Author's Note: Okay, here be Chapter two. Now, just to let you know, the next few chapters are gonna move just a little slow. I need to lay some groundwork, some foundation, to get this thing moving. But hopefully it'll still be an enjoyable read, as many questions are going to be answered very shortly. This chapter delves into Tidus' mind, so to speak… scary, huh? Without further ado, here's chapter two.

Chapter II: Memories of Turmoil

"You want anything to drink, sweetie?"

Tidus curved his lips upward slightly upon hearing her question; it was Yuna's newly appointed nickname for him, and he thought it to be rather cute.

She stood silently at the doorway to the kitchen, patiently awaiting his reply. Not bothering to respond to her simple question, Tidus pondered his admiration of Yuna… her patience with his erratic behavior was astounding. He bitterly remembered what he said to her the previous night, before falling unconscious in her shielding embrace.

"So many dreams…"

He audibly sighed in frustration, realizing how badly he wanted to tell her everything. Tidus, in his wretched emotional state, so desperately wanted to talk to her about the countless sleepless nights, the horrible visions, and the insurmountable fear he had of having to leave her once more. The question was… would she want to listen to him?

"Of course she'll want to listen," he thought forlornly. But would she want to believe? That was the million gil question.

"Tidus?" Yuna prodded nicely, pulling her weary companion's thoughts back into the real world.

"Umm… some coffee would be nice…"

With a cautious look of concern plastered on her face, Yuna gazed at Tidus for a moment, nodded solemnly, and went into the kitchen to prepare his brew.

Tidus continued contemplating his visions. He tried to make reason out of the rhyme, but he simply couldn't find any logic in the majority of his garbled dreams.

He reminisced about the first dream he remembered having about two weeks prior…

Tidus, if you can hear me, listen closely.

He undoubtedly remembered that he couldn't see a thing… total blackness enveloped his hallucination. Unlike many of his recent visions, however, he instantly recognized the voice when he first heard it… Braska.

I know you're happy. We're all happy for you and Yuna, but there are problems in the Farplane that defy reason… huge problems. I really don't know how to say this… we're going to need you back.

He remembered the pain he felt when he heard those words; like stabbing him in the heart with a dull knife, those simple words cut him to the bone and severed his spirit. Yuna… he couldn't leave her! He told her he would never leave her side again. Were they going to make a liar out of him?

That was all he recalled… he woke up, crying wildly in the dark just as he had done for the past two weeks since then.

The rest of his dreams were too muddled to decipher. Blurry images and random voices constantly attempted to get his attention, but he couldn't make anything out. The only thing his visions had in common with each other was the illness; the way he felt after waking up from his delirium was always comparable. For lack of better words, he would become sick as a dog after arising from his fear inspiring reveries…

Thus, two weeks of restless nights and frightening dreams weighed heavily on Tidus' mind.

"Here you are," Yuna said sweetly, startling Tidus out of his trance. He nodded his head in appreciation and carefully took the mug out of Yuna's delicate hands. As he sipped on the rich coffee casually, Yuna carefully sat next to Tidus on their plush sofa.

"You're really quiet this morning…" she started timidly. "Is there anything that you need to talk about?" Tidus looked his companion over carefully and nodded meekly in reply as he took another swallow of coffee.

"Yuna, I..." He looked solemnly at the ground for a moment, his resolve faltering. "I wanted to tell you about a few things a little later… okay?" Yuna nodded timidly in response to his question and scooted closer to where he was sitting.

"How are you feeling?" she asked awkwardly. Yuna certainly didn't like how this conversation was going. Ever since they were first married, she had always cherished the wonderful conversations that she and her husband could share. The communication in their marriage was great. "Until about two weeks ago," she thought miserably. She couldn't help but ask herself… did he forget? No, he couldn't have…

"I'm okay," he lied. "I'm just really tired… not enough sleep." Yuna looked knowingly at him as she tenderly took his head onto her shoulder.

