Kat looked at the girl passing by but quickly looked away. She knew it wasn't nice to stare at people, that's what her mother tought her. She smiled at her father as she wanted to show him her magic.

"Father, you know how these spells should be, so if I am doing something wrong tell me."

She stood up and started casting few spells. First was Protection and then Full Life, Esuna and Shell. She was looking at her fathers reaction everytime the spell was finished. These spells she learned by herself when her mother was killed and Asuma didn't know what progress she made so far. She wanted to be the best in white magic so she could save people that were in need. That's why she was always practicing all day the same spells over and over again. It wasn't easy of course, but she got used to it.

"Shinu could be back before we get to the village, or it could be days before we see him again. In order for an apprentice to actually become a summoner he must show how his spirit can bring about the end of the fayth. I don't want to say the summoner is the tool of the fayth, but the fayth give the summoner his strength. They don't give out this power easily, so he'll be challenged. I think he has a strong spirit, but as a fayth, I suspect it would be difficult to fully understand his motives.

I'm sorry Tif, I had a bit of a bad flight coming over here so I needed sometime to clear my head. A walk through to town might be entertaining, that is if you can abstract pleasure from merely taking in nature for what it is.

There's two ways we can get to town, we can walk or we can swim."

"Hooold on! He's going to become a summoner!? And how come I didn't know any of this? Well one thing is for sure, we're going down to that village and I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

Tif stood up with frustration. She was traveling with these people, and they trusted her, as she trusted them. And now Mieli was telling her this? Before she agreed to go on a little "adventure", it would have been nice to know that it was actually a PILGRAMAGE! Ugh! They sure have some nerve!

Tif ran down the path that exited the beach, the same path that Shinu took earlier that day when walking to the village. She completely ignored the beauty of the island and focused on finding Shinu at the village. He was going to get a mouthful from her! However, she never planned on leaving Shinu and Mieli. Along the way, she forgot that she left a hungover and possibly high Mieli back at the beach, as well as the two new strangers who were oddly suspicious about Mieli and Tif.

With boots stomping on hard ground, Tif slowed down her run to a jog. Just like at the beach, ancient ruins scattered Besaid, lieing restless. Roots from trees snaked around and wrapped themselves to the massive buildings. A giant waterfall splashed and sprayed mist behind a bridge, which gave guests a refreshing wash. There wasn't much else besides cliffs and mounds with plants growing to the max.

As Tif came out of the other end of the path and to a fork, she, of course, became confused about which path to take. She looked directly in the path to the right. Nothing. She then checked the one next to it, and to her luck, a village with a temple at the end stood proudly. She stood at the top of the hill looking down towards the village.

Seems a little quiet. But quiet or not, Shinu is there!!

She proceeded on her little quest to find Shinu.

"pant...pant

Damn Tif slow down."

Mieli finally made his way to the stop of the hill mindlessly chasing after Tif before she got to the temple. She seemed to slow down a bit when she was checking her direction, but then started running down the hill again when she knew where she was supposed to go.

"pant.........pant......Tif, wait just a damn minute!!!!!"

Thanks to Tif speeding off and Mieli screaming at her yards away the tandem called much more attention to themselves then either of them wanted on Besaid. Mieli didn't really care about the attention at this point, he just wanted to stop Tif from entering the temple for the priests get suspicious of Shinu and haul him out of the cloister trials.

Erk suppressed the mad urge to cackle in the youth's face. After all, he was standing at the top of a rather. . . solid looking set of stairs, and the man was without a doubt completely daft. Actual summoner or fake, it mattered not. Who else would come to a old man huffing and puffing up a set of stairs for help?

"Are you now? And tell me..." Erk's eyes suddenly snapped into focus on the as-yet-nameless crazy's face. "How in the world do you think I can help you? What is the name of the Aeon in this temple? Where do the other temples lie? Where did Sin come from? Who was the previous summoner to bring about the Calm? Where Sin last defeated? Who is the Aeon at the Baaj temple?"

All these questions flew out in the span of a single, short breath, with quick force, and only a second and a half between for answer.

