When Auron arrived at the boathouse one early morning and saw two uniformed officers on the deck, he knew his fear had been realized. One officer stood sifting through a notebook while the other knelt beside young Tidus on the far end of the deck. Auron hesitated. He wished more than anything that this scenario would undo itself, however the veteran warrior knew that wishing for such things never brought about any true fulfillment. Auron approached the lone officer with a heavy heart.
"What happened?" he asked.
The officer glanced up at him. "You a friend of the family?"
Auron solemnly nodded and the officer seemed convinced.
"The mother passed away about two hours ago," the uniformed man explained while filtering file information. "She was taken to the medical center when a neighbor called in about her critical condition. According to the doctors, her physical body had become so weakened that, when she began slipping away, it was impossible to bring her back. It was as if she had given up on living."
Auron remained unresponsive, and the officer continued by gesturing toward Tidus.
"We just informed the boy a bit ago about her death. He doesn't have any living family left, so he'll have to reside in an orphanage."
"The kid's inconsolable," said the second officer when he approached. Tidus now sat alone by the edge of the boat, curled up, face buried in his knees. "He won't talk to me at all, aside from telling me to go away."
"May I try?" offered Auron.
"Be my guest," answered the first officer. "We need to take care of the orphanage arrangements, anyway. Are you willing to stay and watch over him for a few hours?"
"Of course."
Both officers nodded before departing the boat. Auron quietly drew closer to Tidus, kneeling down and softly speaking his name. When the boy lifted his head, Auron could see no tears. There was only anger in Tidus' eyes, and Auron knew exactly where that resentment was directed.
"Come here," coaxed Auron.
"It's all his fault," Tidus said in a small, quivering voice.
Auron hefted a sigh and sat down on the deck with his back resting against the side panel. "Come here," he repeated.
"This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him. Mom would still be here." The boy's voice grew more forceful with each word. "He left us, and she died. It's all his fault."
"How long are you going to be stubborn for?" Auron asked. He motioned with his free hand. "Now, come here."
After a few moments of consideration, Tidus uncoiled himself and obeyed, crawling into Auron's lap and resting there. If there was one thing for Auron to be glad for, it was that he'd already earned Tidus' trust. He didn't understand how, and he pondered it. Maybe during that time Auron had first appeared at their home, the child had simply been aching for someone other than his despondent mother to be around. Perhaps that's why he'd accepted Auron's presence so comfortably.
Tidus stayed quiet for a while, breathing lightly. Auron slowly stroked his blonde hair with a gloved hand to help quell the boy's emotions as he stared out at the deep blue morning sky. It was a gorgeous day. The sun had been shining bright and warm just like this on the day Braska and Jecht had died, too. Those memories made the shimmering sun leave Auron feeling hollow inside. Bringing himself back to the present, the guardian dwelt on the reality that the wife of one of his closest friends had died. Although his promise to Jecht had only included the son, Auron heavily regretted being unable to do more for the mother. Even if people from this Zanarkand went to the Farplane, she wouldn't be able to join Jecht in it. The young woman would have to wait for someone to defeat Jecht's incarnation of Sin. It could take years. In death, she would end up more alone than ever before. The mere thought made Auron's chest ache, but then again, wasn't that what he had chosen to do as well?
Tidus shifted in Auron's arms, jarring him from his thoughts. "Do you think it's my dad's fault?" he asked in a mumbled voice.
Auron hesitated. He considered the possible answers he could give. Nothing could be revealed about Spira, but he still had to try and ease the boy's mind. He could only imagine how painful this was for Tidus.
"No. I don't think your father purposefully left."
"But what if he did?" Tidus challenged, angry once more. "He never cared. He probably left just to make me and Mom cry. Well, I hope he's happy, cause now Mom's...!"
"Tidus," interjected Auron. "Don't say things like that."
"But," the boy continued, "why else would he leave? There must have been a reason! And why would Mom just die like that?! Why would she want to die when... I'm here?"
Tidus began to quiver, and Auron hugged him more tightly. The older man had no answer for that last question. It baffled him, as well. How a mother could abandon her only son in order to join her husband, he would never understand. This seven-year-old boy had almost nothing left in the world. Despite all his loss though, thanks to Jecht's request, there was still one person there for him.
"I'm not leaving," Auron gently told him.
"You mean it?" Tidus asked with a hint of fear in his voice, and Auron nodded. Tidus sniffed. "I miss Mom," he said with a shudder. "I haven't cried yet. I want to be strong, so I'm not gonna cry."
Auron mulled this over. He hadn't seen those blue eyes since Tidus joined him, so he leaned his head sideways to view the boy's face. Those eyes were brimming with tears, and his guardian knew that suppressing them would only cause more suffering.
"Tidus," he spoke softly, the boy looking at him. "It's okay to cry for your loved ones. I promise."
