A/N: Chapter 7 already? I suppose I've been releasing these chapters
quicker than I had anticipated. ^^; Again, I thank everyone who has enjoyed
the story up to now, and thanks for all the wonderful reviews! =)
** Chapter 7 **
Yuna stared out the window, a removed expression evident on her face. She stood on the bridge of the Celsius, looking ahead into the dark night. The faint reflection of her face stared back at her from the glass. Up above, the stars twinkled out at her, their brilliant light sending a reassuring glow into the deck.
"But how do I stop him..." Yuna spoke aloud to herself, clearly disappointed at how quickly Maechen had left. She sighed and clasped her hands behind her back.
"Yuna, we're here," Buddy suddenly spoke, shaking her out of her thoughts. She looked up at the Al Bhed, trying to force herself to smile.
"Ok."
***
"Maybe Yunie's back by now," Rikku said as the temple came into view.
"Yeah."
The two had arrived back at the village after the rather long walk from the cave. Rikku had found it odd that their entire journey had been full of silence.
She decided to question Tidus about it.
"Hey...you're awfully quiet," Rikku began. She stopped to look at him. Tidus met her gaze.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Rikku sighed. "Don't worry, I'm sure Yuna just went out for a walk or something and we just missed her," she offered, hoping that was the reason why he was so quiet.
Shrugging, he simply nodded and began to walk ahead of her towards the village entrance. Rikku frowned at his retreating back, wondering why he suddenly acted so cold.
***
It was nearly two hours past midnight when they had returned to the village square.
A yawn suddenly escaped from her mouth. "Man, I'm tired," Rikku said, a bit embarrassed at having shown she was sleepy when Yuna and Paine were still missing. The small pebbles let out a soft crunching sound as she began to head towards her hut.
"Why don't you rest now?" Tidus asked, watching Rikku's eyelids drift slightly closed while she struggled to keep them open again.
"Yeah, I'm beat," she agreed. Beginning to walk towards her hut, she suddenly stopped and faced him. Rikku offered him a smile. "Listen, I'm sorry we couldn't find Yuna..." she trailed off. "And Paine's gone too, but we've been all over the island and they're not anywhere," Rikku said, her voice lowering as to not wake the village.
He looked down at the ground. "They'll probably be here in the morning," Tidus simply said, raising his eyes to meet her green ones.
Rikku blinked at him, surprised at how calm he seemed. She tried to hide her frown from him and smiled lightly instead. "Well, ok. I guess we'll wait until morning then," she said, beginning to walk towards her shelter. "Goodnight," she waved while continuing to walk away.
He looked at her retreating form. Smirking a bit to himself, he decided to figure which shelter was theirs. Spotting one that was quaintly tucked behind some trees towards the back of the village, he began to head in that direction. As he neared the tan hut, his eyes spotted the small form of a dog sleeping next to the entrance. The animal did not look like normal dogs he had seen, as this one was slightly larger and seemed like it was dressed in small golden armors placed on its body.
Frowning at the strange-looking dog, he carefully pulled back the flaps of the shelter and struggled to focus his eyes in the darkness. Stepping into the quiet hut, his eyes quickly scanned the room before drifting over to the bed. His mouth curved upwards into a smile.
As he quietly walked near the bedside, he recognized the sleeping form of Yuna, the person he had intended to see. The soft glow of a nearby statue placed near the bed illuminated her features, and he took the opportunity to study her curiously.
Her glossy hair as it fell around the smooth skin of her face, and the way the long lashes of her eyelids covered the green and blue pupils beneath, made his breath catch at her beauty. His eyes trailed down to her lips, the pink and glossy hue shining, causing him to remember the time he had captured them with his own. She looked too much like her.
The twinkle of a familiar symbol sewn into the front of her shirt caused him to blink slightly. He vaguely remembered the team then, and his memory presently failed to recall its name.
