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Spiralling- Chapter 1

Auron stood at the gateway to a Zanarkand that once was and what will never be again. He spat on the ground and silently cursed this nightmare realm. He wanted to curse Braska and Jecht too for that matter, but it was their promises that were keeping him upright after all. It was his choice to be here, he could have let it go, but it would mean letting Spira go in the process. That world had spent too much time on the crushing cycle of destruction.

A cold wind off the harbor seemed to be the psychic shove, telling him to get on with things. "Alright Jecht," he muttered, adjusting the wine jug at his side, "let's do this your way now. I pray your son is ready for this." He began to make his way towards the Blitzball stadium as he watched idly out of the corner of his eye as a slight ripple transformed into a crushing wave.

"You're being a little too eager with your entrance, as usual." Auron shook his head and the nearby roar of the crowd drowned out the oncoming tidal wave. He leapt onto a building's overhang just in time to see the first bursts of energy erupt from Sin's carapace. The blasts ripped through the Blitzball stadium and he could hear the structure begin to crumble from within. Auron shouldered his sword and looked away from the escaping crowd, trying to block out the shrieks for help. It wouldn't do any good to waste time pitying these people.

"Auron!"

Taking a deep breath, Auron turned to see the one person he could save out of this mess, the one that would carry the burdens of the past along with the weight of a doomed future. "Tidus," he nodded and jumped down from his post, "let's get going."

The young man gave Auron a questioning glare. "Get going where? What's going on? We've got to do something! Help these people!" Tidus grabbed onto Auron's coat as they began to move away from the stadium and onto the causeway.

"No time for that. He's waiting for us. Here," Auron reached down and unclipped the second sword that had been hanging by his side, "Jecht told me to give you this." He handed the sword over to Tidus, whose hands trembled slightly as he took the blade from him. Auron couldn't help but feel doubtful about this choice.

Tidus stared at the blade and then looked to Auron. "I don't understand what does my father have to do with this? And who is waiting for us? We've got to get out of here." Tidus went to halt Auron, but instead they were both knocked on their backs by an explosion. Tidus looked up to see a giant tentacle wriggling and releasing what looked like larvae along the ground. "What in the heck is that?" Tidus gasped as he crawled backwards to get away from the sinspawn.

"Unfortunately it's just something that comes along with our ticket out of here," Auron muttered and swung his sword forward in a swift arc. The larvae creatures burst as the edge of the blade cut through them. Auron reached back and pulled Tidus to his feet.

Tidus struggled to his feet and turned in time to bat away another sinspawn just as the causeway began to quake beneath his feet. "What now?"

Auron looked up to see Sin's looming body hover above them. "Now it's time to for us to leave."

"On that thing?" Tidus gaped.

"You're catching on." Auron went to pull Tidus closer so they wouldn't be separated during the warp, but all of the shock to the causeway finally proved to be too much. The road beneath them buckled and Tidus slipped, only to catch the cracked edge of the bridge in time before he fell into the water below. "Take my hand!" Auron yelled trying to reach out.

A bright light enveloped both of them and Auron fell away from Tidus. Tidus could only gaze up as some hazy portal in the sky opened before him. He screamed, but even his voice seemed to be sucked up into the vortex above him. He was so lost and confused. He could barely hear Auron's cries at him as everything seemed to turn bright, then go black.

Then there was nothing.

---

"Auron!" Tidus cried out, bolting upright. He struggled to breathe, tumbled from where he lay and fell onto the floor. Bumping his head against the floor he groaned and rubbed his forehead. Was he back home? Had that been some sort of nightmare?

"You're awake," a soft, male voice spoke up from behind him.

Tidus winced and turned around to see a very tall man reaching out to help him off the ground. Tidus' eyes wondered over the man's body. At first he thought that the man had antennae or horns sprouting from his head, but he soon realized that it was only a part of the man's strange, limb-like hair. The man's face was rather handsome, though certainly different from anything Tidus had ever seen living in Zanarkand. Large, blue-violet veins traveled along the man's forehead. As Tidus' gaze traveled down he noticed the young man's rather large tattoo that spread across his chest. It seemed to be of two dragons, back-to-back, claws reaching outward in defense. Or could it be in battle?