It was as if that was all he needed to hear. Young Tidus held back no longer and sobbed, shaking, howling into Auron's shoulder and staining his coat with tears. His father was gone, and he was never coming back. His mother, too, was gone, never returning. He'd never felt such a wrenching pain in his heart. He'd never felt so alone. All he had was the comfort of this complete stranger, but it was a comfort that Tidus needed more than anything. Auron held him like this for hours, watching the clouds pass by, his mind lingering on thoughts of the recent dead, until the authorities came to collect the boy from him and he had to say goodbye.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Tidus laid on his bed, face buried in the soft pillow. The room contained ten bunk beds, twenty beds in total, and children of various ages played together, entertaining themselves during their free evening time. It had been four days since Tidus was first admitted into the Zanarkand orphanage. Despite the hugely vast population of the city, only a few hundred children resided in the orphanage due to many being passed on to relatives or living with foster parents. Tidus had no more relatives, and he'd declined the offer of a foster home. It was only because the facility had plenty of space and personnel that it allowed children to decide whether or not to stay. In Tidus' case, it wasn't that he disliked the idea of a foster home, but instead that he was still in a vague denial about his own mother's rapid decent into death. A part of him still yearned to return home and see her there, waiting for him. During these first few days at the orphanage, Tidus had spent his free time lying in bed, reminding himself that this would never happen.
One of the female caretakers opened the door to the dormitory and poked her head into the room. "Tidus?" she called out.
The blonde boy lifted his head. "That's me," he responded half-heartedly.
"You have a visitor. Come on out."
Obliging, Tidus got up and followed her through the hallways. When they passed other dormitories, he attempted to catch glances through the door windows. Sometimes the other kids looked sad. Sometimes they looked happy. Tidus wondered how long it would take for him to become one of the happy children. When they entered the front visiting room, he saw a familiar face that made him smile for the first time since before his mother died.
"Auron!"
The man in red smiled from behind his high collar and knelt down as Tidus came running to him. When the child threw his arms around Auron's neck, Auron embraced him with his free arm.
"Took you long enough," said Tidus with renewed enthusiasm. Out of all the people who had been around to check on him after his father's disappearance- neighbors, family friends, etc- Tidus had found a pillar of support in a stranger with whom he'd only had a few direct encounters with, and then had latched onto that pillar with all his might. Auron made him feel safe. Maybe it was the way Auron would always speak in a calm manner, thus pacifying the boy's tension and fear. In the end, Tidus was young, heartbroken, and in need of solace, and the unfamiliarity of the man in red mattered very little to him.
"I apologize," said Auron as he pulled out of the hug. "I wanted to give you time to become acclimated to this place."
Tidus tilted his head, confused. Auron chuckled.
"To get used to it."
"Oh. But I don't wanna be... ackelmated." The child's gaze moved to the floor. "I wanna go home."
"I know you do, but this is going to be your home, now. It will become easier for you if you accept that."
"Can you..." Tidus looked at Auron with pleading eyes. "Will you adopt me?"
Auron's brow furrowed with a sad frustration. "I just tried to, but, I'm sorry, Tidus. I don't have any way to provide for you."
"No way to provide?" Tidus' heart sank into the deepest part of him. An adoption by Auron was all he'd been hoping for since coming to the orphanage.
"I don't have money or a home here. I wouldn't be able to take care of you."
"Can't you just take my parents' boathouse?"
Auron shook his head. "I can't. It belongs to your family, I can't do anything with it." There was really nothing Auron could do for Tidus at all. This Zanarkand was so unlike his Spira. Here, the people were free from constant worry or dread. Here, everyone could do as they pleased in luxury, without fiends and without Sin. Naturally this gave way to an increase in human threats, leading to more laws and rules. Auron didn't have any identification or paper work. He had nothing that could prove he wasn't a criminal or a crazy person. In Spira, it would have been much more within the realm of possibility for Auron to claim guardianship of Tidus without jumping through any hoops to do so. Here, it was not so easy. As far as the city was concerned, he was a nameless vagrant.
Tidus broke away from Auron. His disappointment was distinct in his expression.
"I'll still be watching over you," Auron added, attempting to better the situation. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Okay," muttered Tidus. "I'm gonna go back to my room, now." This new development was too much for the boy to bear at the moment. All he could think of was sleep. He returned to the caretaker, who escorted him back to his assigned dorm.
Auron watched him leave, sighing. The guardian couldn't help but feel as if he were somehow letting Jecht down. He wasn't exactly doing a great job of caring for Tidus so far. Stepping toward the receptionist, he asked one last time, "Is there nothing I can do?"
"I'm sorry," she replied crisply, "but not unless you have the correct papers."
Auron grunted in acknowledgment before exiting the building and slipping away into the shadows of Zanarkand.