AN: As I promised, fast and quick! Here is chapter 26! You know we are nearing the end folks. One last fight after Tidus is up to health again. Stay tuned!
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X or Final Fantasy X-2
Chapter 26
Curiously he watched her take something out of the pot and put on a counter in the kitchen. "There is medicine for you and food inside it." Yuna said as if she read his questioning thoughts and continued with the task she set herself.
"Ah, alright." He replied a bit lamely, not sure what he could answer on that. Her back was still turned to him and he was unable to clearly see what she was doing. She seemed quite taken with whatever she was doing.
Reluctantly he tore his eyes away from her and stared solemnly at the ceiling. He really wanted to help her. Sighing he turned his head again to continue watching her. "Why did you send Lenne away?" Tidus asked, hoping she would turn around so he could see her beautiful mismatched eyes. Two months of not seeing her were a long time.
Yuna's head turned slightly indicating that she was listening but not enough to actually be able to glance at her face. Tidus was disappointed. "She would always come here and disturb you in your sleep. I couldn't let her do that. You needed your rest. No matter how long it would last." The last part she said with a small shake in her voice. Tidus frowned at her.
"There is something you are not telling me." He said slowly and watched for her reaction. She stopped momentarily what she was doing. "The doctor said you might never wake up again." She tried to say that casually but Tidus could hear her voice crack at some points.
His eyes softened and he really wished he could stand up. "But I woke up." Tidus said softly. He could see her tilt her head in a nod. "Yes, you did." Yuna agreed and continued with her task. Tidus inwardly cursed. He wished he could comfort probably. That he could take her in his arms and tell her everything was fine again but he couldn't move without possibly throwing up. Maybe he had to risk it.
For her sake.
"I told you I would always be there for you." Tidus stated sincerely. She stopped again. "You did." She replied shortly and continued to do whatever she did. Tidus' face grimaced in frustration. She was in deep pain, no doubt. Words wouldn't be enough to sooth her.
Using all the willpower he had he slowly moved in a sitting position. The agony of it made him almost cry out and he paled immensely. He gagged a bit but could fight down the urge to vomit. Taking a deep breath in preparation he swung his legs over the bed and set his feet on the ground.
He closed his eyes and grunted lightly so Yuna wouldn't hear. He was going to faint, he just knew it. Taking another deep breath he stood up and almost dropped immediately to the floor. His Machina arm! He almost forgot. Tidus gasped silently and clutched his protesting stomach.
Ignoring how sick he felt he slowly walked forward. It was like walking through a bush made of swords, slicing and cutting at his muscles. At the half of the way he had to stop for a second or two to catch his breath and fight down the ever growing feeling of nausea.
Determinedly he straightened up again and went on. He would not let weakness force him back. Inwardly he sighed in relief when he stood behind her. Yuna was too absorbed in (he peered over her shoulder) preparing a meal to notice him.
He lifted his organic arm, completely ignoring the agony and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. At the same time he said lovingly. "Yuna…" She whirled around and looked shocked at him, deeply concerned for his wellbeing. "How did you…?" She began to ask but shook her head to clear this thought. "You have to go back! You are supposed to be resting!"
Yuna tried to urge him backwards, pressing her smaller hands into his bare chest but he wouldn't budge. "Please." She whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't want to…!" She didn't finish that sentence but Tidus knew anyway what she wanted to say. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest when he saw the agony she endured.
He wrapped his organic arm around her and cradled her against him. "You are never going to lose me." He whispered soothingly into her ear and laid his chin on top of her head. Tidus heard her sob and felt the wetness of tears on his skin.
He didn't know how long they stood like that. It must have been many minutes. But he didn't care. He would have stood an eternity with her in his arms if she so wished.
With a last sniff Yuna leaned back. Her eyes were red and swollen from her crying. "You are hurt and still have to comfort me. I am sorry." She said miserably and looked down in shame. Tidus smiled gently and with a finger under her chin lifted her gaze back up to his.
He shook his head and said comfortingly. "Doesn't matter. I'll always be there for you." Yuna sighed contently and tugged him at his Zanarkand Abes chain down. His captors had miraculously not taken it from him. "I love you." She murmured against his lips. Tidus shivered lightly when her sweet breath mingled with his. "I love you, too." He murmured back and closed the remaining distance between them eagerly.
Tidus' legs almost gave out under him at the warm and soft feeling of her lips upon his. It had been so long. She moaned softly, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue past her lips. The incredible sensation their kiss brought him was definitely worth the pain of standing up and walking around.
When they broke apart they leaned their foreheads together, both of them smiling quite goofily. Tidus could see the sparkle he had missed return to her eyes. His smile widened slightly. Yuna gazed adoring into his eyes and stroked his cheeks softly. Tidus enjoyed the gentle caresses and drew small circles on her lower back, feeling her relax completely against him.