The man's clothes were also quite different from the typical Zanarkand fashion. The rich, lavishly decorated robes seemed to accentuate the powerful physique of the man standing before him. Tidus hesitantly took the man's hand, though felt a chill run through him at the sight of the man's irregularly long fingers. They grasped Tidus' hand quite easily and pulled him up with very little effort.

"Where the heck am I?" Tidus let his hand fall away from the stranger's, idly checking his side to make sure his father's sword still rested there. As his palm brushed against the pommel it was a small comfort to him. If these people had kept him armed, maybe they weren't going to harm him.

The man tilted his head and examined Tidus for a moment with a scrutinizing look. "You are in Guadosalam."

"Guado-what now? Is this some sort of joke?" Tidus turned away from the man to look around the room. He suddenly realized how warm and "close" the room felt. It seemed to be a small guest room. Sparsely decorated he didn't seem to recognize anything familiar.

"I assure you this is no joke. My men found you in the Thunder Plains. One of them swore they saw you fall from the sky, but I find that hard to believe. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Maester Seymour Guado," Seymour said as he seemed to return Tidus' questioning gaze. "I'm rather surprised to see someone trying to make through that place without the proper guards. Were you with a pilgrimage group?"

Tidus simply stared, mouth slightly open, speechless. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Pilgrimage? Thunder Plains? He couldn't remember any such place. He licked his lips as his hand clenched into a fist, tugging at his hair in frustration. "All I know is that Zanarkand was being attacked and then there was this huge… thing destroying everything around me."

Seymour's eyes widened and he reached out, grabbing Tidus' arm. "You've been near Sin? The destruction of Zanarkand was lifetimes ago."

Tidus tilted his head to the side, shrugging off the larger man's hand. The strange coolness of the touch was uncomfortable. "No, I was there! I've lived in Zanarkand all of my life. What is Sin? Was that the creature that was attacking the city? We've got to help them! Zanarkand is in trouble."

The guado closed the door to the room quickly and turned to Tidus, pushing the young man towards the back of the room. "Keep your voice down," Seymour hissed, "stop speaking this foolishness. Zanarkand has been nothing but ruins for ages. No one lives there. It was destroyed by Sin! You couldn't have possibly been there. You've been Sin-touched or something."

"I am not crazy! Auron will prove it to you!"

Seymour started to say something, but a loud rapping at the door interrupted the argument. "Maester Seymour? Are you alright? I heard some shouting. Is our guest awake?" an elderly voice spoke from the hallway.

"Yes, our guest has awakened. He was just a little confused at the moment. Poor boy seems to of been struck by lightning or some such. Can't remember where his pilgrimage group is or what happened to them," Seymour answered and gave a nod to Tidus. He leaned close to the boy and frantically whispered. "Speak nothing of Sin or Zanarkand. I have the proof that will allow you to see what happened to your city. Perhaps you are really telling the truth."

Tidus kept his mouth shut and watched the guado with uncertainty. If this man really had proof he would give the man a chance to prove his point. He knew he had to find Auron though and get back to Zanarkand. He would play along with Seymour for now, he had no choice.

"Oh, how dreadful," the elderly voice spoke once more from behind the door. "Should I get a healer?"

"No need Tromell, the boy is coming around now. Just tell the cooks to prepare a little something to eat for our guest. We'll be in my study."

"Very well Maester Seymour."

Seymour listened as the footsteps faded down the hallway and he opened the door once again. "Follow me. We shall see if those ramblings of yours are the truth or if you are just spouting some sort of madness."

Tidus glared at Seymour, but said nothing in response. He followed behind the maester as he led him down the hallway. He tried to simply focus on the back of Seymour's head, swallowing back any fear that rose within him. He had to find Auron and having that goal would be his life raft for now.

---

Rikku climbed onto the deck of the Al Bhed ship, dripping wet from her deep sea dive. She stood and began to peel the wetsuit off, making sure not to crush the delicate piece of ancient technology she had found hiding within the ruins on the ocean bottom. Shaking the water from her blonde locks she caught the sight of her friend, Yuna, leaning against the guard rail. Rikku slowly made her way over to her friend, not wanting to disturb Yuna's silent reverie. She often noticed Yuna quietly gazing off into the horizon as if waiting for something or someone.

Yuna didn't seem to even notice Rikku's appearance. The wind gently ruffling her hair as the boat began to lurch onward from its current destination. "Yunie?" Rikku spoke up, touching her friend's shoulder.
"Hm? Oh, Rikku," Yuna glanced over at her young friend and gave a soft smile, "was the dive successful?"

