Ch. 9 Return of the Garuda Flu

"So, Baralai, how have things at college been going? We haven't seen any reports," Mr. Griffin said, as he poured scotch into a glass.

"It's not time for that," Baralai replied. His father had called him, explaining that he had something important to tell him. What could that be?

"You must be pledging for one of the prestigious fraternities, right?"

"Not this year. I have enough to deal with."

"Like what? Besides playing blitz ball and attending classes, your schedule seems pretty free to me."

"I thought you had something to discuss with me."

What was the point in trying to carry on a casual discussion? Especially when there was business to discuss. Baralai usually didn't care about his father's business. Until the day came for him to take control, he didn't care.

"I've recently purchased a new piece of land. I plan to expand it, and turn it into a mini mall. It's in a great location."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"What the hell do you mean what does this have to do with you? You're the heir to the Griffin fortune. All of this will be in your hands. You'll control it. I expect you to know everything about Griffin Enterprises. You're almost nineteen years old. It's time you learned the robes. Isn't that what you want?"

"Of course it is."

"Well, at least pretend that you're interested in the mini mall."

"I'm interested."

Mr. Griffin reached into his desk and pulled out a blueprint of his newly purchased property. He spread it out along the desk top.

"This is it. Isn't it large? We'll be able to have at least ten stores."

Baralai looked at the blueprint and frowned slightly. It seemed familiar to him.

"Where is this located?" he asked.

"Off Willmount Road. Why?"

"Willmount Road? There's nothing out there except a chocobo farm."

"There was a chocobo farm there. I'm tearing it down. It's my property now."

"You can't do that."

"Why not?"

For the life of him, he couldn't tell his father his real concerns. He just knew that he had to tell Paine what was going on, at least.

"Is there something I should know, Baralai?"

"No," he said, kicking himself for being a coward.

But, if he told him that he wanted to keep the farm intact for a girl, his father would label him as weak, and he couldn't stand the thought of that. His father was a ruthless business man, and he expected Baralai to be just like him. In many aspects he was. He was particularly aggressive in the sphere pool and in the girls' beds.

"Fine. Then, we'll go out to the property sometime next week and take a look. I should examine what I've bought anyway."

"Dad. If there was a really good reason for you to keep that farm, would you do it?"

"If you can give me one, sure."

"Just asking."


Tidus woke up on a Tuesday morning with a sore throat. Excellent. It had been nine days since he had left the Mika house. He hadn't been by the house since Yuna asked him to leave. In a weird way, it was good to be home again. He hadn't taken many of his personal possessions with him when he had moved. In one week, he was going to move into Darcy's tiny apartment with her. She had paid him several visits. She didn't outright ask him why he was home again.

He cleared his throat and walked into his bathroom. He hoped he wasn't about to get sick. He was wrong. By the time he left his third class of the day, he felt faint. Datto caught up to him in the hallway.

"What's the matter, man? You don't look so good," he said.

"I don't feel so good, either," Tidus admitted.

"Want me to drive you home?"

"Yeah. Or maybe I should go to Zuke."

"Let's go to Zuke. This is horrible timing. We have a game tonight."

"I know that. It's not like I planned this."

He followed Datto out of the building and across the campus. He paused for a moment. In the distance, he saw Yuna walking with Rikku and Reevo. They were heading inside of the opposite building. They seemed to be joking around about something. Some friend Reevo was. He hadn't called Tidus or come by to see him since he'd left. He watched Reevo hold the door open for the girls.

"Tidus are you coming?" called Datto.

Tidus started down the stairs, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. He lost his balance and stumbled down the last two steps. Datto balanced him.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Letty, suddenly appearing in the parking lot.

"He's sick as shit. Feel him. His skin is on fire," Datto explained.

Letty felt his forehead and frowned. "He needs to go to Zuke."

"Thank goodness you figured that out."

"Shut the hell up. Let's go," said Letty.

"Don't you have class?"

Letty shrugged. He could miss the lecture that Professor Maechen was giving today. This was more important and way more exciting. They both helped Tidus into Datto's back seat.

