Chapter VII: Ghost Story
Blackness…
Sheer, utter and complete darkness… it surrounded him like the plague that it was.
"Wakka?" No reply.
"Anyone?"
Tidus could barely keep his eyes open. His head pounded mercilessly, and it was too dark to see anything.
He muttered under his breath incoherently. "I could really use Yuna's…" Tidus stopped dead in his tracks.
"… Yuna's healing."
"This was a mistake… a bloody damn mistake!" he yelled into the darkness, standing up quickly. He immediately dropped back onto the damp ground below him, the pain from standing up unbearable.
A light flickered in the distance.
"Tidus… is that you?"
Rikku… he recognized her voice immediately.
"I'm over here!"
"Over where? Follow the flare I just lit!"
"I can't! I'm… hurt." The words echoed in the darkness and he heard water splashing up ahead.
"Umm, right!" Rikku replied loudly. "Just stay right there, 'kay?"
Tidus ruefully laughed at her comment. "Sure thing Rikku… No wait, I think I'll go and run a marathon right now."
"Oh hush it," she said scornfully as she approached him. Tidus was blinded by the light of Rikku's flare, and he blinked rapidly until his weary eyes adjusted to the luminosity.
It hadn't been hard for her to find him... it was a rather simple matter of following his well carried voice. They were in a labyrinth of some sort. Whether or not it was a dungeon, Rikku didn't know. She hadn't explored it enough to determine what it was.
"You would think that we would be dead, huh?" she asked curiously as she kneeled over Tidus to take a look at his injuries.
He shook his head knowingly. "I think they want us alive. If they wanted us dead, they definitely would've got the job done." He looked at his scabbards... Caladbolg and his banishing weapon were still by his side. His traveling bag still contained all the provisions he brought along.
"They didn't even take our supplies… weird."
Rikku nodded indifferently. "You're pretty beat up… here, hold still." Tidus felt the familiar and pleasant sensation of curative magic mending his body, and his headache lessened dramatically.
"Thanks…" Tidus smiled slightly. "Not as good as Yuna, but thanks."
Rikku chuckled at his wry comment and smacked him on the shoulder. "Come on, we need to try and find the others… take this."
Rikku handed him an extra flare, and he looked at it carefully. Made by the Al Bhed, of course… he quickly pulled the string at the bottom of the two foot long stick and watched as it flickered to life.
"How long have you been awake?" Tidus asked Rikku curiously.
"About thirty minutes… I was hurt too, so I had to heal myself first. After that, I started lookin' for you guys."
Tidus nodded in reply. "We need to get out of here soon… we won't survive in here for too long." Rikku nodded solemnly.
They walked around for a while, looking for any sign that Kimahri or Wakka could be around. There were simply too many unanswered questions… were their friends even alive? It was starting to frustrate Rikku.
"Shouldn't we be yelling for them, or something? It's not like they're just gonna jump out at us and say boo!" Rikku fussed as she continued walking side by side with Tidus.
About that time, they just about *tripped* over Wakka.
"I stand corrected," the bubbly Al Bhed said flatly.
"Wakka… you alright?" Tidus asked worriedly as he gently shook his friend to consciousness. He stirred slightly, slowly opening his eyes. He groaned and quickly shut his eyes upon seeing the bright flares.
"Point those things away… from me, ya? It hurts." Tidus took Rikku's flare as she kneeled over to take care of Wakka's injuries.
"He's a little worse off than you were… my magic isn't gonna be enough. Give me a potion, or something." Tidus dug in his bag for a moment and pulled out a small vial.
"Here," he replied softly. "Hi-potion." Rikku took the medicine from him and started applying it to Wakka's injuries.
After a moment, Wakka stood up slowly and looked around. "Where are we?"
Tidus shrugged. "Not a clue. It would seem that we're underground somewhere. Maybe a dungeon?"
"Where's Kimahri?" Wakka asked questioningly as he continued to take in his surroundings.
Tidus and Rikku shook their heads and started walking once again. Wakka followed behind cautiously.