Shinu's heart began to drop. Maybe he would have to do it alone. He was stupid to think that he was going to get some random person to help him tackle the cloister. Before he headed in and begged the old man's pardon, he remembered his mother. He knew that being a summoner would make her so proud, and destiny was bigger than anything. Shinu was going to give one more honest try, and honest he would remain.

Sir, I can't answer any of your questions. I didn't even know that Sin was ever defeated, I don't even know if that was a trick question or not. I have no idea about any of this, but that is EXACTLY what I need from you. Look, I do not toy around with destiny, and it was Yu Yevon who gave me my destiny was it not? If you don't help me with these questions you know so well, you will be impeding the destiny that the fayth have set before me. Do you think it's merely a coincidence that I run into you here at this exact time? I, Shinu, newly made summoner with no knowledge of the temple. The only thing I lack is knowledge of the temples and our world, and you, you have that knowledge. It makes sense to me, but if you wish to impede the destinies created by the fayth, sir that is not up to me to decide.

Shinu eyed the man down, still didn't know his name, and he was asking him to be his guardian essentially. Of all the crazy things Shinu did, this was somewhere near the top. It was necessary, and Shinu was a man of progress. He could only hope and wait now, and that's exactly what he began to do.

Erk's hawkish eyes looked at Shinu (he still didn't have to look up at him because he was two steps above him) for another moment... and then inexplicably softened.

"Fool's got heart... still daft as a fish in a tree, but he's got heart." He thought. In truth, Erk was actually rather excited about this prospect, though he would never let anyone on, and he would probably complain about his age, the company, the surroundings, or any combination of those or others the entire way. It had been a long time since he had done anything of worth.

And let's face it: he was an old man. He'd seen the things he'd wanted to see, go the places he'd wanted to go, and done the things we'd wanted to do. He had nothing left to compel him, besides his faith. And what was this but an engine of his faith. So he would do this one last thing, and maybe he could go to the Farplain content.

So he would go with this crazy young man. But the sapling had no idea what he was getting into.

"Then let's go already. It's getting dark, and the cold seeps into these bones, and if that happens, you aren't moving me anywhere, Summoner or no." Without another look back, Erk shuffled out of the torch-smeared darkness behind into the ethereal gloom of the temple.

Kat heard the Al Bhed girl shout something about summoner so she stoed focusing on her magic and looked at the strangers. The girl continued shouting for a while and then started running towards the village. She knew something was wrong, especially that this other stranger started running too. Kat ulled Asuma's arm worried.

"Father we need to stop them, if there really is a summoner he won't be able to get his aeon, come, please"

She runs back to the village ahead of Asuma, she knew a faster was to get to the village so she catched the girl and stopped her just before the village. She wanted to know what was wrong, and she wanted to help them, shouting wasn't the best way to help a summoner in their pilgramage.

"I am sorry, but what is going on? I mean, I've heard you say something about a summoner and... if it's true you shouldn't shout cause our priest may not let them get the aeon"

Time must have been crawling because Shinu was certain that he and the old Guado man were there for hours on end in a staring match. Shinu couldn't help but wonder what in the world he was thinking, but it had to be something along the lines of how foolish Shinu was. Much to Shinu's surprise, the old man actually agreed to be his guardian! This was remarkable, but Shinu knew that he had better get going and get into the cloister before he could change his mind.

Sir, I don't know how I'll ever repay you, but I'll try. You are right though, we should hurry.

Shinu hopped up the final two steps and walked past the brittle Guado. Shinu tried to be patient, but he was excited to get this done. Not only that, but there was no telling how long Tiffany would wait, she was an excited one. Shinu held the door open for the old man as they made their way across the temple lobby. Shinu greeted the priest and was allowed entrance into the temple, following the Guado up the stairs at a crawling pace. Every now and again Shinu would give him a helpful nudge up the stairs to quicken the process. As they entered the cloister, Shinu turned to his new guardian and laughingly asked.

Sir, I forgot to ask... what is your name? That could be beneficial, and any help in here would be nice.