She suddenly moved, letting out a small whimper. She turned her body away from him, as she clutched the blankets next to her, almost as if she was reaching for someone to hold on to after awakening from a bad dream. He smirked at the thought and gently sat himself on the edge of the bed, putting an arm on the other side of her sleeping form.
She stirred slightly and he saw her eyes flutter open before widening at him. "Tidus..." she whispered, sleep still evident in her voice. She sat up and smoothed her hair back a little, letting out a stifled yawn. "Where did you go?" she asked, eyes looking him over quickly.
He smiled at her then, trying to remember what the blonde girl had been talking about earlier. "I could ask the same of you," he began, eyes trailing down her body, finally settling back up to meet her gaze. She smiled nervously at him and looked away.
"I just went out for a walk," Yuna said, hoping he would believe her. She slowly turned her face to meet his once more.
Pulling her into a hug, he raised a gloved hand and stroked her back tenderly. Her soft tresses gently brushed the side of his face. She smelled faintly of a flower he couldn't quite recall the name of. Inhaling the sweet scent, he felt her relax in his arms. "Well I'm just glad you're back," he whispered quietly. He felt her pull back and she looked at him with a curious expression.
"And where did you go off to?" she asked with a soft giggle.
He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as well. "I was looking for you," he simply replied.
Yuna smiled. "Oh."
He reached behind her and pulled her towards him again. "Well we're both here now," he whispered. "Are you tired?" he asked again.
She yawned right then, causing him to laugh softly at her.
"Let's rest now," he said.
He pulled them down gently on the bed and drew her into his arms, reveling in the feel of having her this close to him. As they settled underneath the warmth of the blanket, he smirked inwardly to himself, taking great delight in how close she was. He paused for a moment to catch himself from the feelings she had made him feel right then. He shook his head a bit and focused on what he had planned to accomplish.
"Goodnight," he heard her whisper.
Smiling in the darkness, he lowered his face down near hers and planted a small kiss on her lips.
Yuna froze slightly. His warm breath had grazed her skin then, eliciting a small shiver to race through her body. It had felt exactly like her dream and the previous encounter with Shuyin. She paused and shook her head to forget about those feelings.
He noticed the troubled expression on her face, causing him to raise his eyebrows at her curiously. "What's the matter?" he asked, the soft evenness of his voice comforting her.
She shook her head slightly, drawing herself closer to him. "It's nothing. Let's sleep now," she replied.
Nodding at her in the darkness, he tightened his hold around her waist and let his eyes flutter close.
On the nightstand, the statue illuminated with an eerie glow. On the left, the figure of the woman released a bright, but weak light. On the right, the figure of the man remained dark, not giving off a single ray of light.
***
"Rikku, wake up," a voice spoke whispered.
The Al Bhed flinched at the gentle shaking, letting out a groan. Cracking her eyelids open, the bright morning sunlight greeted her sensitive eyes. She turned her body at the person who awakened her and met deep ruby eyes.
"Ugh, Paine!" Rikku whined, raising an arm to shield her eyes from the sunlight. "What'd you wake me up for?" the girl asked, shutting her eyes.
Paine sighed and seated herself on the edge of the bed. "Rikku, there's something I want to talk to you about," the other woman spoke, her eyes cast downward.
Rikku's eyes flew open. She knew Paine wouldn't have woken her up if it weren't important. The warrior's tone also confirmed her suspicions. Sitting up from the bed, a concerned expression appeared on Rikku's face. "What is it?" she began. Remembering the previous night's events she turned to Paine. "And where did you go last night?" Rikku questioned.
The Al Bhed watched as Paine suddenly stood up, walking towards the window. Her deep red eyes gazed out into the clear morning, the warm sunlight soothing her. She sighed softly and looked out towards the ocean. "It's about Yuna."
Rikku stopped. Pushing the blankets away, she sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Paine in worry.
"Yunie? What about her?" Rikku spoke, concern evident in her voice.