"Geez, this place gives me the creeps," Wakka proclaimed silently.
Indeed it wasn't a pleasant place to wake up in. It was dark… save for Tidus and Rikku's flares, there was no amount of light whatsoever. The silence was perpetual, never ending. Again, the only sounds were that of Tidus and his friends cautious walking.
"Kimahri!" Rikku yelled loudly, her shrill voice piercing the eerie silence. "Where are you, ya' big lug?"
Wakka laughed nervously. "A scream like that could wake the dead, ya?" Tidus looked at him icily, and Wakka remembered where they were. "Uhh… sorry."
Tidus angrily trudged through the labyrinth as they continued to search for Kimahri and a way out.
"Dammit! How could I have been so stupid?"
His mind kept going back to Yuna. It frustrated him that he could do nothing about his situation. The way they parted reeked of foreboding… like they would never see each other again.
"This wasn't the way we should have done this," Tidus said irritably. Rikku looked at him for a moment.
"Just… let's just find a way out of here, okay? There's no sense in getting all mad about it."
"And why's that, Rikku? *You* don't have someone in Spira that really needs you right now! I have a pregnant wife that I left… and you're telling me not to get mad about it?"
"I do too have someone that needs me! I may not have a pregnant wife, but… well, I *wouldn't* have a pregnant wife, hehe." She gave a lopsided smile to try to make Tidus lighten up, but it wasn't working.
"But I do have a pregnant cousin!" Tidus tried to object to her comment, but to no avail.
"You think I don't want to see you and Yuna's baby? You think I don't want to see Lulu again? You think I'm not feeling bad about this? I wanna to go home too! But all you're doing is being a big stupid grumpy jerk and making it harder for all of us!"
Tidus curled his lips in anger and continued walking, not bothering to reply.
Wakka decided to speak up. "Let's just find Kimahri and get out of here guys. This fighting isn't going to make the situation any better, ya?" Rikku slowed down a bit to fall into step with Wakka.
"You're right… sorry Tidus."
He turned around to stare at Wakka and Rikku and stopped for a moment. Shoulders went limp and his head fell slightly. "Yeah… sorry."
Rikku stared into the darkness nervously. "What was that?"
Wakka scoffed at her comment. "What was what?"
"I heard a noise… it wasn't coming from us."
Tidus looked around for a moment and shrugged. "I didn't hear anything."
The resounding noise that ensued shortly thereafter made it quite obvious that Rikku wasn't hearing things. It was extremely muffled, but clearly audible.
Tidus eyed Rikku sharply. "Do you know where it's coming from?" She shook her head in frustration.
"I can't tell… everything echoes too much in this stupid place!" Her attention turned sharply to her cow-licked red haired friend when she saw him meandering off in the distance.
Tidus groaned at Wakka's presumed inattentiveness. "What the heck are you doing Wakka?"
Wakka scoured the area of a wall nearby. "Come here, ya?"
Sure enough, Wakka had found the source of the strange noises. Coming from behind the thin stone wall were the sounds of many… things scuttling about.
Tidus looked questioningly at the wall that separated them from whatever was on the other side.
"Do we even *want* to know what's on the other side, guys?" Wakka and Rikku shook their heads, but the nightmarish roar that echoed from within convinced them otherwise.
Wakka glanced at the wall feverishly. "That was…"
"It was Kimahri!" Rikku interrupted frantically as she made her way to the wall. "Guys… run."
"Wha…" Tidus stammered but Rikku shook her head irritably.
"Run!"
Tidus and Wakka hastily departed from the scene as Rikku armed a grenade and stuffed it into a deep crack in the wall. She bolted for where her comrades took shelter and plugged her ears.
The ensuing explosion rocked the foundations of the underground canals. Rikku quickly bolted to the large hole in the wall and gasped at what she saw, dropping her flare on the ground in the process.