"You are so amazing, you know?" She said and rubbed noses with him, earning a small chuckle from him. "Nahh, I thought we came to that conclusion long ago!" He replied playfully, confidently puffing out his chest. Yuna rolled her eyes at him and said dryly. "Ha ha ha." Tidus grinned at her smugly.
"But now back to bed." Yuna said resolutely and pushed him backwards carefully. Tidus grimaced in pain but followed her lead without further complain. She helped him lay down again and tugged the blanket up to his chest.
"How come your Machina arm is so heavy? It always looks so easy when you walk around with and move it." Yuna asked curiously, having difficulty lifting it only moments before with it. "Well…" Tidus said frowning in concentration.
"When it's active you could say that it's holding itself up." He offered in explanation. "How?" Yuna asked curiously. Tidus' frown deepened. How could he explain that? "My Machina arm gets energy from my movements and stores this energy to operate and using the direct connection to my spine it distributes the weight over my whole body so I don't feel it anymore. For me it's then like a normal arm." Yuna seemed to think about his words a few seconds before she nodded in understanding.
"I think I understand how it works now. I called Shinra by the way. He's coming next week to repair whatever is damaged." Yuna said giving him a pat on his chest. Tidus smiled thankfully at her.
"I have another question." She said a bit sheepishly. Tidus laughed lightly. "Aren't we curious today?" He remarked in a teasing tone. Yuna huffed and poked his side with a pout. Chuckling he asked. "Sooo, what is your question?"
Her expression grew more serious. "How could you turn into an Aeon without my help?" Tidus' brows furrowed in deep thought. How indeed? "I am not sure…" He said slowly concentrating hard on the fuzzy memories he had.
"But whatever I did must have gone wrong. I turned into a dark Aeon after all and not my normal form. I definitely won't do it again." Yuna nodded and thoughtfully looked at him. "Maybe whoever captured you somehow forced it?" She suggested uncertainly. Tidus shook his head. "No, I doubt that's possible." He replied certain. "I must have done it myself somehow. I am certain I did. This much I remember."
Yuna sighed and got up again. "No use wondering about it then. I am going to make you something to eat. Rest now and no standing up." She said waving a finger in front of his face. Tidus looked innocently at her. "I am going to be good. Promise!"
Yuna shook her head at his childish antiques and went back into the kitchen. In no time she finished the meal and sauntered back to him. She even hummed happily while she did that. Yuna was happy again. Tidus smiled inwardly, patting his back mentally for a job well done but she was a pregnant woman and emotionally very unstable because of all the hormones and such. He had to be careful or he might end up dead sooner than he thought.
Tidus burned the most important rule into his head. If she asks him if she looks fat there is no right answer. The only option was escape. He nodded to himself contently. Yuna looked at him with questioning eyes but shrugged her shoulders a second later, dismissing it as unimportant.
She gently helped him to sit up. He grunted in pain at the action. When she gave him to food to eat he turned up his nose. Not that it smelled bad but he still felt this nausea and he really didn't feel hungry.
"Do I have to?" He asked and pleadingly looked at her. Yuna glanced pitying at him and nodded firmly. "You can't take the medicine on an empty stomach. Come on for me?" She gave him puppy dog eyes and Tidus melted instantly. He just couldn't say no to anything when she did that.
"Fine." He grumbled and took the spoon for the soup she offered him. Yuna smiled triumphantly at him. She would forever use that as blackmail against him, he was sure. Spoon for spoon he ate the soup. Sometimes he would wait for a few seconds so his stomach could settle again and continued then. It was almost worth than walking around.
When he was finished Yuna took all the utensils from him and carried them to the sink. Only a short while later she was already at his side again with a bottle and another spoon in hand. "You are lucky. The doctor found something for you that aren't in pill form. I know how you hate those." Tidus shuddered at the thought of them. He really hated to gulp those things down.
"Open your mouth." Yuna said and put some of the medicine on the spoon. He obligated and eyed the thick liquid unhappily. Yuna rolled her eyes at his disgusted expression and put the spoon into his mouth so he could swallow the medicine. Tidus shuddered at the bitter taste. Maybe he preferred pills after all.
"Yuck. For what is that anyway?" Tidus asked and sneered at the medicine bottle. Maybe it would shatter if he stared long enough at it like that? "It should ease your pain and settle your stomach." Yuna said and watched him carefully. "Does it feel better somehow?" She asked a bit unsure.
Now that she said it…The pain did seem to have gotten better and the nausea had gone down, too. "Yeah, it feels better." He stated and scratched the back of his head. It didn't hurt like hell anymore to move that was a nice change to before. Not to say it wasn't painful anymore that would be too much to ask he guessed.
Yuna smiled relieved at him and brought the medicine back into the kitchen area. "You should really rest now, Tidus." She said and whirled back around to him. He sighed in resignation. "Can't I stay awake and watch you?" He'd rather do that.
