Episode Zero: Part III Chapter Five

We were going to see the fireworks. Dajh was so happy, he ran and jumped around the room, yelling and screaming. Probably because he was so sick of all the tests they were doing on him. Even though that PSICOM officer, or those children’s psychology specialists would play with him, he was still like a bird trapped in a cage.
They had tested him over and over, but still they couldn’t figure out his Focus. The only thing they knew was that he could feel the existence of things from Pulse. No, even that I thought wasn’t the truth. I thought they were probably just telling me lies, because PSICOM wasn’t getting the results they were hoping for.
I didn’t believe any of it until we were riding on the airship to Bowdam. Oh yeah, you were on the airship too. Do you remember how Dajh looked when he first saw you? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him smile like that...

Sazh watched Dajh run up and down the passageways in the airship, his thoughts in turmoil. The baby chocobo was chasing after him. When the two boys... no, when the boy and the bird first met, they became friends right away. The cabin was in an uproar with the two of them bouncing about.
Well, since there weren’t any other passengers Sazh let them do what they liked. When he thought about how Dajh had been closed up in that room for so long, he felt he had a right to be running around and having fun like this. He couldn’t tell him no. Nabaat didn’t seem to be troubled by it either. In fact, she had one of her underlings made a record of Dajh playing with the chocobo. Maybe they were using it as another test.
“Daddy I’m thirsty.” Dajh said, running up to where Sazh was sitting. He was probably tired of all that running about. Of course, the baby chocobo was right behind him, and used Sazh’s head as a landing pad. Sazh opened up a can of juice for him, and Dajh drank it in one big gulp. With all the running and yelling, it’s no wonder he was so thirsty.
“Oh yeah, we’ve got to name this little guy don’t we?”
When they first met, the little bird had started chasing him right away. There had been no time to start thinking of names.
“Ummm... a cool name! Like someone on TV!”
He was talking about the children’s shows that Dajh couldn’t go a day without watching. The main character was a baby chocobo, who was a hero of justice. Baby chocobos were so popular these days because of this show.
“But hey, what if it’s a girl? What would you do then?”
They say that even experts can’t tell what sex a chocobo is. Chocobos are quite mysterious creatures. They can understand human speech, and they have a strong homing instinct. That’s about all anyone knew.
“Okay, then a cool, cute name!”
“Well that’s a tall order. But you have enough time to think about it. He’s not going to be running away any time soon.”
Though how much time Dajh actually had left was the problem. Sazh sank into depression. What sort of Focus could a child of six have? One who can do nothing but jump and play and scream?
“Daddy, Daddy, what’s that!?” Dajh said, pointing out the window.
“Hm? Let me see. Oh that. That’s the ruins in Bowdam. We’ll be arriving there soon.”
Dajh pressed his forehead against the window, and stared down at the ruins. Sazh thought he had already seen the ruins from the train heading to Ewleede, but maybe the view from above gave a different impression than the view from below.
“I want to go inside.”
“Inside the ruins? Too bad, you can’t. There’s no door. No one even knows if there is an inside. It’s just some strange thing from Pulse...” Then Sazh remembered. A strange thing from Pulse? What was it that Nabaat was saying? Didn’t she say something about Dajh being able to sense things from Pulse?
“It’s inside.”
“Dajh... you...”
He was too afraid to say more.
“Dajh, is there something inside there?”
Suddenly Nabaat was standing beside them. She must have been listening.
“I... don’t know. But, it’s there.”
“I see. You don’t know what it is, but you know something is there?”
Looking out the window, Dajh nodded his head.
“Thank you. You’re such a good boy.” She said, and patted him on the head. She looked at Sazh as if to say, this is your child’s power.
But he still couldn’t believe it. Those ruins looked strange. Dajh was just interested in it because of that, he just wanted to try going inside.
“We will get an investigation team on it, and search the inside of those ruins. There is a chance that in there is a Pulse...”
“Are you kidding me? There is no way that could be possible!” Sazh yelled without realizing it. Dajh jumped and looked at him. Sazh calmed himself down.
“Don’t worry, daddy was just a little surprised. Sorry I yelled, I didn’t mean to surprised you like that.”
He took hold of Dajh, and held him on his lap. He didn’t want him to look out the window anymore.

