___________
A Father Like You (cont.)
___________
Tidus was elevin when Auron saved him from bullies.
Tidus was thirteen when Auron saved him from fiends in the school blitzball stadium.
Tidus will turn sixteen years old tomorrow.
If Tidus and Auron have grown closer, it didn't show. Even though he became popular among his schoolmates, Tidus never talked about Auron, or socialized much with the man. Auron did stop by the family house to visit, or help Tidus's mom with whatever she needed.
Even though Tidus trusted Auron.......
........he was getting a strange feeling there was something going on between Auron and his mother.......
***************
Auron knocked on the door of Tidus's house and waited. He knew Tidus wasn't home. The boy was at the high school, taking entrance exams.
Auron knew this because he had dragged Tidus there by the hood of his shirt. The boy was kicking and screaming.
"No! Auron! I don't wanna!"
"Your mother said so, so stop whining."
"I don't wanna go to high school! I don't have to! Leggo!"
"Stop crying, and come on."
"I'M NOT CRYING!"
Auron chuckled to himself and shook his head. In some ways, the boy was still seven years old.
The door opened and Tidus's mother peeked out.
"Oh, Mr. Auron! Good, you're here." she quickly ushered him inside and closed the door behind him. "Is Tidus at the high school?"
"Yes."
"Good, good." she nodded, then she headed for the kitchen. "Have a seat, this will be a minute!"
Auron blinked his one eye, then sat down on a couch. Tidus's mom was acting very strangely.
"Is everything alright?" he called to the kitchen.
"Just fine. Why?"
"This isn't you. When were you so full of energy?"
"Well....."
She let that hang. Auron watched the kitchen doorway in worry until she walked out of it. She was carrying a small black box that fit in her hand. She stood next to Auron and handed it to him.
"This is Tidus's birthday present, from you. Can you give this to him tomorrow?"
Auron took the box and looked inside. Side by side were two small silver earrings. Each was molded in the shape of the Abes symbol. Auron's face softened at past memories concerning the symbol.
'Jecht.....'
He closed the box, and handed it back to Tidus's mother.
"I'm sorry. I can't. You bought this, it should be your gift."
She shook her head, and handed it back to Auron.
"No. I want you to give it to him. You never gave Tidus a present before."
He handed it back to her.
"I said I can't."
She handed it back to him.
"But I want you to."
He handed it back to her.
"You can give it to him."
She handed it back to him.
"Mr. Auron, please...."
He hesitated a moment. Then, just as he was about to hand back the box, the door swung right open!
Tidus walked in, stretching his arms.
"Aw, man! That was the pits! Hey, mom....." Just as he walked into the room, he saw Auron about to give his mom a small black box. Tidus froze.
"A-a-a-Auron?"
Auron turned his head angrily, but remained frozen.
"Why aren't you at the high school?!"
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what's in that box?!" Tidus pointed at the small black box.
"............." Tidus's mom lowered her head in shame.
"Tidus...." Auron growled, but it was too late.
The boy exploded.
"THAT'S AN ENGAGEMENT RING, ISN'T IT?! AURON, YOU BASTARD!"
Auron stood up.
"Tidus!"
The boy rolled up imaginary sleeves and put up his dukes.
"What did I tell you about you and my mom getting too close?!"
"Tidus, dear...." his mother tried to soothe, but it was no use.
"I'll kick your ass, Auron!"
Auron stayed where he was, sitting. The box stayed in his hand.
"Tidus, sit down and we'll talk about this."
Tidus ran to Auron, and pulled the man up to a stand by the collar of his jacket.
"No way! You're going to get the beating of your life, you old letch! Let's go!"
"Tidus, stop! Please!" his mother begged, about to cry. "Please don't fight."
Tidus turned to his mom, and his face softened. He got frustrated, and just gripped Auron's jacket harder, not knowing what to do.
Auron decided to do what was best. He opened the box, and tapped Tidus's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Tidus."
Tidus looked in the box, and his eyes almost popped out of his head.
*****************
"Why didn't you just say it was for me?! Then, I wouldn't 've...."
"Yes, you would have. If I just told you, you wouldn't have believed me."
Tidus and Auron were headed back to the high school. Tidus explained that he did take the test, but he skedattled before he looked at his results. So, Auron decided to escort Tidus back to the high school to see the test results.
"I woulda believed you. You know I trust you, Auron."
"That's not what said five minutes ago."
"Hey, hey......"
"Tidus, I just want you to know........you don't have to worry about me marrying your mother. I can't get married."
"Huh?" Tidus looked at Auron. "Why not?"
"I made a vow of abstinance."
"A vow of what? 'Absence?' "
"............" Auron sighed, then corrected: "Abstinance." He didn't want to explain to Tidus EXACTLY what that meant, so he just said: "It means I can't get married."
"Oh. Alright." Tidus accepted. Auron pulled the collar of his jacket futher up his face to hide his blush. That was slightly embarassing.
They soon came to the high school. Possible students were gathered around a wall of sphere screens, pointing at them. The screens showed student names, and numbers under them. The names were the final test scores needed to get into high school.
Auron looked up at the screens.
"Where's yours?"
Tidus looked too, scanning each of the many screens. A lot of them held numbers 70, 80, and a couple read 100. Some of them were very low numbers like 68 and 47, and Tidus snickered at them.
He stopped snickering when he found his. He lowered his head in shame as Auron turned to him.
"A score of 32?"
"Oh man......."
"You're taking the test again."
"I can't." Tidus growled. "You fail the entrance exams and the high school will never accept you."
"So, we go find another." Auron suggested.
Tidus put his hands behind his head.
"All the other high schools are out of the area. Sorry, Auron, but it looks like I'm not going to high scho.....HEY!"
Auron had grabbed Tidus's hood again, and dragged the boy behind him as he walked off.
"Where's a map?!" Auron growled.
"Auron! Leggo! Not this again!"
"Consider it punnishment for trying to start a fight with me."
"AURON! I SAID I WAS SORRY! LEGGO!"
"........"
"I DON'T WANNA GO TO HIGH SCHOOL!"
************************
Tidus tried to fail as many tests as he could on purpose, but he accedently got a passing grade at Boggy High and was accepted. It was two counties away, so Auron also dragged Tidus to a driving school to get his licence. After Tidus reluctantly passed the hydro car driving test, Auron finally gave the kid a break.
"Hungry?" he asked Tidus.
"Uh-huh."
"Let's go find somewhere to eat then. Lunch is on me."
Tidus looked up at Auron in surprise.
"Seriously?"
"Hm." Auron nodded. "It's your birthday, isn't it?"
