Title: Broken, Beaten, and Damned

By: Aina Song

Fandom(s): Final Fantasy X/ Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Yaoi

Rating: PG-15

Warning(s): Crossover; Slightly AU; Language; Some OOC; Direct Quotes; Altered Quotes; Altered Scenes (and other such subtle storyline changes). Italics = thought bubbles, Fayth speech and/or telepathy, and Al Bhed.

Pairing(s): Yusuke x Tidus

Reviews: Yes, please! For the love of God, someone give me a cookie!

Author's Note: Standard Disclaimer. This story was not written for money. Would you believe someone dared me to do this one?

Teaser: When Yusuke finds himself in a world far unlike his own, the most pressing questions on his mind - how he got there, and how he might get back home - gradually take a backseat to the sacrificial urgency of his new friends' seemingly futile crusade…

Chapter One - To Return Home

He first became aware as his spine arched, and his lungs burned. Hands helped him to roll to his side, and he promptly hacked and coughed until something wet and salty finally escaped him and he could breathe again.

"Hey. You okay, brudda?"

Still coughing, he rolled the rest of the way over and pushed up to his hands and knees. The ground felt unusually soft and giving, and he opened his eyes to find that he was kneeling on sand. His gaze swam a little as he lifted his head, forcing him to focus his senses so that he could see the small beach surrounding him. The salt he still tasted in his mouth must have been seawater.

Glimpsing movement from the corner of his eye, he turned his head in time to watch a strangely dressed muscleman with red hair squat down next to him. "Brudda. You okay?"

He swallowed a great breath, his voice rough and scratchy as he demanded, "Who are you? Where the hell am I?"

"Lemme help you up." The guy offered a hand.

Eyes narrowing, he took it and let himself be pulled to his feet. The sudden change in momentum caused his vision to blur again for a second, and he shook his head to clear it. The redhead offered him a water bottle as well, and he did not hesitate to rinse the remaining salt from his mouth.

"Name's Wakka," the redhead introduced himself. He motioned his hand toward the jungle which lay in wait behind them. "This here's Besaid Island. Don't ask how you got here; I honestly couldn't tell you."

He gave the redhead - Wakka - back the water bottle, reflexively sizing the guy up before at last replying, "Yusuke."

"Well, come on," Wakka grinned. "We'll take you to the village temple and see if the priest can't do something about you." He started up a hill toward the jungle, motioning for Yusuke to follow.

The dark youth lingered a moment, flexing his senses. But Wakka's energy felt harmless, and that jungle felt pitifully tame when compared to himself. Still, he checked that his own energy was not MIA before tailing after the redhead. He nearly stumbled as he took his first step, a warning from his body that it had been comatose for far longer than he'd realized. As he regained his footing he finally got a look at himself.

"Ah, hell…"

"Something wrong?'

Yusuke fisted what was left of his favorite shirt, a fine black tunic that had been gifted to him by one of the lesser nobles of the demon realm, now reduced to shreds and exposing most of his torso. It was a wonder that it still clung to him at all. He tore it off and tossed it aside, glancing down at his slacks which seemed to have suffered less damage. He surprised himself to find that he was in partial demon form - his markings were visible, and his claws and fangs were out, but his hair had only grown out over his eyes and was just long enough to spill its ends toward the nape of his neck. The one thing that had stayed the same was that he was still barefoot. (He had long discovered that he preferred to feel the ground beneath his feet.)

They exited the jungle, with Wakka commenting that they had not encountered what he called fiends. Yusuke said nothing; he suspected that the inhabitants of the jungle had sensed his presence as easily as he had sensed them and were keeping their distance.

"I dunno where you came from," Wakka was saying now as they continued to follow the trail. "But you look a little confused, so I'd better drill you on a few things."

Yusuke gave him a questioning look.

The redhead rubbed the back of his neck, "I-it's just that there are some things that'll earn you some awkward looks if you were to forget them. Not to mention that you never so much as flinched as we passed through that jungle, and the fiends in there aren't exactly fuzzy little playthings."