"Yeah! Look!" Rikku held out her other hand that contained a rather strange looking gear. "I've never seen anything like it. It's really a work of art. You can't find craftsmanship like this. And watch this!" She lightly stroked the edge of the contraption and it seemed to float slightly up from her hand and spark furiously.

Yuna's eyes widened as well as her smile. "It's beautiful."

"I know," Rikku agreed breathlessly. "What are we going to build with it?"

"Oh the possibilities are endless."

Rikku watched silently as Yuna reached out and took the small contraption into her hands. Yuna's eyes began to glow as if she were being energized by the power that it was putting off. Rikku could suddenly feel the heat emanating from both girl and machine and had to step back. "Yunie, be careful," Rikku pleaded, worried.

Yuna came out of her trance and looked at Rikku. "Don't worry Rikku, I'm fine." Yuna seemed unaware of what had just occurred.

Rikku bit her lip and tried to change the subject. "Why are you always looking out to sea like that? You always look so sad. Is there something wrong?"

Yuna thought for a moment, her eyes gazing over her shoulder and back towards the rippling waters. "I just feel like something is going to happen soon. Everything I've worked hard for is finally going to happen. Ever since my mother left me with the Al Bhed, I've been waiting for this moment. I'm going to stop all this hurting that Spira is going through. I promise Rikku, I'll end this."

Rikku nodded nervously, not quite sure what Yuna had in mind. She had been with Yuna since they were both little kids, but Yuna always seemed to keep most of her thoughts to herself. In the past few years Yuna had begun working hard on something using the ancient technologies. It worried Rikku, but she stood behind her friend no matter what.

"I bet you're starving. Let's go get something to eat!" Yuna grabbed Rikku's hand and lead her towards the kitchen below deck.

Rikku slowly followed, but before she stepped below deck a flash of light burst from beyond the horizon. She turned and rubbed her eyes and tried to see what had caused the sudden flash, but nothing was there. The water didn't seemed disturbed or anything. She started to call down to Yuna, but decided to shrug it off.

It was probably nothing.

Description
Spiralling- Chapter 1

Auron stood at the gateway to a Zanarkand that once was and what will never be again. He spat on the ground and silently cursed this nightmare realm. He wanted to curse Braska and Jecht too for that matter, but it was their promises that were keeping him upright after all. It was his choice to be here, he could have let it go, but it would mean letting Spira go in the process. That world had spent too much time on the crushing cycle of destruction.

A cold wind off the harbor seemed to be the psychic shove, telling him to get on with things. "Alright Jecht," he muttered, adjusting the wine jug at his side, "let's do this your way now. I pray your son is ready for this." He began to make his way towards the Blitzball stadium as he watched idly out of the corner of his eye as a slight ripple transformed into a crushing wave.

"You're being a little too eager with your entrance, as usual." Auron shook his head and the nearby roar of the crowd drowned out the oncoming tidal wave. He leapt onto a building's overhang just in time to see the first bursts of energy erupt from Sin's carapace. The blasts ripped through the Blitzball stadium and he could hear the structure begin to crumble from within. Auron shouldered his sword and looked away from the escaping crowd, trying to block out the shrieks for help. It wouldn't do any good to waste time pitying these people.

"Auron!"

Taking a deep breath, Auron turned to see the one person he could save out of this mess, the one that would carry the burdens of the past along with the weight of a doomed future. "Tidus," he nodded and jumped down from his post, "let's get going."

The young man gave Auron a questioning glare. "Get going where? What's going on? We've got to do something! Help these people!" Tidus grabbed onto Auron's coat as they began to move away from the stadium and onto the causeway.

"No time for that. He's waiting for us. Here," Auron reached down and unclipped the second sword that had been hanging by his side, "Jecht told me to give you this." He handed the sword over to Tidus, whose hands trembled slightly as he took the blade from him. Auron couldn't help but feel doubtful about this choice.

Tidus stared at the blade and then looked to Auron. "I don't understand what does my father have to do with this? And who is waiting for us? We've got to get out of here." Tidus went to halt Auron, but instead they were both knocked on their backs by an explosion. Tidus looked up to see a giant tentacle wriggling and releasing what looked like larvae along the ground. "What in the heck is that?" Tidus gasped as he crawled backwards to get away from the sinspawn.

