Chapter Twenty-One
Time and timing
The close call in Guadosalam put everyone on their guard as the massive entourage began the long walk back to spiritual center of Spira. It was very awkward for Tidus, who had the distinct feeling that Yuna was avoiding him, though she occasionally glanced at him when she thought he wasn't looking. He was doing the same thing, but in a somewhat less obvious fashion. One thought kept occurring to him for the duration of that first march:
"Thank Yevon! She's still pretty."
For the others, it was certainly less awkward. For Braska and his granddaughter, it could be said that the walk through an almost fiend-free Thunder Plains was rather pleasant. She caught him up on the current events of Spira, blitzball, Yuna's illustrious career, and the goings on everywhere from Zanarkand to Besaid. And Braska was quite pleased to hear all of it, because even though his memories had returned, he was still quite out of touch with modern day Spira and all of the nuances thereof. Auron, marching unobtrusively at his side, was pleased to listen as well, which was a good thing as Tida spoke nearly nonstop from Guadosalam to the Agency, where they stopped for a well-deserved, well-earned good night's sleep. Whether her behavior was a side-effect of the Full-life spell or mere nervousness, Auron could not tell.
There was no talk of hurrying to Bevelle or even of getting an early start as they paid for their rooms, which despite the expansion of the Agency, were too few to accommodate their number comfortably. Surprisingly, few arguments arose as arrangements were made. Jecht and Tidus split a double room near the front of the Agency with Pacce and Aurie just across the hall, her parents next door, and Lulu and her son nearby. Yuna and Braska were given the suite at the end of the hall in deference to their rank while Auron and Tida squeezed into smaller quarters close by.
As soon as the door closed behind Jecht and Tidus, the younger of the familial pair began to pace.
"I have to see her." Tidus stated, more to himself than to Jecht, who was already lounging on one of the beds.
"Nah, Tida has some stuff she needs to work out. It can wait until morning." Jecht told him.
"No, Yuna. I need to see Yuna."
"Well ... yeah, I suppose you do." agreed Jecht, but Tidus was already out the door.
He passed Braska in the hallway. The former summoner smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder in passing, almost as though he knew Tidus's errand and was wishing him luck. Braska felt nothing but respect for the young man who had helped his daughter to defeat Sin. He knew that Tidus was her truest guardian and perhaps the love of her life.
Tidus couldn't help but to fidget a little as he knocked on the door and waited for her answer. He tried rehearsing what he was going to say to her, but he couldn't even begin to string the words together:
"Sorry ... my daughter ... yours ... ours ... yours ... Tida. Us ... about us ... and, you see, I ... that is, we. Time ... the thing with that ... I ... we ... need to ... should ... no, it's like this ... Let me start again. Sorry ..." And that was his best attempt at a beginning to what he was certain would be a difficult conversation.
Then he heard Yuna's soft voice call, "Come in."
She was standing at the window, gazing at the eternally cloudy weather outside, almost admiring it. Yuna turned as he softly closed the door behind himself. Her eyes, one blue and the other green, studied him for seconds that turned into what felt like forever. Then she looked away.
"Yuna?" questioned Tidus.
"You are still so young. You are exactly as you were when you left Spira, when you left me. I must ask you, Tidus, am I dreaming again? Will I wake up tomorrow and find that I have only dreamed of you a second time?" she questioned, her voice trembling.
"No, it isn't like that this time." he said, stepping toward her.
Yuna moved away and sat down on the end of the nearest bed. She was tired, very tired, and seemed almost to be fighting back tears.
"I ... looked for you for the longest time, almost until Tida was born." Yuna admitted.
"I never meant to hurt you. I promise."
"I know. It wasn't your fault that you couldn't stay." said Yuna, looking up at him. She moved over and allowed him to sit down next to her. "I always wanted you to see your daughter, you know." she said, chuckling softly.
"She reminds me of you ... a lot." said Tidus.
"I was going to say the same thing, but then, I've seen her play blitzball."
"And I will too. In just a couple of weeks, right?"
"If you are staying ..."
"I want to, Yuna, and I know I can. But ... she is your daughter. I mean, you raised her ... and I wouldn't want to be in the way ... or ... or try to take her away from you."
At this Yuna laughed softly and playfully punched Tidus in the shoulder before she said, "She is our daughter, silly, and I am sure that she wants her father in her life."
"Great." said Tidus, breathing a sigh of relief. "That just leaves one question."
"Yes?"
"What about us?"
"It doesn't seem as though it's been eighteen years, does it? To you, I mean?" she questioned after a long pause.
"Not really, but I ..." he started to say.
"Don't, Tidus." she said, cutting him off before he could say anything foolish. "I feel the same way ... but you are still so very young and I am much older now. Don't you realize that Auron and I are about the same age?"
"I don't see that when I look at you."