Countless… creatures greeted her eyes. She wanted to believe that they looked human, but they were far too pale, and they walked slowly and erratically. They looked like walking zombies, but to Rikku, they seemed far too organized to be anything like the undead she had seen previously.
"What the…?" Wakka proclaimed nervously as he and Tidus walked up to Rikku.
They had stumbled upon a lab of some sort, it appeared. Contrary to the rest of the cavern, it was rather well lit, so Tidus carefully set his flare on the ground for the time being. For what purpose that room served, they had no idea, but they quickly noticed the "patient" they were working on. It was Kimahri.
Wearing shabby white lab coats, they appeared to be different individuals, but yet they lacked all aspects of the essence of individuality. They looked… soulless, going about the activity of experimentation as if the explosion had never occurred. Exactly what was their project? Tidus didn't want to wait to find out.
They stormed rowdily into the makeshift laboratory, bearing their weapons. The creatures finally took heed of their presence… and they ran.
Tidus hastily started chasing down a creature that had run out the door on the other side of the large room while Wakka and Rikku went about trying to free Kimahri from the chains that imprisoned him.
Tidus was surprised at how nimble they were. Although they walked grudgingly, the creatures fled with haste if felt threatened in any way. All the others had made a great distance between Tidus and themselves, but he wasn't about to withdraw. He tackled one of the slower creatures roughly on the damp ground. Spinning it around on its back quickly, he dug his right boot into the creature's chest and pointed Caladbolg at its throat.
"What are you?" he asked harshly, his gaze every bit as piercingly sharp as the sword in his hand. The creature sat there, unmoving, and stared up at Tidus with empty, uninviting eyes.
"Tell me what the hell you are!" Tidus yelled loudly, his voice echoing throughout the vast expanse of the labyrinth. About that time, Wakka and Rikku came, supporting an injured Kimahri on their shoulders.
Rikku looked on at Tidus for a moment. "Just get rid of it Tidus! It's not going to tell you anything."
Tidus nodded solemnly and raised his sword to destroy the abomination. His blade went swiftly through the creature's throat, but it looked up hauntingly at him with what appeared to be a crooked smile. It started laughing.
"It's not undead!" Tidus proclaimed irately as he dug his boot deeper into the atrocious monster's chest.
He wasn't in the mood for this at all. "Alright… so you think it's funny. Keep laughing!" He proceeded to put away Caladbolg and pull out his banishing blade.
The creature's chuckling subsided, and its eyes once again met Tidus'… its lips started moving slowly.
"He's going to destroy you… destroy you all. You cannot stop him… not you, not Kaemon."
It started laughing riotously once again. Tidus had had enough… he dug the emerald blade viciously into the creature's throat. It gasped and convulsed for a moment and shortly thereafter vanished.
Tidus hadn't even had the opportunity to put away the weapon as an undead creature materialized and charged him. He recognized the undead villain as the same creature he had just banished, except far more grotesque. His flesh appeared to be hanging off of the bones, and his lab coat was now horrendously tattered and dirty. Tidus noted the creature's hollow stare, a red glow smoldering dimly from within the eye sockets. It was armed with a rusty sword.
He had Caladbolg back out quickly, narrowly dodging the monster's sword. He dug the blade deeply into its chest and watched as it fell limply to the ground.
"That… was weird."
Tidus sighed loudly and walked up to his friends. Rikku and Wakka had placed Kimahri on the ground to look at his wounds. Tidus looked at them tentatively.
"How is he?"
Wakka shrugged weakly. "Not good brudda… they would've probably killed him if we hadn't heard him. We got there just in time."
Rikku looked up at Tidus. "I gave him an X-potion and healed him as best as I could… but it's not gonna be enough. I think he just needs rest and some fresh air… we need to get outta here."
Tidus nodded gravely… talk about a plan completely and utterly backfiring. Not to mention those things. What was the creature talking about?
"He's going to destroy you… destroy you all. You cannot stop him… not you, not Kaemon."
Wasn't Kaemon the bad guy? What did it all mean? There were too many unexplainable circumstances revolving around the situation in the Farplane, and it was incredibly unnerving.
