Many things can happen in a year.
Someone could die, a birthday or anniversary could be had, or a new life could be born into the world.
For Baralai, a year was time he knew he had wasted on being afraid; Afraid to go back home, to where his life had screeched to a halt when he became possessed by a thousand year old lovelorn spirit hell bent on the destruction of Spira.
A year ago, after the final celebrations were held in honor of the defeat of Vegnagun and the return of the Eternal Calm, Baralai wanted to disappear; to be somewhere no one would bother him with papers, tasks, and questions about his disappearance or his possession. To not have to answer to anyone or anything was like his ultimate wet dream; after all he had been through, the desire for reclusion poured over him like ice cold water on a hot summer's day.
The truth was though- Baralai wasn't really hiding from having to work at the temple, or from having to do a few very low key interviews with Shelinda. As a matter of fact, it wasn't so much what he was hiding from- it was who.
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Enjoying the air's gentle windy kisses and the sun's warm, inviting rays on a rock facing the ocean, Baralai sat with his knees huddled into his chest; his chin resting comfortably on them as a crutch while deep in thought.
Behind him he heard the sound of sand shifting as if it were being shoveled into a bucket. As he glanced over to his right, he recognized the silhouette as the body of a young, familiar female. He turned to his right and smiled at Yuna.
"I thought I'd find you here." She said with a giggle while she climbed over to where he was sitting. Baralai reached for her hand to help her keep balanced and she pulled herself onto the wet rock beside him. "What is it about this spot that you like so much anyway?"
"Something about the water helps me to think." He replied, settling his chin back to its former position. Yuna kicked off her flip flops and dangled her feet into the ocean; they acted as a pendulum swaying upward into the air, then back into the water again.
"The question is-" He began, "why are you here?" His emphasis on the word 'you' showed just a hint of annoyance, but not so much as to imply that he was wholly bothered. Truth be told, he wasn't at all. Baralai welcomed the company. Sure he was 'thinking', but entirely too much, and the break in thought was nice.
Yuna punched him in the arm playfully and hopped off the rock. "It's time to eat. I don't recall you being in the village for lunch so you must be hungry. I've come to get you." When Yuna extended her hand, Baralai grabbed it reluctantly and pulled himself away from his comfy seat.
"I guess I should eat something. My behind was getting rather sore anyway." He chuckled, rubbing his backside and positioning himself beside Yuna. "Shall we go then? After you."
Yuna was the one that initially convinced Baralai that Besaid would be the perfect place for him to escape for a while. It took little prodding to get him to stay once he saw the beauty of the forest and the water rolling peacefully along Besaid's sandy shores.
Since Yuna was by herself what with Rikku and Paine continuing with their sphere hunting rituals, and the fact that Tidus never returned, she figured the company would do her some good as well. She insisted he share a hut with her in the corner of the village and he gladly accepted, much to the chagrin of Wakka and Lulu, who still thought [even at twenty] that Yuna was too innocent and impressionable. There was nothing to worry about though; they were more like brother and sister than lovers.
Dead, dry leaves crunched beneath their feet while they walked in silence toward the now bustling village. In the past year, many had also taken residence there, raising families and some living their golden years in new houses along the beach. Looking over at Baralai who was engrossed by the ground below, Yuna could tell he was once again deep in thought, and that what ever he was pondering caused him much worry.
"So…" she interjected between the quietude, cupping her hands awkwardly behind her back. "What's on your mind? Are you thinking about him again?"
'He' was a very sore subject for Baralai. 'He' was the reason Baralai was hiding out; 'he'
was the one Baralai was afraid of, and why he sat in thought most of the time. Shrugging, but not removing his gaze toward his boots, Baralai spoke softly.
"Yeah. I miss him."
Coiling a comforting arm around him, Yuna pulled Baralai into her chest and they stopped in the center of the forest. She could feel the dampness of his tear stained cheek against her bare shoulder, and she heard soft, quivering sobs coming from him as he cried. Yuna was used to this; this wasn't the first time he had broken down in front of her. The two had become so close that such things weren't really that big of an issue any longer while in each other's company. In a way Yuna was sad as well; she knew it was time.
"You know what you have to do Baralai." Yuna informed him, while running her hand up and down his back. "You can't stay here any longer. It's about time you face him, and repair the damage that's been done."
Baralai knew she was right, but uncertainty is a tough demon to exorcise. Breaking away from Yuna's embrace, Baralai made his way over to a clearing and sat down on the grass. He pulled up some of the weeds next to him and twisted them around his fingers.
"What if it's too late, Yuna?" he asked, flicking the stem between his thumb and fore finger, sending it flying through the air. "So much time has passed. What am I supposed to say to him?" Sighing heavily, he reclined to his back and stared upward toward the splintered sunlight through the trees. Yuna joined her friend and knelt down next to him, her arms resting on her thighs.