"But I do."
"Maybe we can work something out?" he questioned, lightly touching her shoulder. Something in his smile pleaded with her. The smile said, "Don't hurt me, Yuna. Don't say that we can't."
"I do not know." she whispered, placing her hand on top of his.
Meanwhile, in a few doors down the hall, Auron and Tida were just beginning to settle into their room, oblivious to the drama playing out elsewhere that late afternoon. Tida had been aware for sometime that she was still wearing his glasses. She removed them, wiped the tear-stains from the rims, and set them on the night stand by the bed he had chosen. Auron looked at them for a moment before picking them up and putting them back on.
"Thank you ... for keeping up with them." he said.
"No problem."
For a few moments it was quiet as neither of them could think of anything to say. The battle with Lord Nav and its aftermath had softened the barrier that stood between them and given them a closeness not unlike that of guardian and summoner or comrades-in-arms. But that very closeness rendered them speechless.
"I never asked you ... after the battle ... but are you okay?" he questioned hesitantly, reaching out to lay a hand upon her shoulder, but thinking better of it.
"Of course. I mean, yes, I am, but only because you ... did what you did." she said, hanging her head slightly, and, in Auron's opinion, becoming much more Yuna-like than usual.
"You were brave, foolhardy, certainly, but no less brave than I was when I was your age." said Auron, adding, "Although, I would prefer that you heed my advice in the future."
"Count on it." she nodded. Then Tida lifted her eyes and asked him, "What was it like?"
"What?"
"Being in Spira and on the Farplane at the same time, talking with the Fayth?"
"Oh," he said uncomfortably, "that. It was ... very strange."
Auron was about to say more when a commotion from the hall outside interrupted him.
"What in the name of Yevon are you doing with my little girl!?" came the extremely loud and exceptionally angry voice of Wakka. "You get away from her, you son of a shoopuf!"
Tida's eyes widened and both of them sprang toward the door. They opened it just in time to see Pacce, in midst of pulling on a pair of pants, run by with Wakka, continuing to scream mostly incomprehensible insults at him, hot on his heels, followed by Aurie, who was wrapped in a bed sheet.
"Dad!" she yelled after him, sounding mostly put out by the situation.
"I hope that boy has learned how to evade flying objects well." commented Auron with a chuckle.
"Ah ... I wouldn't count on it."
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A/N: Thanks you for reviewing, Lil' Nessie, Trixie, Lynx, and Shido21!
Time and timing
The close call in Guadosalam put everyone on their guard as the massive entourage began the long walk back to spiritual center of Spira. It was very awkward for Tidus, who had the distinct feeling that Yuna was avoiding him, though she occasionally glanced at him when she thought he wasn't looking. He was doing the same thing, but in a somewhat less obvious fashion. One thought kept occurring to him for the duration of that first march:
"Thank Yevon! She's still pretty."
For the others, it was certainly less awkward. For Braska and his granddaughter, it could be said that the walk through an almost fiend-free Thunder Plains was rather pleasant. She caught him up on the current events of Spira, blitzball, Yuna's illustrious career, and the goings on everywhere from Zanarkand to Besaid. And Braska was quite pleased to hear all of it, because even though his memories had returned, he was still quite out of touch with modern day Spira and all of the nuances thereof. Auron, marching unobtrusively at his side, was pleased to listen as well, which was a good thing as Tida spoke nearly nonstop from Guadosalam to the Agency, where they stopped for a well-deserved, well-earned good night's sleep. Whether her behavior was a side-effect of the Full-life spell or mere nervousness, Auron could not tell.
There was no talk of hurrying to Bevelle or even of getting an early start as they paid for their rooms, which despite the expansion of the Agency, were too few to accommodate their number comfortably. Surprisingly, few arguments arose as arrangements were made. Jecht and Tidus split a double room near the front of the Agency with Pacce and Aurie just across the hall, her parents next door, and Lulu and her son nearby. Yuna and Braska were given the suite at the end of the hall in deference to their rank while Auron and Tida squeezed into smaller quarters close by.
As soon as the door closed behind Jecht and Tidus, the younger of the familial pair began to pace.
"I have to see her." Tidus stated, more to himself than to Jecht, who was already lounging on one of the beds.
"Nah, Tida has some stuff she needs to work out. It can wait until morning." Jecht told him.
"No, Yuna. I need to see Yuna."
"Well ... yeah, I suppose you do." agreed Jecht, but Tidus was already out the door.
He passed Braska in the hallway. The former summoner smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder in passing, almost as though he knew Tidus's errand and was wishing him luck. Braska felt nothing but respect for the young man who had helped his daughter to defeat Sin. He knew that Tidus was her truest guardian and perhaps the love of her life.
