Dedication To My Grandfather [ 1912-2002 ] I'll Always Miss You =================================== FINAL FANTASY X: The Story =================================== by Tsogtsaihan Baatar "SOG" Tidus's Story +-----------+ The people and the friends that we have lost, or the dreams that have faded... Never forget them. ----------------------------------------------------------- PROLOGUE ----------------------------------------------------------- The party sat in silence around a campfire. The sun rode slowly down the sky, as shadows rose behind them. Tidus stood up, and gently touched Yuna's shoulder. He paused for a moment and walked quietly round the corner and up the hill. There he stood gazing at the setting sun. "Listen to my story," said Tidus in his thought, "This may be our last chance." ----------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------- History came and went, fading little by little, ultimately passing from the face of the earth. In reality, time continued as the land remained, while men, women, and children lived and died, returning to the earth from which they came, seemingly swallowed into nothingness by a vast uncaring universe. But Zanarkand, however, was a city of dream, filled with highly advanced technology and people. Zanarkand was truly a city where everything was possible. Until one day, history repeated itself changing one boy's life forever... =========================================================== CHAPTER I ZANARKAND: The Beginning of Everything =========================================================== Tidus took a deep breath. He was prepared both physically and mentally for tonight's game. At least he thought he was. People cheered and shouted before him. 'Can you sign this?' asked a boy, raising his bliztball. 'No prob!' answered Tidus, the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, signing on the blitzball. 'Please?' cried another boy. 'Alrighty.' 'Me, too!' shrieked another kid. 'Take it easy,' answered Tidus, quite annoyed. 'Can I have your autograph?' said a short girl. 'Of course!' declared Tidus, signing on her blitzball. 'Good luck tonight!' exclaimed the other girl. 'Nothing to worry about!' said Tidus, giving back their bliztballs to the girls. 'Oh, if I score a goal...' said Tidus, 'I'll do this!' Tidus raised his two hands up in the air. 'That will mean it was for you, okay?' The girls laughed in embarrassment. 'What seat?' asked Tidus. 'East block, in the front row!' 'Fifth from the right!' answered the two girls. 'Got it!' said Tidus, 'Well, gotta go! Cheer for me!' '...two, three! Teach us how to blitz!' cried the three small boys beside him. 'Hey, I got a game to play!' reasoned Tidus. 'Then teach us after!' said one of the boys. 'Maybe tonight...um...well...' stammered Tidus. The ghost boy reappeared. 'You can't tonight,' said the ghost boy. 'I mean...tomorrow.' 'Promise?' asked the boy. 'Promise!' declared Tidus. The three boys made round circle with their hands and then bowed down. Bidding them farewell and leaving the fans, Tidus rushed back to his game. The boy usually wore his light-yellow clothes and black shorts. He had yellow leather shoes and a shaggy head of blonde hair flecked with black. On a cheerful face, he had a pair of keen brown eyes, a collar of silver hung from his neck. He had walked for a mile or so when he came before the long bridge. Zanarkand was a big city with many buildings. High above beside the bridge stood a projection screen. Tidus slightly turned his head as his father's image reflected on his eyes. 'Hmph!' exclaimed Tidus, walking past it. He had always somehow hated and despised his father. As he walked by it he dimly heard the commentator on the screen. "I was in a coffee shop, running away from home when I heard the news," said the commentator, "Our hero, Jecht, gone. Vanished into thin air! My dad must have been his biggest fan. I knew how sad he'd be. Heck, we all were that day. "Zanar," I says to myself. "What are you thinking?" I went running straight back home. We sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night. My dad and I never talked so much. Whoa... Didn't mean to reminisce, folks. Anyway... Ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament is today! The two teams that have won through to the finals are...of course, the Abes from A-East, and the Duggles from C-South. I know there's a lot of people out there today to see the star of the Abes! In just one year, he's become the team's number one player! He's Jecht's blood, and the new hope of blitzball! What kind of super play will he show us today? Will we see his father's legendary shot? I don't think I'm the only one excited here, folks!" Tidus finally came at the entrance of the stadium, only to be crowded with fans around him. 'Make way, make way!' shouted Tidus, struggling to get inside. "Coming through, sorry! Hey, I'm gonna be late! Hey, let go of me!' With much struggle, he finally made his way through the excited fans and into his locker room. Tidus lay with his back to a seat and his feet in the cool water. His eyes were closed and there was hardly a sound in the air, only the pounding of his heartbeat. Just as he opened his eyes, his platform, where he lay, arose in the middle of the stadium. The crowd roared and thundered in excitement. Outside the stadium, people swarmed and staggered to get in. Tidus pulled himself to his feet, holding his blitzball and stood there as the fans cheered for him. With a loud bang, the huge round ball known as the Sphere Pool, in the middle of the stadium filled up with water. A blitzball was a sport played inside this Sphere Pool. Only one year had passed since Tidus started to play for the Zanarkand Abes. In that time he had learned many great moves. His father, Jecht, was the renowned star player of the Zanarkand Abes. Tidus usually watched him play, and in his heart he longed to be like his father, or better. "Ten years?" he thought. The game started with the blitzball shooting high up. The Abes center, Gos grabbed the ball and passed it ahead to his right winger. The winger caught the ball and broke past his defender. Tidus also did the same and reached the Duggles' net with full speed. "Great. Only two guys to beat," thought Tidus. The rest of the Duggles were too far away to catch up. One of the their defensemen came swooping at Tidus. Tidus went left and slid his shoulder on him hard, ramming the defender out of the sphere pool. The crowd's roar thundered high above. "Maybe at the two-on-one or maybe at me. Probably at both," thought Tidus. At the same time, the Abes winger faked right to pull the goalie and the defender out of position, snapping a shot. It dinged the post and came straight toward Tidus. The goalie tried to recover but didn't have time. Tidus banged the ball into the wide open side of the net. 1-0. Meanwhile, outside the stadium, a man with red robe stood on a building, gazing down at the city of Zanarkand. He had a fair and noble face, grey-haired, proud