Tidus smiled at Auron.
"First you get hard on me going to high school and getting my licence, and now you're buying me lunch?"
"You rather go home and starve?"
"No, no, no, no, no!" Tidus shook his head. "I mean.......let's do lunch!"
Auron nodded, then walked off in search of a place to eat. Tidus walked by his side, looking around. By the look at the signs, all that was around them were clothing and souvenier shops and bars.
Suddenly, Aurons stopped in front of one of the bars, and put a hand on his sake jug.
"Wait here." he told Tidus, then walked in. Tidus grinned at the old man's back.
"Ooooh, grabbing some for the road, eh Auron?!" the boy crowed. "Hey, gimme a beer while you're in there!"
"......." Auron ignored him and headed for the counter. Tidus sat on the sidewalk and waited. As he waited, he picked up on some conversation around him.
"......is in high school now. I'm so proud of her......."
".....weird people coming in from Bevelle give me the creeps....."
"......the Abes are looking for a new player. Maybe I'll join......."
".....you don't play blitzball, you dolt. 'Sides, no one can replace Jecht......"
Tidus looked up at some of the people on the sidewalk. The topic of the Zanarkand Abes caught his interest immediately.
Tidus wanted to join a professional blitz team. That was why he didn't want to go to high school. But, Auron was playing the part of the super-powered baby sitter, and he wouldn't allow it. What was the poor boy to do?
Then, he saw Auron coming out of the bar, and walking towards him. Tidus stood up.
"I think there's a cantina just down the corner...." Tidus said.
"Fine." Auron accepted, and started walking. Tidus walked behind him.
"Say, Auron......"
"Yeah?"
"I know you wanted me to go to high school and all that.............but, lemme explain why I didn't want to go to high school."
"..........."
"I'm really into blitzball, y'know. I've been really good, since I started playing in junior high. And I think I'm ready to play in the big leagues. My dream was to play a game at the Zanarkand stadium and win the Crystal Cup for my team. And that's what I want to do in life, play blitzball and realize my dream."
".........."
Tidus sighed, and put his hands behind his head with a frustrated look.
"But, you rather I should go to high school and not play blitzball. Way to throw a kid's dream in the gutter, old ma......."
"I didn't want you to go to high school. Your mother did."
"Wha?" Tidus looked at Auron in surprise. Auron didn't look at the boy at all.
"I rather you did what you wanted to do. I want you to play blitzball in the stadium."
Tidus stopped walking completely as Auron continued. Tidus was dumbfounded. This wasn't like Auron at all.
Tidus jogged up to him.
"Alright, who are you and what have you done to Auron? And how long can you keep him?"
Auron chuckled.
"I want you to live a life, Tidus. However, high school will help you further on in life."
Tidus's shoulder's slumped.
"Okay, so there's still some of the old Auron in ya......"
"So, let's compramise on this over lunch."
"Huh? Compramise?"
*********************
The next day, Tidus stopped by the stadium. There was a line for tonight's game (Bakus VS .59ers), but Tidus wasn't there for that (the teams weren't so great). The Abes held meetings in their own personal locker rooms, and that was where Tidus was headed.
He walked down the halls until he came to the door on the far left. There was a guard standing watch, and Tidus smiled at him.
"Hey, man. Can I go in?"
"Who're you?" the guard asked.
"My names Tidus, and I wanted to try out for the Abes. They need another player, right?"
"You got an appointment?"
"Uh......no, but can I talk to Phillis?"
"You know Phillis?"
"Sure." Tidus insisted, walking up to the door. "Check this out." He knocked three times on the door, then pounded his fist twice on the wall. Then, he waited until the door opened.
A head of spikey black hair poked from the opening, and looked at Tidus.
"Izzat you, sport?"
"Hey, uncle Phillie!" Tidus waved. The door fully opened and out walked a lanky man wearing a yellow shirt and black trousers: trademark of the Abes. The man, Phillis, was the team captain. Phillis walked to Tidus and patted his shoulders.
"Wow, lookit you, kid! Lookit you! You're about as tall as I am!"
"Good to see you again, uncle Phillie." Tidus laughed.
The guard blinked.
"Hey, Phillis, you know this kid?"
"Sure do." the captain nodded. "This is Jecht's son."
The guard went into a state of shock as he stared at Tidus. Tidus glared at him as Phillis led him into the locker room and closed the door. Tidus sat on a wall bench and leaned against it. Phillis sat next to him as he looked around. Inside the locker room were posters and banners of the Abes, their games, and their players. Jecht was on numerous posters, and Tidus ignored them. The other Abes players were also in the room, chatting, but Tidus didn't recognize any of them. All of them were new players who just reciently joined.
"Hey," Phillis poked Tidus in the shoulder, "I know why you're here, sport."
Tidus looked back at him.
"I.....I wanna join the team."
"Thought so." Phillis sighed. "Look, you just can't join because your dad and I were best friends."
"I know."
"You gotta prove yourself in a few exhibition matches. If I think you're good enough, I'll put you in a league. If you last a whole season as a good player, THEN you're officially in."
"So.......basically I'm on the team now, right?"
"Yeah, sure." Phillis nodded. "As a temperory player. I just wanna see if you're any good or not."
"You bet!" Tidus cheered, standing up and throwing punches into open air. "I was in two teams during grade and junior high school, and I was the star player in both of them. I can't lose in a pros game, right?"
"Eeeeh! Wrong!" Phillis buzzed. "You're playing with the big boys now, sport, so don't let your ego get the best of ya."
"Fine." Tidus moaned. "Oh, and there's something I gotta tell you."
"Shoot."
"I start high school next week, so I dunno when I get to practice or play."
"That's no prob. A lot of the players now are either in high school or college. We start games at 4 and practice is usually after 3."
"Yes!" Tidus cheered. "More than enough time!"
"But, you've got all this week to practice, right?" Phillis asked, also getting up.
Tidus nodded. Phillis then patted his shoulder.
"Welcome aboard, sport. C'mon over here, I'll introduce ya to the others. You'll like 'em."
*********************
Over the next month, Tidus worked hard to become the best blitzball player the Abes had ever seen. The new guys were pretty good too, and Tidus befriended all of them quickly. Unfortunantly, he had trouble trying to hit on the girls of the team. They shrugged him off, since he was a "kid."
Tidus should have been working hard at his studies too, but he wasn't. He was getting bad grades in school, and he usually cut classes to play harder for his team. The school threatened to expell him unless he could pull his grades back up and show up to class.
Phillis had a solution.
"You're not playing in exhibition matches until I see some A's on your report card."