Tidus couldn't help but to fidget a little as he knocked on the door and waited for her answer. He tried rehearsing what he was going to say to her, but he couldn't even begin to string the words together:
"Sorry ... my daughter ... yours ... ours ... yours ... Tida. Us ... about us ... and, you see, I ... that is, we. Time ... the thing with that ... I ... we ... need to ... should ... no, it's like this ... Let me start again. Sorry ..." And that was his best attempt at a beginning to what he was certain would be a difficult conversation.
Then he heard Yuna's soft voice call, "Come in."
She was standing at the window, gazing at the eternally cloudy weather outside, almost admiring it. Yuna turned as he softly closed the door behind himself. Her eyes, one blue and the other green, studied him for seconds that turned into what felt like forever. Then she looked away.
"Yuna?" questioned Tidus.
"You are still so young. You are exactly as you were when you left Spira, when you left me. I must ask you, Tidus, am I dreaming again? Will I wake up tomorrow and find that I have only dreamed of you a second time?" she questioned, her voice trembling.
"No, it isn't like that this time." he said, stepping toward her.
Yuna moved away and sat down on the end of the nearest bed. She was tired, very tired, and seemed almost to be fighting back tears.
"I ... looked for you for the longest time, almost until Tida was born." Yuna admitted.
"I never meant to hurt you. I promise."
"I know. It wasn't your fault that you couldn't stay." said Yuna, looking up at him. She moved over and allowed him to sit down next to her. "I always wanted you to see your daughter, you know." she said, chuckling softly.
"She reminds me of you ... a lot." said Tidus.
"I was going to say the same thing, but then, I've seen her play blitzball."
"And I will too. In just a couple of weeks, right?"
"If you are staying ..."
"I want to, Yuna, and I know I can. But ... she is your daughter. I mean, you raised her ... and I wouldn't want to be in the way ... or ... or try to take her away from you."
At this Yuna laughed softly and playfully punched Tidus in the shoulder before she said, "She is our daughter, silly, and I am sure that she wants her father in her life."
"Great." said Tidus, breathing a sigh of relief. "That just leaves one question."
"Yes?"
"What about us?"
"It doesn't seem as though it's been eighteen years, does it? To you, I mean?" she questioned after a long pause.
"Not really, but I ..." he started to say.
"Don't, Tidus." she said, cutting him off before he could say anything foolish. "I feel the same way ... but you are still so very young and I am much older now. Don't you realize that Auron and I are about the same age?"
"I don't see that when I look at you."
"But I do."
"Maybe we can work something out?" he questioned, lightly touching her shoulder. Something in his smile pleaded with her. The smile said, "Don't hurt me, Yuna. Don't say that we can't."
"I do not know." she whispered, placing her hand on top of his.
Meanwhile, in a few doors down the hall, Auron and Tida were just beginning to settle into their room, oblivious to the drama playing out elsewhere that late afternoon. Tida had been aware for sometime that she was still wearing his glasses. She removed them, wiped the tear-stains from the rims, and set them on the night stand by the bed he had chosen. Auron looked at them for a moment before picking them up and putting them back on.
"Thank you ... for keeping up with them." he said.
"No problem."
For a few moments it was quiet as neither of them could think of anything to say. The battle with Lord Nav and its aftermath had softened the barrier that stood between them and given them a closeness not unlike that of guardian and summoner or comrades-in-arms. But that very closeness rendered them speechless.
"I never asked you ... after the battle ... but are you okay?" he questioned hesitantly, reaching out to lay a hand upon her shoulder, but thinking better of it.
"Of course. I mean, yes, I am, but only because you ... did what you did." she said, hanging her head slightly, and, in Auron's opinion, becoming much more Yuna-like than usual.
"You were brave, foolhardy, certainly, but no less brave than I was when I was your age." said Auron, adding, "Although, I would prefer that you heed my advice in the future."
"Count on it." she nodded. Then Tida lifted her eyes and asked him, "What was it like?"
"What?"
"Being in Spira and on the Farplane at the same time, talking with the Fayth?"
"Oh," he said uncomfortably, "that. It was ... very strange."
Auron was about to say more when a commotion from the hall outside interrupted him.
"What in the name of Yevon are you doing with my little girl!?" came the extremely loud and exceptionally angry voice of Wakka. "You get away from her, you son of a shoopuf!"
Tida's eyes widened and both of them sprang toward the door. They opened it just in time to see Pacce, in midst of pulling on a pair of pants, run by with Wakka, continuing to scream mostly incomprehensible insults at him, hot on his heels, followed by Aurie, who was wrapped in a bed sheet.
"Dad!" she yelled after him, sounding mostly put out by the situation.
"I hope that boy has learned how to evade flying objects well." commented Auron with a chuckle.
"Ah ... I wouldn't count on it."
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A/N: Thanks you for reviewing, Lil' Nessie, Trixie, Lynx, and Shido21!