and stern of glance. He was cloaked and booted as if for a journey; and his clothes were stained with long travel. A long scar ran down his right eye but he hid it with black shades. In the darkness the man caught a white glimmer of foam from the nearby ocean. A huge wave slowly arose. The man slowly went down and walked toward the stadium. Tidus's team were up one goal by the end of the first half. The second half started with a bang. Tidus's team came out storming to grasp the Jecht Memorial Cup. Two minutes had passed, and the Abes had already taken three or four shots on Duggles's net. Two were Tidus's, a slap kick that dinged the post, and a Sphere Shot from far outside. Tidus and his teammates knew that the game was theirs for the taking, it was only a matter of time. Tidus hit their center up in the middle and broke wide free for a two-on-one against their remaining defenseman. Tidus passed ahead to his teammate. His teammate faked a pass over to Tidus and fired a hard shot to the right side of the net. It bounced off the post and shot up, breaking high out of the pool. Tidus flew with great speed chasing after it. The fans responded with loud cheers and shouts as Tidus flew out of the sphere pool, coming down with a bicycle kick. Suddenly a huge wave arose before the city of Zanarkand and from it came red beams of fire like an eagle sweeping down to catch its prey. The beams pierced and destroyed the city. Tidus leaped forward and grasped vainly on a ledge with his right arm. To no avail, his hand slipped and down he fell. Tidus woke up from the fall. He ran down and saw the man with the scar. 'Auron!' cried Tidus, 'What are you doing here?' 'I was waiting for you,' said Auron, calmly. 'What are you talking about?' asked Tidus. Auron stood silent for a moment. Then without any words he turned away from Tidus and walked down the long path towards the wave. Too confused to ask him any questions, he followed Auron as fast as he could. Suddenly before him a hooded boy figure appeared. There was a dead silence in the air, Tidus looked around in shock and saw that everything had stopped moving. 'It begins.' A queer voice came out from the boy. 'Wha?' said Tidus with a muffled voice. 'Don't cry,' said the boy with a queer voice. Tidus slowly came forward before the boy, examining him. Flash of light appeared. The light was so bright it blinded Tidus for a few seconds, when he opened his eyes the boy was nowhere to be seen and time unfroze. 'What the...?' said Tidus, looking around. He saw a glimpse of Auron out of the darkness heading towards the big wave. 'Hey! Wait!' he cried, running down the road. 'Hey, not this way!' 'Look!' said Auron in a commanding voice. Tidus caught a view of an enormous ball of water hovering above the city, or so it seemed. Inside the water some kind of beast dwelled in. At any rate it was too large to be anything, sucking in everything that it came near to. 'We called it "Sin."' said Auron. '"Sin?"' said Tidus, confused. A great big squidy-like creature known as the 'Sinspawn' thrust through a building. From its tail, hundreds of small crab-like creatures called the 'Sinscale' flew up. Small amount of the queer creatures came down with a crash. They sprang to their feet and drew near to Auron and Tidus. Tidus sprang forward, breathing hard, his hands swaying at the creatures. His legs slipped, and fell back with a crash. 'Take it,' said Auron, handing him a long red sword, 'A gift from Jecht.' 'My old man?' he said, taking the sword and glancing at it. Auron brought out his katana, 'I hope you know how to use it.' Tidus nodded. 'These ones don't matter. We cut through!' said Auron, 'Don't bother going after all of them. Cut the ones that matter, and run!' Auron and Tidus slew many along their path. When the two slew their sixth Sinscale, the squidy creature known as the Sinspawn leaped from the building he thrust into earlier and down in front of Auron and Tidus. 'Get out of my town!' exclaimed Tidus in anger. 'Some can't wait to die!' said Auron grimly, feeling the edge of his katana. Auron leaped forward and stabbed the creature with all his might. Tidus felt a hot wrath blaze up in his heart, springing beside Auron, he also fought. The creature fell with a bang on the bridge. The two trotted past the fallen Sinspawn and hurried toward the enormous ball of water. Tidus saw his father, Jecht, on the big screen next to the bridge. 'What are you laughing at, old man?' said Tidus, turning to Auron, 'Auron! Let's get out of here!' 'We're expected.' He said in a queer voice. 'Huh?' Tidus gave him a puzzled look. Auron went on again. 'Gimme a break, man!' shrieked Tidus, following after him. As the two ran toward the huge ball of water, it became clear that something was inside it. Hundreds of Sinscales came flying down and crashed on the bridge, surrounding the two. 'Hmph. This could be bad.' Auron looked around, 'That-- knock it down!' cried Auron, pointing at the nearby tanker. 'What?' asked Tidus, confused look came into his face. 'Trust me. You'll see.' Tidus gave a sturdy thrust with his sword. The tanker fell down and blew the bottom of the big screen next to the bridge. The screen fell forward, right at the hundreds of Sinscales in front of Auron and Tidus. The bridge cracked and a blinding sheet of red flame rose up from it. 'Go' said Auron and ran off at a surprising pace. Tidus ran through the flames and the moment he leaped up, the rest of the bridge cracked with explosion and fell. Tidus grasped vainly on a broken road. A bright and fierce fire was beneath him. 'Auron!' he shouted. Auron gazed down at him. 'Auron!' he shrieked again desperately. The enormous ball of water now hovered above them, slowly sucking, at the same time Auron slowly gazed above at the thing. 'You are sure?' he asked. Tidus knew little of what was happening. Nor did he understand who Auron was referring to when he said, "You are sure?". Auron looked down at Tidus, who was struggling to get up. 'This is it.' Grabbing Tidus by the shirt, he pulled him up. 'This is your story.' He paused, and said slowly in a deep voice. 'It all begins here.' With that, a bright light sucked Auron and him. The confusion rose and engulfed his mind. He heard and saw nothing. 'Hey!' a voice rang in his head. 'Hey!' the voice rang again, much clear this time. 'My...old man?' said Tidus, remembering the voice. He opened his eyes and woke, or thought he had waked. He now found himself floating above Zanarkand. As if he was dreaming, and he slowly drifted down. "I thought about a lot of things... like where I was what I'd got myself into. I started to feel light-headed... and then sleepy. I think I had a dream. A dream of being alone. I wanted someone-anyone, beside me... so I didn't have to feel alone anymore." Tidus woke and found himself lying in a ruin surrounded with water. At first he thought he had been sleeping, a long unpleasant nightmare that still hovered on the edge of his memory. His surroundings looked strange; it was surrounded with water and the ruin was totally destroyed. 