"WHAT?!" Tidus exclaimed. "You've gotta be kidding!"
"Nope." Phillis shook his head. "You've got too much blitzball on your mind, kid. You wanna end up being a jock like your dad?"
Mentioning of his father made Tidus groan.
"I never want to be like him......"
"So, get studying. I'll make sure you stay off the team if you drop out, too."
"Sheesh." Tidus moaned. "Who do you think you are? My old man?"
"No, I'm your coach, and that's worse. When do those report cards come out?"
"In two weeks."
"Better get cracking then. And I don't want to see you back here unless you have that report in your hand, sport."
"Yeah, yeah."
Tidus walked off to his car sadly. Not surprisingly, Auron was waiting for him there. His sword was slung over his shoulder, almost casually. His free hand was resting on his sake bottle too. Tidus half-frowned at him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Wondering why you're back early from practice." Auron answered. "You usually stay late."
"Phillis kicked me off." Tidus moaned, taking out his key card for the car. "He said I need good grades on my report card to play."
"And you will get these grades, I hope."
"Sheesh, what is this 'Everyone-Is-Tidus's-Father Day?!' " Tidus almost snapped, opening the car door.
"Apologies." Auron sighed. "I was just assuming." He turned to Tidus as the boy got comfortable behind the wheel. "Can I get a ride?"
"Where's your car?" Tidus glared.
"I didn't drive it. I walked."
The boy sighed.
"Hop in."
Auron put his sword in the back seat, and sat on the passanger side. Tidus started the car, and took off down the road back to his house.
"Just perfect. It feels like everyone is trying to keep me from playing blitzball. Mom, Phillis, my teachers........you......"
Auron looked at the boy.
"I'm not stopping you."
"You're the one who dragged me to every high school in town."
"We made a compromise that day. You could play blitzball after school. Your mother and I noticed that you were lying about going to school several times."
"What?!" Tidus turned to Auron. "I wasn't lyng! I went to school!"
"Watch the road. And we knew you were lying. Your principal called on many occasions, saying you were there in the mornings, and absent just before your lunch hour."
Tidus groaned.
"C'mon, this isn't an after school thing. It's a job. I mean........this pays unbelievable money, too. And it's professional too. If I screw up here, I'll be the laughingstock of Zanarkand!"
"Unbelievable." Auron sighed. "Your reputation is more important than your future."
"That's not true!" Tidus argued. "I'm working hard to be the best blitzer out there!"
Auron shook his head.
"Hopeless......."
*******************
Two weeks felt like two years to Tidus. He studied non-stop for school. Since he couldn't go back to the stadium to practice and play exhibition matches, he had more time to study. In just two weeks, he built up his grades to a decient level. There was just one A, but he pulled a lot of his grades out of the hole.
As he showed it to Phillis, he started sweating on his palms in nervousness.
"Well, well......" Phillis whistled, impressed. "From C, D, and Fs to A's and C's. Very nice."
"Can I play blitzball again?!" Tidus moaned. "I studied really hard."
Phillis laughed.
"I bet you did. Your brain probably turned to mush with all that cramming, huh?"
Tidus nodded. Phillis smiled.
"You can keep playing.......under one condition: you have to keep studying like that. You gotta do well in school too."
"I'll try." Tidus sighed. "C'mon, lemme play already before I forget how."
****************
Two months later, Tidus was ready for his first real game. The league season had started, and Tidus was to play the back-left fielder. He was slightly disapointed, but what was the use of complaining. He knew what Phillis would say if he whined: "Oh, don't like it? Go warm the bench, I'll find someone else who'll like it."
He hung out in the locker room before the game started. He had just put his uniform on and ran a hand through his hair. He was wearing his birthday earrings, and.........
He flicked the necklace around his neck. It was an Abes symbol pendant, on a silver chain. It matched his earrings, so he thought 'what the heck.'
He heard a knock on the door, and he jumped up to answer it. An Abes fangirl made an 'appointment' to get his autograph. He opened the door, smiling his widest.
"Hey there, baby! One special Tidus autograph coming right u............" Blink blink. "Auron?"
The old man chuckled to himself.
"No thanks, big boy. I have six of them already."
Tidus's face flushed to the color of Auron's coat, and he clenched his teeth in anger.
"Whadaya want, Auron?!"
"To let you know where your mother and I are sitting." He took out his ticket and looked at it. "East block on the second row, sixth and seventh seat."
Tidus rolled his eyes. How would he see that from the sphere pool?!
"Okay, I'll give you guys a wave. What are you really here for?!"
"To congradulate you." Auron said seriously, putting his ticket away. "You did work hard to get this far. You know HE would be proud of you."
"He?"
"Jecht."
"Oh, him." Tidus snorted. "He wouldn't care. He would just put me down, saying I kissed butts to get this far."
"He would not."
Tidus glared at Auron.
"How would you know?"
"He just doesn't sound like that kind of person."
"Hmph. Whatever."
"Well, best of luck to you. I should get to my seat."
"Later."
Before Auron walked away, he saw a glint on Tidus's neck.
"What's that?"
"Huh?"
"That pendant. I've never seen it before."
Tidus just crossed his arms.
"Games in a few minutes. Better get that seat."
Auron looked at Tidus a moment, then smiled.
"Jecht gave it to you." he concluded. Tidus blinked, dumbfounded.
"How did......."
"If Jecht has anything to do with it, you won't talk about it."
Tidus sighed.
"He.......gave it to me, before he died. 'Don't say yer old man never gave ya anything' he said."
Auron chuckled.
"Sounds like him. Well, I should be going. Good luck, Tidus."
"Huh." Tidus waved him off.
He suddenly felt bad as Auron started walking away. Tidus never missed his father before. He just wished Jecht was there to see him for some reason.
He just shook his head, then noticed a girl was coming. She waved at him, and he grinned.
"Hey there, baby! One special Tidus autograph coming right up!"
**********************
The game was a success! 10-2, Abes taking the win!
Tidus had the entire crowd cheering for him. And not because he was the son of Jecht!
He was playing very well, none of the pressure got to him. He and the Abes were a fully functional team, working together and understanding hand signals as though they were close family. They were practically unstoppable.
Speaking of unstopable, Tidus scored eight of those ten goals. Being the top scorer of the game, Tidus was awarded 1,000 gil. The team altogether won 10,000 for the game, and it all went to charity. Tidus and the new players were enjoying the limelight so far, and this was just the beginning.
Auron felt so proud of Tidus, he couldn't stop smiling. He had watched that boy grow in nine years, and the boy did feel like his own son. They were far from the father/son relationship, it never showed.