"You're not okay," she sighed sadly, rousing Tidus' attention. Quickly lifting his head from her shoulder, he eyed her suspiciously for a moment.

"Yuna, I'm fi…" He didn't have time to finish his sentence as Yuna put one finger lightly to his mouth, urging him not to finish the sentence.

Tidus gently removed her finger from his lips. "Yuna… let's go for a walk. We could both use the fresh air, right?" he asked nicely. Yuna curled her eyebrows in confusion, but nodded slowly in reply. He was acting so… strange.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Who knows?" Tidus said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood. "You pick the spot."
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The air was crisp and the sun was shining. A good storm at night always made for beautiful weather the next day; such was Besaid weather. As Yuna led her husband deeper into the heavily wooded outskirts of the tiny tropical village, Tidus was becoming increasingly unsure of their whereabouts.

"Where are we going?" he asked her questioningly. Yuna shrugged in reply.

"Right… here," she said happily, causing Tidus to stumble over his wife by her abrupt stop. Catching her before she could touch the ground, he grinned broadly at her when she erupted into a small giggling fit. "He always makes me so happy. What would I do… without him?" she asked herself nervously.

"I know where we are now," Tidus said matter-of-factly.

Of course, how could he forget? They always went here to talk, and fool around, before they were married… It was the location where they first explored each other… the place where they first gave themselves to each other.

"Why'd you want to come here?" he asked foolishly, much to Yuna's surprise and discontent.

"Did he really forget?" she asked herself sadly. "But we had agreed that today we would…"

He chuckled at her long face for just a moment before his expression once again took on a serious demeanor. "I'm just kidding Yuna… happy anniversary."

Her eyes lit up as he reached into his pocket and handed her a slender rectangular case, covered in velvet. Tidus reached his hand over hers and carefully opened the case. "I know you're not really a jewelry person, but I thought this would look really cute on you."

"It's so beautiful," she exclaimed wondrously, embracing Tidus in her happiness.

"Here, let me help you put it on." Tidus took the elegant gold chain, adorned with vibrant sapphires and emeralds, and gently placed it above the silver necklace she had worn for so long. He stepped back a couple of feet to look her new jewelry over carefully.

"All right!" Tidus exclaimed happily, as if he had just discovered a grand revelation. "It matches your eyes perfectly." Yuna blushed lightly in response, giggling just a little.

"It's funny," she commented in between her laughter. "It looks like we both got jewelry for each other… close your eyes." Tidus shot her a perplexed gaze, but he complied with her request. Yuna pulled out the bulky silver chain and thought back to a few months prior.

She remembered how upset he was when he lost his Zanarkand Abes chain. One of the only reminders to his lost home, it washed away at sea during a blitz ball practice when the clasp to his necklace broke. So, she felt it was her duty to do something about it. Thus, Yuna placed a near perfect replica of the chain around his neck.

"Okay," she said softly. "You can open your eyes now." Tidus obeyed her command and gazed at the bulky ornament attached to his neck… his eyes widened in excitement.

"I know it can't replace your old one," Yuna said solemnly. "But I thought you might like it…"

"I love it!" Tidus interrupted excitedly.

Yuna nodded happily as a large grin appeared on her face. "Besides," she said as she playfully yanked the earring on his left earlobe. "You have to have something to match that…"

Tidus laughed and jokingly batted her hand away from his ear. His visage turned surprisingly tranquil after that, and Yuna looked curiously at him. "Thank you so much, Yuna... for everything."

She didn't know what to make of his sudden change in moods, but she nodded quietly and put her head on his shoulder. Tidus looked around carefully, making a mental note of their beautiful surroundings. He yawned and leaned into his wife slightly.

"Looks like it's just the three of us, huh?" he asked Yuna, putting his hand carefully to her enlarged belly. Yuna nodded in reply as she felt the little one inside of her kick gently. Tidus smiled when he felt the baby's movements, and Yuna nestled herself deeper into her husband's grasp as a feeling of comfort encircled her.