Tidus shrugged off his mental anguish and looked at his weary group. "Alright… let's get moving then."
He helped Wakka with the task of carrying Kimahri as Rikku retrieved the flares and took the lead in front. He bitterly realized that they were at an extreme disadvantage. If they were to be attacked, it would completely catch them by surprise. Once again, he cursed the predicament they were in but tried not to voice his resentment of the situation.
They wandered for a good while. It was apparent that they had been going in circles. On one occasion, they once again passed the ransacked laboratory. Rikku, frustrated, attempted the tried and true method of leaving reminders of where they had been. She proceeded to put markers every one or two hundred yards by ripping off pieces of her hair ribbon and sticking them in the cracks of the walls.
Eventually, it started to seem like they were making progress. The cave hollowed out somewhat, and the ground had become dry… and, it seemed like they were actually going up. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw what appeared to be an exit.
Tidus and Wakka sat Kimahri, who was undoubtedly unconscious, onto the ground to join Rikku at the exit.
Rikku looked at them questioningly. "Is this it?"
Tidus shrugged. "Dunno… I hope whatever's on the other side is better than down here." His friends nodded in agreement.
"So," Wakka proclaimed curiously, "how are we gonna get this door open?" He didn't need to ask twice… the door opened on its own accord, filling the dark cave with the faint radiance of dusk outside. Tidus narrowed his eyes in anger.
"We're being watched… they're toying with us." Wakka and Rikku grimly contemplated the new found revelation, and Tidus walked back to Kimahri.
"Help me out with Kimahri, Wakka… I want out of here." Wakka nodded his head vigorously.
"Amen."
________________________________________________________________
"So he finally decided to show up, huh?"
Jecht looked carefully at the group in the dim candle lit living room of their underground home. Anya stood by his side, with his comrades standing opposite of them.
"Yes," Akeno proclaimed flatly. "Inside sources reported it this morning. They're in the tomb."
Jecht shook his head gravely… none of their forces had ever made it outside of the "tomb" alive. Rumor had it that it was incredibly well guarded.
"And," Yumiko added softly, "he brought some friends." Braska looked at her wildly.
"Don't tell me he brought…" Yumiko shook her head briskly and interrupted him.
"No… his wife is still in Spira. She's safe for now." Yuna's father breathed a sigh of relief at her comment and quieted down.
Akeno glared at the group darkly. "Sir Tidus is finally here… but, there's a problem."
Jecht tapped his foot impatiently… he always hated how Akeno would beat around the bush. He wondered why the hell he couldn't be more forthcoming about things.
"Well, are you gonna tell us what the problem is, or are you just gonna stand there and look pretty?" Jecht's wife poked him in the ribs discretely, trying to calm him down a little.
Akeno raised an eyebrow at Jecht's comment but decided to ignore it. "We had anticipated Tidus' arrival to go a little more smoothly… after all, we thought we were winning the war. Yumiko and I anticipated the onset of the undead, but not so quickly. Their early arrival has ruined our chances of winning… now it's simply a matter of surviving."
Yumiko shook her head vigorously. "Not to mention the abnormal speed in which the undead are entering the Farplane. It seems like the moment we banish an enemy to the Netherworld, they come back immediately as undead. It's been completely decimating our forces."
"Is there any explanation as to how these soldiers of Kaemon's can turn into undead so quickly?" Auron asked quietly, breaking his stoic silence.
Yumiko shook her head. "It has to be some sort of magic… I don't think there could be any other explanation. But we are getting on a completely different subject. About Sir Tidus…"
"Yes," Akeno interrupted. "As I said earlier, Tidus and his friends are in the tomb. That's not what concerns us… we believe he can escape without too much difficulty. What concerns us is how they entered the Farplane." Akeno sighed loudly.
"According to intelligence, the undead took them in by force, rendered them unconscious for well over two days, and put them in the tomb. What they did to Tidus and his comrades during those two days is unknown. It is almost certain that Kaemon has done something to them to track them... he is obsessed over finding Yumiko and I, and this is the perfect opportunity for him."