'Anybody there?' he said with a loud voice, looking around. 'Auron!' he shouted. He lay a little while longer listening. 'Heeey!' he screamed loud, waiting for somebody to answer. He slowly swam and climbed up the stairs to a temple. Trotting inside, he found himself standing on a bridge of some kind and saw a glimpse of bubble gurgling up from down below the water. Suddenly a black figure swept past on the water below. The black figure rammed the bottom wall. The bridge collapsed, right at he's feet it broke and with a cry he fell down into the deep water. Tidus came up, bubbling and struggling. Three creatures known as the Sahagin leaped over his head. They had fins, claws, and their body was much like a lizard. Tidus inhaled some air and swam down. He laid his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw. Two of them moved in to attack. He drew his sword, struck the first down, sprang forward and bore down his sword on the other. Suddenly a huge monster with greenish scales sprang forward, Tidus leaped away as the monster missed him by an inch and bit the Sahagin instead. 'Whoa!' shrieked Tidus, as he went up, grasping for air. He went down again and looked for a place to hide. At the same moment the monster leaped after him in pursuit, and from it came a terrible cry. Tidus looked back for a moment over his shoulder and saw the mouth of the monster coming closer. Fear filled his mind and he swam forward with great speed. He thought no longer of his sword. No cry came from him. He shut his eyes and raced for the entrance to nowhere. Tidus opened his eyes as he somehow went through the door of an another ruin, followed by the monster ramming the entrance. Rocks cracked down and buried the entrance. "I had made it out of the frying pan... and into the freezer. I thought I was going to die in this place." He stood up and climbed up the stairs. There he found a big round room, broken stones lay everywhere and water streamed down from the top. He didn't have the strength to figure out where he was or what this place was. The air was cold and he's legs ached. He was chilled to the bone and hungry; and his head was dizzy. 'Cold...' he said, shivering, 'Need...fire. A flint and firewood stack lay in the middle of the room. Tidus had trouble striking a flame, but at last a great sprout of flame sprang out, and the wood flared and sputtered. His heart was rejoiced to see the light of the fire in this dense darkness. The wood burned sweetly; and though all round him were broken and shattered stones, and pools of water streamed down, he warmed his hands gladly at the blaze without noticing. He lay down on the floor with his feet towards the hearth. 'I need food!' he said. A great sleepiness came over Tidus; he felt himself sinking fast into a warm and hazy dream. He then saw himself in a room. "What do you want?" he said grimly. Out of the shadows from the door, he heard Auron's voice speaking. "It was a bad call. Your team lost because of you." "You came to say THAT?" Tidus said with an effort. "It's been...ten years. I thought you'd be crying." "Who, me?" he answered. The hooded ghost boy appeared in front him. "You cried," said the boy. Tidus woke up painfully. He lay motionless, listening. He had remembered this event and the hooded boy he saw earlier but why the dream he thought. The fire burned low. He pulled himself up and sat down hugging his legs beside the fire. A red light was on his tired and confused face. Slowly the fire died till nothing was left but falling ashes and sparks. 'Hey, wait! Wait! Don't go out on me!' he shouted, standing up. 'Just hold on, I'll get more wood!' He turned around, looking for more wood. In the dim darkness, a wolf-shape could be seen halted, gazing at him with two shining eyes. The creature sprang towards him with a great leap. In red flash, Tidus drew the sword given to him from Auron and swung at it. There was a hideous yell, and the leaping shape thudded to the ground. Tidus's sword pierced him a little. As the creature sprang up to his feet, a bloom of blinding flame and roar came, as the wall beside them burst open. Tidus saw five vague figures difficult to make out away in the smoke and shadow. One of the figures, it was now clear that she was a girl, sprang lightly forward and stood beside Tidus. 'You on my side? Cool!' said Tidus at last, feeling his heart moved with a joy that he did not understand. The creature sprang forward once more. The girl loosed a grenade. The grenade flew in the air and plunged a burning fire into the heart of the creature, killing it. A bitter smoke curled everywhere from the blast on the wall to the dazzling flame on the creature. The girl took off her goggle, as Tidus saw her for the first time. 'Whew! That was close,' said Tidus, relieved. Four men stood before him. Two had guns in their hands, the other two had knifes. All were clad in yellowish clothes and one of them was masked. Strange people thought Tidus. At once one of the figures grabbed Tidus by the hair. 'Hey, lemme go!' said Tidus with a shout. The others drew their guns and pointed. 'Fryd ec drec?' said the old man who grabbed Tidus's hair. 'Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!' The guy pointing his gun at Tidus answered. 'Oac! Ed ec cu!' said the old man. 'Fa gemm ed?' the masked man said in a harsh tone. With that he grabbed Tidus and drew his knife around his neck. 'Fyed! Fryd ev ed ec risyh?' said the girl, who were also clad in yellow swimming suit. 'Drao yna dra cysa eh taydr,' answered the masked man in a commanding voice. 'E vunpet ed! Fa pnehk ed fedric,' said the girl, and walked forward to Tidus, 'Cunno.' Tidus felt a hard punch on his stomach, and everything seemed blurry to him as he fell down with a bang. Later, he woke up and found himself lying on a ship at night. There he saw the two strangers that captured him. He got up. 'Ced, lybdeja!' said the stranger, thrusting Tidus with his gun. Tidus fell backward on the ground, grabbing his shoulder. 'Hey, that hurts!' shrieked Tidus, eyeing him. The other guy drew his gun. 'Hu sujehk, rayn?' the guy said. 'Whoa... Okay.' At that moment, the nearby door opened up. The girl, who assisted Tidus earlier, came out along with a man. 'Caynir res!' said the man who just showed up. The girl sprang forward to Tidus and helped him get up. The man waved his hands around as if to tell him something. 'Right. Whatever.' 'Tu oui hud cbayg?' said the man, drawing out a goggle. 'I said I don't understand!' reasoned Tidus, ignoring him. 'Ehcumahla!' shouted the guy beside him, preparing to fire. 'Fyed!' said the girl, stopping them, 'He said you can stay if you make yourself useful.' 'You...You understand me?' said Tidus in disbelief. The masked guy passed his elbow with a thrust to Tidus. 'All right, I'll work!' 