Chapter XII
"Boss! Your orders?" The crackling transmission made the blonde woman want to claw her own ear off and scream from the rooftops, but no. This couldn't do. They were professionals after all.
"Continue!" 'That tone, I have to watch it!' "...as before, until I give the all-clear!" For a heist such as this, there would be only one chance. They had to get it right.
Leblanc scanned the horizon, observing security to be comically lax for such a valuable item. 'Too easy if you ask me.'
She turned her gaze to the streets, finding little to be concerned about, when a pedestrian caught her eye. He traversed the street seemingly on his merry way, with a bouquet of roses in his hands. She couldn't discern much, but judging from his golden skin, his tall, athletic frame and his blonde locks, whoever those roses were for sure was lucky.
"Uh, Boss?" Ormi tapped Leblanc on the shoulder, then pointed to a nearby rooftop. There sat someone with a gun, inexplicably not aimed at the trio.
"What's that chump up to?" Logos chided between clenched teeth.
"I don't know!" Leblanc whispered harshly.
Suddenly, a faint thwip escaped the weapon, firing into the street below. Much to Leblanc's horror, the young man she casually observed mere moments before fell to the pavement in a heap.
The last thought in her mind was to call the mission off.
Their boss threw herself forward, instinct taking over. Logos and Ormi chased clumsily behind with a prayer that they could get to her in time. They hopped down the jutting platforms of the street balconies. Leblanc and Logos landed flawlessly, but Ormi's heavy armor dragged him to his painful downfall. Both the delay and the ruckus they caused made them lose their race to the soldier.
They trampled towards the soldier with a trifle of embarrassment, who was kneeling and applying bandages to the man's puncture. As if on cue he holstered him over his shoulder and turned to stare down his challengers. He crooked his head to the side and giggled a bit upon the peculiar sight.
"Not so fast, little boy!" Leblanc declared, dramatically gesturing to her two cronies. Her bladed fan whipped up and down teasingly. "No injustice gets away from the eye of the Leblanc Syndicate!"
"Yeah!" Logos and Ormi cheered - the former with significantly less emotion.
The longer they had their weapons brandished, the more ridiculous the situation was to the soldier. He just grunted nonchalantly and used the awkward moment to throw a smoke bomb down the slope.
"I think that what's the guards are for," he remarked cheekily before fleeing down one of the junctions, covering Tidus' mouth just in case.
The thick haze dissolved in snake-like wisps. Logos and Ormi were still sputtering smoke from their throats, but Leblanc stood taut and silence. The base of her fan cracked under the force of her fist. Her face was blotched with wrinkles and darkened cheeks.
With her fingers curled up into claws, she reached for her transmitter and dialed it.
"Drop everything."
"Huh? But, Boss-"
"No excuses! There's a kidnapper on the loose! I need your posse and as many people as possible to surround the perimeters - ASAP!"
A wince teetered on his clenched teeth, and the connection cut out abruptly. He looked over to the masquerading heist he was in charge of; they weren't that far away from the syndicate vessel, and that fool of a curator was still bragging about his ties to the Syndicate.
To them it didn't make much sense to clump gallons of valuable sphere data together; such a juicy haul was just begging to be stolen back by the sphere hunters they betrayed in the first place. But now the conductor's priorities were divided and duelling with each other. On one hand was the prize they were so close to procuring, but when their boss issued an order it was imperative that they follow it, lest they get fired. Or worse.
"As you wish…" he clamped down on the transmitter with excessive force, before signaling a few of his compatriots into a nearby alleyway, awaiting further instruction.
"What? How dare you bail on me!" the curator bellowed to the goons in pursuit. "This sphere isn't going to move on its own!"
"Quiet," a goon hissed at him, pulling him back with a fierce grip. "There's been a change of plan and we'll just have to wait."
"Tell your boss that I refuse to work with her if she's this scatterbrained." He harrumphed to hammer the point home. "For all I know, my paycheque is at the bottom of her list."