"I can handle myself."

"Seriously," Wakka insisted, pausing in his tracks and turning to him. "How much do you remember?"

Yusuke took the question literally for a minute. But, try as he might, he could not recall anything directly before coming to on the beach. How had he gotten there? And this world… Somehow, he suspected it was a reality separate from either of his own.

"Fine," he groused at last. "Let's pretend I don't know anything. What can you teach me?"

"Where to begin," Wakka sighed, shaking his head. "Well… since we're only introducing you to the temple's priest, for now we'll just cover the basics."

~o~

Besaid Village was small and modest, a number of tented domes to either side of a single road leading to a stone building that could only have been the temple Wakka kept mentioning. Just as they approached, however, a bald middle-aged man in robes came rushing out, looking extremely panicked.

"Wakka, thank Yevon," he panted. "They haven't come out yet…"

"What," the redhead exclaimed, his easy manner suddenly gone. "Did something happen?"

The priest simply stood there, wringing his hands with obvious worry. Yusuke looked from one to the other. In the midst of Wakka's drill on the "basics," there had been a brief explanation about summoners. Yusuke didn't understand it all, but he had caught on enough to gather that they were important, like royalty. More than that, Wakka had made them sound almost sacred.

Watching the concerned indecision that passed between the other two men, Yusuke swore under his breath and made a decision of his own. He pushed past them and raced into the temple. He paused inside its prayer hall, the tall statues briefly taking him by surprise, but then he raced up the stairs and shoved his way in.

The potency of the energy in the room he entered nearly stole the very breath from his lungs, and it only grew thicker, the farther he went. He passed through opened doors, taking note of shifted wall fragments and an opened wooden chest in a corner that looked to have survived a small explosion. Coming to a dead end, he found a large circle on the floor, which he suspected to have an important purpose.

"Hey!"

Yusuke turned. Wakka had followed him in, his expression a mix between relief and anxiety. He stepped onto the circle, tugging at Yusuke's arm so that the dark youth would follow his example. "Don't worry," he said, as the circle suddenly shook and sank below the floor, taking them with it. "No one else is coming for you. They wouldn't dare; no one but summoners, summoner apprentices, and their guardians are allowed beyond this point."

Yusuke gave him a look. "What does that make you?"

"Guardian," the redhead grinned. But then he looked uneasy again, scratching at the back of his head. "There're two guardians down there already, so I didn't really think I'd be needed this time around. One's got a short fuse on her, and the other… Well, who knows what that one's thinking." Dropping his hand, he sighed and met Yusuke's gaze. "Yevon will know you're not a guardian. We're risking excommunication."

The tattooed demon frowned, "You lost me."

"It's blasphemy for any to enter into an aeon's chambers before being deemed worthy," the redhead solemnly explained. "You're not a guardian, you're not an apprentice training to become a summoner, and you're not an ordained summoner in the midst of his pilgrimage." Wakka sighed again; "You're trespassing. And we've a couple apprentices down here who might have to suffer for it."

The lift finally stopped, and a circular wall shifted out of the way. Yusuke gritted his teeth; this room breathed energy even more potent than those aboveground. And, spying an odd door atop a small handful of stairs, he was willing to bet that the energy behind it would be strongest of all.

"What are you doing here?" Demanded a female voice, "Didn't you think we could handle it?"

Yusuke turned his head, finding a dark-haired woman wearing a black dress that gave the illusion of being completely comprised of leather belts. She wore three beaded necklaces, her nails and lips were painted over with a dark shade of violet, and her eyes were the gleaming tint of red wine.

She saw him too, in almost the same instant, and her eyes widened with alarm. "Who are you? You shouldn't be here!"

As Wakka swiftly crossed to her to explain, Yusuke swung his gaze around and discovered what could only have been the other guardian. But this one was not human. Nearly enormous in size, the creature was a blue feline with a mane of white hair and a broken horn sticking out from the center of his brow. The creature returned his look for a moment, cat-like yellow eyes narrowing in silent scrutiny, before he turned his head and appeared to ignore Yusuke entirely.