"So, what the hell is wrong with him?" Letty asked as soon as they were on their way.

Datto shrugged. "I don't know. I found him like this in the hall."

Letty turned around and looked at Tidus. "What's the matter, T? You got a hold of some bad stuff?"

Tidus could barely keep his eyes open. "I think so."

Letty leaned closer. "In or out of the bedroom?" he asked discreetly.

"No….it's not that."

Letty shrugged. These days you could never be too sure. He heard Mr. Isaaru had contracted a vicious STD last week from a student at the high school.

Datto headed into downtown traffic. "It's a good thing you're not dying. Look at this lunch traffic."

Tidus tried to hold his eyes open. Little did Datto know, but he was dying. He felt like he was going to vomit any second.

"He looks like he's going to puke," said Letty.

"Come on, Tidus. I just cleaned my car," complained Datto.

Letty grimaced as Tidus let loose on the backseat. Maybe he had a stomach virus. Or worse…the return of the Garuda flu. He was glad he had gotten his shot early. They finally arrived at the hospital. They helped Tidus out of the car and into the emergency room, placing him in the waiting room.

Letty and Datto walked up to the receptionist's desk and tried to explain what was going on.

"Does he have insurance?" the receptionist asked.

"He should. He plays for the Abes," Letty said, thinking the pretty receptionist might be impressed with that information. She wasn't.

"I'll need to see the card."

He exchanged a look with Datto. "Do you think he has his wallet?" he asked him.

"I don't see why not. Let's go check."

They both approached Tidus, who was barely conscious. "Go ahead, Datto. Reach into his pocket and get it," Letty said, knowing there was no way in the farplane that his hand was going to be that close to another guy's junk.

Datto reached over and patted Tidus quickly. "He doesn't have it."

"Back pocket?"

"I'm not reaching in there!"

Letty looked around the room. There was an old man watching television.

"Excuse me, sir," he called.

The old man looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Can you give us a hand here?"

"I guess. What's the problem?" he asked, slowly standing.

"Can you come over here?" They waited for the old man to shuffle over.

"What is it?"

"Can you reach in our friend's pocket and get his wallet?"

"What? Why can't you do it?"

"Well, um…we…"

"Forget I asked. Stupid kids. Where's the wallet?"

Datto shrugged. "Back pocket, we think."

"Hold him over."

Letty leaned Tidus to the side. They could see the bulge of the wallet in his back pocket. The old man reached in, and grabbed it. His hand was larger than the pocket. He tried different groping techniques and finally got it. He handed it to Letty.

"Maybe we should give you some gil," Letty offered, looking at the bills inside of Tidus' wallet.

The old man waved him off. "That's okay, sonny. Groping a young, firm ass was enough excitement for me today."

Datto and Letty stared at him; their mouths open as he went back to his seat.

"Dirty old bastard," Letty said, still checking the contents of the wallet. He finally found Tidus' insurance card. He went back to the receptionist's desk and handed it to her.

"Do you think we can get this moving along? He's barely conscious," Datto explained.

"I'm trying to hurry," said the receptionist.

They went back to Tidus and waited. The nurse came out shortly to get him. She asked an orderly to get a wheelchair. They watched Tidus get wheeled away.

"Now what the hell do we do? Should we call his folks?" Letty asked, noticing the delicious aroma in the air. It was definitely lunch time according to his stomach.

"Yeah, okay," Datto said, searching his phone for Tidus' home number. He found it and dialed the house.

"While you're doing that, I'm going to the cafeteria."

"I'll be there in a minute."

"Fine."

"Hello?" Zalora asked.

"Hi, Mrs. Stone. This is Datto. One of the Abes. Anyway, I had to bring Tidus over to Zuke."

"What's the matter with him?"

She's got a nice telephone voice. But then, the woman's a fox, too. "I don't know. He got sick at school."

"I'm driving over right now. Where is he?"

"The nurse just came and got him."

"I'll be there soon. Thanks, dear."

"No problem, ma'am."