The crew was reassigned to the northern square, lying in wait at the stairwell to the northern platform leading up to the Mi'ihen Highroad. Such a conspicuous place should hardly have been the route for someone carrying out the act of kidnapping, if the perp was even leaving the city at all.
The kidnapper emerged from the suburbs, complete with a ragdoll slumped over his shoulder. His heart was thumping against his ribs. Even in the outer regions swarms of potential witnesses littered the streets. One wrong step and he could find himself slumped on the concrete, battered and detained before he could even explain himself.
He had to be very, very cautious.
His aim was to get to the Mi'ihen Highroad and take the hovercraft to the Youth League headquarters, where he could present his bounty. Before starting towards the stairwell he noticed some anonymities, wearing green and garishly pink suits, stationed all around the platforms.
"Great. Guards. Now what?"
Tidus moaned and wriggled his head about, trying to rid himself of the dizzy spell from the bloodstream cascading into his skull. He couldn't feel or move any body part below his neck, save for an itching numbness in his joints. He stared dead-on at the soldier's shadow as he spoke.
"This Leblanc Syndicate… 's not very helpful, are they?"
"Always just thought they were a travelling carnival. But now there's a bigger problem at hand."
"Can I take a look?"
He sunk into the shadows and held Tidus upright with a surprising carefulness, but still covering his mouth. He surveyed the situation and devised a plan in his head. That balcony reminded him of a certain promise he made.
He tried to beckon the soldier over with a neck motion, which succeeded.
"I have an idea," he muttered lowly with the essence of mischief about him. "Get their attention with a really loud finger whistle."
"Nice try," the soldier blurted with a scoff.
"No, I'm serious! If you do it from here it'll give you time to run away. And if you make a roundabout at, say… where the Sphere Theater is, you'll have enough time to get up there."
"You're just trying to screw me over. Why would you help me?" he sighed pitifully. "I've ruined you."
"I want to get healed up, feel my arms and legs and get them working before I die," he admitted with a harsh tone. "Now are you gonna do something or just stand here all day?"
"But-"
"Look! You're armored and they don't even have guns! Take a risk!"
Having enough, the soldier slapped his hand over his captive's mouth. A few pairs of eyes wandered over to the alleyway from the balconies. He tossed a stone around the corner, snaked the heel of the road and blew a shrill whistle.
The distracted goons whipped around to the source to find a stack of bodies heaving down the path. With no hesitation they leapt off the railing - some of them spraining their ankles - leaving the remaining ones to chase after them with flailing daggers.
In his moment of hysteria, Luca had transformed from a harbour town into a glorified maze. Now that he had gotten a taste of how loudmouthed his captive could get, he couldn't allow himself to let the boy speak. With no strategy of his own, he just had to trust in him.
Each passing tile was a point of no return. Stander-bys were pushed to the wayside by the soldier and the clacking footprints hot on his trail. He weaved in and out of the stone archways. Left foot. Thud. Right foot. Repeat. He feared for drowning in his own sweat as the sweltering sun bore into the streets.
The silhouette of the Sphere Theatre apparated in his blurred vision. Feeling his aching lungs about to collapse, he dove behind it and they both fell to the ground. Harsh ghosts of gasps and wheezing squeezed out of his soul.
Shaking palms reached for his gun while Tidus lay slumped against the wall. After a moment the greatest smirk crept onto his face. The soldier scowled, his tendons bracing in fury.
"What're you smilin' at?" he spat in frustration. The boy wasn't even looking at him! His pulsating heart wrung out all but the sound of his own voice. "Don't you ignore me! You're the reason-"
"You came running."
A blunt, powerful force coursed through the exposed back of his head, shutting down all his senses as his body went numb. He couldn't feel or even comprehend his descent onto the harsh concrete. His head throbbed with pain as the scene in front of him unfolded. A woman in battle armor knelt to Tidus' side, sheathing her blade and fretting over him.