A soft grinding sound broke the tense quiet, and all turned toward the small staircase as the odd door lifted up behind its archway. Light flooded into the room, broken by a large silhouette which itself split apart to reveal two forms.

Yusuke stared.

The first was a very young woman. Her skin was ivory pale, her soft brown hair fell just to her shoulders, and even from where he stood Yusuke could see that her eyes were mismatched - one blue, one green. She wore a dress that closely resembled a feminine kimono. Its top was white, its skirt a dark purple and emblazoned with silvery white vines that sprouted delicate pink-white ivy leaves. It was tied at the waist by a wide yellow sash. From around her neck hung a fine silver chain which dangled three precious baubles, and she wore two silver rings on the fingers of her right hand.

The other was a man, equally as young as the woman. Bronze-skinned with short feathery blond hair, he wore loose black slacks and a small yellow vest which covered only the upper half of his torso and had been left hanging open. Dangling from his waist was a loose white belt and two thick silver chains. His right shoulder was branded upon in bold black ink with a jagged, twisted shape(1), the same odd symbol which also appeared as a small silver earring in his left lobe. A strip of black leather clung around the base of his throat, thick silver armbands embraced his biceps, and he wore black leather gloves.

Both were glistening with perspiration, and both appeared exhausted.

The girl suddenly stumbled, her boot slipping from a stair, and the blond youth stumbled too while attempting to catch her. Wakka and the dark female were frozen with alarm, but the blue beast raced up the stairs. With ease he caught the girl, gently steadying her - yet he was not the only one to have reacted.

Yusuke stood, helping the human in his arms to regain his feet as well. The blond looked up, and Yusuke's demon core tightened within the center of his chest. The boy's eyes were startlingly, piercingly blue.

The color of a flame's heart.

For a handful of seconds, the boy was staring at him too. Yusuke could understand why; he was an unknown, and in his current form he probably looked more feral than human. But then it was over, and the blond turned vastly worried eyes upon the girl.

"I'm all right," she murmured as though the blond had spoken aloud, her grace evident as she accepted the feline's help to stand again. She turned, and her breath caught in a tiny gasp.

"I don't know," the blond answered, stepping out of the arms that had caught him to return to her side.

"He calls himself, 'Yusuke'," Wakka volunteered, approaching the four of them with the dark woman in tow. "I pulled him outta the deep blue, but he doesn't seem to remember how he got there."

"The sea?" The blond youth echoed, alarm flickering across his flame blue eyes. Beside him, the brunette had lifted a hand to her mouth to stifle another gasp.

Yusuke looked from one to the other. "Did I miss something?"

The two exchanged a glance, and the brunette whispered, "Sin…"

"What?"

"You must've encountered Sin," the blond clarified. "And the loss of your memories could be explained away… if you'd breathed in Sin's toxins."

Wakka and the dark woman exclaimed in sudden understanding, and even the blue feline seemed to find the news disturbing. Yusuke's eyes narrowed as he tried to take in their theory. It wasn't as though he'd been able to come up with anything better, really. But he shook his head, arguing, "I don't think that's it. I remember my life before… whatever happened. And I think I would've remembered things like Sin and summoners."

The blond and the brunette said nothing more, though their eyes were filled with sympathy.

~o~

Yusuke followed the group out of the temple, where they were greeted by what appeared to be every member of the village. It was more than obvious that the two apprentices were adored by all and that their prolonged "trial," as Wakka had put it, had worried the other villagers to great extent.

The small crowd formed a ring around the village square as though expecting something, and Wakka led Yusuke within the inner circle of the gathering. "Watch this," the redhead grinned, excitement and pride in his light amber eyes.