'We found some ancient ruins right beneath us. It's not active now, but there should still be some power left. We're gonna go down there and activate it... and then we should be able to salvage the big prize!' said the girl. 'Uh-huh.' 'Okay! Let's get to work!' said the girl, cheerfully. 'Roger.' The two dived into the deep sea, and marveled as they saw a huge ancient ruin far down below. Holding their breath, the two swam down and halted before the ruin. Tidus and the girl casually swam inside. In the dim darkness Tidus saw the thing they were looking for. A switch. He carefully pulled it down and suddenly all around them lights appeared. The two were dazzled by the great ancient ruin as it gave away light from out of nowhere. After activating the power, the two came back up on the ship. 'Fa vuiht dra airship!' said one of the four strangers. 'Dra naluntcfana nekrd.' The guy beside him replied, 'Huf, ruf du tnyk cd ib?' The strangers walked inside the ship, Tidus following them behind. One of them pushed Tidus away from the door saying, 'Oui, uidceta!' 'Hey! Hey, I helped out, didn't I?' he said, as the door shut down in front him. The clouds lifted as morning slowly dawned, but it was still dark. Tidus lay there looking up at the sky. Sleepiness and hunger came over him all at once. 'Uhh...hungry.' He yawned and suddenly felt a kick on his side. He looked up and saw the girl. The girl slowly sat a plate in front of Tidus. 'Whoa! Right on!' he said happily, gobbling the food as fast as he can. He coughed and choked as the chunk of food slipped down his throat. 'Hey!' cried the girl, handing him a bottle of water. Tidus quickly grabbed the water and drank with a sigh of relief. 'It's 'cause you eat too fast!' said the girl. Tidus rose, laughed and stretched. 'Hey!' the girl said. Tidus turned around. 'Hello there. What is your name?' he asked. 'Rikku' answered the girl. 'Whoa! You really do understand!' cried Tidus, holding up her hands in excitement and laughing with joy. 'Why didn't you say so earlier?' 'I didn't get a chance to! Everyone thought oui were a fiend.' 'Uh..."we"?' he asked. 'Oh, "oui" means "you".' 'Um... Who are you guys, anyway?' he asked again, driven by his curiosity. 'We're Al Bhed. Can't you tell? Wait. You're not an Al Bhed-hater, are you?' asked Rikku. 'I don't even know what an Al Bhed is.' 'Where are you from?' 'Zanarkand.' Tidus answered, 'I'm a blitzball player. Star player of the Zanarkand Abes!' 'Did you hit your head or something?' 'Um, you guys hit me.' Tidus replied. 'Oh, right... Do you remember anything before that?' "So I told her everything there was to tell about Zanarkand... About life there, blitzball, and Sin's attack... and about how Auron and I were engulfed in this light. I just said things as they came to mind. But then I started to wonder." 'Did I say something funny?' he asked. 'You were near Sin,' said Rikku. 'Mmm-hmm,' replied Tidus. 'Don't worry, you'll be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream?' she said, trying to comfort him. 'You mean I'm sick?' said Tidus, feeling down. 'Because of Sin's toxin, yeah.' 'You sure?' 'Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So...no one plays blitzball there,' Rikku explained. 'Huh? What do you mean, a thousand years ago? But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand! You're saying that happened a thousand years ago? No way!' 'You said...' said Rikku, taking a long pause, 'You play blitzball?' 'Uh-huh.' 'You know, you should go to Luca. Someone might know who you are, or you might find someone you recognize.' 'Luca?' asked Tidus. 'Agh.' Rikku trotted back and forth, thinking. After some time, she gave a soft pat to him on the back. 'Okay, leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, promise!' she said. Tidus gave her a strange look. 'Agh. You'd rather stay here?' asked Rikku. He quickly shook his head. 'Okay, I'll go tell the others. Wait here. Oh, and one thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, okay? Yevon says it's a holy place. You might upset someone.' 'Oh. Uh-huh.' Tidus replied. Rikku trotted off. "My Zanarkand, some kind of holy place? Yeah right, I thought. Since when? Yevon? Sin? Luca? I thought Sin just took me to a faraway place, that I could go back in a day or two." 'But a thousand years into the future? No way!' he shouted in anger. Tidus drawing his strength, back kicked the ship's wall. The ship quivered and rumbled, as Tidus fell down. A great noise of splash came from the nearby sea. The crew came out in horror. 'Sin!' shrieked one of them. 'Sin ec lusa!' cried the other. 'Ihtan ic! Ihtan ic!' shouted all, panicking. Great rippling formed on the surface of the water and with great speed it traveled at the ship. It slammed the ship and all hope was lost. 'Whoa! Aaaah!!!' screamed Tidus, as he fell off from the ship and down into the water. Even as he fell he caught, as through a swirling water, a glimpse of Rikku and the crew staring at him on top of the ship. The sea engulfed him without a mercy. Many memories rang around his mind for he was at lost. =========================================================== CHAPTER II The Girl and Her Pilgrimage =========================================================== Tidus lay in a dark dream; it seemed that he could hear the sound of the ocean, gurgling and bubbling all around him. Where was he? He woke and opened his eyes. Cold water blew on his face, as he saw nothing but water. He jerked up with a struggle and a shout. 'Rikku!' Morning had came, brighter than ever and seagulls flew high above in the sky. His eyes were dazzled by the sunlight glittering on the water. He felt a sudden knock on his head. He turned round and saw with an effort, for his eyes hurt. Tidus could only make out some blurry shape forms of several people on the beach. The object that hit him fell in front of him. 'Blitzball!' he cried with sudden surprise. 'Hey! You okay?' said a voice, coming from the shore. 'Heeey!' Tidus yelled back at them. The blurry shapes slowly became clear to him and from their clothes, he guessed they were blitzball players just like him. Tidus jumped up along with the ball in full speed. He spun two times in air. The double spin worked. It gave Tidus a split-second opening, and he took advantage of it by pounding a hard double-legged slap kick. The ball flew in the air with a swoosh. The players on the beach marveled as they saw the ball spin past them. 'Whoa-ho!' cried one of the players, in amazement. Tidus quietly came on land. 'Yo! Hiya!' said Tidus, greeting them. A man with bandanna round his forehead, his hair sticking up, trotted forward to greet the guest. He had a friendly face and a friendly heart. 'You wanna try that move one more time?' he asked softly. "Finally, things were starting to look up." He thought. Grabbing another ball, he threw it up. With burst of speed, he dived in with a somersault and knocked it hard with his right leg. The people watched in amazement as the ball traveled with great speed along the water forming great rippling on the surface. 