He looked around, the only thing recognizable was the temple. The huts had been replaced (very recently, it seemed) with houses of brick or wood, except for one. One house was a little larger than the rest, and made of stone. He heard a whistle come from the direction of that house, and knew that it was the heavens, echoing many painful whistles that had come from those halls.
As he entered, it had already begun raining hard. He was dripping wet, so he took off his shoes and socks, walking in tentatively, wondering if he should have knocked, rather than just walk in. He heard a voice from up the set of stairs in front of him. A voice he loved and adored.
"Who's there? I'm not afraid of you, you know," she said, and he could barely make her outline walking down the stairs. He stood motionless, twenty feet in front of the last stair, as she made her way down, summoner's staff in hand. He smiled that she kept it.
Before he knew it, she made a run for him. But she saw the shadows on his face, the rain-streaked windows leaving similar patterns on his cheeks. She dropped her staff, stopped, and simply stared at him. They looked at each other in complete silence for a few moments.
"Tidus? Am I dreaming? Is that really you?" she asked quietly. It was completely apparent that she was ready to pounce on him, ready to believe that he was there. She hoped more than anything that she wasn't still dreaming.
"Yuna," he whispered her name, the word sticking sweet on his tongue, and beautiful in her ears. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself up against him, taking him into her skin. The feel of him, so familiar yet so missed. He hugged her, too, pulling her closer, and simultaneously gritting his teeth. She noticed the look on his face and looked him in the eyes, confused.
"I think I'm hurt. Do you have anything. . . lighter. . . to wear?" He asked, grimacing. She thought for a moment, placing her hand on his upper arm.
"I'll be right back," she said quietly. As she put her hand on the door, she turned to face him, "And don't go anywhere." Her last three words were pronounced boldly, and he smiled.
"I won't," he said and smiled. And he had no intention of even moving from where he stood.
A few minutes later she ran back in the door, and he was exactly as she had left him. He smiled at her as she handed him some soft, simple pajamas. He took her in for a moment, as she turned on the light. Her hair was longer, and she was wearing pajama shorts and a tank top. Her long limbs still almost the exact same shade of pale and beige as when he had left. She looked older, and tired, and currently dripping from head to toe. She smiled at him, and the way he hadn't changed, same gorgeous, stunning eyes, same blonde hair. The same unknowingly charming smile.
"Umm. . . the bathroom's upstairs across the hall from my room," she said quietly.
"Thank you," he said hushed, letting the sound of the rain on her roof almost overpower him. He turned to walk up the stairs, pajamas in one hand. She followed and stood outside the bathroom door, half-pacing as he changed and washed his face. Waiting for him. It was hard not to just want to touch him every second. He walked out, and she looked at him for a moment. It was strange but beautiful for her to see him, the dream that had once vanished. She smiled, and he smiled.
She was still exhausted, it had only been a few hours since she had passed out. Her stomach was still writhing, she still felt like she was dying. Maybe her body was just so used to dying that it didn't register that she had no reason to feel sick anymore. She didn't let him see she was in pain, and took his hand for the strength to walk. He turned her to look at him, and she stood, his eyes locked on hers. His hair was still dripping, and so was hers.
The rain kept pounding, and so did their hearts, every second seemed like an eternity. But still much too short. She couldn't stand the awkwardness any more, so she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck, almost like she was putting her whole soul into it. He knew she wanted it to last forever, and was completely surprised when she broke the kiss, breathing in deeply.
"Yuna. . . are you okay?" He put one arm around her back as she put one of her own arms around her stomach, closing her eyes in pain. She made a sound that sounded like a half sob, and started sinking to the ground. He watched her, eyes wide, knowing the pain must be unbearable. He picked her up, and carried her over to her bed. She was still making that sobbing noise and it pained his heart to hear her like that.
He laid her down softly, and pulled a thin blanket over her. She coughed and looked up at him, sitting on the edge of her bed.
"I'm sorry," she said weakly. "Lulu says. . ." She stopped, contemplating if she should tell him what Lulu had said. He looked in her eyes for an answer. "Lulu says that because I missed you so much, my soul is dying."
His eyes went wide, and he realized that he should have made an attempt to get back to her earlier. Ten and a half months since he'd left her, he realized, looking at the calendar on her night stand.
"Will you get better, now that I'm here?" he asked quietly, barely being able to look her in the eyes.
"I hope so." She smiled, "I won't get worse, I'm sure. I have more than enough reason to go on, happily."
He walked around the bed and crawled in next to her on the other side. She looked up at him as he kneeled over her. "What?" she asked quietly.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry that it took so long."
He laid down and wrapped his arms around her, her back to him. "You're here now," she whispered. "At least we have that. . ."
She turned her head around a little, and he propped himself up a little on his elbow. She smiled a bit. Her eyes were a little more exhausted, her skin a little paler, her lips a little more unused. Unused? Tidus slapped himself mentally for that little bout of manliness, but kissed her anyway. She kissed back gently without a moment of hesitation.
"I love you," he whispered, as his lips pulled away. Her eyes shot open, but she immediately shed her look of surprise. The pain in her stomach faded a little. She rolled over and slung her arms around his waist, burying her face in his neck.
She breathed him in, and he kissed her ear. "You came, just like you promised."
"I just got tired of the whistling," he chuckled. She didn't know how to retort, so she blindly bit his neck. "Hey, that's not fair. . . I can't bite you. It's not nice."
She pulled away from him a little. "Want me to kiss it better?" she whispered a little sarcastically.
"You've been hanging out with Lulu too long, you're starting to get cynical."
She kissed the little red spot where she'd bit him. "I wasn't completely joking," she whispered. He kissed her forehead. And she yawned.
"I think it's time to sleep now," he whispered back, touching his forehead to hers.
"But I'm not tired," she lied, kissing him quickly. He kissed her nose and shushed her. He held her body close to his, and she ran her fingers through his hair. Both of them felt better than in a long time, knowing the touch of the other. Before either of them knew it, they fell asleep.