Standing in the center of the square were the two apprentices. They stood close together, facing one another and whispering in low voices. In the brunette's hand was a small wooden staff, painted blue with a swirling ribbon of silver, and topped with a dark green symbol that resembled a faerie's eye; the blond fisted a shortsword of corroded black steel, its jagged blade finely edged with gleaming silver.(2)

The blond suddenly dropped his forehead to the brunette's shoulder. The girl's lips tugged in a soft smile, and she cupped her free hand to the back of his head. A long moment passed before the blond lifted his head again. The brunette whispered something, and he nodded.

The two clasped their free hands together, each taking a step back and flinging their weapon arms wide. A giant ring of runes lit up the ground at their feet, slowly spinning as beams of light shot up toward the skies. White clouds parted overhead, and sunlight poured over the square. All eyes lifted as a piercing Scree! broke the expectant silence. Yusuke stared as a giant bird, as big as his own spirit beast, came down out of the skies, rolling as birds did before flinging its wings wide to catch itself on the breeze. It landed in the square, its talons clawing at the ground, its feathers colored brightly in red and white.

The brunette released the blond's hand and came boldly forth, only hesitating a moment before reaching up to stroke the bird's feather-crowned head. The bird allowed the girl's daring, even emitting a soft croon in appreciation. When she had done, the bird lifted its head, its luminescent yellow eyes searching for and finding its other summoner. The blond dipped his head once in respectful greeting; the bird clicked its beak and tilted its head high, giving a shake of its feathers.

Then the bird spread its large wings and took flight, and Yusuke marveled as he watched it disappear before it even reached the clouds. Wakka and the woman in leather rushed into the square, showing obvious pride in the two new summoners, and the rest of the villagers were not far behind.

Yusuke lingered where he stood, wondering at what he had just witnessed.

~o~

That night, the villagers lit a bonfire to celebrate their successfully ordained summoners.

Wakka was talking with a number of men, who all dressed in much the same way he was. Yusuke, overhearing something about a game and a tournament, realized they were a team for some sport called blitzball. The temple priest was standing somewhat close to the bonfire, talking with the dark woman and the blue feline, who had finally been introduced to Yusuke as Lulu and Kimahri.

Yusuke glanced around, knowing himself to be the fifth wheel. He wandered idly about, watching the flames of the bonfire without any true interest, but then he paused as he glimpsed a familiar silhouette. Stepping away from the bonfire, he approached the shadows its blazing light could not reach and followed a short path in between two tents, entering a bald patch in some tall grass.

The brunette looked up, quiet welcome in her smile as she realized who had found her. But she was not sitting alone. Her blond companion lay to her side, his head on her lap, his eyes closed as though in slumber.

"He's very exhausted," she whispered, much fondness in her mismatched eyes as she lightly ran her fingers through the other's blond strands. She looked up again, "I'm sorry; we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Yuna." With a slight nod to the blond in her lap, she added, "This is Tidus, my twin brother."

"Yusuke," he answered, folding his legs and sitting down with them.

Twins, he mused to himself, letting his eyes take in the sight of the two of them together. For twins, they didn't look too much alike… Though, it did explain the obvious closeness the two shared, which poured out of them like a joined aura.

"It's such a shame that you can't remember how you ended up on our shores," Yuna softly lamented. Then she paused, adding, "Though probably a blessing as well, that you remember nothing of your encounter with Sin."

"I told you," he sighed. "Whatever Sin is, it's got nothing to do with me."

"But, how else can you explain-?"

"I can't."

She grew quiet again for a long moment, before giving him a look of some patience. "What you said in the temple… You don't believe this is your world, do you?"

Yusuke stared at how calmly she had said that, and how accurate her guess had been. In the spirit of honesty, he said, "No, it's not. I don't belong here; I don't know how I got here, and I have no clue how to get back."

"Tell us about your world," Tidus' voice quietly broke in.

Yusuke quickly looked down to find the blond's flame blue eyes steadily watching him, revealing that Tidus had been awake and heard everything. Something about the look in those eyes hinted that Tidus, at least, was willing to hear him out.

"I live in the makai," Yusuke told them. "It's a world filled almost to the brim with demons. Some are weak, low-class; some prefer to keep to themselves unless they feel threatened. But most of them are strong, dangerous predators with some bloodlust."