They were friends, that was all. But in someways, he felt they were more family than friends. Neither he nor Tidus would admit it.........
'.....Jecht would be proud of both of us.....'
********************
A year had gone by, and the blitz season went well.
Tidus was gaining more popularity with each game. He was becoming an invincible player, almost making every goal, and tackling the hardest than any player in Zanarkand. He was becoming famous for pushing opponants out of the sphere and into the audience.
However, with wins came loses. One game, Tidus had hit the opposing goalie so hard with the ball, the goalie went unconcious and almost drowned. Not only was the game put on a long intermission, but the Abes lost five points for "goalie brutality." An argument followed after the game in the stands, saying that Tidus had used a Nap Shot and didn't just strike the goalie hard. Needless to say, the Abes lost that game. He didn't lose any fame over it, but he went home irritated and grouchy.
The last thing he needed was Auron walking through the door, unnanounced. Tidus's mother had grown gravely sick, and Auron had been checking on her constantly. On Tidus's seventeenth birthday (a week ago), Auron had broke the news himself that she would die within the year. That had Tidus agitated enough, and it was showing in his game playing.
It was also starting to break up his friendship with Auron.
"What do you want?!" he growled as Auron stood in the doorway.
"It was a bad call." Auron said. "Your team lost because of you."
Tidus glared at him.
"You came to say that?!"
Auron looked at the boy over his sunglasses, almost lost in thought.
"It's been ten years."
"Huh." Tidus snorted as Auron walked into the house to check on Tidus's mother.
"I thought you'd be crying."
"Who, me?!" Tidus snapped at Auron's back. He didn't cry........
You cried.
A voice in Tidus's head just whispered into his ears. Tidus's shoulders slumped as he sat on the couch.
Yeah, he cried. So what?
And what did Auron mean by 'ten years?'
Sure, he had been around for that long, but.........
****************
Auron was sitting on the houseboat deck by himself, watching the sun set into the western ocean. Tidus noticed him as he was going out to the karaoke bar to hang out with his team mates. Even though Auron's back was facing him, something about him seemed so sad.
Tidus stood next to him.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing." Auron insisted. He kept quiet, just watching the sun set. Tidus leaned against the railing, and stretched his arms out with a yawn.
"Hey, Auron. It really has been ten years, hasn't it? Since we first met?"
"Yes. Just about."
"And you never talked about your home or anything. Don't you miss it?"
"............"
"Guess so." Tidus walked around a little, and ended up standing on the other side of Auron. "Hey, what's so fascinating about a sunset anyway? You can see it every day."
"I don't get the chance to. And this may be my last chance to."
"Huh?" Tidus leaned his head over to look Auron in the face.
"It is very beautiful. I wish I had gotten to see this more often."
Tidus suddenly witnessed hell freezing over. Auron took off his sunglasses, and wiped his face with one hand, sniffing.
He was crying!
"Whoa." Tidus bit his lip. "Auron, what's going on?"
"Sorry." he moaned, putting his sunglasses back on. "I.........have no excuse."
Tidus snatched the sunglasses from Auron and crossed his arms.
"Hey, lookit me." Auron turned his head to Tidus, looking at him with only one eye. "Take it from me, you don't need an excuse to cry. If you wanna cry, cry. Why should you have a reason?!"
Auron had to smile.
"Words of wisdom from the professional?"
"Hey, what was that supposed to mean?!"
Auron laughed, turning away and wiping his face with his hand again.
"Looking back, you have changed in some ways, and have remained the same in others."
"Yeah?" Tidus asked, putting on Auron's sunglasses and picking up the blitzball on the deck.
"You have become more responcible, laid back, and even picked up some leadership skills. On the other hand, you remain as stubborn, bratty, and very independant."
"So?" Tidus snorted, juggling the ball on his knees.
"I hear so much about your father..........some good, some bad..........I know you don't want to hear it, but you can be so much like him sometimes."
"Feh." Tidus moaned. "Everyone wants me to be just like him, but I swear I'm not going to let that happen. He just makes me so mad."
"I wish I could understand."
"You wouldn't have liked him either." Tidus insisted, catching the blitzball and letting it drop to the ground. He took off the sunglasses and gave them back to Auron. "He's the kind of guys you want to kill and not feel guilty about it."
Auron had a laugh.
"I suppose."
"Hey, I'm heading off into town. Need anything?"
"If I did, I would get it myself."
Tidus smiled as he started to walk off.
"You changed and didn't change in some ways too, Auron." Tidus smirked. "But you mostly didn't change at all. You could have lightened up a little in the last ten years."
Tidus headed down to the dock to go into town. But, as he walked on the exit plank.....
THUNK!
........the blitzball hit him just on the back of the head.
"Hey!" He turned to Auron, seeing the man chuckling and pulling at the collar of his coat.
"Now we're even."
Tidus grinned at him, remembering the day they first met.
"Oh yeah?" He picked up the ball and threw it back at Auron, hitting him in the side. Auron quickly retaliated, and threw the ball back at Tidus as soon as it touched his hand. Tidus caught it and threw it back at Auron, laughing.
"I'll show you, old man!"
"Let's see what the Abe's star player can do out of the water then!"
It turned into a mini-dodgeball match. Tidus forgot all about the meeting with his friends, and ended up playing and talking with Auron all night.
When Auron decided to take his leave and disapear into the city, Tidus called out his good byes.
"See ya later, Auron! Hey, listen! Remember when I said I wished I had a dad like you?! I meant it! If I had to pick any man in Spira to be my new dad, it'd be you! I mean it, Auron!"
Auron just raised a hand in farewell, and shook his head.
'......and remember when I said you should never say things like that.......
'.....I meant that too.
'.....I'm not your father, Jecht is.
'.....I could never be a father like him.'
*****************
Three months passed......
The Jecht Memorial Cup......
Tidus had hit his head hard in the fall, and had trouble remembering what exactly happened. He remembered he was going to pull off a Sphere Shot, then there were bright lights, and there were explosions........
Now he heard rushing water, metal and rock falling, people screaming as they ran away.....
He stumbled to his feet and managed to walk foreword. He ran along with the rest of the crowd down the stadium ramp, and then he saw a familiar red coat in the crowd. He ran to the man, surprised, scared and confused.
"Auron! What are you doing here?!"
"I was waiting for you." the man said, walking off.
"What are you talking about?!" Tidus demanded, taking off after him. It didn't take long to lose the old man in the panicking crowd.
How could he be so calm at a time like this?!
********************
This is it.
This is your story.
It all begins here.