'Sphere Shot,' cried Tidus. 'You're no amateur. Who you play for?' asked the man with bandanna, still amazed. 'The Zanarkand Abes!' answered Tidus, proudly. The strangers stared at him curiously. 'What team you say again?' he asked in a low voice. 'Uh, I meant... Forget that. I got too, uh...close to Sin and my head's all foggy-like. So I don't know where this place is. Or even where I came from,' explained Tidus. 'Sin's toxin got to you. But, you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon!' the man said. The people around him made circles with their hands and then slightly bowed their head. 'All right, back to practice!' said the man, commanding to the other players. He turned around. 'I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda.' The two gave a hard but friendly shake. Tidus's stomach ached for food. 'What? You hungry?' asked Wakka, 'Okay! Back to the village. I'll get you somethin'!' "I felt like I could trust this Wakka, so I just had to ask." Tidus thought. 'It's true Zanarkand was destroyed, right? A thousand years ago? So it's just a big pile of rubble now, isn't it?' he asked. 'Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira. Big cities with machina--machines--to run 'em. People played all day and let the machina do the work. And then, well, take a look. Sin came, and destroyed the machina cities. And Zanarkand along with 'em. Yeah, that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said. If you ask me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get out of hand. What gets me, though...' replied Wakka, 'is we gotta suffer, 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when! 'Course, we must always repent for our sins! That's important! It's just that, it's hard to keep at it sometimes, you know?' "It was just as Rikku said. Wakka and Rikku couldn't both be lying. Why would they?" he said to himself. Wakka laughed. 'But you from the Zanarkand Abes--that was a good one! Hey, I'm not saying the team never existed, ya? But you gotta figure a team livin' in luxury like that'd be pretty soft, eh?' "I appreciated the fact that Wakka was trying to cheer me up. But at that time, all I could think about was... everything that happened to me--all this--started with Sin. Maybe if I could find Sin one more time, I could go home! For now, I'd just live life until that time came. No more worrying about where, or when, I was. Sure it was hard not to think of home. But I started to feel better already. A little better...maybe." 'Hey! It's this way!' said Wakka, guiding him through the forest. Wakka and Tidus went little into the forest when they came upon an edge. 'Huh?' said Tidus as if to ask why the dead-end. Before them lay a wide stream of water flowing down swiftly on the bottom. Wakka quietly stepped beside Tidus and pushed him down. Tidus gave a cry and splashed into the water. Wakka came down also with a splash. 'What's the big idea?' cried Tidus, as he came up bubbling and struggling. The water was cold but its touch was clean, and as they swam on, he felt that the stain of travel and all washed from him. They could only hear the music of water running sweetly. Tidus caught his breath as they swam on. To his right and left stood great colorful trees and sward of grass on the bottom. At the feet of the trees, and all about the green hillsides the grass was studded with small golden flowers in many shapes. Over them, the sky was clear and blue, and the morning sun shone upon them. Wakka suddenly grasped Tidus by the neck firm but gently. 'Lemme go!' he cried. 'Got a favor to ask ya,' said Wakka. 'You want me on your team, right?' said Tidus. 'A major blitz tournament's coming up. All the teams in Spira'll be there! It's so huge, I'm sure someone there will recognize you! Than you can go back to your old team, right? It'll be fun! What do you say, huh? Come on, come on!' begged Wakka. 'Sure thing,' replied Tidus. 'Dude! Our team is gonna rock, eh?' said Wakka, as light lit in his eyes. "I thought then that blitzball and Sin were the only two things that Spira and Zanarkand had in common. I wasn't too far off, either." Half mile they swam until they came on shore again. Wakka and Tidus now stood on a hill. 'This is where I was born. I started blitz when I was five. I joined the Aurochs at thirteen...ten years ago. Ten years...and we never won a game. Well, after last year's tournament, I quit. Time seemed right. So, after quitting, I got this new job, ya? But every time my mind wandered, I thought about the game,' he said sadly, shaking his head. Tidus looked and saw, some distance, a small but pleasant village. 'Ten years without a single win'll do that,' said Tidus. 'My first match last year was my big chance. But something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus,' said Wakka. 'Nice excuse,' replied Tidus. 'Hey, hey!' muttered Wakka. 'So you want to win the next tournament--go out with a bang. So, what's our goal?' asked Tidus. 'I don't care how we do. Long as we play our best. If we give it our all, I can walk away happy,' said Wakka. 'No, no, no, no, no. If I say, "What's our goal?" you say, "Victory!" When you play in a blitzball tournament, you play to win!' he commanded. 'Victory? You serious?' said Wakka in a low voice, he's heart filling with excitement. They slowly marched on down the hill, following the road down to the village. Two men came running from another road. 'Ah, the one from the sea!' said the taller men. 'Be on guard. There're fiends on the road today!' warned the other men. 'After surviving your run-in with Sin, 'twould be a shame if something happened now,' said the tall men, and went swiftly down the road. 'Who were they?' asked Tidus. 'Luzzu and Gatta--Crusaders' answered Wakka. 'Crews of what?' said Tidus, as strange look came into his eyes. 'What, you forgot that, too? Hey, sorry. Don't worry about it, I'll help you out,' said Wakka. 'Cool,' replied Tidus, 'In return, come tournament time, I'll make sure we take the cup!' 'Cool,' said Wakka, 'About the Crusaders, you can ask them yourself. They've got a lodge in the village.' The two came at last to the village. 'Besaid Village,' said Wakka. 'They got any food there?' asked Tidus. 'We'll get you something over there later. Take a look around first. Let's see... The Crusader Lodge is over yonder. Luzzu and Gatta are usually there,' said Wakka, pointing at the nearby shack. 'Oh, right. Over here!' said Wakka, barring his way and leading him back out the village. 'Huh? What's up?' said Tidus with wonder. 'You do remember the prayer, right?' asked Wakka. "Of course I'd never prayed before in my life. Not that he would know that... I didn't know it in the first place to tell the truth." 'You...must have forgot or something. Man, that's like the basics of the basics. Here, I'll show you,' said Wakka. He stepped back and made a round circle with his hands. 'Go ahead, you try.' Tidus did the same. 