Paine turned to face the girl. She sat down in the chair nearest her and turned to face Rikku once more.
"Rikku, it's about where I was last night," she spoke softly, a solitary strand of her dark hair falling in front of her eyes. She raised a gloved hand to brush it away.
Rikku continued to listen, wondering what had caused Paine to seem like this. "Paine, what happened?" she asked, knowing full well that something was really wrong.
Ruby eyes met green ones. "I followed her last night."
***
Turning herself over underneath the blankets, she burrowed down deeper and snuggled near Tidus' warm chest. She brought her arm and came to wrap itself around him. With their legs entwined with each other under the blanket, Yuna felt completely at peace.
Moments later, she felt him stir slightly in his sleep, the soft jangle of his chains clinking in time with his movements. She felt one of his other arms come around her and shivered slightly as the cold feeling of his glove touched her bare back. Yuna frowned to herself, wondering why he hadn't taken off his gloves like he had always done each night.
She suddenly felt eyes watching her. Carefully looking up into his face, she was no less surprised when she found blue eyes staring down at her. Tidus smiled, reaching to brush away a few stray strands that had fallen in front of her eyes.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked softly.
Yuna stifled a yawn and snuggled closer to him. "Mm-hmm."
A moment of silence passed between them.
After another minute had passed, Yuna cracked her eyes open and wondered why he was suddenly very quiet. She turned her head to look into his face. He was staring at a fixed spot on the ceiling.
"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked, carefully raising herself up so that she was level with his face.
His eyes drifted down to meet hers. "Just thinking..." he trailed off, turning his body so that he was completely facing her.
Yuna turned to face him as well. "About what?"
His features suddenly turned serious. "Have you ever felt as if someone or something had given you another chance at life?" Tidus began, eyes never leaving hers.
Yuna paused as his words sunk in. She lay back down and let her eyes gaze up at the ceiling. "Yes, I've felt that way before," she said softly.
Of course she had. In fact she had often felt as if many chances had been thrown her way since her pilgrimage had ended. Two years ago, Yuna knew her journey was heading down a linear road, and she had been expecting to meet her end once that road had reached Zanarkand. Back then, she felt as if there was no other way around the road, but the sacrifice would have been worth it. Yet, here she was two years later, alive and well.
Her eyes slowly drifted to Tidus. Yes, and there was him of course. She couldn't begin to describe how empty she had felt when he left two years ago. She always tried to keep a positive smile on her face, just so her guardians wouldn't worry. Yet they knew his departure had pained her. They chose not to speak about Tidus at all because they knew Yuna would always look up at them with a pained look in her eyes whenever she heard someone mention his name.
"You came back, and that's all I needed to begin my life again," Yuna said softly, turning her face so she could gaze lovingly at him. He was watching her.
"Because I came back..." Tidus echoed. He turned away from her.
Yuna looked on. Sitting up a bit so she could move over to him, she cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer. Yuna looked down and moved over back to her side, concern clearly evident on her face. She looked down at her hands.
Silence.
"I've been given another chance, Yuna," she heard him say after some time. He turned around to look at her this time. Moving his body near hers, he raised a hand to stroke her face gently.
Yuna met his gaze and tried to suppress a shiver at the cold touch of his glove. She smiled softly at him.
He lowered his face so that it was mere centimeters above hers. His hand reached out and stroked her hair.
"I've missed you," he whispered.
***
"Rikku, look at me."
The girl refused to meet the warrior's ruby eyes. "It can't be." Rikku whispered in disbelief.
Paine sighed and walked over to where the other girl was sitting. "Rikku, I know what I heard last night."
This caused the Al Bhed to look up. "So what do we do now?" she said softly, feeling the sting of defeat. She stood and walked over to Paine. "But why? There's no reason for him to come back!" Rikku suddenly exclaimed, causing Paine to sigh again.
"I don't know all the answers," Paine began. She walked over to her bed and pulled out her sword. Rikku's eyes followed her. "But I do know someone who might be able to answer us," she finished, bending down to slip on her boots.