A Father Like You (cont.)
___________
Tidus was elevin when Auron saved him from bullies.
Tidus was thirteen when Auron saved him from fiends in the school blitzball stadium.
Tidus will turn sixteen years old tomorrow.
If Tidus and Auron have grown closer, it didn't show. Even though he became popular among his schoolmates, Tidus never talked about Auron, or socialized much with the man. Auron did stop by the family house to visit, or help Tidus's mom with whatever she needed.
Even though Tidus trusted Auron.......
........he was getting a strange feeling there was something going on between Auron and his mother.......
***************
Auron knocked on the door of Tidus's house and waited. He knew Tidus wasn't home. The boy was at the high school, taking entrance exams.
Auron knew this because he had dragged Tidus there by the hood of his shirt. The boy was kicking and screaming.
"No! Auron! I don't wanna!"
"Your mother said so, so stop whining."
"I don't wanna go to high school! I don't have to! Leggo!"
"Stop crying, and come on."
"I'M NOT CRYING!"
Auron chuckled to himself and shook his head. In some ways, the boy was still seven years old.
The door opened and Tidus's mother peeked out.
"Oh, Mr. Auron! Good, you're here." she quickly ushered him inside and closed the door behind him. "Is Tidus at the high school?"
"Yes."
"Good, good." she nodded, then she headed for the kitchen. "Have a seat, this will be a minute!"
Auron blinked his one eye, then sat down on a couch. Tidus's mom was acting very strangely.
"Is everything alright?" he called to the kitchen.
"Just fine. Why?"
"This isn't you. When were you so full of energy?"
"Well....."
She let that hang. Auron watched the kitchen doorway in worry until she walked out of it. She was carrying a small black box that fit in her hand. She stood next to Auron and handed it to him.
"This is Tidus's birthday present, from you. Can you give this to him tomorrow?"
Auron took the box and looked inside. Side by side were two small silver earrings. Each was molded in the shape of the Abes symbol. Auron's face softened at past memories concerning the symbol.
'Jecht.....'
He closed the box, and handed it back to Tidus's mother.
"I'm sorry. I can't. You bought this, it should be your gift."
She shook her head, and handed it back to Auron.
"No. I want you to give it to him. You never gave Tidus a present before."
He handed it back to her.
"I said I can't."
She handed it back to him.
"But I want you to."
He handed it back to her.
"You can give it to him."
She handed it back to him.
"Mr. Auron, please...."
He hesitated a moment. Then, just as he was about to hand back the box, the door swung right open!
Tidus walked in, stretching his arms.
"Aw, man! That was the pits! Hey, mom....." Just as he walked into the room, he saw Auron about to give his mom a small black box. Tidus froze.
"A-a-a-Auron?"
Auron turned his head angrily, but remained frozen.
"Why aren't you at the high school?!"
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-what's in that box?!" Tidus pointed at the small black box.
"............." Tidus's mom lowered her head in shame.
"Tidus...." Auron growled, but it was too late.
The boy exploded.
"THAT'S AN ENGAGEMENT RING, ISN'T IT?! AURON, YOU BASTARD!"
Auron stood up.
"Tidus!"
The boy rolled up imaginary sleeves and put up his dukes.
"What did I tell you about you and my mom getting too close?!"
"Tidus, dear...." his mother tried to soothe, but it was no use.
"I'll kick your ass, Auron!"
Auron stayed where he was, sitting. The box stayed in his hand.
"Tidus, sit down and we'll talk about this."
Tidus ran to Auron, and pulled the man up to a stand by the collar of his jacket.
"No way! You're going to get the beating of your life, you old letch! Let's go!"
"Tidus, stop! Please!" his mother begged, about to cry. "Please don't fight."
Tidus turned to his mom, and his face softened. He got frustrated, and just gripped Auron's jacket harder, not knowing what to do.
Auron decided to do what was best. He opened the box, and tapped Tidus's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Tidus."
Tidus looked in the box, and his eyes almost popped out of his head.
*****************
"Why didn't you just say it was for me?! Then, I wouldn't 've...."
"Yes, you would have. If I just told you, you wouldn't have believed me."
Tidus and Auron were headed back to the high school. Tidus explained that he did take the test, but he skedattled before he looked at his results. So, Auron decided to escort Tidus back to the high school to see the test results.
"I woulda believed you. You know I trust you, Auron."
"That's not what said five minutes ago."
"Hey, hey......"
"Tidus, I just want you to know........you don't have to worry about me marrying your mother. I can't get married."
"Huh?" Tidus looked at Auron. "Why not?"
"I made a vow of abstinance."
"A vow of what? 'Absence?' "
"............" Auron sighed, then corrected: "Abstinance." He didn't want to explain to Tidus EXACTLY what that meant, so he just said: "It means I can't get married."
"Oh. Alright." Tidus accepted. Auron pulled the collar of his jacket futher up his face to hide his blush. That was slightly embarassing.
They soon came to the high school. Possible students were gathered around a wall of sphere screens, pointing at them. The screens showed student names, and numbers under them. The names were the final test scores needed to get into high school.
Auron looked up at the screens.
"Where's yours?"
Tidus looked too, scanning each of the many screens. A lot of them held numbers 70, 80, and a couple read 100. Some of them were very low numbers like 68 and 47, and Tidus snickered at them.
He stopped snickering when he found his. He lowered his head in shame as Auron turned to him.
"A score of 32?"
"Oh man......."
"You're taking the test again."
"I can't." Tidus growled. "You fail the entrance exams and the high school will never accept you."
"So, we go find another." Auron suggested.
Tidus put his hands behind his head.
"All the other high schools are out of the area. Sorry, Auron, but it looks like I'm not going to high scho.....HEY!"
Auron had grabbed Tidus's hood again, and dragged the boy behind him as he walked off.
"Where's a map?!" Auron growled.
"Auron! Leggo! Not this again!"
"Consider it punnishment for trying to start a fight with me."
"AURON! I SAID I WAS SORRY! LEGGO!"
"........"
"I DON'T WANNA GO TO HIGH SCHOOL!"
************************
Tidus tried to fail as many tests as he could on purpose, but he accedently got a passing grade at Boggy High and was accepted. It was two counties away, so Auron also dragged Tidus to a driving school to get his licence. After Tidus reluctantly passed the hydro car driving test, Auron finally gave the kid a break.
"Hungry?" he asked Tidus.
"Uh-huh."
"Let's go find somewhere to eat then. Lunch is on me."
Tidus looked up at Auron in surprise.
"Seriously?"
"Hm." Auron nodded. "It's your birthday, isn't it?"