Yuna gasped aloud.

"The thought foremost on every demon's mind," he explained, shrugging, "is survival. Some just translate that thought differently than others."

The two were quiet as they absorbed his words. Then Tidus rolled his head, looking up so he could meet his sister's gaze. Yuna must have read something in the blond's eyes, for she gave yet another soft smile and nodded. Tidus looked again to Yusuke; "We want to invite you to join us on our pilgrimage."

Yusuke blinked. "Pilgrimage?"

"Every summoner embarks on a pilgrimage," Yuna explained, "journeying throughout the whole of Spira. We pray at every temple along the way, asking the Fayth for their blessing. If given, we acquire one more aeon to guide and defend us."

"The point is to receive the Final Aeon," Tidus put in. "The Final Aeon allows us to defeat Sin."

"Every summoner goes through this?" Yusuke asked. When both solemnly nodded, he quietly demanded, "Why don't I believe it's as easy as it sounds?"

"Because it's not," Tidus replied. "Every pilgrimage is a trial in and of itself, to test the summoner's worthiness. Failure is very possible. Some don't even survive the journey, one reason guardians are so necessary. And even if a summoner completes his journey, there's no guarantee that the Final Aeon will judge him worthy."

Yuna nodded, "And then the Final Summoning. The defeat of Sin. But Sin is an entity created by Yevon to purge us of our ancestors' transgressions. In only ten short years, Sin is reborn. And more summoners must attempt the journey."

"Ten years?" Yusuke echoed. "That's it?"

"Don't think it isn't worth it," Tidus quickly hissed. And the distant glow of the villagers' bonfire reflected blazing within those flame blue eyes. "For those ten years, the people are able to sleep in their beds without fear. Smiles are stronger. Hope is real. We call it the Calm, because for those ten years, all of Spira feels at peace. And that kind of time is worth anything."

After hearing it put like that, Yusuke suddenly felt insignificant. He had seen and done many things, shouldered much responsibility. And he had often used to wonder what had been the point, why he couldn't simply turn his back on it all, why he should carry on with such a duty when only a handful of others could know of it and appreciate him for it.

He understood now why Wakka had called summoners sacred. The whole of their world knew what they strived to accomplish. To shoulder the weight of such expectation, every step of their journey… To look upon the faces of the people and know the faith each one placed in them to succeed, even while the chances were stacked so unfairly against them…

Yusuke stared at the two summoners before him, so new to the title. And he had to wonder. "Why do you want me to come with you? I could be one of those bloodthirsty predators I told you about."

Brother and sister exchanged another smile, and Tidus answered, "While training to become summoners, we were taught to hone our spiritual senses. When we first met you in the temple, we could sense something powerful and wild about you. Your claim not to be human comes as no great surprise to us."

"At first we believed you to be one of the Fayth," Yuna added. "But your form is too real, too… solid. The Fayth are spirits, the souls of those who gave their lives so that summoners could gain more power against Sin."

"You caught me when I fell," Tidus murmured, suddenly seeming unable to meet Yusuke's gaze. "You held me. That is something a spirit without a body cannot do." After a moment, he looked up again. "We next thought you might be a broken aeon…"

"Broken…?"

"There is a mention of them in the teachings," Yuna enlightened him. "Very brief, and very sad. Few understand what it means, but it says that an aeon that breaks from its temple is a lost soul. Its fate is much the same as a soul that has succumbed to the grief of its body's failure and become a fiend."

"Death," Tidus translated. Drawing in a slow breath, he went on. "Now we know that what we sensed in you is that you're a demon. Despite what you say of your own kind, or of yourself, we feel we can trust you."

"And who knows," Yuna smiled. "Perhaps while on our pilgrimage, you might find the way to return home."

1) I don't really know what that thing is called that he wears in the game. I'm not even going to bother.

2) Yuna's staff is the Laevatein, and Tidus' sword is reminiscent of the Basilisk Steel.