Yumiko nodded slowly. "So, if Tidus finds us, Kaemon finds us… end of story."
Auron eyed them curiously. "So what can we do? We have to contact Tidus, do we not?" Akeno inhaled sharply and looked in Auron's direction.
"We know… without him, we do not stand a chance. So, we need to find whatever is tracking them and destroy it. Whether it is magic or by some other means, we have to lift the surveillance from Tidus and his friends."
Braska looked up. "Isn't that a little vague? I mean, anything could be tracking them… it could even be machina."
"Yes… you're right, Braska," Akeno replied. He looked at the group jadedly. "I hope everyone in here believes in miracles… now, who wants to help me and Yumiko investigate?"
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"How's Kimahri?"
Tidus looked at Rikku carefully as she crawled out of the small one person tent. He noted how unusually quiet she was… it took a lot to silence Rikku. He completely understood though, as it had been a very long day.
Rikku interrupted his contemplation. "He's out cold… he seems to be sleeping pretty peacefully."
Tidus nodded and looked across the campsite at Wakka. He was tucked soundly in his sleeping bag… he wasn't completely healed either, so he went straight to sleep earlier that evening. Tidus and Rikku had certainly fared the best as far as injuries went.
They had stumbled across a densely wooded forest shortly before it became too dark to travel any longer. So, when they arrived, they set up camp. Tidus worked to gather some firewood while Rikku pitched a small tent for Kimahri to rest in. He considered it a blessing to find such a suitable, well hidden camp site, as he was completely unfamiliar with that particular area of the Farplane.
"Are you okay?" Rikku asked Tidus curiously, interrupting his thoughts.
Tidus shrugged. "It depends on what you consider okay." He smiled reticently. "I'm not dead."
Rikku chuckled lightly and took a seat beside him next to the fire. Tidus looked over at her and sighed, drooping his head dejectedly.
"This… really sucks."
Rikku's smile faded, and she put a reassuring hand on Tidus' shoulder. "I'm… not gonna tell you what to do anymore, like I did in the cave. But we're never gonna get to go back to Spira if we all think so negative. Right?"
Tidus nodded lightly and rubbed his weary eyes. He had the first watch for the evening, so he was making a diligent effort to stay alert.
"You're right…" Tidus mouthed a silent comment but then looked back up at Rikku.
"I'm… sorry for being such a jerk." Tidus smiled ruefully. "I've been a real asshole today, huh?" Rikku shook her head in objection.
"Nuh uhh… you just miss Yunie. What I was saying in the cave wasn't really true… right now it seems like you *do* have the most to lose. So I'll try to sympathize with you from now on, as long as you're not so grumpy, 'kay?"
Tidus nodded with a tired smile. "Yeah… okay. Thanks, Rikku." She gave him a quick hug and stood up.
"No problem! I guess I better get some sleep… OH!"
Tidus cocked his head in confusion. "Huh?"
"I have something that might cheer you up!" Rikku scurried to her traveling pack next to her sleeping bag and pulled out a smaller bag from within it.
She brought the smaller bag back to where Tidus was sitting and nicely commanded him to open it up. Five spheres greeted his eyes.
"I stuffed as many in there as I could," Rikku commented. "I thought we might need to be reminded of some good memories along the way."
Tidus was dumbfounded. "Wow… thank you. Do they have…?"
"Do they have Yunie in it?"
"Yeah."
"It has tons of Yunie in it!"
Tidus donned his first true smile since he came back to the Farplane. "I don't know what to say…"
Rikku grinned. "Don't say anything silly; just watch 'em." Tidus nodded, and Rikku yawned.
"I'm gonna go to sleep before it's my watch. Night Tidus."
"Good night… sleep good." Rikku nodded and walked tiredly to her sleeping bag next to Wakka.
