Lightning Strikes
Author's notes: I don't own Final Fantasy X, please don't sue.
"He, he, he, he..." Turning around Tidus found Rikku looking around nervously "Are you feeling ok?" Walking through the Thunder Plains was enough to get anyone on edge, but it seemed to affect Rikku more then the others.
Lightning striking everywhere, it was enough to make a person huddle into a corner and hope that it would stop. Unfortunately it wasn't called the Thunder Plains for nothing, it would never cease, Auron had said as much going into this barren wasteland. A few more lightning strikes lit up the sky, unfortunately one of them hit too close for comfort to Rikku. Giving one last scream of despair, she lay face down on the cold hard ground. If one had looked at her from afar it would seem that she had died from the fright alone.
Luckily it was just a temporary paralysis; she soon crawled toward Tidus, huddled next to his leg. "No more…no more thunder. Let's rest there!" Pointing to a structure in the distance, Tidus was amazed he hadn't seen it himself. It seemed to be an inn of some sort, "The thunder here will not stop. It's better for us to get past it quickly." Auron didn't quite have the flair of a considerate person. Guess all those years of being around Jecht hadn't helped him much in the way of dealing with people.
"I know but…that's unreasonable." Rikku was adamant that they stay in the inn, deciding to help the young woman who had saved his life; Tidus asked them if they could stay at the inn. The others continued to walk toward the end of the plains, Tidus was about to call to them once more, unfortunately for him an enormous bolt of lightning raced toward the plains and literally turned him into a light bulb.
Immense pain surged through his body, Tidus didn't know how long it lasted, but he could clearly see the anguished faces of both Rikku and Yuna. And if he had to guess he could see the same level of concern pass over Lulu's face, right before everything went dark for the teen.
Racing toward the youth who had the decency to actually care about her fear of lightning, Rikku checked him for a pulse. Finding one, though faint, Rikku ordered the group to stay at the inn. Auron was about to intervene, when Lulu and Yuna turned their steely glares toward him. "The inn now! We have to get him inside." Yuna wasn't about to let the one thing that was good in the world be taken from her.
Trying her best to carry the teen, Rikku knew she would need help; luckily Wakka carried the teen the rest of the way into the inn. What they found on the inside was a nice and homey establishment. Surprised by the smoking body of Tidus, the innkeeper didn't speak her usual greeting. "Do you have a room available?" Nodding her head, the innkeeper pointed toward her right hand side. Nodding her head, Yuna motioned for Wakka to find a room and lay down Tidus there.
The women gathered, it seemed odd that they disregarded both Kimari and Auron but now was not a time of etiquette. "Yuna you should try to cure him as best you can."
"I understand Lulu." On her way, Yuna didn't see the look of concern that passed over both Rikku's and Lulu's faces. "I can help too, I know tons of potions and creams to help with the burns."
"That sounds good, you should head in as well." Rikku was more then happy to escape from the monster who wanted her to endure more of the nasty weather outside. Lulu was conflicted, though she had no reason to head back there, she was concerned for the youth. She remembered all too clearly the statement that he had made at Guadosalam. "I think you're more my type." It was a flippant remark at best, but she could see the light shine through his eyes when he spoke.
Wakka had returned from depositing the teen on one of the many rooms in the inn. He had said that Tidus was inside, but he didn't know how well he was, it seemed that both Rikku and Yuna had forcefully pushed him out of the room. Saying something along the lines of helping the patient.
Lulu's inner conflict continued, though she could not help the young man, she wouldn't stand idly by as he was treated to by both Rikku and Yuna. Quickly slipping away, Lulu walked down the hallways of the inn till she heard the whispering of female voices. She knew the voice of her summoner anywhere, knocking was a formality at best, and she entered soon after without the consent of either woman.
"How is he?" Looking on at the proceedings, Lulu was shocked to see that much of the young man's clothes had caught fire and burned off. Blushing a little, Lulu did not look away though.
"He's a little burnt around his torso, it seemed the lightning had made the clothing catch fire. What I'm more concerned about is the inner damage." Although Yuna was blushing as well, she was nonetheless tending to the poor teen as well.
"I'll fix up a soothing cream for those burns, hopefully we have enough ingredients." Rikku was the only one not affected by the teen's lack of clothing, though that may have to do with her rather scant clothing options.
Looking at the young man, lying on the bed, Lulu couldn't help but draw comparisons to her love from another time. Chappu had left this world long ago, but it was still hard for Lulu to let go. And looking at the teen, there was no way she could avoid the obvious similarities, from the way he talked, to the way he looked and also his utter naïve outlook on life in general.