Tidus smiled at Auron.
"First you get hard on me going to high school and getting my licence, and now you're buying me lunch?"
"You rather go home and starve?"
"No, no, no, no, no!" Tidus shook his head. "I mean.......let's do lunch!"
Auron nodded, then walked off in search of a place to eat. Tidus walked by his side, looking around. By the look at the signs, all that was around them were clothing and souvenier shops and bars.
Suddenly, Aurons stopped in front of one of the bars, and put a hand on his sake jug.
"Wait here." he told Tidus, then walked in. Tidus grinned at the old man's back.
"Ooooh, grabbing some for the road, eh Auron?!" the boy crowed. "Hey, gimme a beer while you're in there!"
"......." Auron ignored him and headed for the counter. Tidus sat on the sidewalk and waited. As he waited, he picked up on some conversation around him.
"......is in high school now. I'm so proud of her......."
".....weird people coming in from Bevelle give me the creeps....."
"......the Abes are looking for a new player. Maybe I'll join......."
".....you don't play blitzball, you dolt. 'Sides, no one can replace Jecht......"
Tidus looked up at some of the people on the sidewalk. The topic of the Zanarkand Abes caught his interest immediately.
Tidus wanted to join a professional blitz team. That was why he didn't want to go to high school. But, Auron was playing the part of the super-powered baby sitter, and he wouldn't allow it. What was the poor boy to do?
Then, he saw Auron coming out of the bar, and walking towards him. Tidus stood up.
"I think there's a cantina just down the corner...." Tidus said.
"Fine." Auron accepted, and started walking. Tidus walked behind him.
"Say, Auron......"
"Yeah?"
"I know you wanted me to go to high school and all that.............but, lemme explain why I didn't want to go to high school."
"..........."
"I'm really into blitzball, y'know. I've been really good, since I started playing in junior high. And I think I'm ready to play in the big leagues. My dream was to play a game at the Zanarkand stadium and win the Crystal Cup for my team. And that's what I want to do in life, play blitzball and realize my dream."
".........."
Tidus sighed, and put his hands behind his head with a frustrated look.
"But, you rather I should go to high school and not play blitzball. Way to throw a kid's dream in the gutter, old ma......."
"I didn't want you to go to high school. Your mother did."
"Wha?" Tidus looked at Auron in surprise. Auron didn't look at the boy at all.
"I rather you did what you wanted to do. I want you to play blitzball in the stadium."
Tidus stopped walking completely as Auron continued. Tidus was dumbfounded. This wasn't like Auron at all.
Tidus jogged up to him.
"Alright, who are you and what have you done to Auron? And how long can you keep him?"
Auron chuckled.
"I want you to live a life, Tidus. However, high school will help you further on in life."
Tidus's shoulder's slumped.
"Okay, so there's still some of the old Auron in ya......"
"So, let's compramise on this over lunch."
"Huh? Compramise?"
*********************
The next day, Tidus stopped by the stadium. There was a line for tonight's game (Bakus VS .59ers), but Tidus wasn't there for that (the teams weren't so great). The Abes held meetings in their own personal locker rooms, and that was where Tidus was headed.
He walked down the halls until he came to the door on the far left. There was a guard standing watch, and Tidus smiled at him.
"Hey, man. Can I go in?"
"Who're you?" the guard asked.
"My names Tidus, and I wanted to try out for the Abes. They need another player, right?"
"You got an appointment?"
"Uh......no, but can I talk to Phillis?"
"You know Phillis?"
"Sure." Tidus insisted, walking up to the door. "Check this out." He knocked three times on the door, then pounded his fist twice on the wall. Then, he waited until the door opened.
A head of spikey black hair poked from the opening, and looked at Tidus.
"Izzat you, sport?"
"Hey, uncle Phillie!" Tidus waved. The door fully opened and out walked a lanky man wearing a yellow shirt and black trousers: trademark of the Abes. The man, Phillis, was the team captain. Phillis walked to Tidus and patted his shoulders.
"Wow, lookit you, kid! Lookit you! You're about as tall as I am!"
"Good to see you again, uncle Phillie." Tidus laughed.
The guard blinked.
"Hey, Phillis, you know this kid?"
"Sure do." the captain nodded. "This is Jecht's son."
The guard went into a state of shock as he stared at Tidus. Tidus glared at him as Phillis led him into the locker room and closed the door. Tidus sat on a wall bench and leaned against it. Phillis sat next to him as he looked around. Inside the locker room were posters and banners of the Abes, their games, and their players. Jecht was on numerous posters, and Tidus ignored them. The other Abes players were also in the room, chatting, but Tidus didn't recognize any of them. All of them were new players who just reciently joined.
"Hey," Phillis poked Tidus in the shoulder, "I know why you're here, sport."
Tidus looked back at him.
"I.....I wanna join the team."
"Thought so." Phillis sighed. "Look, you just can't join because your dad and I were best friends."
"I know."
"You gotta prove yourself in a few exhibition matches. If I think you're good enough, I'll put you in a league. If you last a whole season as a good player, THEN you're officially in."
"So.......basically I'm on the team now, right?"
"Yeah, sure." Phillis nodded. "As a temperory player. I just wanna see if you're any good or not."
"You bet!" Tidus cheered, standing up and throwing punches into open air. "I was in two teams during grade and junior high school, and I was the star player in both of them. I can't lose in a pros game, right?"
"Eeeeh! Wrong!" Phillis buzzed. "You're playing with the big boys now, sport, so don't let your ego get the best of ya."
"Fine." Tidus moaned. "Oh, and there's something I gotta tell you."
"Shoot."
"I start high school next week, so I dunno when I get to practice or play."
"That's no prob. A lot of the players now are either in high school or college. We start games at 4 and practice is usually after 3."
"Yes!" Tidus cheered. "More than enough time!"
"But, you've got all this week to practice, right?" Phillis asked, also getting up.
Tidus nodded. Phillis then patted his shoulder.
"Welcome aboard, sport. C'mon over here, I'll introduce ya to the others. You'll like 'em."
*********************
Over the next month, Tidus worked hard to become the best blitzball player the Abes had ever seen. The new guys were pretty good too, and Tidus befriended all of them quickly. Unfortunantly, he had trouble trying to hit on the girls of the team. They shrugged him off, since he was a "kid."
Tidus should have been working hard at his studies too, but he wasn't. He was getting bad grades in school, and he usually cut classes to play harder for his team. The school threatened to expell him unless he could pull his grades back up and show up to class.
Phillis had a solution.
"You're not playing in exhibition matches until I see some A's on your report card."