Rikku frowned at her. "Shouldn't we go tell Yunie?" she asked hesitantly.
Paine stopped and looked over at the Al Bhed. "Rikku, I'm sure there's a reason why Yuna has been keeping this from us," she began. Rikku looked down at the ground, yet Paine pressed on. "When she's ready to tell us, she will," the warrior finished, beginning to walk towards the door.
"But we gotta stick together! Why keep secrets from each other?" Rikku demanded. The girl's voice suddenly quieted. "And this isn't any small secret."
Paine faltered in her steps.
"Let's go, Rikku. We need to leave before anyone spots us," Paine spoke quietly, ignoring Rikku's last comment. Although she had chose not to reply to what Rikku had said, the warrior knew full well that this certainly wasn't something Yuna should have been keeping to herself.
Reaching up to brush away a strand of hair, Paine walked out of the shelter.
Rikku ran after the warrior. "Where are we going?" she yelled, trying to catch up to Paine's quick strides.
"Bevelle."
***
His intense azure eyes burned into hers as a gloved hand gently stroked her hair. Yuna felt a warm blush creep over her cheeks as she gazed up into the endless pool of blue.
"Why don't we go somewhere today. Just the two of us," Tidus whispered, gaze never leaving hers.
Yuna struggled to find her words, but was finding it increasingly difficult to focus with his deep gaze locked onto her. He had never acted this way before.
"Okay," she replied, raising a hand to play with the necklace dangling from his neck. He still hovered over her with one of his hands resting on the side of her pillow while the other lazily ran through her hair.
She watched as he leaned down, his face suddenly nearing hers. Her eyes instinctively closed as she felt his lips lightly graze hers. As she tried to meet his kiss, he had pulled away before her lips could even touch them. Her eyes flew open.
Tidus was smiling down at her, a somewhat teasing smirk evident on his face. She couldn't help but smile at his antics and hit him playfully on the arm.
"You're teasing me," she said with a pout.
He simply leaned back down and kissed her again, longer and more fully this time. Yuna lay there and reveled in the feeling of his lips on hers once more. She sighed into him as she felt one of his gloved hands lower the thin strap of her shirt. She pulled away and took short breaths, meeting his gaze.
"Didn't you want to go somewhere today?" Yuna asked him, a bit surprised and embarrassed at his sudden forwardness. She watched his expression closely.
"You're right, we should get going," he replied. Yuna faintly caught the small hint of a grin on his face. Climbing off the bed, he offered a hand to her.
Straightening herself, Yuna took hold of his hand as Tidus pulled her to her feet.
"Where are we going?" she asked him softly, bending down to retrieve her boots. When she received no response from him, she turned to look up.
He was staring at the statue near the bedside, its soft glow throwing gentle rays of light upon his eyes. Yuna's own eyes moved to look at it as well.
As soon as her eyes landed upon the glowing statue, she paused and tilted her head to the side a bit in confusion. Walking closer to it, she studied the object closely and reconfirmed her initial suspicion. There was no mistaking it.
"Why aren't you glowing?" Yuna asked him, kneeling down to look more closely into the statue. She looked at her own figure. It's light shone brightly at her.
"What?" Tidus questioned, a soft jangle of his chain indicating that he had moved to stand behind her.
She cocked her head to the side to look up at him. "The figure of you. It's supposed to be glowing." Yuna replied, more to herself than to him.
He said nothing.
"Maybe it's broken," Yuna spoke again, still looking at the piece closely. She frowned. "But it shouldn't be, because both you and I are near it." she continued.
Preparing to stand up once again, Yuna suddenly felt his arms come around her as he pulled her up himself. He leaned down and spoke to her softly.
"We should go now. Today, I don't want anyone to disturb us," Tidus murmured softly, the coldness of his glove on her exposed skin sending a shiver through her body.