"Unfortunately it's just something that comes along with our ticket out of here," Auron muttered and swung his sword forward in a swift arc. The larvae creatures burst as the edge of the blade cut through them. Auron reached back and pulled Tidus to his feet.

Tidus struggled to his feet and turned in time to bat away another sinspawn just as the causeway began to quake beneath his feet. "What now?"

Auron looked up to see Sin's looming body hover above them. "Now it's time to for us to leave."

"On that thing?" Tidus gaped.

"You're catching on." Auron went to pull Tidus closer so they wouldn't be separated during the warp, but all of the shock to the causeway finally proved to be too much. The road beneath them buckled and Tidus slipped, only to catch the cracked edge of the bridge in time before he fell into the water below. "Take my hand!" Auron yelled trying to reach out.

A bright light enveloped both of them and Auron fell away from Tidus. Tidus could only gaze up as some hazy portal in the sky opened before him. He screamed, but even his voice seemed to be sucked up into the vortex above him. He was so lost and confused. He could barely hear Auron's cries at him as everything seemed to turn bright, then go black.

Then there was nothing.

---

"Auron!" Tidus cried out, bolting upright. He struggled to breathe, tumbled from where he lay and fell onto the floor. Bumping his head against the floor he groaned and rubbed his forehead. Was he back home? Had that been some sort of nightmare?

"You're awake," a soft, male voice spoke up from behind him.

Tidus winced and turned around to see a very tall man reaching out to help him off the ground. Tidus' eyes wondered over the man's body. At first he thought that the man had antennae or horns sprouting from his head, but he soon realized that it was only a part of the man's strange, limb-like hair. The man's face was rather handsome, though certainly different from anything Tidus had ever seen living in Zanarkand. Large, blue-violet veins traveled along the man's forehead. As Tidus' gaze traveled down he noticed the young man's rather large tattoo that spread across his chest. It seemed to be of two dragons, back-to-back, claws reaching outward in defense. Or could it be in battle?

The man's clothes were also quite different from the typical Zanarkand fashion. The rich, lavishly decorated robes seemed to accentuate the powerful physique of the man standing before him. Tidus hesitantly took the man's hand, though felt a chill run through him at the sight of the man's irregularly long fingers. They grasped Tidus' hand quite easily and pulled him up with very little effort.

"Where the heck am I?" Tidus let his hand fall away from the stranger's, idly checking his side to make sure his father's sword still rested there. As his palm brushed against the pommel it was a small comfort to him. If these people had kept him armed, maybe they weren't going to harm him.

The man tilted his head and examined Tidus for a moment with a scrutinizing look. "You are in Guadosalam."

"Guado-what now? Is this some sort of joke?" Tidus turned away from the man to look around the room. He suddenly realized how warm and "close" the room felt. It seemed to be a small guest room. Sparsely decorated he didn't seem to recognize anything familiar.

"I assure you this is no joke. My men found you in the Thunder Plains. One of them swore they saw you fall from the sky, but I find that hard to believe. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Maester Seymour Guado," Seymour said as he seemed to return Tidus' questioning gaze. "I'm rather surprised to see someone trying to make through that place without the proper guards. Were you with a pilgrimage group?"

Tidus simply stared, mouth slightly open, speechless. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Pilgrimage? Thunder Plains? He couldn't remember any such place. He licked his lips as his hand clenched into a fist, tugging at his hair in frustration. "All I know is that Zanarkand was being attacked and then there was this huge… thing destroying everything around me."

Seymour's eyes widened and he reached out, grabbing Tidus' arm. "You've been near Sin? The destruction of Zanarkand was lifetimes ago."

Tidus tilted his head to the side, shrugging off the larger man's hand. The strange coolness of the touch was uncomfortable. "No, I was there! I've lived in Zanarkand all of my life. What is Sin? Was that the creature that was attacking the city? We've got to help them! Zanarkand is in trouble."

The guado closed the door to the room quickly and turned to Tidus, pushing the young man towards the back of the room. "Keep your voice down," Seymour hissed, "stop speaking this foolishness. Zanarkand has been nothing but ruins for ages. No one lives there. It was destroyed by Sin! You couldn't have possibly been there. You've been Sin-touched or something."

"I am not crazy! Auron will prove it to you!"

