Dreams and Escapes
Tidus' POV
"Allllllldo! Where are you?"
"Boo!"
"That's not funny, Aldo!"
"Maybe not for you. But for me it was awesome!"
"Ugh, you're such a boy."
"That's because I am, duh! And besides...you're such a girl!"
"That's because I AM a girl! Anyway, come on!"
"I'll race you!"
"Hey! That's not fair! Wait up, Aldo!"
"Come on, slow poke!"
"Hey, Aldo?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever get tired of coming here?"
"Nah. The beach is always fun."
"Do you ever get tired of coming here with me?"
"Why would I get tired of coming here with you?"
"I dunno."
"You're so weird."
"Maybe I am."
"Hey, Aldo?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we'll ever be apart?"
"Dunno."
"Would you ever forget about me if we did?"
"Nah. Would you ever forget about me?"
"Nope. Aldo?"
"Huh?"
"I have an idea."
"Oh no...not another one!"
"No this time it's a good one!"
"Ugh, fine. What is it this time?"
"Let's promise each other something."
"Ok, I guess?"
"If we are ever separated, let's meet back here. Right on the beach, kay?"
"Hmm..."
"What?"
"Ok. I promise. If we ever are apart, I promise, I'll come back to you. Right here, in our spot."
"I promise too. And I promise to never ever forget about you, Aldo."
"I'll never forget you either."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Tidus?"
My eyes fluttered open at the sound of a quiet voice. I raised up slightly to see Lulu peeking her head through the door of Yuna's room.
"Yeah?"
"Breakfast will be ready soon if you two are hungry. I didn't want to wake Yuna though. You want to sleep a little longer?" Lulu whispered.
"It's fine, Lulu. I'll ask Yuna in a sec." I smiled as she nodded and closed the door.
I looked over and seen Yuna still sleeping soundly with her arm wrapped around my waist tightly. Not wanting to get up just yet, I carefully laid back down in the bed thinking about my dream.
I found it very weird to be dreaming about two kids. Oddly enough, they were running to the beach where Yuna and I had just sat last night in deep conversation. I've had my share of weird dreams...but this was pretty out there.
Suddenly, Yuna stirred and seemed to cuddle up a little closer to me. And I really couldn't help but to smile. She was acting completely different since we've landed in Besaid. Perhaps that could be because she was surrounded by familiar faces again. Maybe now she didn't feel so alone and she could trust Wakka and Lulu. After all, she did grow up around them. And in a sense, she was technically home.
"Mmmm" Yuna groaned sleepily as she clutched me a little tighter.
"Morning sleepy head." I chucked.
"Morn-" she paused and tensed.
Her eyes shot open and she quickly pulled herself off of me nervously.
"Oh Tidus...I'm so sorry!"
"For?" I laughed a bit harder. I couldn't help it, she was obviously embarrassed.
"So much for not being together, ya?" Wakka laughed as him and Lulu stood in the door way.
"I'm not...he's not...I mean we're not!" Yuna blushed horribly as the three of us laughed harder as she chucked a pillow at Wakka.
I climbed out of bed, well ok I more or less crawled considering I was laughing so hard.
"Alright..." Lulu giggled, "leave her alone. She's not used to this."
"Lulu!"
"Sorry, Yuna." she grinned.
Yuna's POV
"I'm going out for a bit guys." I mumbled as we finished cleaning up after breakfast.
They all nodded and I exited the hut.
I just need to think. Best place for me to do that, is the north beach.
I hadn't given any thought to what I was going to do next. I couldn't stay here forever, I was still being hunted down. And eventually the Yevonites are going to figure out where I am. I didn't want to bring Wakka and Lulu in to this mess.
I sat down in my spot on the beach. I loved it here. When I was here, my head was so clear. It was almost as if nothing had happened. Nothing bad in my life had ever occured.
"I miss you, you know?" I whispered at no one. "I've kept my promise. I've never forgotten about you."
I laid back in the sand and stared up at the sky. My eyes squinted as the suns rays beamed down upon me.
It wouldn't hurt to get some sun while I'm here and just relax, would it? Take this time I have and pretend I'm just an ordinary woman enjoying her life.
With that thought in my head, I removed my shorts and shirt, revealing my bathing suit I had worn underneath. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as the summer breeze rushed over me. The warmth of the sun caused me to become drowsy. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Yuna?"
"Hey! We going down to the beach today?"
"Sure."
"I'll race you!"
"Let's just walk today, ok?"
"Um...ok."
"Hey, Yuna?"
"Yes?"
"Happy Birthday."
"Thank you!"
"I...kinda got something for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. My dad helped me pick it out. I hope you like it."
"Oh it's a beautiful necklace! Thank you!"
"Yuna?"
"Hmm?"
"You remember that promise we made each other a long time ago?"
"Of course, silly. How could I forget?"
"My dad...says I have to leave. We're moving away."
"What? You can't!"
"Don't cry, Yuna..."
"You're moving away..."
"Come here. I promise I'll come back for you. Right here, in our spot. And I promise, I'll never forget about you."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"But you didn't come back!" I sat up crying.
I looked around, realizing I was still on the beach.
"Must have been a dream..." I whispered as I dried the tears with my shirt.
"Yuna?"
I turned around to see Tidus sprinting down the beach toward me.
"Hey." I smiled.
"You alright? You've been gone for a few hours."
"Yeah I'm fine. I just came to get some sun I guess."
Tidus just smirked and chuckled. Normally I would have said something, but my dream kind of brought back memories that pained me.
"So, we need to figure out our next move." Tidus uttered as he sat down beside me.