** End of Chapter 7 **
A/N: Sorry to end it there, but I want this particular part to continue to Chapter 8. So see you then! ^^
** Chapter 7 **
Yuna stared out the window, a removed expression evident on her face. She stood on the bridge of the Celsius, looking ahead into the dark night. The faint reflection of her face stared back at her from the glass. Up above, the stars twinkled out at her, their brilliant light sending a reassuring glow into the deck.
"But how do I stop him..." Yuna spoke aloud to herself, clearly disappointed at how quickly Maechen had left. She sighed and clasped her hands behind her back.
"Yuna, we're here," Buddy suddenly spoke, shaking her out of her thoughts. She looked up at the Al Bhed, trying to force herself to smile.
"Ok."
***
"Maybe Yunie's back by now," Rikku said as the temple came into view.
"Yeah."
The two had arrived back at the village after the rather long walk from the cave. Rikku had found it odd that their entire journey had been full of silence.
She decided to question Tidus about it.
"Hey...you're awfully quiet," Rikku began. She stopped to look at him. Tidus met her gaze.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Rikku sighed. "Don't worry, I'm sure Yuna just went out for a walk or something and we just missed her," she offered, hoping that was the reason why he was so quiet.
Shrugging, he simply nodded and began to walk ahead of her towards the village entrance. Rikku frowned at his retreating back, wondering why he suddenly acted so cold.
***
It was nearly two hours past midnight when they had returned to the village square.
A yawn suddenly escaped from her mouth. "Man, I'm tired," Rikku said, a bit embarrassed at having shown she was sleepy when Yuna and Paine were still missing. The small pebbles let out a soft crunching sound as she began to head towards her hut.
"Why don't you rest now?" Tidus asked, watching Rikku's eyelids drift slightly closed while she struggled to keep them open again.
"Yeah, I'm beat," she agreed. Beginning to walk towards her hut, she suddenly stopped and faced him. Rikku offered him a smile. "Listen, I'm sorry we couldn't find Yuna..." she trailed off. "And Paine's gone too, but we've been all over the island and they're not anywhere," Rikku said, her voice lowering as to not wake the village.
He looked down at the ground. "They'll probably be here in the morning," Tidus simply said, raising his eyes to meet her green ones.
Rikku blinked at him, surprised at how calm he seemed. She tried to hide her frown from him and smiled lightly instead. "Well, ok. I guess we'll wait until morning then," she said, beginning to walk towards her shelter. "Goodnight," she waved while continuing to walk away.
He looked at her retreating form. Smirking a bit to himself, he decided to figure which shelter was theirs. Spotting one that was quaintly tucked behind some trees towards the back of the village, he began to head in that direction. As he neared the tan hut, his eyes spotted the small form of a dog sleeping next to the entrance. The animal did not look like normal dogs he had seen, as this one was slightly larger and seemed like it was dressed in small golden armors placed on its body.
Frowning at the strange-looking dog, he carefully pulled back the flaps of the shelter and struggled to focus his eyes in the darkness. Stepping into the quiet hut, his eyes quickly scanned the room before drifting over to the bed. His mouth curved upwards into a smile.
As he quietly walked near the bedside, he recognized the sleeping form of Yuna, the person he had intended to see. The soft glow of a nearby statue placed near the bed illuminated her features, and he took the opportunity to study her curiously.
Her glossy hair as it fell around the smooth skin of her face, and the way the long lashes of her eyelids covered the green and blue pupils beneath, made his breath catch at her beauty. His eyes trailed down to her lips, the pink and glossy hue shining, causing him to remember the time he had captured them with his own. She looked too much like her.
The twinkle of a familiar symbol sewn into the front of her shirt caused him to blink slightly. He vaguely remembered the team then, and his memory presently failed to recall its name.
She suddenly moved, letting out a small whimper. She turned her body away from him, as she clutched the blankets next to her, almost as if she was reaching for someone to hold on to after awakening from a bad dream. He smirked at the thought and gently sat himself on the edge of the bed, putting an arm on the other side of her sleeping form.