Hey Rik,

I know that I said that you wouldn't hear from me again, but I felt like talking to someone besides my folks. You know. I'm still on the road, but it's not what I thought it would be. This is hard for me to say, but you were right. About everything. My singing and especially Joey. He is trying to exploit us. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm in the middle of all of this shit. I can't let Spencer and Mallet down. They've stuck by this band forever. And they sincerely believe that what we're doing is okay. It's not okay. I wanted to be the front man for Penance, but it's not happening that way. You know. I don't know why I'm bothering you. If you decided to move on with your life like I suggested, then ball up this letter right now and throw it in the trash. But, if you still want to be my girl, then drop me a line and let me know. Everything I've got going is riding on your decision. If you write back and say fuck you, I'd understand. But, if things are cool and we can get back together, then I'm quitting the band and coming home. I need to know soon, okay? We're supposed to be in Kilika for three weeks. If I don't hear from you by the time we leave, then I guess I have my answer, right? No hard feelings. I haven't met anyone since I've been on the road that can compare to you. I'm not going to lie and say I've been celibate, but those were just flings for relief. I know it's been a long time, but I still care about you. And I want to get to college before I waste a whole year for nothing. I know I said I didn't want to go to college, but since I've been on the road, I've been realizing that you were right again. So, contact me soon. Okay?

Gippal.

Gippal stared sullenly into the burning camp fire. He hadn't heard a word from Rikku yet and he had sent that letter over a week ago. He supposed it was safe to say that things were truly over for them. How stupid of him to be excited about the prospect of returning home and reclaiming his girl. Even more stupid to think that she might be waiting for him. Actually, he just wanted to hear from her. He missed her. He wondered how college was going for her.

"Hey, Gippal. What are you doing over here all alone? These island girls think you're cute," said Knaves, knawing on a piece of pig.

"Not tonight, Knaves. I just want to be alone."

"You've been spending a lot of time alone lately. You're not thinking about ditching us, are you?"

"I'd never ditch Spencer or Mallet."

"What about me?"

"In a heartbeat."

Why lie about it? He resented Knaves more than he could ever dream of. After all, it was his voice that was getting the recognition that should be his.

"I think you might want to try being more nice to me."

"I have been nice to you. Are you threatening me?"

"Not you. Penance. You couldn't survive without me. Joey doesn't want me unhappy."

"How can you be unhappy? You're singing my songs, traveling with my band, and getting the recognition that should be mine?"

"But it's not me that's on the stage. So, you see, we all have to sacrifice something."

"Sacrifice, huh? More like keeping the eye sore off the stage."

"There you go being mean again! I'll have to have a word with Joey about this."

"Go ahead. In case you're not aware, I haven't signed anything with Joey."

"I'm aware. You haven't signed yet, but you will if you want the major fame."

"And at what price?"

"I'm sure you'll be willing to pay. You want this badly. I have to rest my pipes now. Goodnight," he said, turning to head back to the hotel. His wide hips swayed in the night air.

Fuck you. I don't need you.

"Aren't you Gippal? The lead singer for Penance?" he heard a girl ask.

He nodded. "That's right. You know my band?"

They had only performed three times since they had been on the road.

"I saw you in Luca opening for Tromell and the Guado. You guys are going to make it. You have a fantastic voice."

"Yeah," he said, staring into the fire again. Fantastic.


"Reevo, this was really nice of you. You didn't have to cook dinner for the whole house," Yuna said, as she sat behind the counter.

He sprinkled some pepper into a saucepan. "I don't mind. It's the least I can do." Especially for Baralai since he paid for the food.

Yuna didn't bother to mention that the whole house wasn't present for the meal. Tidus was missing. She sighed deeply and tried to concentrate on her sociology homework. She couldn't concentrate. She wanted to call Tidus, but she wasn't sure that was a good idea. After all, hadn't she asked him to leave? She had been trying to catch a few glimpses of him around campus to no avail.

"Are you a good cook, Yuna?"

"I do okay. My father hasn't complained."

"He seems like a nice man. Where's your mother?"

"She passed away."

"I'm sorry to hear that. So, what happened between you and Tidus? If you don't mind talking about it."