'Hey, not bad,' said Wakka, 'Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner.' "Any blitzball player would know that prayer. It was the blitzball sign for victory." Tidus quietly made his way inside the lodge Wakka pointed. 'Hey, you! You were attacked by Sin...right? Recently was it?' asked Gatta. 'I think so,' answered Tidus. 'So, Sin can't be far, right? You're not hiding anything, are you?' asked Gatta again, looking at him with renewed wonder, but his eyes hardened. 'Why would I?' he said. 'If Sin's nearby, it'll attack the island for sure. But it hasn't. I wonder why?' said Gatta, talking to himself. 'I'm sorry. I really don't know anything. To tell you the truth, I don't even know what the Crusaders are,' explained Tidus. 'You're kidding, right?' said Gatta, his clear bright eyes bent again upon Tidus. 'Sin! The toxin! Gatta, tell him who we are!' said the tall men, Luzzu, joining in on the conversation. 'Yes, sir!' said Gatta immediately, 'The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin! We have chapters throughout Spira, accepting all who wish to join our struggle! The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders eight hundred years ago as the Crimson Blades. Later, our ranks grew and we called ourselves the Crusaders. We've been fighting Sin ever since!' 'What, you've been fighting eight hundred years and you still haven't beat it?' said Tidus. 'Well, we've steered Sin away from towns many times! And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our mission as Crusaders is to protect the temples, towns, villages, and people of Spira,' said Luzzu. 'So then whose job is it to defeat Sin?' asked Tidus. 'Is Sin's toxin really this bad, sir?' asked Gatta. 'It does seem rather bad... We could just tell you, but I think it's better for you to try and remember. Go pray at the temple. Perhaps Yevon will help you regain your memory,' said Luzzu. Taking their advice, Tidus went forward and came at the far end of the village where the temple is. He entered and halted. A huge dome room stretched before him and for a second he saw four mighty pillars of men hewn of stone. Two other pillars of man and woman, larger than the four, were on both sides at the far end. Its ground was polished and smooth as glass, in the firelight it flashed and glittered. Tidus saw three entrances; one to his left, one to his right and the other lay straight before him with many steps leading up to it. "It was then, standing in that place. I began to realize how different this world was from my own." As Tidus stood watching one of the four pillars, he saw that it was indeed shaped and fashioned incredibly. 'Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became high summoner,' said a priest from beside him, 'And finally we receive a statue for our temple. 'What's a high summoner?' asked Tidus. Suddenly the people beside him stepped back and a look of wonder came into their face. 'I...I got too close to Sin's, uh, toxin,' he said. "It was funny hearing myself make the same excuse over and over. Funny, and a little sad." 'The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon,' said the priest. "So what he meant... was that we should respect some kinda great men or something like that... I figured." Only ten or twenty minutes had passed after departing with Wakka, and it was barely noon. He soon appeared at Wakka's hut. 'Sorry, man. No time for lunch yet. Take a nap! You look bushed,' said Wakka. 'Thanks!' said Tidus, as he nodded and lay on the bed beside Wakka. Sleepiness soon crept over him but dimly he became aware of voices. 'You could at least go see how they are doing.' He heard the priest talking. 'We can't interfere. It's a rule,' reasoned Wakka's voice. 'But, it's been nearly...' Suddenly he sank fast into a warm and hazy dream. Many voices rang in his head. "But, it's been nearly..." "It's been nearly a day already." "Perhaps you could go look for us." There now came into his mind unbidden visions of a shore. He saw many people and recognized his mother amongst them. "People are searching for him now," said a man. "Thank you," replied his mother in a low voice. Another vision came into his eyes. He saw himself when he was about seven. "Who cares whether he comes back or not?" He heard a dim voice of himself. "But he might die!" said his mom. "Fine, let him!" said the young Tidus harshly. "Do you... Do you hate him so?" asked his mother. Tidus nodded. "If he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him," said his mother. Tidus woke up with a cry. He came back to the waking world and found that it was still noon. He stood up and looked about. 'Wakka' he called out. At that moment, he remembered about the conversation between Wakka and the priest. Leaping up, he rushed back to the temple and found Wakka. 'Is something wrong?' he asked. 'The summoner hasn't returned from the trial,' answered Wakka. 'Eh?' said Tidus. 'Well, apprentice summoner, really...' said Wakka. 'Ah?' Tidus said in a low voice. Confused look came about his face. 'There's a room in there called the Cloister of Trials. Beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, the apprentice becomes a fully-fledged summoner, remember?' said Wakka. 'So someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out. Right, I got it,' said Tidus. 'A day's already gone by,' said Wakka in a soft voice. 'Is it particularly dangerous in there?' asked Tidus. 'Sometimes, yes,' answered Wakka. 'Why don't you go in and help?' he asked. 'There's already guardians in there. Besides, it's forbidden,' said Wakka. 'Hey, but what if somethin' happens? What if the summoner dies!?' cried Tidus, leaping up the steps. 'The precepts must be obeyed!' yelled the priest behind him. 'Like I care!' said Tidus, disobeying the priest and entered. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." Thought Tidus. The passage twisted round a few turns, and then began to descend. It was then, that Wakka came running from behind. 'Hey! What's gotten into you?' said Wakka, taking a breath. 'Hey, it's okay. Only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important' 'So what about you?' asked Tidus. 'Me? I'm a guardian,' answered Wakka proudly. 'A guardian?' said Tidus, gazing towards at Wakka. Wakka led Tidus to a round platform and slowly descended down. 'Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira. Guardians protect them. The guardians are in there now... One of them's got a short fuse, and who knows what the other's thinking. Well, now that we've come this far...might as well go all the way!' said Wakka just as the platform hit the bottom floor. The two took the door in front of them. Just as they entered, Tidus heard the voice of a woman. 'What are you doing here? Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?' A woman clad in black stepped up. 'No, it's uh...it's just...' stammered Wakka, and turned around to Tidus, 'See, I told you she gets mad easy.' Up in front, went a stair of stone, a red rug was lain on the stairs. Guarding the stairs stood a huge beast. His blue hair whisked in the soft breeze, and a broken horn was on its forehead. The beast seemed like a great standing stone possessing both power and terror to Tidus. 