She stirred slightly and he saw her eyes flutter open before widening at him. "Tidus..." she whispered, sleep still evident in her voice. She sat up and smoothed her hair back a little, letting out a stifled yawn. "Where did you go?" she asked, eyes looking him over quickly.
He smiled at her then, trying to remember what the blonde girl had been talking about earlier. "I could ask the same of you," he began, eyes trailing down her body, finally settling back up to meet her gaze. She smiled nervously at him and looked away.
"I just went out for a walk," Yuna said, hoping he would believe her. She slowly turned her face to meet his once more.
Pulling her into a hug, he raised a gloved hand and stroked her back tenderly. Her soft tresses gently brushed the side of his face. She smelled faintly of a flower he couldn't quite recall the name of. Inhaling the sweet scent, he felt her relax in his arms. "Well I'm just glad you're back," he whispered quietly. He felt her pull back and she looked at him with a curious expression.
"And where did you go off to?" she asked with a soft giggle.
He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as well. "I was looking for you," he simply replied.
Yuna smiled. "Oh."
He reached behind her and pulled her towards him again. "Well we're both here now," he whispered. "Are you tired?" he asked again.
She yawned right then, causing him to laugh softly at her.
"Let's rest now," he said.
He pulled them down gently on the bed and drew her into his arms, reveling in the feel of having her this close to him. As they settled underneath the warmth of the blanket, he smirked inwardly to himself, taking great delight in how close she was. He paused for a moment to catch himself from the feelings she had made him feel right then. He shook his head a bit and focused on what he had planned to accomplish.
"Goodnight," he heard her whisper.
Smiling in the darkness, he lowered his face down near hers and planted a small kiss on her lips.
Yuna froze slightly. His warm breath had grazed her skin then, eliciting a small shiver to race through her body. It had felt exactly like her dream and the previous encounter with Shuyin. She paused and shook her head to forget about those feelings.
He noticed the troubled expression on her face, causing him to raise his eyebrows at her curiously. "What's the matter?" he asked, the soft evenness of his voice comforting her.
She shook her head slightly, drawing herself closer to him. "It's nothing. Let's sleep now," she replied.
Nodding at her in the darkness, he tightened his hold around her waist and let his eyes flutter close.
On the nightstand, the statue illuminated with an eerie glow. On the left, the figure of the woman released a bright, but weak light. On the right, the figure of the man remained dark, not giving off a single ray of light.
***
"Rikku, wake up," a voice spoke whispered.
The Al Bhed flinched at the gentle shaking, letting out a groan. Cracking her eyelids open, the bright morning sunlight greeted her sensitive eyes. She turned her body at the person who awakened her and met deep ruby eyes.
"Ugh, Paine!" Rikku whined, raising an arm to shield her eyes from the sunlight. "What'd you wake me up for?" the girl asked, shutting her eyes.
Paine sighed and seated herself on the edge of the bed. "Rikku, there's something I want to talk to you about," the other woman spoke, her eyes cast downward.
Rikku's eyes flew open. She knew Paine wouldn't have woken her up if it weren't important. The warrior's tone also confirmed her suspicions. Sitting up from the bed, a concerned expression appeared on Rikku's face. "What is it?" she began. Remembering the previous night's events she turned to Paine. "And where did you go last night?" Rikku questioned.
The Al Bhed watched as Paine suddenly stood up, walking towards the window. Her deep red eyes gazed out into the clear morning, the warm sunlight soothing her. She sighed softly and looked out towards the ocean. "It's about Yuna."
Rikku stopped. Pushing the blankets away, she sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Paine in worry.
"Yunie? What about her?" Rikku spoke, concern evident in her voice.
Paine turned to face the girl. She sat down in the chair nearest her and turned to face Rikku once more.