"Well, you know that Darcy is pregnant. They have to get married. It was just easier to break things off now."

"You know there are other guys out there, right? Any guy would be lucky to have you as his girl," he said, slyly watching her out of the corner of his left eye. She was blushing just as he expected.

"Thanks, Reevo."

"I mean it. I never understood how a smart girl like you could get involved with a guy like Tidus, anyway. He's not a good guy, Yuna."

"He is to me."

"That's because you obviously don't know everything about him."

"If he wanted me to know those things, he would have told me."

"Makes you wonder why he hasn't, huh? Because he's ashamed of his behavior, that's why."

Yuna was feeling uncomfortable speaking about Tidus behind his back to another guy. Anyway, wasn't Reevo supposed to be his friend? Why was he saying these things?

"What behavior?" she couldn't help asking. He had peaked her curiosity.

He turned to give her a pointed stare. "Yuna, don't be naïve. Tidus is far more experienced than you. I'm sure you know that."

She could tell that he knew a lot of things that she didn't. Sure. She never questioned how or why he knew what he knew. She liked to think of him as inexperienced as she was. They were learning together. They were a team.

"I don't believe that he's been with a lot of girls. He's too nice for that."

Reevo shook his head and stared at her with pity. "That's an act. Played to get any girl on her back. It never fails."

"That's not what happened!"

"Are you sure? He's pretty convincing. Why do you think Darcy is so crazy about him? You're not much different. Both of you have fallen under his spell. But, it's not too late for you. He's gone. This is your chance to start fresh. Do you want that, Yuna?"

"I don't know if I can go on without him."

Reevo stared at her. What the hell was Tidus doing to these girls? "Yuna, sure you can. I promise."

"I guess you're right. Eventually, I'll have to move on."

"That's a positive attitude. You're on the right track."

She looked down at her text again. She hoped Reevo was right. She would have to get over Tidus. It wasn't optional.


"You've been seeing that Guado bastard behind my back! Of course I'm mad!" Wakka screamed. He had finally cornered Lulu to "discuss" her visit with Seymour.

"Wakka, please calm down. I ran into Seymour at the library. He offered me a ride home."

"You own a car," he pointed out, his arms folded. He wasn't backing down today. He had heard enough excuses from Lulu.

"I had a really bad headache that day," she tried to explain.

"Lu, I know you think I'm just some stupid jock, but if you had a headache why did you stay out so late?"

She almost smiled. She hadn't thought Wakka capable of remembering the details of that night. She scrambled for another excuse, and came up empty.

"Wakka, I told you. I was doing research."

"It's not really about the library stuff. It's about Seymour. You don't think nothing's wrong with you spending time with him? Your ex-boyfriend, ya?"

"You don't think there's anything wrong with being upset about it?"

"I got a right. You're my girl now."

"Wakka, I can still be friends with whomever I want."

"Friends, sure. Who wants to be friends with an abuser?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Come off it, Lu. I know he used to beat you up."

"I never told you that."

"You didn't have to."

She stared at Wakka for a moment. Was this disagreement really about Seymour or was it something else hidden beneath the surface?

"I don't want you seeing him," Wakka stated firmly.

"I just told you, Wakka. I'm free to see whomever I want."

"Not while you're my girl. So choose now. Me or him."

"Choose? There's nothing going on between him and me!" she cried, exasperated.

"Then what's the problem with cutting him loose?"

"It's not him, it's the…"

"The what?"

"Never mind."

"Pills?" he guessed.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. Is he giving you pills?"

"Why would he give me pills?"

"I don't know. Tell me the truth."

"He's not."

"Fine. Then you won't have a problem with me asking him about it."

"Wakka, don't do that."

"Why the hell not?"

"You can't treat me like a damn child that needs checking up on!"

"Then level with me."

"I did."

"Fine. I'll be back in a while," he said, heading to her bedroom door.

"Wakka, wait! Okay. He gave me a few pills, but it's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal. Don't you think there's a problem if Seymour has to give you pills?"

"There's not a problem. A few pills aren't something to get all riled up about."

"Lu, I think you need to talk to someone."