'Is the summoner all right?' said Tidus, unnoticing the woman beside him. 'Who are you?' asked the woman in black, with wonder in her eyes. Tidus was now aware of her, as he saw her ghostly gaze upon him. Suddenly the door at the far north opened as Tidus gazed in silence at the girl who came out from it and wondered if he had strayed off into a dream. Beautiful was her face and slender she was, clad in white and blue. Thus Tidus saw her for the first time and thought of her ever since. And she was also aware of him but made no sign of it. Sweat trickled down from her forehead as she slowly made her way down the stairs. The beast caught her just as she collapsed down. 'I've done it. I have become a summoner!' said the girl. Wiping her sweat, the girl ran outside to the village with the others. "Man was I surprised. And here I was thinking summoners were old geezers." 'Hey, over here!' cried Wakka, disturbing Tidus's thought and grabbing him by the neck. 'What? Ow!' shouted Tidus. 'Wait till you see this!' said Wakka, dragging him near the crowd of people. 'I can't see anything!' said Tidus, finally breaking away from Wakka's grasp. 'Ready!' cried Wakka to the lady summoner. 'Okay!' said the summoner. The summoner slowly meditated and turned her staff around, as if in a deep thought. Tidus looked up, and saw that the sky above the girl had grown gray, as if a vast smoke hung above it. Suddenly a light came through it and there was a flash of searing lightning. A great black shape came flying down with great speed, a beast like an eagle with wings. It stood menacingly before the summoner and the villagers. Tidus heard some of the villagers whispering, 'Valefor'. The summoner walked towards the huge beast with no fear. The beast bending its neck allowed the summoner to touch him. The villagers cheered and shouted. Tidus did not move. "I had never seen anything like it in my life. Sure, it was a little scary, but still...I could feel a strange kind of gentleness coming from it." The beast flew away afterwards as dusk drew near. "I remember... That night, we talked for the first time. I didn't know it then, but after that night, everything changed. For everyone... For me..." Later that night, a great sprouting campfire was started. The villagers gathered around the fire, talking and having fun. The night was clear and cool. Tidus halted as Wakka came near. 'Let me introduce you to the team,' he said, putting his arm around Tidus's shoulder. 'This guy wants into the tournament so bad, I let him on the team. His memory's a little fuzzy, so don't mind him if he says anything odd!' introduced Wakka, and turned to Tidus, 'Come on, say hi.' 'Uh... Hi, guys.' His teammate welcomed him with a cheer. 'So, what's our goal?' said Tidus, feeling energetic and welcomed. 'To do our best!' shouted his teammates. 'Nope, we got a new goal now! Our new goal...is victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team! To bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win! Easy, yea?' cried Wakka, encouraging his teammates. 'Victory... Victory! Victory! Victory! Yeah!' chanted the team in a single voice. Tidus was in good spirit and as he slowly turned right he saw her. He longed to step up and meet her. 'You heathen!' cried an old man beside the summoner. 'Stay away from the summoner!' shouted an old woman. 'You're a bad man!' shrieked a small girl. 'Lady Yuna! Be careful!' warned the old man. Tidus had remembered getting the old folks pretty angry by entering the sacred chamber where the summoner was praying. He felt little embarrassed hearing those things about him. 'But it was really my fault to begin with,' argued the summoner, and standing up she stepped forward to meet Tidus, 'I'm Yuna. Thank you so much for your help earlier.' 'I'm sorry about that. Wasn't that... Wasn't I not supposed to... Guess I...kind of overreacted.' Tidus blamed himself. 'Oh, no. I was...overconfident,' said Yuna. As they talked, the sky cleared above them and was slowly filled with twinkling stars. 'Um, I saw that aeon thing. That's amazing!' said Tidus. 'Really? Do you think I can become high summoner?' she asked, her eyes upon him. 'Lady Yuna, come play with me some more!' cried a small girl. The summoner nodded to the girl and turned round to Tidus once more. 'So, tomorrow, then,' she said. 'Tomorrow?' he asked. 'We're going on the same boat, aren't we?' said Yuna. 'Oh, really?' stammered Tidus, feeling excited in heart. 'We can talk more. You can tell me all about Zanarkand!' said the summoner and walked off. Tidus stood there for a while his eyes ever upon her when Wakka came beside him. 'She's cute, ya?' he asked. 'Yeah!' answered Tidus. 'Don't get no ideas,' said Wakka. 'No promises there, big guy. Hey, but what if she, like, comes on to me?' asked Tidus. 'That's not going to happen. If you get tired, let me know. I had a bed made for you,' said Wakka, and as he examined him, he saw his weary face, 'Hm? Ready for bed?' 'Yeah,' said Tidus, feeling tired. 'Good. Sleep tight,' said Wakka, leading him to his bed. Tidus lay for a while in his bed thinking of the girl and soon fell into a deep sleep. Soft breeze blew chill in the room, as Tidus lay in a troubled dream. Tidus saw himself running to the pier. "Where's that boat?" he wondered. He ran a little and found Yuna standing, gazing at the ocean. "Everyone will find us if it doesn't come soon," said Yuna, worried. "You really sure this is okay?" asked Tidus. "Would you take me to Zanarkand?" said Yuna. "Hey! You'd said you'd go with me!" cried a voice from behind them, as Rikku came running. "Oh, hey...I, uh..." he stammered. "I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas?" blamed Rikku. "He did?" asked Yuna. "Yeah, so you're coming with me!" said Rikku. "Hey! Stop dreaming!' shouted a harsh voice from behind them. Tidus remembered this voice. This voice he had hated and dreaded for so long. Tidus turned around and saw his father on the beach. "You with a woman? You can't even catch a ball! Oh, what's the matter? Gonna cry again? Cry, cry. That's the only thing you're good for!" said Jecht mockingly. "I hate you," said young Tidus softly, despising his father. "Huh? What'd you say?" said Jecht. "You have to speak loudly," advised Yuna. "I hate you!" cried young Tidus again. "Eh?" stammered Jecht. "That's the spirit!" said Rikku, encouraging Tidus. "You can do it!" cried Yuna. 'I hate you!' screamed Tidus, waking up in hatred. Tidus roused himself painfully from the bed and looked about. Dimly he heard voices. 'He's dead, okay? Dead!' said an angry voice outside the lodge. He slowly stooped over and looked outside. 'He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!' said the woman in black. Tidus remembered her, he remembered her ghostly gaze upon him in the chamber. 'Yeah, but...he needed our help!' said Wakka. 