"Rikku, it's about where I was last night," she spoke softly, a solitary strand of her dark hair falling in front of her eyes. She raised a gloved hand to brush it away.
Rikku continued to listen, wondering what had caused Paine to seem like this. "Paine, what happened?" she asked, knowing full well that something was really wrong.
Ruby eyes met green ones. "I followed her last night."
***
Turning herself over underneath the blankets, she burrowed down deeper and snuggled near Tidus' warm chest. She brought her arm and came to wrap itself around him. With their legs entwined with each other under the blanket, Yuna felt completely at peace.
Moments later, she felt him stir slightly in his sleep, the soft jangle of his chains clinking in time with his movements. She felt one of his other arms come around her and shivered slightly as the cold feeling of his glove touched her bare back. Yuna frowned to herself, wondering why he hadn't taken off his gloves like he had always done each night.
She suddenly felt eyes watching her. Carefully looking up into his face, she was no less surprised when she found blue eyes staring down at her. Tidus smiled, reaching to brush away a few stray strands that had fallen in front of her eyes.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked softly.
Yuna stifled a yawn and snuggled closer to him. "Mm-hmm."
A moment of silence passed between them.
After another minute had passed, Yuna cracked her eyes open and wondered why he was suddenly very quiet. She turned her head to look into his face. He was staring at a fixed spot on the ceiling.
"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked, carefully raising herself up so that she was level with his face.
His eyes drifted down to meet hers. "Just thinking..." he trailed off, turning his body so that he was completely facing her.
Yuna turned to face him as well. "About what?"
His features suddenly turned serious. "Have you ever felt as if someone or something had given you another chance at life?" Tidus began, eyes never leaving hers.
Yuna paused as his words sunk in. She lay back down and let her eyes gaze up at the ceiling. "Yes, I've felt that way before," she said softly.
Of course she had. In fact she had often felt as if many chances had been thrown her way since her pilgrimage had ended. Two years ago, Yuna knew her journey was heading down a linear road, and she had been expecting to meet her end once that road had reached Zanarkand. Back then, she felt as if there was no other way around the road, but the sacrifice would have been worth it. Yet, here she was two years later, alive and well.
Her eyes slowly drifted to Tidus. Yes, and there was him of course. She couldn't begin to describe how empty she had felt when he left two years ago. She always tried to keep a positive smile on her face, just so her guardians wouldn't worry. Yet they knew his departure had pained her. They chose not to speak about Tidus at all because they knew Yuna would always look up at them with a pained look in her eyes whenever she heard someone mention his name.
"You came back, and that's all I needed to begin my life again," Yuna said softly, turning her face so she could gaze lovingly at him. He was watching her.
"Because I came back..." Tidus echoed. He turned away from her.
Yuna looked on. Sitting up a bit so she could move over to him, she cautiously placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer. Yuna looked down and moved over back to her side, concern clearly evident on her face. She looked down at her hands.
Silence.
"I've been given another chance, Yuna," she heard him say after some time. He turned around to look at her this time. Moving his body near hers, he raised a hand to stroke her face gently.
Yuna met his gaze and tried to suppress a shiver at the cold touch of his glove. She smiled softly at him.
He lowered his face so that it was mere centimeters above hers. His hand reached out and stroked her hair.
"I've missed you," he whispered.
***
"Rikku, look at me."
The girl refused to meet the warrior's ruby eyes. "It can't be." Rikku whispered in disbelief.
Paine sighed and walked over to where the other girl was sitting. "Rikku, I know what I heard last night."
This caused the Al Bhed to look up. "So what do we do now?" she said softly, feeling the sting of defeat. She stood and walked over to Paine. "But why? There's no reason for him to come back!" Rikku suddenly exclaimed, causing Paine to sigh again.
"I don't know all the answers," Paine began. She walked over to her bed and pulled out her sword. Rikku's eyes followed her. "But I do know someone who might be able to answer us," she finished, bending down to slip on her boots.
