Chapter Four

Yuna stared in stunned silence. 

She had just stepped through the door to the crusader's hut.  The candle-light was burning low as five figures huddled around a vague shape on a cot.  Yuna recognized him immediately.  Tidus, her mind lulled. 

Slowly she began to walk toward the bed.  Oh my God, she thought to herself.  He looks like Hell.  His skin, which was usually tanned bronze, was completely pale.  To Yuna, he seemed to have lost about twenty pounds.  He looked frail and fragile, as if a strong wind could almost break him in half.  He had half a dozen scratches and gashes all over his body, blood still running from many of them.

She reached out and grabbed his hand.  There was no movement except for the long, wheezing, deep breaths that his lungs took.   Yuna started to feel the hot tears build up in the corners of her eyes.  She blinked and they came rushing down her cheeks.  She sniffed as she used the other hand to wipe them away.  She opened her mouth to speak, but no words could come out.  Yuna then paused a few minutes to get a hold of herself before trying again.

"How long," she managed to say, "has he been like this?"

"Bout' an hour," Wakka replied slowly. 

"Have you tried potions?  Elixirs?" she asked, her emotions shrouding her voice.

"Ya, I don't think it did much good," Wakka responded.   "We called the doctor from Kilika.  He's coming on the boat tomorrow morning.  Maybe he can do something ya?"

Yuna didn't respond, but only wiped away another set of tears.  Then slowly, she fell to her knees, still holding on to the hand of the man she loved.  She put her other hand on his chest, and then buried her face in the sheet covering the cot and then let the tears come.  She couldn't hold them back anymore.

"Come," Lulu said, turning to Wakka and the others.  "Let's leave her alone."

One by one everyone turned and followed Lulu's lead. 

---

Actually, it was the next afternoon before the physician arrived at Besaid. 

Yuna didn't sleep at all that night.  For a couple of hours, she remained as everyone left her, one hand in Tidus', one hand on his chest, and crying into the night.  It wasn't until Rikku brought in a chair for her did she move, that being well after sunrise.  The man of Yuna's dream, no, Yuna's dream itself, had returned to her.  That was all that mattered.  She had absolute faith that Tidus would come out of this, and then they could be happy again.  She could be happy again.  Her life would come back to her.  It would have meaning again.  Maybe this could be the start of a better direction for her.  All of her regrets in the past two years, and all of her bad decisions, maybe she would have the strength to do something about it now.  Maybe she would even take back the position of Besaid Representative. 

Whatever she decided to do, she would have him by her side.  Always.

And she cried for that.

----

"We'll, he is torn up quite a bit ain't he?"  The elderly man with glasses spoke.  Yuna was standing back watching the doctor's every move.  Normally, the older doctor wanted to be alone with the patient while doing an assessment.  However he wouldn't dare to ask Yuna to leave.  She probably would if she was asked, but it was obvious that she wasn't going to leave his side for long.  Plus, she was high summoner Yuna.  He would feel a little out of place asking someone of her prestige to leave the room. 

"Hmmm." He muttered to himself.  I'm going to have to stitch that gash on his leg up."  Now he was running his fingers over Tidus' arms feeling for broken bones, fractures, or anything out of the ordinary.  He moved his hands up to Tidus' face, then his forehead, and then the side of his head.

Tidus let out a groan.  When the doctor withdrew his fingers, the tips were red with blood.  "What do we have here?"  He bent over the body swaying his light blonde hair to get a better look.

"We'll, overall, he's going to live.  He's in a light coma, due to malnourishment, a head wound, or both.  I've got some Al Bhed IV's in him so he can get his fluids replenished.  I'm going to have to give him some stitches, and clean his wounds.  There is a chance that his head wound could cause slight brain damage, or maybe some other ill effects.  But we won't know that until he wakes up."

"When will that be doctor?" Yuna asked. 

"Hard to say.  I don't think it should be very long, a day, maybe two."

He paused as he looked around the room.  It seemed like everyone in the village was here, and everyone was expecting better news than what he was giving them.  Sometimes I hate being a doctor, he thought absent-mindedly.

"I've done all I can.  You just have to wait and see if he comes out of it."

"I know he will." Yuna said, barely above a whisper.  "He is strong.  He is going to come out of this."

----

That was two days ago.  

And now as the sun sat on yet another hot Besaid day, a new feeling started to descend upon the town.  It was called doubt.  When the news hit that Tidus had returned, electricity started to run rampant all over Spira.  After the first day, everyone began to stop by the crusader hut, to either pay respect, comfort Yuna, or just to see him with his or her own eyes.

Tidus, the man, the blitz player, the legendary guardian, was alive.  Many had to see it to believe it.  And a lot of people stopped by to believe.  In many ways it was tiring for Yuna.  She has never left his side since his return.  She hardly slept, and when she did it was a light sleep.  And now with the last little bit of the daylight draining out of the room, she was dozing off in her chair next to his bed, still holding onto his hand.

"Hmmmmmm." Tidus' moaned again.

Yuna heard his groan but still tried to hang onto her loose threads of sleep.  She didn't stir until she heard Tidus again, but this time, it wasn't an unintelligible moan, it was Tidus talking. 

"Water," she heard in a raspy voice.

Immediately Yuna's eyes shot open and her heart felt like it exploded, shooting pure adrenalin into her veins. 

"Tidus!!" she screamed.  "Tidus!!" 

"Water," was his only response.

She quickly reached on the nightstand that had half a pitcher of water and a couple of cups.  In her frantic motions she almost tipped over the pitcher, but was able to recover it with her other hand.

"Here," she said putting the cup in his hands.  Tidus was obviously too weak to drink it, so she pressed the cup to his lips.  He spat up the first drink, but then managed to swallow the rest.

"Thanks," he whispered while opening his eyes slowly.  "Thanks."

"Oh Tidus, I've missed you so much," Yuna started.   "I always knew you'd come back.  I felt that you were out there somewhere.  I'm so glad you've come back to me.  I know I probably don't look the same but, I swear, I'm the same person.  Its just….It's just been two years, and, and everyone thought you were dead.  Two years, Tidus."

She reached down and touched his face, combing a strand of his blond hair out of the way trying to gaze into his bright blue eyes.  "I've missed you so much."

Tidus' gaze locked into Yuna's eyes.  "Where am I?' he asked when he found his breath again.

"You're in the Crusader's hut in Besaid.  Rikku found you three days ago.  Everyone's going to be so excited when I tell them that you've woken up.  I still can't really believe it myself.  I've missed you so much."

Tidus reached up and grabbed her hand, looking into her blue and green eyes.  All he saw was Yuna, smiling, with tears of joy starting to flow down her cheeks.  He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again, not knowing the words.

After a few second's hesitation he opened his mouth again to ask the question he felt he needed to ask:

"Who are you?"

For about ten seconds, neither one of them spoke or moved.  And then, ever so slightly Yuna's face looked as if every muscle had become loose.  It was the look of heartbreak, confusion, and her heart shattering into a thousand pieces.   

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Author's notes

1—No, I don't hate Yuna, contrary to popular belief.  I'm just giving her a hard time for now.  Bright things are in store for her sometime down the line.

2—Yuna extremely depressed and Tidus and amnesiac?  What am I on?  Find out next chapter.

3—All names, characters, places, and events referred to are copyrighted by Squaresoft.

4—Ok, I know exactly where this thing is going to go now, and I think it's gonna be pretty good. I hope so anyway.

5—This week/months recommended reading: Memories of Water, by IceWolf645.  A most excellent story, that is now completed.

6—Thanks for the support guys!!