Tidus thought about Rikku for a moment. He noted how mature she could be if she really felt like it. For the first time since he had met her, he saw first-hand how caring a person she was capable of being… maturity had snuck up on her, regardless of how much she would have liked to deny it.
He smiled upon looking down at the spheres, and he picked one up to activate it.
* * *
"Hey Tidus, Yunie! How're ya' doing?"
Tidus walked hand in hand with Yuna. Her belly was beginning to show roundness due to the baby inside of her. It was blitz ball tournament time once again, and the entire group was walking to the airship to go to Luca.
"Aww, c'mon Rikku! You always have those things stuck in someone's face!"
"Well, who else is gonna make the memories?"
"Yeah, yeah… whatever."
Rikku stopped to get a shot of Tidus and Yuna as they boarded the airship together. Yuna flashed a quick smile at the sphere and waved sweetly.
"Next one," Tidus muttered quietly under his breath.
It was a beautiful day… the town was alive with activity. Two people, however, were sitting lazily on the porch swing in front of the largest house in Besaid.
"Ewww!"
Tidus scoffed at Rikku and grasped onto Yuna tighter.
"Geez Tidus, I know you just now came back and everything, but I think you're gonna suffocate Yunie!"
"I'm fine Rikku… he doesn't bother me at all." She kissed him gently on the lips, only to incite more "ewws" and gagging noises from Rikku.
"I'm gonna leave you two alone! We have to plan for that party, doncha know! I'm gonna go start that fire now… Wakka's letting me use gasoline!"
The picture on the sphere shook madly as Rikku ran away, and the voice of Tidus could be quietly heard in the distance.
"Don't blow yourself up, Rikku!"
Tidus smiled widely… yes, that was the night in which Besaid threw a celebration of his return. How could he forget? Putting that sphere away, he picked up another one and watched intently as the fuzzy video slowly became clear. It was a pretty image of Yuna in a white slip, her face painted a bright red.
"Yunie… you're getting married today!" Yuna looked nervously at the sphere.
"Rikku! I'm not decent! Could you please turn it off?"
"Aww, come on Yunie! It's okay, no one will see it. Heck, I'm not even gonna let Tidus see it! This is a girls only video!" Rikku pointed the sphere at herself and stuck her tongue out.
"So there Tidus… nwah!" The view quickly went back to Yuna, who was shaking her head with a smile.
"So, how do you feel about getting married, Yunie…?"
Yuna's eyes twinkled. "I feel h-happy… nervous, but happy."
"Anything you'd like to say about your maaan?"
Yuna smiled brightly. "He's… wonderful. I can't believe I'm finally marrying him." She paused for a moment, obviously in thought.
"I'm so… lucky."
"You really love him, huh?
"Yes… I really love him."
Lulu's voice was heard in the distance. "Rikku, turn that thing off, we need to get Yuna into her dress."
"Aye-aye captain!"
The image faded…
"I really love you too, Yuna…" He squinted as some stray tears fell freely to the ground.
* * *
He sat lazily on a large rock near the campsite.
Tidus wanted to keep himself occupied while he continued his watch… he didn't want to look at too much of the footage from spheres that night. He wanted to cherish the memories and save more of the content for later. So, he pulled out a book that he had bought from Guadosalam.
It wasn't an ordinary book though, as it had not yet been written. He determined before leaving Spira that he was going to write little messages to Yuna in it whenever he felt lonely.
Pulling out an ink pen from his bag, he opened the leather bound journal to the first page. He let his hands take over his thoughts as he put down his true feelings on the bright white paper:
Tuesday, September 15 (?)
Yuna,
I don't really know what day it is… who knows how long they kept us? All that matters is that I'm alive, I guess.
I'm alive…
I know, I can't really believe it myself. When those things tore us apart like that... I was sure I was going to die. I don't know what to say. You probably think I am dead right now or something. I can only imagine the hurt you must be feeling right now, because I feel it too. But at least I know you're still alive.
I'm living nightmare right now, Yuna. The Farplane is hell. We were stuck in a cave the whole day. Kimahri almost got killed. He would've been dead if it wasn't for Rikku. I'll have to be sure to thank her later.