I didn’t want to believe that he could really feel things from Pulse. I think, somewhere deep inside I still thought that they had it all wrong. There’s no way Dajh could be a l’Cie. So when I saw Dajh looking at those ruins like that, I just couldn’t stand it.
I wanted to keep believing that Dajh just wanted to see the fireworks festival, that it had nothing to do with Pulse. I was sure he had just heard people talking about it on the train from Bowdam to Ewleede. Even though I never told him about it, Dajh knew that the fireworks in Bowdam were said to grant wishes.
Hey, do you remember what Dajh wished for? “I hope daddy gets happy again.” he said. I knew I couldn’t continue to look so sad after that, when I was worrying even him. So I decided that I wouldn’t ever look sad or worried in front of Dajh again. Well, I gave it my best shot didn’t I? Even after what the Lieutenant said...

It was as bright as noon. It was nearing the end of the fireworks festival, and already so many fireworks had been shot into the sky.
Everyone had probably already finished with their wishes. They had all looked up into the sky, and said their oohs and aahs. Dajh was holding Sazh’s hand. He was jumping up and down, laughing and smiling.
“So Lieutenant Nabaat. How did it go?”
Both Sazh and Nabaat were the only ones looking somewhere completely different from those around them. Nabaat had been waiting on the airship for the report from the investigation team to come in. If she was here now, that meant...
“I’ve received a communication from the investigation team.” Nabaat said, her voice low. Sazh held is breath and waited for he to continue.
“There is a Pulse fal’Cie inside the ruins.”
The sound faded from the world. The blast of the fireworks, the cheers of the people, everything was gone. The only thing left was Nabaat’s voice.
“It’s quite embarrassing. Those ruins have been here for hundreds of years, but the Sanctum was unable to do anything about them. We have a lot to thank Dajh for.”
Dajh wasn’t even aware that Nabaat was talking about him. His hands were raised to the sky, jumping, as if he thought he could touch the fireworks.
“I mean, he did suddenly say he wanted to go to Bowdam, that there was “something there”. But who would have thought...”
Who would have thought that there would be a Pulse fal’Cie in Bowdam. Inside a ruin with no entrance or exit.
“Now we know for sure. Dajh can sense things from Pulse.”
“Nevermind that, what is his Focus? Is it just for him to sense them and find them?”
Nabaat’s expression grew clouded. “We are not sure just yet if that is the case.”
“But why not? I mean he found it for you didn’t he? Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I am sorry. There is too much we do not know. But I feel that it wouldn’t be something as simple as finding the Pulse fal’Cie...” She cut off her words. It seemed she didn’t want to say more than that. If his Focus was to find the Pulse fal’Cie, now that it’s been found in the ruins Dajh would have already turned into a crystal. Which meant that finding the fal’Cie has not completed his Focus.
Did he also have to find all of the l’Cie that were in hiding? Or maybe he had to not only find them, but defeat them as well. Either way, it too much to expect of a six year old boy.
“Daddy. Hey, Daddy!” Dajh was pulling on his arm.
“Oh, sorry. What’s up?”
“Let’s go to Nautilus Park next!”
Sazh and Nabaat looked at each other. Nautilus Park was a theme park run by the Sanctum. The park was the center of Nautilus City. Did Dajh sense more things from Pulse? It was probably the Pulse l’Cie.
“Is there... something there?”
He barely managed to keep his voice from shaking. If there were Pulse l’Cie in Nautilus Park, then this time might turn Dajh into a crystal.
“Yeah! There are lots chocobos! And the fluffy things!”
Sazh felt relieved. Dajh just wanted to see chocobos and sheep. Oh yeah, they had talked about Nautilus on the train to Ewleede. He was probably just remember that.
“It seems it doesn’t have anything to do with Pulse.”
Sazh nodded slightly.
“Take me, take me!”
He was about to tell him they’d go later, but Nabaat stepped in. He thought she must be disappointed that her expectations weren’t being met, but her expression was kind.
“Please tell me if there is anywhere else you want to go, okay?”
Oh, of course. Even if this time it isn’t right, there is always the next time. That is probably what she is thinking. Or maybe she was just thinking that a child who carries the heavy burden of a l’Cie deserves to have some fun, and wants to give that to him. No, not her. Definitely not her.
“I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
“Nautilus Park!”
“Okay, okay. Then next time we’ll all go together. I promise.”
“Okay!”
Anyone looking on would probably think this was a sweet scene. Anyone who didn’t know the truth. Sazh looked away, and saw a familiar face. That silver haired soldier. What was his name? Lieutenant Rosch, he thought.
“Lieutenant Nabaat.” His voice was hard. Sazh got a bad feeling. Nabaat stood. Thinking Rosch was there to play with him again, Dajh’s face brightened. Sazh grabbed him and held him. What they were going to talk about was probably not something a child should hear.
“The decision has been made.”
Sazh listened to them speak, his back turned, as he took Dajh away from there.