stripped of my knife. Then I watched in horror as they made the bars three times as thick and numerous, and assigned five guards. I was confident now that I wouldn't escape, and would have to stay here for another six miserable hours.

Then, I heard knocking on the building, and a guard walked across the floor, brushed off his garments, and opened it with a yawn.

I now noticed that it was nighttime outside. A man with long black hair, weird flowing garments, and a staff at his side walked in, followed by a man with short black hair, a grumpy look on his face, a katana at his side, black pants and chest armor, and a long red coat with sleeves a little too wide. The back of the coat went down to his feet.

"Summoner, Braska . . . ? Why are you in the jail?" A guard asked him.

"I was wondering if you had any prisoners to offer. I need another guardian and wanted to arrange for one of their releases."

The short-haired one whispered to the long-haired one: "They must not have heard about us yet", although I don't know how the guard didn't catch it.

"All we have is this drunkard, who calls himself Jecht." He said, motioning to me.

The guy named Braska walked up to my cell.

"How would you like to be released, and in return, but my guardian?" he asked me.

I, of course, didn't know what a guardian was, but nodded anyway.

"What's the catch?"

"None."

"Please, a drunkard?" The other one asked.

"Damn straight!" I yelled.

"Watch your tongue, naïve." He responded, looking at me.

Braska turned away from me.

"A summoner wed to an Al Bhed, a warrior monk who refused the hand of the high priest's daughter, and a drunkard in prison. Wouldn't it be the sweetest of ironies if we defeated Sin?"

"Quit yappin' and get me outta here!"

One of the guards took a bluish sphere from the counter.

"This thing was still on!? Damn, there goes all my space."

He placed it forcefully into the palm of the guy with the shorter hair.

"Here, take it as a memento of your little unison" he said, walking away as if he didn't care anymore.

A guard hesitantly opened up my bars and let me, out, and I stepped into freedom, half expecting to have guns pointed at me again.

"Sweet freedom!" I shouted as Braska and the other guy marched out. I began following them.

"So what's a summer-ner anyway?" I asked, placing my hands behind my head.

"Are you still drunk?" the short haired one asked as I walked outside.

"I don't know what anything is! All I know is that I'm from Zanarkand and I need to get back home."

"Really . . . " Braska started, as if he didn't believe me. "And what's your name?"

"My name's Jecht. I know you're Braska, but this is . . . "

"Auron" he said without turning around as he shifted with Braska to the sidewalk.

"We are close to Zanarkand, but before we go there we must backtrack and visit other temples"

"Temples? For what!?" I asked, outraged that I couldn't go straight to Zanarkand. "I'll just go back myself!"

"You'll never make it past the fiends alone" Auron said.

You may not think it, but I accepted he was telling the truth.

"Well, what are temples?"

Auron and Braska turned around and stared at me, then turned around again and started walking.

"I was in Zanarkand, on my boat, and then this monster took me here!"

Braska stopped and looked at me sadly.

"Jecht, Zanarkand was destroyed 990 years ago."

I didn't believe it.

"You must not remember anything because of Sin's toxin."

"Is that what that monster was? Sin?"

Braska gave me a description and everything fit perfectly.

"So, where did this Sin come from?" I asked nervously.

Auron looked down.

"Is Sin's toxin really that bad?" he asked Braska.

"It does seem rather bad . . . "

"I'll tell you what happened!" I started.

"Sin took me into the future 1000 years!"

The both looked at each other and laughed.

"Sin only appeared 990 years ago! Why would he go back in time just to take you?" Auron asked through chuckles.

"I'm serious! Why don't you believe me?" The two started walking off, and I followed them.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

"We are going to my house to rest up for the pilgrimage."

"Pilgrimage? What does a guardian do?"

"Protects the summoner."

I now had the feeling they felt I should know these things, but I had no idea where I was. 1000 years into the future?

"Who is the summoner, and what do they do?" I asked.

Auron scoffed, and I could tell he was getting tired of my questions.

"I am the summoner, and I summon aeons" Braska answered as we turned the corner. Night had come in now, and I hadn't slept in a while.

"What are aeons, and why do you summon them?"

"I'll finish later" Braska said, yawning.

Auron turned to me.

"Take this, you'll need it."

He handed me a red longsword.

"I hope you know how to use it."

Auron took out his katana as we turned the corner to a door, and Braska immediately pulled out his staff.

I found that there were three tough-looking guys trying to get in.

"Hey! Get away from my house!" the gentle exterior of Braska melted in a second.

"Or what?"

Auron used his sword to block Braska, but it didn't work.

He began to twirl his staff.

"What's that, a girly dance?" One thug asked as he cracked his knuckles.

The sky turned black and a symbol appeared. Then, out of nowhere a black dragon zoomed down and landed in front of me, and I was sent flying into the air. Auron was just looking amazed, and the thugs looked scared.

"He has Bahamut! Let's get the hell outta here!"

I ran up to try to fight that monster, I didn't know where it came from, but I stopped when I felt gentleness. It grabbed Braska onto its shoulder.

"Mega Flare 'em!" Braska commanded.

Auron grabbed me and we dove behind a crate. Bahamut tracked around a corner, charged up, and launched a beam. Fortunately the guys jumped out of the way just in time.

"You are dismissed." Braska told the 'Bahamut', who flew up into the sky and disappeared.

"See that?" Braska asked. "THAT was an aeon."

        ***

Braska and Jecht opened the door, with Braska's key.

"Don't go crazy." Braska warned.