"WHAT?!" Tidus exclaimed. "You've gotta be kidding!"
"Nope." Phillis shook his head. "You've got too much blitzball on your mind, kid. You wanna end up being a jock like your dad?"
Mentioning of his father made Tidus groan.
"I never want to be like him......"
"So, get studying. I'll make sure you stay off the team if you drop out, too."
"Sheesh." Tidus moaned. "Who do you think you are? My old man?"
"No, I'm your coach, and that's worse. When do those report cards come out?"
"In two weeks."
"Better get cracking then. And I don't want to see you back here unless you have that report in your hand, sport."
"Yeah, yeah."
Tidus walked off to his car sadly. Not surprisingly, Auron was waiting for him there. His sword was slung over his shoulder, almost casually. His free hand was resting on his sake bottle too. Tidus half-frowned at him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Wondering why you're back early from practice." Auron answered. "You usually stay late."
"Phillis kicked me off." Tidus moaned, taking out his key card for the car. "He said I need good grades on my report card to play."
"And you will get these grades, I hope."
"Sheesh, what is this 'Everyone-Is-Tidus's-Father Day?!' " Tidus almost snapped, opening the car door.
"Apologies." Auron sighed. "I was just assuming." He turned to Tidus as the boy got comfortable behind the wheel. "Can I get a ride?"
"Where's your car?" Tidus glared.
"I didn't drive it. I walked."
The boy sighed.
"Hop in."
Auron put his sword in the back seat, and sat on the passanger side. Tidus started the car, and took off down the road back to his house.
"Just perfect. It feels like everyone is trying to keep me from playing blitzball. Mom, Phillis, my teachers........you......"
Auron looked at the boy.
"I'm not stopping you."
"You're the one who dragged me to every high school in town."
"We made a compromise that day. You could play blitzball after school. Your mother and I noticed that you were lying about going to school several times."
"What?!" Tidus turned to Auron. "I wasn't lyng! I went to school!"
"Watch the road. And we knew you were lying. Your principal called on many occasions, saying you were there in the mornings, and absent just before your lunch hour."
Tidus groaned.
"C'mon, this isn't an after school thing. It's a job. I mean........this pays unbelievable money, too. And it's professional too. If I screw up here, I'll be the laughingstock of Zanarkand!"
"Unbelievable." Auron sighed. "Your reputation is more important than your future."
"That's not true!" Tidus argued. "I'm working hard to be the best blitzer out there!"
Auron shook his head.
"Hopeless......."
*******************
Two weeks felt like two years to Tidus. He studied non-stop for school. Since he couldn't go back to the stadium to practice and play exhibition matches, he had more time to study. In just two weeks, he built up his grades to a decient level. There was just one A, but he pulled a lot of his grades out of the hole.
As he showed it to Phillis, he started sweating on his palms in nervousness.
"Well, well......" Phillis whistled, impressed. "From C, D, and Fs to A's and C's. Very nice."
"Can I play blitzball again?!" Tidus moaned. "I studied really hard."
Phillis laughed.
"I bet you did. Your brain probably turned to mush with all that cramming, huh?"
Tidus nodded. Phillis smiled.
"You can keep playing.......under one condition: you have to keep studying like that. You gotta do well in school too."
"I'll try." Tidus sighed. "C'mon, lemme play already before I forget how."
****************
Two months later, Tidus was ready for his first real game. The league season had started, and Tidus was to play the back-left fielder. He was slightly disapointed, but what was the use of complaining. He knew what Phillis would say if he whined: "Oh, don't like it? Go warm the bench, I'll find someone else who'll like it."
He hung out in the locker room before the game started. He had just put his uniform on and ran a hand through his hair. He was wearing his birthday earrings, and.........
He flicked the necklace around his neck. It was an Abes symbol pendant, on a silver chain. It matched his earrings, so he thought 'what the heck.'
He heard a knock on the door, and he jumped up to answer it. An Abes fangirl made an 'appointment' to get his autograph. He opened the door, smiling his widest.
"Hey there, baby! One special Tidus autograph coming right u............" Blink blink. "Auron?"
The old man chuckled to himself.
"No thanks, big boy. I have six of them already."
Tidus's face flushed to the color of Auron's coat, and he clenched his teeth in anger.
"Whadaya want, Auron?!"
"To let you know where your mother and I are sitting." He took out his ticket and looked at it. "East block on the second row, sixth and seventh seat."
Tidus rolled his eyes. How would he see that from the sphere pool?!
"Okay, I'll give you guys a wave. What are you really here for?!"
"To congradulate you." Auron said seriously, putting his ticket away. "You did work hard to get this far. You know HE would be proud of you."
"He?"
"Jecht."
"Oh, him." Tidus snorted. "He wouldn't care. He would just put me down, saying I kissed butts to get this far."
"He would not."
Tidus glared at Auron.
"How would you know?"
"He just doesn't sound like that kind of person."
"Hmph. Whatever."
"Well, best of luck to you. I should get to my seat."
"Later."
Before Auron walked away, he saw a glint on Tidus's neck.
"What's that?"
"Huh?"
"That pendant. I've never seen it before."
Tidus just crossed his arms.
"Games in a few minutes. Better get that seat."
Auron looked at Tidus a moment, then smiled.
"Jecht gave it to you." he concluded. Tidus blinked, dumbfounded.
"How did......."
"If Jecht has anything to do with it, you won't talk about it."
Tidus sighed.
"He.......gave it to me, before he died. 'Don't say yer old man never gave ya anything' he said."
Auron chuckled.
"Sounds like him. Well, I should be going. Good luck, Tidus."
"Huh." Tidus waved him off.
He suddenly felt bad as Auron started walking away. Tidus never missed his father before. He just wished Jecht was there to see him for some reason.
He just shook his head, then noticed a girl was coming. She waved at him, and he grinned.
"Hey there, baby! One special Tidus autograph coming right up!"
**********************
The game was a success! 10-2, Abes taking the win!
Tidus had the entire crowd cheering for him. And not because he was the son of Jecht!
He was playing very well, none of the pressure got to him. He and the Abes were a fully functional team, working together and understanding hand signals as though they were close family. They were practically unstoppable.
Speaking of unstopable, Tidus scored eight of those ten goals. Being the top scorer of the game, Tidus was awarded 1,000 gil. The team altogether won 10,000 for the game, and it all went to charity. Tidus and the new players were enjoying the limelight so far, and this was just the beginning.
Auron felt so proud of Tidus, he couldn't stop smiling. He had watched that boy grow in nine years, and the boy did feel like his own son. They were far from the father/son relationship, it never showed.