"We still haven't thought of a name yet," she commented dryly. Tidus nodded in response. Sure, they had tried to brainstorm some names, but neither of them could think up of any decent ones at the time being.

"Hmm… well, maybe we should just wait until the baby is born to think up of a name," Tidus observed thoughtfully. "Some people say that it's easier to find a name for a child when you're actually able to see it… you can make a connection between the name and face, you know?"

Yuna sighed in response. "Maybe you're right… Tidus?"

"Hmm?"

"No… it's nothing. Never mind."

Tidus didn't buy her reply; he had a feeling that he knew what she was trying to ask. "You're worried about the dreams," he said deliberately. Yuna nodded nervously in reply. "So am I… Yuna, I need to tell you about them."

"I… I'm scared of what you might say," she quickly stated. "I thought that I wanted to find out... that I would force it out of you if I had to. But now, I… I'm scared. I want to know, but I…"

"I won't force you, Yuna... I'll tell you whenever you're ready."

"No," she muttered resolutely. "Tell me now… I need to know, Tidus." He nodded as he stroked her hair reassuringly.

"Where to begin?" he asked himself nervously.

"Most of my dreams," he started quietly, rousing Yuna's attention. "I couldn't understand them. Everything was fuzzy, and I couldn't make out the voices. Last night, though… and my first dream too. Those were the ones that scared me."

Yuna looked at him uncertainly, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt nervously. She silently hoped that he would stop talking; unfortunately, she was fully aware that she needed to know what was going on.

"Last night, I saw this woman. I couldn't make out her face, but I *knew* those eyes. My… mother."

She curled into his grasp tightly, wanting his explanations to end. She was fighting the urge to tell him to stop. Tidus took note of her discomfort and looked at her carefully. "I'll stop if you want me to." She muttered a forced "no," prompting Tidus to continue.

"Yuna… in my first dream, I saw your father." She looked up at him quickly, waiting for Tidus to go on, yet at the same time not wanting him to continue. He sighed inwardly… this was the hard part.

"He… he said that he knew that we were happy; he knew that, Yuna. But there's a big problem on the Farplane." She nodded nervously at him.

"I… Yuna," he faltered, not wanting to say it. His scared wife tugged his shirt gently, her bright eyes, no matter how terrified they looked, urging him to continue. "So brave," Tidus thought admiringly.

"Yuna… he said that they *need* me back."

She sat there for some time… unmoving, unresponsive. "No…" she whispered inaudibly, vigorously shaking her head back and forth. Tidus attempted to pull her into an embrace, but she quickly recoiled from his touch, shaking her head once again in denial.

The memories hit him… on the airship, after they defeated Sin.

No.

She had begged him not to leave, shaking her head back and forth desperately.

Yuna… I have to go.

She shook her head frantically once again, silently pleading with him.

I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand… good bye.

"No!" he thought feverishly, looking at his wife's eyes brim with tears. It would not happen that way again.

"Yuna… I won't leave you."

Yuna looked up at him sorrowfully, tears now falling freely from her face. "They're going to need you," she choked. "Daddy wouldn't have said so if they didn't."

"They can do it without me!" he said loudly, startling his already frightened wife. He composed himself a little to look into Yuna's eyes… so full of sadness.

"I'm only causing her pain," he thought bitterly. "She… would've been better off if I hadn't come back."

"Wha… what if the dreams aren't real, Yuna?" he asked urgently, madly searching for a way to ease her hurt.

"You know that they're real…" she replied hotly, the vehement tone in her voice surprising him.

"I'm sorry," he said flatly, looking into her eyes. "I'm so sorry… the baby, I…"

"It always seemed too good to be true," she said dejectedly, interrupting Tidus in mid sentence. "This love… this marriage." She looked at the ground sadly as she ran her sweaty fingers through his soft hair. "Ju… just promise me you'll come back."