All of the problems right now don't really matter to me. I miss you. Now that I'm away from you, I feel like I can't breathe, that I'm suffocating. It makes my stomach turn when I think about how I might never see you again. I'm so scared, Yuna. So scared that I might never wake up next to you again, might never kiss you again.
I saw you tonight, you know that? Rikku brought some spheres along and you were in them. I saw you in our house on our wedding day. You were so red! You looked so nervous. It made me smile, but it also made me cry. That's all I want to do right now, I think. I just want to cry and cry and mourn over not being close to you. Have I told you that I miss you yet?
But I'm trying my hardest to stay strong for the group. Whenever I feel like I can't do anything more, I'll think of you, I promise. Thinking of you will always make me feel better.
I gotta go now, Yuna. It's my watch and writing like this is putting me to sleep. I think I'm gonna go and find some more wood for the fire right now. I hope you can be sleeping peacefully without me. Have Lulu cast a sleep spell on you or something, and remember how much I care about you. Heck, you can even cry yourself to sleep if you want, as long as you get your rest. I love you too much for you to lose your health over this. After all, you're living for two right now.
I love you, a thousand times, I love you. Say hi to the baby for me. Give your stomach a pat and tell him daddy said hello. I'll be thinking of you always.
Tidus
The majority of the page had become a darker hue, as Tidus' salty tears stained the paper and smeared the ink. He put the book away and stood up to go find some wood to rouse the dimming coals of the fire.
Making his way through the forest, he picked up any branches or twigs along the way. As he walked haphazardly through the densely wooded area, the feeling of hopelessness once crept up on him. The eeriness and grim blackness of the forest accentuated his sorrow. His thoughts were as dim and as black as the woods were that night.
"Dammit!" He kicked a large tree forcefully, trying to release some of his pent up aggression and sorrow.
He prayed he could one day come back to her, but still, the nagging feeling of doubt killed his hopes. He walked on, irritated curses coming forth from his mouth. Satisfied that he had retrieved enough wood to last through the evening, he made his way back to camp. Rikku was awake, warming her hands on the dim coals of the fire. She looked over at Tidus and smiled slightly.
"Ahh… you got more wood. Thanks, now I won't freeze my butt off." Tidus smirked.
"Well, if you didn't wear those short shorts, you might not freeze your butt off." Rikku smiled and scoffed jokingly at his comment.
"I'll take over the watch for now… go to sleep Tidus." He nodded at her and dumped the wood on the fire… Rikku immediately began stoking it.
"Are you sure? You've only been sleeping a couple of hours."
"Yeah, I'm sure… I'll wake you up if I feel like I'm gonna fall over."
Tidus smiled. "Thanks Rikku… I'm beat."
"Yeah… sleep good," Rikku said as she blew on the hot coals.
"Alright."
He walked over to his sleeping bag and squirmed inside of it. Resting his head down on the soft fabric, he sighed heavily. He wanted a certain girl in his arms… he looked up at the cloudy sky, frustrated that he couldn't have her in the sleeping bag with him.
"Good night Yuna… love you."
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Author's Notes: Wowie! That was a long chapter, definitely the longest in the story so far.
I've abolished my tradition of putting author's notes at the beginning of the chapter. If they were annoying you half as bad as they were starting to annoy me, you'll probably be happy about that.
Now, before anyone comments about the letter that Tidus wrote Yuna, let me make it clear that it was written that way for a reason. Let's face it folks… Tidus is a blitz ball player, not a scholar. I made it all fragmenty for a reason, as Tidus was just trying to write an informal, completely heartfelt letter to his wife. Grammar for something like that doesn't really matter, ya?
Well, I don't have much left to say. Things are gonna really heat up now, I think. Stay tuned to see what happens… thanks to everyone for reading, and please review! You people have been slacking off in the review department, tsk tsk. Hehe, just kidding, but I really wanna hear from *everyone*. Thanks again.
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