TM 137: Do you remember that night?
WHACK!
Auron jerked upright and wide awake, as a blitzball bounced off his head, misplacing his glasses. The sun burned his eyes and he felt wholly foreign to his surroundings. It was a unique feeling for him, as he had spent an entire lifetime as a perpetually alert watch dog.
A small blonde boy prepared to assault him with the blitzball again. "Get off my porch!"
The boy kicked the ball with a fierceness that Auron would have admired if he weren't already preoccupied with the feat of springing into a more defensive stance. The ball slammed into his left hip as he pivoted to avoid a more painful landing. It bounced back to its demanding owner.
The child was lean and tanned from many hours spent swimming in the sun. His clothes were too large for him and his eyes blazed with territorial aggression. As Auron quickly studied his position, he discovered that he had indeed fallen asleep on someone's porch, but he couldn't recall how he'd arrived in this particular predicament.
"I said get off my porch, you bum!" As the child raised the ball above his head for yet another offensive maneuver, his necklace captured a particular ray of sunlight. Auron recognized the small, triangular charm immediately, and his heart sank. It was the same shape and design as Jecht's tattoo. It was Jecht's symbol.
It was Jecht's...
His mind spun; memories fell into place. "I'm a friend of your father's," he explained gruffly.
The ball wailed through the air immediately, targeted for Auron's head, once again. "My father's a bum! Get off my porch!" More alert, Auron sidestepped and the ball continued past him, beyond the patio fence and into the lake.
"That's no way to speak of your father." Auron paused for a moment and recollected his glasses, thinking better of the statement. Jecht was a bum, but he was a brave bum. "I need to speak to your mother."
Disarmed of his security measure, Tidus was scared, and the thought of his mother made him even angrier. "You can't! You want to tell her about dad! You can't! She thinks he's dead! I hope he is dead! I hope he never comes back!"
Auron felt as though his stomach had just lodged itself in his throat. He choked, his sadness was apparent. Tidus, even in his youthful naivety, recognized the response. He shook, his eyes welling up with tears of fear and hate. The silence stretched for a few heartbeats. "I hate him," he sobbed.
Auron approached the wailing boy slowly and got to his knees, then carefully, albeit awkwardly, embraced him. Tidus cried and flailed a bit in an act of involuntarily angst. His tears were hot and his mumbled words were biting. Auron whispered, "I'm sorry."
The weeping slowed and Tidus stepped away from the war-torn man, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, "Mom will be sad."
Uneasy, Auron nodded slowly. "I still need to tell her."
"Okay." The boy sat under the porch's shade and pulled his knees up under his chin. "You can stay on the porch, I guess. 'til she's back, anyway."
"Thank you." Auron sat against the house a few feet from the child and contemplated him. Such hate from such a small person was disturbing. Jecht was unruly, but whatever he had done had broken his son's faith in him. He wondered if he would ever be able to raise and protect the child. He wondered if it was even possible to mend the tears that time had left in the child's heart. The concept made Auron uncomfortable.
What have you gotten me into this time, Jecht?
Muse: Sir Auron
Fandom: Final Fantasy X
Words: 610
Auron jerked upright and wide awake, as a blitzball bounced off his head, misplacing his glasses. The sun burned his eyes and he felt wholly foreign to his surroundings. It was a unique feeling for him, as he had spent an entire lifetime as a perpetually alert watch dog.
A small blonde boy prepared to assault him with the blitzball again. "Get off my porch!"
The boy kicked the ball with a fierceness that Auron would have admired if he weren't already preoccupied with the feat of springing into a more defensive stance. The ball slammed into his left hip as he pivoted to avoid a more painful landing. It bounced back to its demanding owner.
The child was lean and tanned from many hours spent swimming in the sun. His clothes were too large for him and his eyes blazed with territorial aggression. As Auron quickly studied his position, he discovered that he had indeed fallen asleep on someone's porch, but he couldn't recall how he'd arrived in this particular predicament.
"I said get off my porch, you bum!" As the child raised the ball above his head for yet another offensive maneuver, his necklace captured a particular ray of sunlight. Auron recognized the small, triangular charm immediately, and his heart sank. It was the same shape and design as Jecht's tattoo. It was Jecht's symbol.
It was Jecht's...
His mind spun; memories fell into place. "I'm a friend of your father's," he explained gruffly.
The ball wailed through the air immediately, targeted for Auron's head, once again. "My father's a bum! Get off my porch!" More alert, Auron sidestepped and the ball continued past him, beyond the patio fence and into the lake.
"That's no way to speak of your father." Auron paused for a moment and recollected his glasses, thinking better of the statement. Jecht was a bum, but he was a brave bum. "I need to speak to your mother."
Disarmed of his security measure, Tidus was scared, and the thought of his mother made him even angrier. "You can't! You want to tell her about dad! You can't! She thinks he's dead! I hope he is dead! I hope he never comes back!"
Auron felt as though his stomach had just lodged itself in his throat. He choked, his sadness was apparent. Tidus, even in his youthful naivety, recognized the response. He shook, his eyes welling up with tears of fear and hate. The silence stretched for a few heartbeats. "I hate him," he sobbed.
Auron approached the wailing boy slowly and got to his knees, then carefully, albeit awkwardly, embraced him. Tidus cried and flailed a bit in an act of involuntarily angst. His tears were hot and his mumbled words were biting. Auron whispered, "I'm sorry."
The weeping slowed and Tidus stepped away from the war-torn man, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, "Mom will be sad."
Uneasy, Auron nodded slowly. "I still need to tell her."
"Okay." The boy sat under the porch's shade and pulled his knees up under his chin. "You can stay on the porch, I guess. 'til she's back, anyway."
"Thank you." Auron sat against the house a few feet from the child and contemplated him. Such hate from such a small person was disturbing. Jecht was unruly, but whatever he had done had broken his son's faith in him. He wondered if he would ever be able to raise and protect the child. He wondered if it was even possible to mend the tears that time had left in the child's heart. The concept made Auron uncomfortable.
What have you gotten me into this time, Jecht?
Muse: Sir Auron
Fandom: Final Fantasy X
Words: 610