Her eyes narrowed. "So, you think I have a problem, huh? Just like Dr. Woodsy. Well, screw you, too. Just because I happen to suffer from shoulder pain, doesn't mean that I have a problem."

"Lu, I care about you…"

"If you really cared, you would believe me when I say that there's not a problem."

"I can't."

"Well, that's your problem."

"What's it gonna be, Lu? Me or the pills?"

"Wakka…don't…"

"Answer."

She knew the right thing to do would be to tell him that of course her choice was him, but she didn't want to give up the pills just yet. Her shoulder pain hadn't eased. She watched the disappointment appear in his eyes.

"Take care of yourself, Lu," he said, turning to leave the room. He slammed the door hard.


Jecht stared at his feverish son as he lay in bed, tossing and turning. The doctor had said that he had contracted the Garuda flu. He wasn't surprised. It was that time of the season. Luckily, he and Zalora had already had their shots. He wondered if he should go to work.

"Jecht, what are you doing? You're going to be late for work," Zalora said, appearing in the doorway.

"I don't know if I should go."

"Tidus will be fine in my hands. Besides, what are you going to do? Watch him toss and turn in his fevered state all day?"

"I guess you're right. Call me if he gets worse."

"Don't worry. He'll be fine in my hands. I won't take my eye off of him," she promised.

Jecht was about to leave, but for some reason, Tidus moved, throwing himself off the bed. He lay at Jecht's feet.

"What the hell? Did you see that?" he asked Zalora, as he bent down to Tidus. "Don't worry, son. Zalora's going to make you better."

He thought that Tidus was shaking his head and trying to say no. He even tried to grab Jecht's leg. Dad, don't leave me with her. She's going to molest me. Please.

"He must be delirious. Let's get him back in the bed, Jecht."

The two of them helped Tidus back into bed. Zalora pulled the blanket up to his chin again, ignoring the fact that he was already sweating.

Jecht couldn't help but worry. He would have to keep an eye on the situation.

"Don't worry, honey. I'm going to take good care of you. You'll be better in no time," Zalora promised when Jecht had left for work.

She reached over and brushed a few strands of Tidus' damp hair off his forehead. She understood that the Garuda flu was an awful thing to come in contact with. She noticed that Tidus was shivering a bit.

"Why are you shivering? I guess you have some chills, huh? Well, that's nothing a nice warm bath won't fix."

Under his heavily lidded eyes, Tidus saw her leave his bedroom. He wished he had the strength to run. A bath? Not by her! He struggled to speak. His throat was so sore, the effort hurt. He wondered if he could roll onto the floor again. There was no way Zalora could lift him. He'd lay there until Jecht came home, but he would be safe. He tried to roll, but the effort made him weaker.

A short while later, Zalora came back into the bedroom carrying a basin of warm water.

"I used to be a nurse assistant before I met your father. I bet you didn't know that," she told him.

Nurse or no nurse, I don't want you looking at my junk! He tried to speak again. "N…."

"Don't try to talk, dear. After the bath, I'm going to fix you some soup. You'll like that. And then I'll give you another dose of medication. You'll sleep the day away."

She pulled the blanket back and started unbuttoning his pajama top. Tidus hadn't slept in the blue pajamas he was in now in years. Jecht had put him in them.

"My, darling, how you're growing," she said, as a hand slid across his muscular chest.

"N…"

She reached for his pajama bottoms, not noticing that his hand was holding onto the waist band. She pulled on them. Frowning, she finally noticed the hand. She was almost amused. She knew what kind of boy Tidus was deep down. She'd seen the evidence. Why he was trying to be coy around her was beyond her.

"Sweetie, you need to be cleaned."

She tugged on the pants again. Still, he wouldn't let go. Where had he gotten the strength?

"Don't make me get nasty, Tidus," she warned.

As if in response to her challenge, his other hand settled on the waist band of his pants. She sighed with impatience and gave his pants a strong tug. No use. He was holding on too tightly.

"Fine. I'll make you let go one way or another," she promised, leaving the room again.