Rikku frowned at her. "Shouldn't we go tell Yunie?" she asked hesitantly.
Paine stopped and looked over at the Al Bhed. "Rikku, I'm sure there's a reason why Yuna has been keeping this from us," she began. Rikku looked down at the ground, yet Paine pressed on. "When she's ready to tell us, she will," the warrior finished, beginning to walk towards the door.
"But we gotta stick together! Why keep secrets from each other?" Rikku demanded. The girl's voice suddenly quieted. "And this isn't any small secret."
Paine faltered in her steps.
"Let's go, Rikku. We need to leave before anyone spots us," Paine spoke quietly, ignoring Rikku's last comment. Although she had chose not to reply to what Rikku had said, the warrior knew full well that this certainly wasn't something Yuna should have been keeping to herself.
Reaching up to brush away a strand of hair, Paine walked out of the shelter.
Rikku ran after the warrior. "Where are we going?" she yelled, trying to catch up to Paine's quick strides.
"Bevelle."
***
His intense azure eyes burned into hers as a gloved hand gently stroked her hair. Yuna felt a warm blush creep over her cheeks as she gazed up into the endless pool of blue.
"Why don't we go somewhere today. Just the two of us," Tidus whispered, gaze never leaving hers.
Yuna struggled to find her words, but was finding it increasingly difficult to focus with his deep gaze locked onto her. He had never acted this way before.
"Okay," she replied, raising a hand to play with the necklace dangling from his neck. He still hovered over her with one of his hands resting on the side of her pillow while the other lazily ran through her hair.
She watched as he leaned down, his face suddenly nearing hers. Her eyes instinctively closed as she felt his lips lightly graze hers. As she tried to meet his kiss, he had pulled away before her lips could even touch them. Her eyes flew open.
Tidus was smiling down at her, a somewhat teasing smirk evident on his face. She couldn't help but smile at his antics and hit him playfully on the arm.
"You're teasing me," she said with a pout.
He simply leaned back down and kissed her again, longer and more fully this time. Yuna lay there and reveled in the feeling of his lips on hers once more. She sighed into him as she felt one of his gloved hands lower the thin strap of her shirt. She pulled away and took short breaths, meeting his gaze.
"Didn't you want to go somewhere today?" Yuna asked him, a bit surprised and embarrassed at his sudden forwardness. She watched his expression closely.
"You're right, we should get going," he replied. Yuna faintly caught the small hint of a grin on his face. Climbing off the bed, he offered a hand to her.
Straightening herself, Yuna took hold of his hand as Tidus pulled her to her feet.
"Where are we going?" she asked him softly, bending down to retrieve her boots. When she received no response from him, she turned to look up.
He was staring at the statue near the bedside, its soft glow throwing gentle rays of light upon his eyes. Yuna's own eyes moved to look at it as well.
As soon as her eyes landed upon the glowing statue, she paused and tilted her head to the side a bit in confusion. Walking closer to it, she studied the object closely and reconfirmed her initial suspicion. There was no mistaking it.
"Why aren't you glowing?" Yuna asked him, kneeling down to look more closely into the statue. She looked at her own figure. It's light shone brightly at her.
"What?" Tidus questioned, a soft jangle of his chain indicating that he had moved to stand behind her.
She cocked her head to the side to look up at him. "The figure of you. It's supposed to be glowing." Yuna replied, more to herself than to him.
He said nothing.
"Maybe it's broken," Yuna spoke again, still looking at the piece closely. She frowned. "But it shouldn't be, because both you and I are near it." she continued.
Preparing to stand up once again, Yuna suddenly felt his arms come around her as he pulled her up himself. He leaned down and spoke to her softly.
"We should go now. Today, I don't want anyone to disturb us," Tidus murmured softly, the coldness of his glove on her exposed skin sending a shiver through her body.
** End of Chapter 7 **
A/N: Sorry to end it there, but I want this particular part to continue to Chapter 8. So see you then! ^^