Chapter 7 --- Ninjas!

            By the time the ship took off it was dark.  It was a clear night so the stars were shining brightly.  Tydus was under heavy surveillance by the crew after what happened last time.  Nonetheless, he walked around the ship, navigating with no problem, as it looked exactly the same as the S.S. Liki.

            He decided to see what had changed below deck, but it was also very similar.  Oaka bullied him for money and Besaid Aurochs were dealing with seasickness, but there were also some Kilika Beasts ladies admiring the overweight Keepa.  He went to look in the Power Room, but the woman standing at the entrance flat out refused to let him in.  In front of the Crusaders' secret room Luzzu and Gatta were standing guard, or rather, Luzzu was watching Gatta sleep.

            "Such devotion!" remarked Tydus.

            "Well, it's not like a bunch of ninjas are going to suddenly appear and demand entrance," Luzzu replied.

            "I suppose so," said Tydus, and he wandered away wondering where he could find ninjas at this time of night.

            Back on deck Tydus saw that the Luca Goers were bothering Yuna and went over to help.  "Hey, zoo escapees, lay off!"

            "Well, if it isn't the grandpa of the Besaid Aurochs," said one.

            "You know he was just joking," said Yuna, "He's really just from Zanarkand."

            "I see…" said the Goer laughingly.

            "You don't believe me!  But there is a Zanarkand, and Tydus from it!  Tell them, Tydus!"

Tydus shook his head sadly, "I never said there is a Zanarkand, but there certainly was.  Now it's just a pile of rubble with no garbage men to clean it up."

            "That's for sure!" said the lead Luca Goer, "Keep your crazy girlfriend under control!"  The team dispersed to other parts of the ship.

"Tydus!" Yuna bopped Tydus on the head with her rod.

            "What?  Even if it is true, there's no reason to bestow the knowledge on those jerks.  Zanarkand was a thousand years ago, and I'm just a time traveler."

            A spooky voice said, "Nnnnooooo, you're nnnnoooooot!  OOOoooOOOooo!"

            "What?" Tydus asked the short girl/old woman in the purple cloak.

            "Who are you talking to?" asked Yuna, but the girl was gone.

            "Uh, no one,"

            "Tydus, I want you to be my guardian."

"But what about Luca?"

            "You know very well there's no one there for you.  Sir Jeckt was my father's guardian, maybe it's fate that you should be mine."

            "Well that cinches it.  If my dad did it before me then I'll have nothing to do with it."

            "How long's it going to take you to get over it?"

            "If he's actually alive, then until I punch him out.  If he's just dead, then until I punch out his corpse."

            "I see…"

Wakka approached them from the front on the ship.  "Hey, we're almost to Luca!"

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