"Sorry, Yuna. Can't move at the moment," he remarked strangely as she clasped his arm. "I'm paralysed."
"Who… Did this man do this to you?!"
When he didn't answer, the woman turned to him to curse him with a glare. His heart froze for a split second as cold struck him. That name. That voice. Those eyes. When it all finally dawned upon him, he could see his future withering away. It was too late to explain himself.
"I'm going to get the authorities," Yuna reassured Tidus, calling for help as she held him in a full embrace. Separate armies of footprints came rushing in from both directions.
The soldier's blank stare went nowhere.
"Also coming up this weekend will be the debut of the Goers' new minor league. They're heading into the stadium right now. Here's hoping they'll keep Luca's blitzball blood running-"
"Bobba, wait! I just got a report from Shelinda- There's been an attempted kidnapping and assault!"
"What?! Well, get right to the scene then!"
All over the town, public and private spherevisions flickered to show the shadowed back of the Sphere Theatre, focussing on the event that had just unfolded. Questions towards a young woman and an immobilised man were being rattled left and right from guards, while an unconscious soldier in Youth League armor was being investigated.
"Wha-! That's Lady Yuna!" Jimma yelled, his microphone spitting white noise. "And- Huh? That man- What on Spira's going on?"
His calamity rubbed off on the civilians whose eyes were glued to the screens. The central cafe was particularly struck; all services within halted as the congregation chattered away with the news scoop.
"Lady Yuna's been gone for ages."
"Who's that blond guy she's holding onto?"
"Her boyfriend! Oooh!"
"Always knew that Youth League bunch were crooks."
The guards got to work on cleaning up the scene. A couple of them lifted Tidus by the limbs and started carrying him down the street, Yuna not daring to linger away from his side. They pushed eager news anchors away as they came careening down, and he was eventually checked into a homely ward at the local hospital.
Yuna stayed by his side until nightfall. She wanted nothing more than to take him home right then and there, but doctor's orders were orders. With the poison now officially out of his system, she surmised a well-placed Curaga spell would rid him of his numbness, but with the silencing fog in the air, it wouldn't happen.
'Something about the risks of dangerous magic and safety procedures. Such is progress.'
Tidus wheezed as he slowly emerged from a deep slumber. She caught his head in her hands as he writhed about.
"Tidus…"
"Hey…" He took a deep breath after having calmed down. "Just had a bad dream. Gotta wonder what was in that dart."
"Dart?"
"Yeah. I got shot out of nowhere." He gulped and looked straight up at Yuna, who was sitting on his bed. He wished he had the ability to feel her warmth right now. "I didn't have a chance to get my Grid out."
His quickening pulse set off a small, yet shrill alarm on the bedside table. Hearing his anguished groans, Yuna quickly reached over and slammed down on it, shutting it off.
"And even if I did, what was I gonna do? Knock him out and leave him lying there?"
"Well, that's kind of what I did," she mumbled, feeling pangs of guilt and frustration.
All she wanted was a nice day out with her lover - to get him reacquainted with the sight of Spira, and to quell his underlying fears of the factions' footprints. But now? It was proven that he was just as much of a target as months prior.
She felt like it would never end. And she hated herself for it. Not even her title as the High Summoner (though she would never take advantage of it) could protect Tidus from such heinous actions. In fact it only drew more attention to their case.
A nurse came in just then, carrying a tray full of digestive foodstuffs and some herbs. She also carried a sealed jug filled with crystalline water. It was gleaming a little, with pastel swirls swimming around.
"It's good to see you're awake," she quipped. She unsealed the jug and poured a little bit of the water into a vial. "This pyrefly essence will speed up your healing process. If you can stomach it, that is."
"Pyre…?" His face twisted at the gruesome, rather disgusting implications.