"Yuna, I don't know if…"

"Please!" she whispered fervently, gripping onto her husband. Tears spilt freely off of her face and settled on the hard ground below them.

"I won't promise you that!" he replied in equal passion, looking frantically into his wife's damp eyes. He composed himself and continued to speak in a much calmer fashion. "I… I'm not going to make a promise that I might not be able to keep." He placed his right arm gently on Yuna's shaking form and stroked her back comfortingly.

"But I *will* promise that I'll do everything I can to come back… and die trying if I have to." He looked into her eyes and sweetly kissed her forehead. "I want to be with my wife," he said earnestly, not attempting to hide the emotion in his voice. "I… I want to see our baby."

She nodded at him in between sobs, and Tidus gently wiped the tears from her face with his free hand. "Come on," he said softly. "We have to pack for our trip." She nodded as Tidus picked her up and gently carried her home.

They had to get ready for their anniversary vacation…
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"Is everything in order for this evening?"

"Hell if I know… ask Auron," Jecht told Akeno bluntly. Auron didn't need to be asked; he overheard his gruff friend's declaration.

"Yes... we have six battalions of troops armed and ready," he stated plainly, looking at Akeno.

"Excellent… tonight, we *will* break the barrier. There will be no more failed attempts."

"Will this open a way to talk to him?" Braska asked Akeno cautiously.

"Hopefully... Sir Tidus needs to know more details. With the barrier gone, it should be a simple matter to contact him now. With any luck, this can be ended quickly. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Jecht proclaimed loudly. "Who's going to talk to him?"

Braska looked at him for a moment. "I really think that you should talk to him… he's *your* son."

"Yeah, whatever… I guess so," Jecht muttered indifferently under his breath.

"I must go," Akeno stated impersonally. "Good luck to us all."

After he was sure he had left the house, Jecht scowled openly about their ally. "Good luck to us all!" he muttered sarcastically, poorly mimicking Akeno's voice. "Asshole."

"He is hard to get along with," Braska stated plainly. "But he's our only…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know… he's our only hope," Jecht spat in reply. "If he's our only hope, enlighten me with an answer to this question… why hasn't he given us a damn reason for needing Tidus back?"

"We don't know," Auron replied. "But he *does* have his reasons."

Jecht appeared agitated… were they being brainwashed, or something? "This is the biggest load of Chocobo crap I've ever heard! My son is… *was* happy, and we're winning the war! Why the hell do we need him back? Just because Akeno says we need him, we're gonna go and take him away from his *pregnant* wife?

"Calm down Jecht," Braska replied forcefully, eyeing his livid friend carefully. "Do you think I'm happy about it? Yuna is *my* daughter, and I want her happiness just like you want Tidus' happiness! But we need to give Akeno some time. He will explain himself eventually," Braska proclaimed shrewdly.

Auron cut in. "And you know as well as all of us do that Tidus is not to stay here permanently. He'll be with Yuna again."

"Yeah, whatever… if he doesn't get banished to hell first," Jecht replied icily. He looked heatedly at his companions.

"Well… what are we waiting for? We better get ready for tonight… it's time to ruin my son's life now."
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Author's Notes: Phew, pretty poignant chapter, ehh? You can expect this story to be just a tad bit more emotionally charged than Reflection. Sure, Reflection had a lot of fluff, but it was overall a happy story. This one… well, it's just different. Just keep reading to find out more, ehh?

Hmm… I don't have too much to say. Let me know if Tidus and Yuna were too wordy. I tried to keep constant paragraphs of dialogue down to a minimum. I hope all you peoples liked this chappie! Expect more very soon. (If ff.net doesn't crap out *again*)

Update, July 13, 2002: For some reason, my chapters are simply NOT posting right. Everywhere there is supposed to be … there is only one period. So, it's making my grammar and capitalization look really bad, and I'm not really happy about it. I'll try to fix it as soon as I can, ya?

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