'Excuses again?' asked the woman. 'Yeah, but...' stammered Wakka. 'That's it. No more. Enough, Wakka!' said the woman angrily and walked off. Wakka with cast down head, slowly came back to the lodge. 'Scary! So, who's Chappu?' asked Tidus. 'My little brother Chappu. He looked like you,' explained Wakka. 'He's dead?' asked Tidus. 'He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it. I first heard it on the day of the tournament,' said Wakka with grief. 'Oh, so that's why.' 'I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?' said Wakka. 'Revenge, then?' asked Tidus. 'That was the idea. I'm more worried about a stupid game now than avenging my brother. Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian full-time. I know it kinda looks like I'm using you, but I'm not.' 'Don't worry. I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out, you know? What I mean is...thanks, Wakka,' he thanked. 'Stop, you're embarrassing me!' said Wakka blushing. Tidus lay for a while in his bed. Trying not to sleep. Trying not to remember the dreams. But soon a great sleepiness came over him and he felt himself unable to resist it anymore and fell into a deep, deep sleep. A sleep he hasn't slept for years. =========================================================== CHAPTER III The Journey =========================================================== Tidus woke early in his bed, feeling well and refreshed. The first red light of day was in the room as the fresh scent of morning air came swirling through the open window. Getting up quietly, Tidus left the lodge and stepped out into the morning sunlight. Both Wakka and the woman in black stood outside. 'Hey! Sleepyhead! Something I want to give you,' called Wakka, breaking the silence in the air. It seemed to Tidus as the sword Brotherhood shone with bright blue flame for a split second as Wakka brought it out. 'Whoa! You're giving this...to me?' asked Tidus, with wonder and light in his eyes. 'Yeah, use it well!' said Wakka. 'That's the sword you gave Chappu,' said the woman. 'Well, he never used it. Where's Yuna?' said Wakka. 'We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right? Why do we gotta wait here?' asked Tidus. 'Yuna came to this village ten years ago, when the last Calm started,' replied Wakka. 'The Calm?' said Tidus, confused as usual. 'Since then, she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu,' said Wakka, sounding both happy and sad. Lulu? So Lulu is her name thought Tidus staring at the woman in black. 'But she had the talent... She became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner,' said Wakka. 'This is our journey... We should leave together,' said Lulu. Yuna came out from the temple later on carrying a big luggage. 'You really don't need all that luggage,' said Lulu. 'They're not really my things. They're gifts for the temples we're to visit,' replied Yuna. 'This isn't a vacation, Yuna,' said Wakka. 'I guess...I guess you're right,' said Yuna, leaving the luggage. 'Okay! Off we go!' cried Wakka. The party took little of food and equipment. Tidus had his blue sword Brotherhood and carried a Metal Shield of no significant. At last they turned away and took the road up the long steep hill. After reaching the top, Yuna stopped. 'Take your time,' said Lulu to Yuna. 'Let's get going, man!' exclaimed Tidus, hurrying. 'We're gonna wait,' said Wakka, and slowly turning to Yuna, 'Are you ready?' Yuna softly nodded. The party quietly stepped up to a nearby statue on the road. 'What's going on?' asked Tidus. 'It's an ancient custom. People leaving the island pray here for a safe trip. Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat,' said Wakka. Tidus stood there quietly and watched them pray. 'That should do it!' said Wakka, standing up. Leaving the statue, the party turned west. Wakka, Lulu, and Yuna walked in front, leading the way. Tidus marched behind them, staring ever at the ground when suddenly great shadows sprang down from above. He looked up and saw mighty pillars withholding a great dome on the center. With one glance Tidus saw a shadow sprang down from it. He had remembered that beast. The mighty creature protecting the stairs and the door at the Sacred Chamber. Giving no another thought Tidus quickly leaped backward as the huge beast came down on the ground with four legs. The beast ripped the earth with his claws and stood up menacingly. The beast leaped at Tidus again, as he barely dodged it. Seeing an opening, Tidus thrust a strong kick, sending the beast down on the ground. The beast stood up, as a mighty roar echoed in the air from its mouth when suddenly Wakka stepped up. 'That's enough!' cried Wakka. The beast ignoring Wakka, left the scene and sped on ahead. 'What's with that guy?' asked Tidus. 'Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe. He's learned the fiends' way of fighting,' said Lulu from beside him. 'That's not what I meant!' said Tidus. 'He's another of Yuna's guardians,' said Wakka. 'Sometimes we don't understand him either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway,' said Yuna, 'But he has protected me since I was a child!' The party stood for a moment in silence and marched on again, passing the pillars. They went for some ten minutes when they finally arrived at the pier. Small group of villagers had managed to come down from the village to bid farewell to the fair lady summoner and her guardians. 'Goodbye,' said Yuna, waving at the villagers. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= << Disclaimer >> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This projected is created for personal use only. You MUST not use it for anything that -gains profit-. You're also not allowed to rip off part/s of this and put it on your own or use it. I have written this down myself. This written down project cannot be copied or posted without my permission! If you want to post it in your web site please do ask me first! My e-mail address: Tsogtoo777@yahoo.com These are the official sites who has my permission to use my FAQ: http://www.gamefaqs.com http://www.neoseeker.com http://www.psxcodez.com http://www.gamesdomain.com http://www.rpgamer.com http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/slimstacy/ffxmain.html ------- CREDITS ------- - A Very Special thanks to our saviour Lord Jesus Christ for making everything possible and helping me in everyway. - Special thanks to Square for creating a wonderful and magnificent game. Loved your games since the beginning. - Special thanks to Redemption and Entity for hosting work and FAQs on their site. - Special thanks to Stacy Dawkins for hosting my work on her site. - Special thanks to my family. - Thanks to all the readers. - Thanks to all the people who supported me, helped me and is still helping me. - Thanks to Alastair412 for telling me some of the mistakes I did. - Thanks to Smee, JangOFett, Lynx009 for the advices they gave me and supported me. Version 0.3 Copyright (c) Tsogtsaihan Baatar 2003