It burned her inside that she could do nothing to help the youth, but she was comforted by the care she saw provided by both women. Rikku had found enough ingredients and was hard at work concocting a cream to sooth away the nasty burns that littered Tidus. Yuna had already checked and rechecked the inner workings of the young man, but she could not come up with a reason why he was still in such a deep slumber.
If she had to guess, it might have been his bodies natural reaction to the lightning, shutting down so he could repair properly. Looking at Tidus, Yuna could not help the tears that came to her eyes. Just a second ago she was worried about Seymour's proposal, but now that seemed so far away from her now. All she could see was the slumbering form of Tidus, how would she feel if he ever left her?
"It'll be alright Yuna, I'm sure he will be fine." Lulu could see the love that shined from Yuna to Tidus, she knew that it was wrong to think of the young man in the way she had. Unfortunately for her, her heart never listens to what the mind believes is wrong.
Rikku was in a world of her own, after finishing the mixture, she was applying it to all the burns she could see. Feeling the young man's skin underneath her fingertips, Rikku could feel the warmth that he held. The only one who cared enough to wait for her and make sure that she was okay before continuing on. He had been the one to concede to her request to stay at this inn. He had started to walk toward the group when he was hit, if he had just left her behind and walked with the group in the first place he wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.
Rikku knew that might not be the truth, but it was one reality that she could not escape. Looking down at Tidus, Rikku saw someone who would protect her from danger or whatever may come her way. He looked like someone who would truly care for her, something she had always wished for.
Looking back at the two other women in the room, Rikku could also see the concern for the blond haired youth. But tempered with that concern was something else, fear was clearly there, fear for the safety of the young man. But that wasn't the only thing, in their eyes she could also see affection, something that mere concern wouldn't show.
Smiling back at Tidus, Rikku knew that she might have a little competition for the youth, but she always knew the best things in life weren't always the easiest to embrace. Deciding that he had enough cream on his body, Rikku stepped back to look at her handiwork.
"He looks like a ice cream cone."
"Hey! I'll have you know that is very good for burns." Smiling at the younger woman, Lulu couldn't help herself, she laughed at the absurdity of the frosting covered teen. It drew a smile from Yuna, though she was loath to admit that she missed seeing the teens chiseled physique. "Well now what? Any changes Yuna?"
"I don't know Lulu, he's very tired that's for sure. It might be an innate instinct to sleep and recuperate from the injury. Though I am worried about the depth of the slumber, it would seem that he was in a coma." Shocked by the younger woman's statement, Lulu couldn't imagine how horrifying it was to be in such a state.
"Coma? Is it really that bad?"
"It would seem so, I will stay to follow his progress, you two can lie down in the other rooms." Lulu wasn't about to leave the youth, "That isn't necessary, I will keep watch. Yuna you should get some rest."
Rikku wasn't about to be kicked out of the room, "Why don't we all just stay here? I mean there's room enough for all of us. I am sure I am not the only worried about Tidus." While it was true that the room was big enough for four people, Lulu was reluctant to allow Yuna to stay, because of her feelings toward the young man.
"Then it's settled, I'll keep first watch." Yuna decisively stomped any arguments about the lack of sleep or her feelings for the teen. Without any more reason to keep the two out, Lulu just accepted the situation and tried to get comfortable in the room.
Rikku sat in a small loveseat next to the comatose teen, she was exhausted by the long day and the fear she had felt on the plains. Still, she wanted to stay as close to him as she could.
Lulu saw the younger woman sliding up to the teen, she decided that she had the right idea. Quickly retrieving the other two chairs in the room, she deposited them next to the bed of the blond haired teen. Resting on the chair, Lulu soon felt the pull of sleep take her, lowering her head she allowed herself to sleep as close to Tidus as possible.
Looking at the two other women, Yuna was surprised by their concern for the blitzball player. She was tired as well, but she had said that she would stand first watch, unfortunately for her she just didn't have the energy to stay up anymore. Her face drifted closer to Tidus and soon she fell asleep staring into the handsome teens face. Yuna could not remember the time when she had such a sense of peace and security around another person other then Lulu and Wakka.
It was an odd scene, three young women watching over a young man from the lost city of Zanarkand. All three seemed to be moving closer and closer to the teen as sleep claimed them. It was almost like a subconscious urge to be near the youth at any cost, whether they were awake or not really didn't matter.
In all the commotion about the health of the young man, the three women didn't notice a small mark that had been engraved onto the teen. It seemed like nothing more then the place where the lightning had coursed through him, but it had transformed into a star of some sort. Who knows what this would bring?