"Don't worry, they're Moonflow pyreflies. They're completely ethical." She tried to force her smile for as long as she needed, which was until Tidus was comfortable with "drinking ghosts" in his words. In the meantime she eyed Yuna intensely. "And you, missy. Your visiting hours have gone a little over the limit."
"Missy?" Yuna despised the thought of playing the 'do you know who I am' card, but the nurse's tone made it rather tempting. "Ma'am, I never saw any visiting hours posted! Could you please clear that up?"
"Clearly, Tidus doesn't need you distracting him from his recovery for as long as you have. Now run along."
When Tidus caught the glimpse of fire, bordering on pure rage in Yuna's expression, he knew he had to speak up.
"Nurse, she's the one I trust in here more than anyone-"
"In what way? What kind of relationship do you two have?"
Her voice had jumped from playful to intimidating in a flash, and in his state he felt like he was cornered by a famished animal. But he wasn't going to let themselves fall into yet another pit, just because she refused to understand their bond.
"She's..." He exhaled a pent-up breath and glared at the nurse. "We're a couple."
"That's not good enough. Visiting hours are unlimited for spouses and relatives. Otherwise it's a maximum of six a week," she huffed, finalising her stance. "Not that I'd expect this little lady to follow it. Isn't that right?"
"You don't know what was going on!" Yuna cried out passionately, returning to her position on the bed and refusing to budge. "Tidus is near and dear to me. I need to protect him from everyone who's out to get him!"
"'I can't believe this world! If I see one more damned Youth soldier they'll have my sword in their neck!'" the nurse mocked her, reciting her earlier outburst in a falsetto tone. "This hospital is sanitary in both the body and the mind. If I see any swords or spells out of you, you'll be mouthing off to the Praetor from a jail cell. Are we clear?"
Yuna hunched over a little, mumbling a confused, angry affirmation.
"Then get out."
Seeing Yuna visibly upset - dealing with the swirl of emotions, having her hands tied - made Tidus physically ache worse than he already did.
"Yuna, go. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Tidus swallowed, unsteady in his reassurance.
"O-okay."
"You heard him. Scram."
"Yuna, wait!" Tidus called out suddenly, remembering something important. He turned his head to his rucksack which was lying on the table. "My music spheres are in there. If it's not asking much, can you-"
"Music spheres?" The nurse had decided to pry right in, gazing at Tidus with shining eyes. "My! A musician?"
She giggled for a bit and, disregarding any sort of privacy, rummaged through the bag as he was helpless to stop her. Yuna swept over and snatched it up from under the nurse's nose, leaving her hand to trail over the table and to subject herself to a malevolent leer.
"Stay away," Yuna spat at her, filtering out every word to follow. Clutching the bag tightly to her gut, she stormed out of the ward.
"What a chore," the nurse heaved, shutting the door and pulling up a chair to sit next to her patient. "Someone like you shouldn't be putting up with such girls. It's bad for your health."
Naturally sensing that she wasn't the richest - or most modest - in spirit, Tidus scoffed with a jaded expectancy. "I hate to break it to you, but you're not really my type either."
"But did you see how aggressive she was? You can do so much better than that petulant child," she quipped in a half incredulous, half suggestive tone.
"That petulant child you just shooed off is responsible for your Eternal Calm. And as her guardian, I will not stand for how you treated her, or us. Now, this is how it's gonna go: you will leave me alone for the rest of the night. And when I get better, I am checking. Myself. Out."
Judging by the flabbergasted look on her face, and how she was leaning away with every venomous word that escaped his mouth, he knew that he had struck multiple of her chords. Silence hung in the air and wrung their throats. But the nurse kept trickling, albeit with a meek resignation.
"I'm already checking you out," she squeaked with a quivering smirk.
"You're an absolute creep."
"But we should make the best of our time together, shouldn't we? I'm actually working part-time, and I'm leaving here in a little bit. I'll wish you all the best in the meantime." She said that last part with a flirtatious wink.
"That brings me comfort." Tidus sneered with venom resounding in his voice.