The door opened and I saw Braska's wife, Meilinna on the couch working on something, probably bills. No signs of abuse were evident, as she had probably used cure spells.

She was surprised to see Braska and me apparently, because she tensed for a second.

"Honey, my friends Auron and Jecht."

"Hello" I said slowly.

Jecht walked up and extended his hand.

"Yo"

She inspected the hand and shook it, and everyone was surprised.

"Don't you notice anything about her?" Braska asked.

"Come on, you have to see it . . . " I added.

Her face was no longer bruised, I could tell.

"You can't tell?" she asked.

"Tell what?" Jecht was confused.

Braska turned on the lights.

"I still don't' see anything!" Jecht was frustrated.

Meilinna walked close and stared him straight in the eye.

"Whoa!" Jecht sounded surprised.

"Yeah . . . " Braska said expectantly.

"You have swirlies in your eyes!" I almost fell on my face.

"You can't tell she's an Al Bhed?" I asked.

"You're not an Al Bhed hater, are you?" she asked.

" . . . What's an Al Bhed?"

We all took a step back from the crazy one.

"Yuna!" Braska called.

Braska's little girl came running out of another room, launching herself into her father's arms at the sound of his voice.

"Daddy!"

"Who's the tike? She looks about the age of my big-headed boy who can't play blitzball"

"Yuna, I would like you to meet Jecht, one of my guardians."

The little girl turned to him and bowed.

"Hello, Sir Jecht."

"Hey there"

"I'm beat" I said, walking to the left. I knew my way by heart to the guest rooms."

"I'll see you all in the morning" I motioned for Jecht to follow me, and he did.

The room had three beds and a window, but of course we only needed two. As I slept, Jecht would constantly ask me questions, and I began to wonder. Was this man truly from Zanarkand?

        ***

When I woke up, Jecht had already taken a shower and washed his clothes. I pulled the rest of mine on, yawned, and walked across the carpet, not yet wearing my boots. I followed him out of the door and down the hall to the kitchen, where I could see Braska and Meilinna sitting at the table, Braska reading a paper, and Meilinna poking her food as if she weren't hungry.

"Mornin'" Jecht said, sitting down and immediately helping himself to whatever was on the table.

"Good morning Jecht, Auron." Braska looked up from his paper and nodded.

"Today, we leave, and you two will be official guardians."

Jecht leaned back.

"This'll be a bit of an adventure, right?"

Yuna walked out of a door with a plate of hot pancakes topped with butter.

"Here you go!" she said cheerfully. She said good morning to Jecht and I.

Jecht looked carefully at her eyes.

"You have the right eye of your father and the left of your mother, one's green and one's blue!"

"Neat huh?" she asked, taking a seat next to me.

I looked briefly at her. I couldn't believe Braska had been married and had had a kid for seven years behind my back. She had Braska's gentle demeanor.

We sat there and talked for a while. Braska was already ready, and Jecht and I prepared ourselves.

"Where're we headed?" Jecht asked me as he downed a cup of juice in the living room, brushing off his chest. It was then that a noticed the large tattoo, a trinity emblem?

"We are going to Macalania temple" I responded, pulling on my boots. For the first time, I really looked at Jecht. He didn't look like anything from Bevelle. Those black shorts with the yellow cloth going down one leg, the dark skin, the long black hair, he just might have actually lived in Zanarkand. For Yevon's sake, the man didn't even wear any shoes!

Yuna hugged her father, and went out the door, apparently to Braska's friends house.

"We're about to leave" announced Braska.

I shook my head.

"How can Yuna be so calm about it? She gave you that quick hug? Se won't see you until you backtrack through here again!"

Braska looked down.

"She hides her tears. But I know we will meet again."

"And then when you defeat Sin or whatever, right?" Jecht asked.

We were both silent.

Meilinna was crying, and trying to hide it, and she embraced Braska tightly.

"Please, don't do this!" she held him tightly, as if she didn't intend to let him go.

"I love you, Meilinna."

"I love you too . . . "

"This isn't our last time seeing each other, I'll see you again when I backtrack"

I knew it was little comfort.

The two had a good long kiss and I turned away, getting sick to my stomach. Finally, the lovebirds parted and Braska opened the door, and tossed the keys to Meilinna.

"Take care" he said, blowing her a kiss.

She shed another tear and blew the kiss back.

Braska departed, and then Jecht and I waved goodbye and left as well.

The Highbridge, which was only a bit to the left of us, was our path out of here, and into Macalania Forest. This would be our first test as summoners and guardians.

        ***

My guardians, Auron and Jecht, walked behind me, and gradually came beside me. We turned the street to the long red road that led out of Bevelle, and I turned around and took one last look at it, and then turned back to the road ahead. As we walked down, Jecht began to complain.

"What's goin' on?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Auron inquired.

"You know! The parades, the crying women . . ."

"This is it" I said, gesturing to the empty road.

"But why?"

"All the goodbyes, it makes one have second thoughts about leaving" Auron mentioned.

"Well, there had better be something when we get back!" Jecht warned Bevelle itself.

Auron noticed a sphere lying on the road.

He walked over and picked it up, then turned it off.

"It seems that our conversation was recorded . . . "

"What are those things?" Jecht asked.

"They record whatever is around, like a camera. They are called spheres." I told Jecht as Auron placed the sphere into his pocket. Later, I came upon a save sphere and touched it, and felt the life energy heal me after that long walk.

I looked ahead into the open forest. Little did I know, we were in for some adventure.


Chapter 2

Blue Dragon X's Fanfiction