Tidus wondered where she was going. To get a knife to cut off his hands? It was taking her a long time to return. He heard talking in the distance. His lids felt too heavy to stay alert. He drifted off into sleep again.

When he woke, he saw Jecht sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"Hey. I couldn't stay at work."

Tidus was glad he was back. They both heard the beeping of his phone as it lay on the dresser. Jecht got up and walked over to it. He looked at it.

"It says you have a new text message." He flipped the phone open. He walked over to the chair again.

"It's from Yuna. I wonder what she said. Should I read it?"

Tidus stared into his father's impish eyes. How could Jecht toy with him when he was so sick? He knew damn well he wanted to know what Yuna had said.

"I'll read it. It says 'Hi. I was thinking about you. I miss you. Especially at night.' Woo! I wonder what goes on at night. Are you turning this nice girl into a not so nice girl?"

Tidus just lazily stared. It was good to know that Yuna missed him as much as he missed her. He wished she were here to take care of him.

"Should we text her back? Yeah, we should. I'll say 'Good to hear from you. I miss you, too.' How about that? Cause we both know you miss her," Jecht shrugged. He attempted to text Yuna back. He was getting frustrated.

"Zalora!"

"What is it, Jecht?"

"I'm trying to text Yuna, but my thumbs are too big. Help me out."

"Sure. What are you trying to say?"

"Tell her that Tidus misses her and…he loves her."

Tidus almost bolted out of the bed. He had never said that to Yuna! And he sure as hell didn't want to say it in a text message!

"Jecht, he doesn't want to say that. He almost fell out of the bed again."

Jecht chuckled. "Relax. I'm just kidding. Should we tell her you're sick?"

Tidus wanted to say yes, but he shook his head no.

"Darcy's coming over to see you. I told her you were sick," Zalora said, staring at him intently.

He glared at her. She glared back, as if to say this was his punishment for being defiant earlier. He had to get better soon. And out of this house again.


Paine stood in the cold, staring at the freshly dug grave where her granny had been buried. It had been a simple service. Only her and the maester. She put a cigarette in her mouth and inhaled deeply. Folene had given her the gil that she had received for the sale of the farm. She thought that Folene should have gotten a lot more for the property. Some businessman had hoodwinked her old granny. She kept the gil in her room at the Mika house. She would transfer it to a bank later. It wasn't important right now.

"Well, granny, I'm the last Gardner here. What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Stop talking to a grave for one thing."

She turned to see Baralai walking down the dirt path. She scowled. She didn't feel like being bothered with him today. He was dressed in a long black coat, with a crisp white scarf that matched his headband. How had he even known where the burial was, anyway?

"I need to be alone, Baralai. But, someone with the tiniest bit of empathy would know that."

"Empathy? Sorry. Fresh out."

"What are you doing here?"

"It's not like I didn't know your grandmother, Paine. She liked me. She would want me here."

"She liked you because she didn't know you."

"I didn't come out here to fight."

"Then why did you come out here?"

"To say goodbye to Mrs. Gardner. What else? I certainly didn't come to watch you feel sorry for yourself."

"I'm not feeling sorry for myself. Geez, Baralai, did anyone ever tell you that you're an asshole?"

"Not recently."

"Well, let me be the first. Get lost."

"Nah. I haven't paid my respects yet."

Paine gritted her teeth to keep from punching him. She looked down at her granny's grave wondering why in Spira Folene thought she should marry Baralai? No way. Never.

"The farm is going to be destroyed. A shopping mall is going to be in its place," Baralai said without emotion. He thought she should at least know.

"A shopping mall? I'm not going to allow that to happen!"

"There's not one damn thing you can do about it. It's going to happen."

"When I find out who bought it, I'm going to buy it back. I still have the gil."

"And what if the buyer doesn't want to sell?"

"They will. I plan on fighting tooth and nail for my farm. It belongs to me, not some rich jerk that's trying to expand his bank account."

Baralai stared at her. Did she know it was his father? She couldn't. He was impressed that she still had the gil to buy the farm back. Perhaps his father would listen to reason, and find another piece of land to purchase for his shopping mall. He hoped so. He didn't want to be in the middle of the feud.