She finally took the cue and left his room, leaving Tidus to his own devices. He muttered relief under his breath. He craned his neck to look out of the window. The sky was overcast, cloaking the unlit buildings in darkness and stretching out over the horizon. Finding nothing interesting to watch out for, he sighed and finally gave his neck some well-deserved rest.
"I'm sorry, Yuna…"
He felt like weeping until he could fall into slumber. He just wanted to run away. Away from the nurse, away from the hell that Spira couldn't resist bringing down on him - and back to his Yuna.
They deserved much better than this. Didn't they?
Tidus found sleep hard to come by, waking up at the crack of dawn. Sitting alone in such solitude was agonizing, especially with not knowing when the nurse would next be in. If Yuna would even be allowed in - if they would be allowed time to themselves.
Alone in his thoughts, Tidus jumped when he heard a knock at the door.
"Tidus?" The voice didn't belong to Yuna, but at least it didn't belong to the wretch from last night. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but you have a visitor and she wants to know if it's okay to come in."
"Hey Tidus, it's me!" Yuna called from beyond the threshold.
"Yes, please let her in." Tidus exhaled audibly, as if in relief. Just then the room seemed to gain some of its homeliness back.
"Of course. Remember to ring if you need anything, okay?" The nurse chimed in before taking her leave.
Yuna stepped in and approached him from the side, her hands behind her back. Her cheeks were aching from her wide grin. "She seems nice."
"Yeah, thank goodness. I was about to snap on that one last night," he grumbled.
"Usually I don't admit these things, but I was about to as well." She glanced to the floor sheepishly.
"I could tell. That's why I sent you off when I did."
"She didn't... 'harm' you, did she?" Yuna felt a knot welding in her gut by just thinking of the possibilities.
"No, no. I made it clear she wouldn't be laying a single finger on me without suffering the consequences.
"Good." Yuna placed a peck on Tidus' forehead. 'Nobody better lay anything on my Tidus.'
"Say," He was at a good-enough angle to see the object being hidden from him. "what do you have behind your back?"
"This? Oh, it's nothing much, but it's for you." Yuna blushed.
"For me? Well then, can I see it?"
Yuna revealed the gift: a bouquet of white roses, nearly identical to the gift that Tidus himself picked out before things went downhill.
"Y-Yuna, how'd you know? That's exactly what I planned on giving you!"
"Well, the old lady at the flower shop told me all about it when she asked me for my boyfriend's name. She also sent you a letter wishing you all the best, Tidus."
She sat down beside him and opened the neat, chic letter that was specially crafted for him. The petal-stained paper was nicely topped off with a red ribbon wrapping around the folds. Within it was a wobbly, but whole-hearted handwritten message, which he decided to read out loud:
"To the young Tidus,
I heard and saw the heartbreaking news. I write this letter to you with blessings that you will get better completely, and that your sunniness will never fade.
There are good and bad people in this world, even after our struggles. But please know that I, and hopefully all of Luca, wish you all the best.
I hope you will come back and visit sometime!
- A.L. ~ 'Flowers of the Highroad'
P.S. You two make a cute couple!"
He chuckled at the last line, pulling away from the print to gaze up at Yuna with crowding emotions. The sight of the bouquet gave him an inner strength; he reached out to grasp it. It felt like multiple anvils were clamping down on his bicep, but after much perseverance his fingers curled around the silky bushel.
He relished in the mild scent, his feat not yet registering until he got a good look at his lover's deep expression.
"Tidus, you're moving!" she cried out, soon turning into cheers and a jubilant laugh. "Thank the fayth - you're moving!"
He exclaimed, working to loosen up the bones in his fingers with a small smile. "Well, I wasn't gonna stay like this forever, was I?"
"No, no!" Yuna exclaimed, sounding less than convincing in her attempt to hide her worry. "I mean, I'm just glad you're improving."