Yuna smiled sweetly and walked over to him, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "As flattering as it sounds you really should rest. I'm going to stay, I promise." Tidus gave into her gentle urging and lay down again, looking at her beautiful face the whole time.
She ran her fingers in a lulling manner through his hair and he soon found himself fast asleep.
Hushed familiar voices woke him again. His brows furrowed and he tried to block them out. The loud cry of a small child ripped him from his semi-sleep and made him groan. Urgently the other voices tried to hush the baby but to no avail.
Mildly annoyed he opened his eyes and turned his head in the direction of the noises. His vision focused quickly on the other persons in the tent. At the dining table sat Yuna, Wakka and Lulu with Vidiny in her arms. The small boy was the reason for the loud cry. He was looking over his mother's shoulder directly at Tidus and quieted down. The blond Blitzer stared back.
He heard Lulu mutter something like "Good boy" returning to her conversation with the other two at the table. Tidus cocked his head to the side as well as he could. Suddenly Vidiny began to wiggle in his mother's arms and tried to get down, his crimson eyes still fixed on the blond Blitzer.
Reluctantly Lulu placed the small boy on the ground and said. "Don't make any ruckus." Without paying his mother much attention Vidiny crawled in Tidus direction. The blond Blitzer raised an eyebrow when he got closer.
Next to the bed Tidus lay on the small boy got on his feet and grabbed onto the edge of it, looking intently at him. The blond Blitzer raised his other eyebrow as well and kept on staring at Vidiny. What was going on the little head of his? Probably nothing like with Wakka. Tidus almost started laughing at the thought but forced it down to a simple smirk.
"Ti-dus." The small boy said and reached with his tiny hand for Tidus' face. He chuckled when Vidiny touched his cheek. "What's the matter? Missed me?" He asked the small boy quietly, so only he could hear. Vidiny cocked his head, in a very Tidus' way, to the side and looked confused, not understanding what the blond Blitzer had said. Smiling in amusement he lifted his hand and affectionately ruffled the small boy's orange hair.
Vidiny giggled at the action and said again. "Tidus!" But with more enthusiasm this time and reached for the blond Blitzer again. Tidus winced when the small boy poked his eye instead of touching his forehead. He wasn't sure if it was unintentionally or not.
"Ouch!" Tidus said and flicked the boy playfully against the forehead. Vidiny rubbed the place fiercely and glared at him. The stare reminded him of the small boy's mother but he doubted he would do what Lulu what have done in this situation…how wrong he was.
Vidiny's eyes glowed up a second and he waved his arms in a very familiar way that made Tidus uncomfortable. He couldn't be, could he? In the next instant he smelled something burning. Hair, he realized. His hands flew to his head and frantically patted the fire out, sitting straight up in the bed.
"What the fuck you little…! My hair!" Tidus said completely befuddled and angry. "Language!" He heard Yuna call to him but he didn't even hear her, mourning over his destroyed hair style. Lulu quickly hurried to her son's side and picked him up with a, dare he say, embarrassed look on her face. That was a first.
"I'm sorry. He hasn't learned to control his magic yet." The black mage said apocalyptically and patted the small boy's head. Tidus snorted and mumbled unhappily. "I noticed." "Oh, come on, brudda! Don't make such a face, ya! I think you needed a haircut anyway…" Wakka said and had a big laugh at his own joke.
Tidus glowered at him and replied sourly. "Says the big guy with the hair looking like a plant is growing on his head!" "What the? What's that supposed to mean, ya! Something against my hair?" Wakka said and shook his fist in Tidus' direction threateningly.
The blond Blitzer defiantly lifted his chin. "Not my fault you have a horrible hair style!" Wakka's eyes blazed and he jumped next to Tidus' bed, hitting him on the head with his fist. "You little piece of Shoopuf d-!" "Wakka!" Lulu shouted threateningly before her husband could finish his sentence.
Tidus smirked smugly at him and Wakka glared angrily back. Yuna had moved close to the blond Blitzer while the two had fought and gently took his hand to move his attention to her. She didn't have to put much effort in that. "Vidiny burned my hair!" Tidus whined pitifully and tried to see the burned strands. The way he turned his eyes upward and stretched his neck backwards was quiet a comical sight.
Yuna's lips twitched in amusement. "I think it doesn't look that bad…" She tried to convince him but he could see the mirth in her eyes. "Yeah, right…" He said sarcastically. "I mean it…" Yuna struggled to say and giggled slightly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Really?" He asked skeptically.
"Y-yes, reall-" She snorted and began to laugh uncontrollably, toppling over. Tidus watched her sourly. "I'm sorry but…" Yuna got out between her laughing. She did it so hard that he saw tears form at the corners of her eyes. "…on one side your hair is…" She couldn't get out the last part and just continued laughing.
Tidus sulked when the other two joined her, seeing the face he made.