"Yeah. I was caught up in seeing Wakka and Lulu that I didn't even think about it."
"I was thinking we might go back to Zanarkand and talk to my boss, Auron. He could probably help us out."
Should I go back with him? Would this Auron guy believe me?
We sat in silence for a few minutes. Out of nowhere, I felt compelled to ask him about his past.
"Hey, Tidus?"
"Hmm?"
"I just thought about something. I don't know anything about your past, but I just blurted mine out to you last night."
"O-oh, well..."
"It can't be worse than mine." I rolled my eyes and gave him a playful shove.
"I grew up in Zanarkand. My old man was an undercover cop with the ZPD, so I guess it kinda runs in the family." He began to open up a little before he swallowed, "My mother had passed away when I was really young. Anyway, my old man got the job with the ZPD, and we moved to Zanarkand when I was seven. Everything was pretty normal, he worked while I was in school, and he was home at night."
"About a year or two after we had moved there, he started taking on harder cases, which left little time for he and I to spend time together. One night, some guys broke into our house. They were looking for my father, and I heard a struggle going on in his bedroom. And just as I reached the doorway, they killed him. When they figured out I was standing there, they knocked me out cold." He whispered as he grabbed some sand into his hand and squeezed, "I don't remember anything after that. I woke up in the hospital, to see my boss, Auron. He and my old man were really good friends, so Auron said I was moving in with him. He's the one who told me what happened."
"I'm...sorry. That must have been horrible, but where did you live before Zanarkand?" I asked quizzically, though I don't know where it came from.
"I...don't know. The accident caused me to lose my long term memory. So everything that happened before Zanarkand, is gone. It sucks not knowing what my life was like before it."
"I see..."
"Anyway, that's the whole reason I joined the ZPD. I grew up knowing what they had done, and I was pissed that they had pretty much ruined my child hood. So I grew up promising Auron I'd be on the force someday. And..." he stopped as he smiled and looked at me, "Here I am!"
I smiled back. He was trying to lighten the mood, and I couldn't help it. His face though...now that I really look at it...he looks a lot like...
-Phone Rings-
Tidus and I both fumbled around for our phones, and it had been Tidus' that rang.
"Alden speaking!"
I like how he answers his phone. So professional and cop like...
I had to stifle a giggle and Tidus shot me a playful look, shoving me over.
"Oh hey, Gip!" Tidus smiled.
That reminded me, I haven't spoken to Rikku in a couple of days. So I picked up my cell and decided to give her a call and let her know I was ok. Voice mail picked up, so I hung up and dialed again.
"They what! Are you sure?" Tidus yelled out.
I tilted my head to the side as Rikku's phone kept ringing, and Tidus gave me this look.
"I'm on my way. Call Auron, tell him he needs to meet me asap!"
"What's going on?" I asked as the phone rang into my ear.
"They took Rikku!" Tidus yelled out as he jumped up.
"They what?" I yelled as I pressed the speaker phone button by accident and dropped it into the sand.
"We gotta get back to Zanarkand. I have to talk to Auron, and so do you."
"But..."
"Yuna, we can't afford to wait!"
"Lady Yuna..." a mans voice rang out.
I froze in the sand, looking down at my phone. Somebody answered Rikku's cell.
"I know you're still there."
I looked at Tidus, he looked at me, and then our eyes fell to the phone. My heart started racing, and my breathing became shallow and rapid. Slowly, I picked it up and held it between Tidus and I.
"Who is this?" I managed to squeak out.
"Yunie! Don't listen to them, ok? I'll be f-"
"Rikku!" I shouted as tears built up in my eyes.
Suddenly there were screams and groans that seemed to fall away silently.
"Stop it! Leave her alone!"
"I expect to see the Lady Yuna Althea in the Bevelle temple in two days. If she's not alone, I will kill her filthy Al Bhed cousin. Is that understood?"
"You bastard!"
"My, my, my Lady Yuna. What would Lord Braska say about his daughter having a mouth like that on her?"
"You..." Tidus put his hand on my shoulder to calm me down, and it worked. Kind of. "You leave my father and Rikku out of this."
"Two days, Lady Yuna. I expect you here alone."
-Disconnected-
I just...stood there. I couldn't think, my mind was racing a hundred miles an hour. Everything seemed to be spinning, and I couldn't seem to stop it. Before I said anything, I walked up to the shore line, panting. Tidus followed me, afraid of what I was going to do. Before I knew it, I chucked my phone out into the ocean and screamed as loud as I could as tears of anger rolled down my cheeks.
"Yuna, we'll get Rikku back. I promise." Tidus said firmly planted his hands on my shoulder.
I still couldn't think. I didn't want to, really. And then it came to me in a flash of rage.
I know what I have to do.
I shook Tidus off of me, and stormed back toward the village. I brushed past Wakka and Lulu, and headed back to my old room, slamming the door in Tidus' face, and locked it.
"Yuna, open the door!" Tidus shouted as he banged on it.
I rushed over to my closet and grabbed the step stool from the back. Stepping on to it, I grabbed a box from the top and placed it on the bed. I ran back over and grabbed another box from the back, and threw it over to my bed.
"Yuna, open the damned door or I'll break it down!" Tidus yelled as he started ramming his shoulder against the door.
I continued to ignore him as I ran to my dresser and pulled out a lock box. Shoving them all into a bag, I opened my window and looked back at the door. I sighed and walked back over to my desk and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. I had to leave some sort of note. I couldn't leave like this.
After scribbling down something, I walked back toward my window, and made my escape. I ran out of the village, and headed toward the neighboring city.
I won't let you do to her, what you did to me. This ends now.