"I wish I had an answer for that, but to be honest, I just don't know." Her voice trailed off, and she turned to face the path in front of them. "What I DO know is, if I had the opportunity to be with him again and to tell him just what you told me- that I missed him, I wouldn't be wasting my time here wondering what he'd say. You have to take advantage of the chances you're given, or else you'll end up alone." She stifled a few tears of her own, and knuckled away the ones that had managed to escape. "When you share a bond with someone, no matter how much time passes between you, that bond will always be there as long as you both believe in it. That is how I feel- even though I may never see him again, our bond is stronger than ever. I just know it." Yuna sniffled and turning to Baralai, she smiled warmly at the thought.
"A bond." He exhaled the word with wonder in his tone. "I've completely forgotten about that."
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[Flashback to Kilika at Baralai's house: more than a year and a half previous.]
There wasn't any time. Baralai needed to stop Rikku, Yuna, and Paine from harming Vegnagun before it ended up killing them. As Baralai made his way for the front door of his home, he was halted in his tracks by a dark haired young man standing before him; his hazel eyes shot through the praetor intensely.
"Where are you going?" Isaaru asked, folding his arms to his chest, an eyebrow lifted in curiosity as he eyed him suspiciously.
"There is no time for me to explain." He noted calmly, clenching his fists at his sides all the while fighting back tears. "I have to go. You have to let me go. Don't ask me any questions, please." Baralai knew anything he'd said at that moment wasn't going to go over well, and he awaited a response followed by a barrage of queries. Instead of receiving any of that, Isaaru walked toward Baralai and encased his hands in his. Unable to hold in his emotions, Baralai wrapped his arms around Isaaru and caressed the back of his neck tenderly.
"Something has happened." Baralai began, whispering into his ear. "I have to go and try to set things right. People's lives could be at stake...I can't let that happen..."
Isaaru interrupted his lover and cupped his cheeks between his delicate, porcelain hands. "Stop. Don't say anymore."
Baralai was shocked. When the final tears trickled down his face and his vision became clear, Baralai didn't see eyes of anger and hurt in Isaaru; in them he saw love and compassion. In that instant, the praetor moved in and stole one final kiss from the lips of his swain.
Isaaru continued.
"I understand. If you have to go, I'll not hold you back. You must come back to me though. I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes." Isaaru began to tremble, and his voice too was shaky. Baralai squeezed the former summoner tightly; he wanted to burn into his memory the warmth he was feeling from the embrace.
"I don't want you to do that. What if I don't come back?" Those words were very hard to say, and Baralai had a tough time letting them escape his lips. He was once again assured by Isaaru.
"You'll come back. We have a bond, you and I. As long as I feel it here," Isaaru pointed to his heart and smiled. "I'll know you're alive, and someday you will return. Believe in that and you will never be alone." He brushed his lips against Baralai's cheek and kissed him softly. "Now go. I'll take care of things here until you get back."
With those words, and with a heavy heart, Baralai approached the front door. As he looked back over his shoulder to the man standing in the middle of his living room he smiled wearily as if to silently thank him, and made haste for the ferry docked at the edge of town.
That was the last he saw of Isaaru before Shuyin transferred himself from Nooj to Baralai, taking complete control of his body and forcing him down to the deepest depths of the Farplane.
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By the time Yuna and Baralai finally reached the village, the sun had set and the stars sparkled across the clear, night sky. Waiting impatiently with her arms folded and her foot tapping, Lulu smiled at Yuna and scowled in disapproval toward Baralai. "You're late. Where have you two been, anyway? Your dinner is now cold."
"We just got sidetracked." Yuna reasoned, taking Baralai's hand in hers and strolling past her 'warden' casually. "We'll just eat it in the hut Lulu. Thank you."
Baralai bowed his head and muttered an apology as they walked by. Even after all this time, something about Lulu just unnerved him. It must have been all those belts, or perhaps the heaving cleavage? He knew she didn't really care for him, but he also understood why, being he did share a hut with Yuna even if it was only a platonic arrangement.
The bonfire blazed brightly in the center of Besaid; villagers were eating and chatting amongst themselves; some were singing and others were just warming themselves up. With plates in hand, Baralai and Yuna entered their hut and sat on the floor facing each other. Biting into his grilled chocobo, Baralai began to reiterate his plans to Yuna for the day ahead.
"I guess I will go back to Kilika in the morning. I must know how Isaaru is doing. I can't stay here wondering any longer."
Yuna nodded, taking a sip from her cup of water. "Don't leave without waking me up first. I want to see you off."
As the night went on, villagers went back to their huts one by one, until the only signs of life were sounds of the crickets chirping in the grass and trees surrounding the huts. Yuna had fallen asleep, her body was cocooned inside her blankets and she faced the wall. Baralai lay awake in his bed, staring across the room into the darkness. He was nervous, but at the same time the loving words of Isaaru echoed in his head over and over again like a sweet lullaby.
We have a bond, you and I. As long as I feel it here…
…You will never be alone.