Tidus watched helplessly as Firion washed himself in a brook until his pale turned bright red under his harsh scrubbing. He came too late to save him, now the blitzer blamed himself. The blond turned away, his chewed off nails digging into his tan palms.
He was always late, too late to save Yuna from being forced into marriage, and now he was too late to save Firion from the Emperor. Tidus felt tears pool in his blue eyes; he always failed the ones close to him. Yuna, the woman he loved, and now Firion, his best friend in this endless spiral of battles.
After a few moments of weeping over his inability to protect the ones he cared for, Tidus carefully walked to the brook, where a now fully Firion sat. He stared at the water vacantly, shivering slightly as Tidus stood next to him. He remembered how the Emperor had sneaked up on him and...
"I'm sorry Firion. I came too late." Tidus's tone made Firion nearly break down; it wasn't the blitzer's fault. The weapons mater couldn't find his voice to reply back to the blitzballer. Tidus took Firion's silence as a sign he wanted to be alone, and after what the emperor did he couldn't blame him. Panic started to boil within Firion as Tidus started to walk away.
"Wait!" He cried reaching behind him and grabbing the swordsman's sleeve. "Please don't leave me alone, he might come back. Please Tidus, stay." Firion begged, last time they split up the Emperor caught him, and even scrubbing his skin raw couldn't erase what the Emperor did to him, or what he stole. Tidus's blue eyes softened as he knelt down next to his friend. As Firion was wrapped in his arms, trembling with silent sobs, the blitzer promised that the Emperor would pay, just like Seymour had with Yuna. And just like with his love Tidus would stay with Firion.