Seymour started to say something, but a loud rapping at the door interrupted the argument. "Maester Seymour? Are you alright? I heard some shouting. Is our guest awake?" an elderly voice spoke from the hallway.

"Yes, our guest has awakened. He was just a little confused at the moment. Poor boy seems to of been struck by lightning or some such. Can't remember where his pilgrimage group is or what happened to them," Seymour answered and gave a nod to Tidus. He leaned close to the boy and frantically whispered. "Speak nothing of Sin or Zanarkand. I have the proof that will allow you to see what happened to your city. Perhaps you are really telling the truth."

Tidus kept his mouth shut and watched the guado with uncertainty. If this man really had proof he would give the man a chance to prove his point. He knew he had to find Auron though and get back to Zanarkand. He would play along with Seymour for now, he had no choice.

"Oh, how dreadful," the elderly voice spoke once more from behind the door. "Should I get a healer?"

"No need Tromell, the boy is coming around now. Just tell the cooks to prepare a little something to eat for our guest. We'll be in my study."

"Very well Maester Seymour."

Seymour listened as the footsteps faded down the hallway and he opened the door once again. "Follow me. We shall see if those ramblings of yours are the truth or if you are just spouting some sort of madness."

Tidus glared at Seymour, but said nothing in response. He followed behind the maester as he led him down the hallway. He tried to simply focus on the back of Seymour's head, swallowing back any fear that rose within him. He had to find Auron and having that goal would be his life raft for now.

---

Rikku climbed onto the deck of the Al Bhed ship, dripping wet from her deep sea dive. She stood and began to peel the wetsuit off, making sure not to crush the delicate piece of ancient technology she had found hiding within the ruins on the ocean bottom. Shaking the water from her blonde locks she caught the sight of her friend, Yuna, leaning against the guard rail. Rikku slowly made her way over to her friend, not wanting to disturb Yuna's silent reverie. She often noticed Yuna quietly gazing off into the horizon as if waiting for something or someone.

Yuna didn't seem to even notice Rikku's appearance. The wind gently ruffling her hair as the boat began to lurch onward from its current destination. "Yunie?" Rikku spoke up, touching her friend's shoulder.
"Hm? Oh, Rikku," Yuna glanced over at her young friend and gave a soft smile, "was the dive successful?"

"Yeah! Look!" Rikku held out her other hand that contained a rather strange looking gear. "I've never seen anything like it. It's really a work of art. You can't find craftsmanship like this. And watch this!" She lightly stroked the edge of the contraption and it seemed to float slightly up from her hand and spark furiously.

Yuna's eyes widened as well as her smile. "It's beautiful."

"I know," Rikku agreed breathlessly. "What are we going to build with it?"

"Oh the possibilities are endless."

Rikku watched silently as Yuna reached out and took the small contraption into her hands. Yuna's eyes began to glow as if she were being energized by the power that it was putting off. Rikku could suddenly feel the heat emanating from both girl and machine and had to step back. "Yunie, be careful," Rikku pleaded, worried.

Yuna came out of her trance and looked at Rikku. "Don't worry Rikku, I'm fine." Yuna seemed unaware of what had just occurred.

Rikku bit her lip and tried to change the subject. "Why are you always looking out to sea like that? You always look so sad. Is there something wrong?"

Yuna thought for a moment, her eyes gazing over her shoulder and back towards the rippling waters. "I just feel like something is going to happen soon. Everything I've worked hard for is finally going to happen. Ever since my mother left me with the Al Bhed, I've been waiting for this moment. I'm going to stop all this hurting that Spira is going through. I promise Rikku, I'll end this."

Rikku nodded nervously, not quite sure what Yuna had in mind. She had been with Yuna since they were both little kids, but Yuna always seemed to keep most of her thoughts to herself. In the past few years Yuna had begun working hard on something using the ancient technologies. It worried Rikku, but she stood behind her friend no matter what.

"I bet you're starving. Let's go get something to eat!" Yuna grabbed Rikku's hand and lead her towards the kitchen below deck.

Rikku slowly followed, but before she stepped below deck a flash of light burst from beyond the horizon. She turned and rubbed her eyes and tried to see what had caused the sudden flash, but nothing was there. The water didn't seemed disturbed or anything. She started to call down to Yuna, but decided to shrug it off.

It was probably nothing.