They were friends, that was all. But in someways, he felt they were more family than friends. Neither he nor Tidus would admit it.........
'.....Jecht would be proud of both of us.....'
********************
A year had gone by, and the blitz season went well.
Tidus was gaining more popularity with each game. He was becoming an invincible player, almost making every goal, and tackling the hardest than any player in Zanarkand. He was becoming famous for pushing opponants out of the sphere and into the audience.
However, with wins came loses. One game, Tidus had hit the opposing goalie so hard with the ball, the goalie went unconcious and almost drowned. Not only was the game put on a long intermission, but the Abes lost five points for "goalie brutality." An argument followed after the game in the stands, saying that Tidus had used a Nap Shot and didn't just strike the goalie hard. Needless to say, the Abes lost that game. He didn't lose any fame over it, but he went home irritated and grouchy.
The last thing he needed was Auron walking through the door, unnanounced. Tidus's mother had grown gravely sick, and Auron had been checking on her constantly. On Tidus's seventeenth birthday (a week ago), Auron had broke the news himself that she would die within the year. That had Tidus agitated enough, and it was showing in his game playing.
It was also starting to break up his friendship with Auron.
"What do you want?!" he growled as Auron stood in the doorway.
"It was a bad call." Auron said. "Your team lost because of you."
Tidus glared at him.
"You came to say that?!"
Auron looked at the boy over his sunglasses, almost lost in thought.
"It's been ten years."
"Huh." Tidus snorted as Auron walked into the house to check on Tidus's mother.
"I thought you'd be crying."
"Who, me?!" Tidus snapped at Auron's back. He didn't cry........
You cried.
A voice in Tidus's head just whispered into his ears. Tidus's shoulders slumped as he sat on the couch.
Yeah, he cried. So what?
And what did Auron mean by 'ten years?'
Sure, he had been around for that long, but.........
****************
Auron was sitting on the houseboat deck by himself, watching the sun set into the western ocean. Tidus noticed him as he was going out to the karaoke bar to hang out with his team mates. Even though Auron's back was facing him, something about him seemed so sad.
Tidus stood next to him.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing." Auron insisted. He kept quiet, just watching the sun set. Tidus leaned against the railing, and stretched his arms out with a yawn.
"Hey, Auron. It really has been ten years, hasn't it? Since we first met?"
"Yes. Just about."
"And you never talked about your home or anything. Don't you miss it?"
"............"
"Guess so." Tidus walked around a little, and ended up standing on the other side of Auron. "Hey, what's so fascinating about a sunset anyway? You can see it every day."
"I don't get the chance to. And this may be my last chance to."
"Huh?" Tidus leaned his head over to look Auron in the face.
"It is very beautiful. I wish I had gotten to see this more often."
Tidus suddenly witnessed hell freezing over. Auron took off his sunglasses, and wiped his face with one hand, sniffing.
He was crying!
"Whoa." Tidus bit his lip. "Auron, what's going on?"
"Sorry." he moaned, putting his sunglasses back on. "I.........have no excuse."
Tidus snatched the sunglasses from Auron and crossed his arms.
"Hey, lookit me." Auron turned his head to Tidus, looking at him with only one eye. "Take it from me, you don't need an excuse to cry. If you wanna cry, cry. Why should you have a reason?!"
Auron had to smile.
"Words of wisdom from the professional?"
"Hey, what was that supposed to mean?!"
Auron laughed, turning away and wiping his face with his hand again.
"Looking back, you have changed in some ways, and have remained the same in others."
"Yeah?" Tidus asked, putting on Auron's sunglasses and picking up the blitzball on the deck.
"You have become more responcible, laid back, and even picked up some leadership skills. On the other hand, you remain as stubborn, bratty, and very independant."
"So?" Tidus snorted, juggling the ball on his knees.
"I hear so much about your father..........some good, some bad..........I know you don't want to hear it, but you can be so much like him sometimes."
"Feh." Tidus moaned. "Everyone wants me to be just like him, but I swear I'm not going to let that happen. He just makes me so mad."
"I wish I could understand."
"You wouldn't have liked him either." Tidus insisted, catching the blitzball and letting it drop to the ground. He took off the sunglasses and gave them back to Auron. "He's the kind of guys you want to kill and not feel guilty about it."
Auron had a laugh.
"I suppose."
"Hey, I'm heading off into town. Need anything?"
"If I did, I would get it myself."
Tidus smiled as he started to walk off.
"You changed and didn't change in some ways too, Auron." Tidus smirked. "But you mostly didn't change at all. You could have lightened up a little in the last ten years."
Tidus headed down to the dock to go into town. But, as he walked on the exit plank.....
THUNK!
........the blitzball hit him just on the back of the head.
"Hey!" He turned to Auron, seeing the man chuckling and pulling at the collar of his coat.
"Now we're even."
Tidus grinned at him, remembering the day they first met.
"Oh yeah?" He picked up the ball and threw it back at Auron, hitting him in the side. Auron quickly retaliated, and threw the ball back at Tidus as soon as it touched his hand. Tidus caught it and threw it back at Auron, laughing.
"I'll show you, old man!"
"Let's see what the Abe's star player can do out of the water then!"
It turned into a mini-dodgeball match. Tidus forgot all about the meeting with his friends, and ended up playing and talking with Auron all night.
When Auron decided to take his leave and disapear into the city, Tidus called out his good byes.
"See ya later, Auron! Hey, listen! Remember when I said I wished I had a dad like you?! I meant it! If I had to pick any man in Spira to be my new dad, it'd be you! I mean it, Auron!"
Auron just raised a hand in farewell, and shook his head.
'......and remember when I said you should never say things like that.......
'.....I meant that too.
'.....I'm not your father, Jecht is.
'.....I could never be a father like him.'
*****************
Three months passed......
The Jecht Memorial Cup......
Tidus had hit his head hard in the fall, and had trouble remembering what exactly happened. He remembered he was going to pull off a Sphere Shot, then there were bright lights, and there were explosions........
Now he heard rushing water, metal and rock falling, people screaming as they ran away.....
He stumbled to his feet and managed to walk foreword. He ran along with the rest of the crowd down the stadium ramp, and then he saw a familiar red coat in the crowd. He ran to the man, surprised, scared and confused.
"Auron! What are you doing here?!"
"I was waiting for you." the man said, walking off.
"What are you talking about?!" Tidus demanded, taking off after him. It didn't take long to lose the old man in the panicking crowd.
How could he be so calm at a time like this?!
********************
This is it.
This is your story.
It all begins here.