For a moment, Tidus appeared lost in thought, weighing the concern in Yuna's voice. Yet again as so many times before, there was nothing they could do but pick themselves up and march forward.
"I think you're more my guardian this time around." Tidus chuckled.
"Hey, don't forget all the times I bailed you out on my pilgrimage!" Yuna grinned. "You really liked chasing those butterflies. You almost ran into a fiend's mouth that one time!"
"You know, you've really stepped up your humour game," Tidus quipped with a chuckle.
She swung her legs over the bed and slowly laid down beside him. "I only learned from the best, you know?"
"Well, at least I got that going for me, if nothing else. I got Yuna to lighten up!"
She laughed harmonically. "It certainly wasn't what I expected for my pilgrimage. But… it made it better. You made everything so much better."
His gaze faltered and he looked away, stumbling to come up with a retort when he felt her hand cup his cheek. He turned back to find that Yuna had shuffled even closer.
"It made me sad, sometimes, when I thought of what would happen in the end." 'And what did happen,' she mused with a wince. "But I don't regret any of it. You're a big part of why… why I wanted to keep living, even at Zanarkand. I knew I had something to live for beyond that."
Keeping her distracted with his gentle grin, he quietly looped his unstable arm around Yuna's neck, and pulled her into his personal space. He bent down to brush his lips against hers teasingly.
"I did say I'd find a way, right?" he whispered seductively. "I didn't want moments like these to be just memories."
A whimper hitched from within her throat as she suddenly found their lips locked and blossoming with warmth. Tidus held the bouquet upright to hide their bliss. Yuna shifted so that she was angled over him, her elbow sinking firmly into the mattress and her legs tangling the sheets.
Standing just outside the ward and watching through the one-way glass was the nurse who had just left. She was peeking at the scene playing out before her, uttering the tiniest mewls of adoration. Clambering up just beside her was the nurse from last night, who loudly cleared her throat and rattled her cart.
"Aren't you going to stop her, Mylia?" she growled, appearing on-edge. "Tidus might be suffocating."
"Oh- he's clearly not," she scoffed with annoyance. "Look at them."
"Oh, I know. It's so romantic, isn't it?" she huffed sarcastically. "The High Summoner just waltzes in and starts making out with a patient. Why, we should make a painting out of this. Hang it in all the temples!"
Mylia's eyebrows shot up, her eyes still plastered on the slow scene. "Are you jealous?"
The nurse stuttered, both offended and embarrassed. She trampled behind the cart and pushed it over to the door. "Right. That's exactly it! How dare I have concern for a man! I guess the High Summoner is just allowed to break all the rules!"
Her little tangent had obviously breached the walls. The other hallways had gone silent, and the lovebirds themselves had halted their little session to gawk at the door. Yuna quickly got off him and plopped down innocently, just in case.
"I think your mind is a little too clouded to be working with any patient right now," Mylia counteracted, taking the cart off her and directing her to the double doors. "Perhaps you should take the rest of the shift off?"
"As I said!" the nurse barked. "Little Lady Yuna has all of you wrapped around her pinky! I feel truly sorry for that Tidus - being stuck with that wench, when he could be…"
Her sentence got choked up as she rushed the walk of shame out of Mylia's sight. Sighing, she shook her head and gently rapped on the door, requesting permission to enter from Tidus. Once in she immediately started preparing a catering tray, full of little pastries and mashed potatoes.
"Here's your breakfast," She paused to give him an impish smile. "Sir Tidus."
"Oh hey, thanks!" Tidus grinned. He bent forward to get a good look of what was being offered to him, and picked up both of his arms to take hold of a platter. "I might need a little help."
Following that little comment, Yuna hopped off the bed and begun to build a bundle of silverware, mince pies and milky mash on the tray, indirectly taking control from Mylia. With a dainty smile she pulled up a chair beside the bed and relaxed, watching the intensive act being carried out of the purity of heart.
"It's truly amazing!" Mylia exclaimed before admonishing herself for her excitement. "I mean - how the Lady Yuna has been able to find love after all."
"We go back quite a bit." Once again she sunk into the dent she made in the mattress. Out of nowhere her stomach started spurting growls, rousing Tidus' attention.
"You wanna share?" he suggested with a mouthful, handing her a fresh pie. "You've been running around a lot."
Witnessing Yuna humbling herself to nothing, before finally being enticed by the golden delight, only softened Mylia's soul until it felt like she could float away.
"How did you two meet, if you don't mind me asking?"
Tidus and Yuna stared at each other with a knowing look. He set the platter to one side and made himself as comfortable as he could be. He bore into Mylia's eyes as Yuna nestled into his side, reminiscing ahead of time.
"Well, it's a long story. If you don't have anywhere else to go…"
She quickly shook her head. "I'm sure it'll be a good one."
And so their tale was recounted with the rising of the sun - how a man from the mysterious land of Zanarkand intertwined with the path of a summoner from Besaid. Their budding friendship had been nurtured from the curious innocence of youth, and matured into something deeper once they were pitted against the world, and had nobody to confess their impossible desires to but each other. A daring romance kept only between them, for nobody - not even their closest friends - would approve of their bond in such tormenting times.
Mylia took in every meaningful word, her suspense urging her to ask questions about the little questions, turning it into a playful conversation as the two of them learned new, minute details about each other - even after all this time.
"...and then, and then-!" Try all as he might, Tidus' words came out as just wheezes of laughter. "We were holding hands this one time, but then Wakka busted in and saw us! So he was about to rat us out to everyone, when Rikku…"
"Hit him in the head with a blitzball," Yuna finished for him, squirming with giggles. "He couldn't remember a thing!"
"She has one heck of a throwing arm. I don't know why she didn't play for the Aurochs." He stopped when he heard Mylia clearing her throat from beside them. "Oh- sorry! Whaddya wanna ask?"
"You two must have been so close. But then- why weren't you with her when she gave her speech?" she inquired, tilting her head away with a slither of embarrassment. "In fact, nobody's ever heard of a 'Sir Tidus' until now."
He gulped. A plethora of possibilities overwhelmed him. He pushed the empty tray aside and leaned backwards, greeting the ceiling with a deadpan stare.
'Should I tell her the truth? There's no harm in coming out with it now, right? But… she'll ask more questions, and… I don't need my revival to be going public. Not in a New Yevon hospital.'
"Well… Sin and the pilgrimage took a lot out of me. But I went into care and the fayth gave me guidance." He released a painful breath. It wasn't entirely a lie, right? "I didn't want to come back to everyone until I was a whole man again."
"Hm… I see. You must have been some guardian to keep Yuna alive."
It was then when Yuna decided to give out a greatly exaggerated yawn, and stretch her limbs over Tidus' body until a pleasant tingling sensation filled them. She smiled and nestled into the crook of his neck, eyes drooping.
"Sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night," she muttered to him, unable to muster up the energy to stay alert. "Mylia, can I stay here with him?"
"I don't see why not," she quipped, beginning to clean up the place. "You two practically act like a married couple."
Yuna's face flushed red as she contemplated that word, an awkward silence falling down on the room before snapping to attention. "Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate it."
Making as little noise as she could, Mylia pulled down the blinds, set the empty plates on the cart and wheeled it out of the ward, leaving them alone for a little while. The silence persisted still as the couple looked each other in their fleeting eyes. Breaths forced - stomachs knotted - Tidus cleared his throat when he couldn't bear it anymore.
"You get some shuteye, all right?" he insisted with a crook of a smile. "Looks like you need it."
She took the memo and relaxed against him, balling up parts of his gown in her fists. He lay there for a while just watching her rise up and down on his chest, thoughts swirling around him quietly.
''I wouldn't mind that,' he realised, going on to spend the next while with similar epiphanies.