A/N: I'm looking forward to what events are going to happen in this
chapter, and probably because of the fact that the story is going to pick
up from this moment on. =p
Well, I don't really have much else to say, except once again I thank everyone who has reviewed, and to those who have remained loyal to sticking around and reading my story. I don't know if some of you already know this, but you guys are the main reason why I continue with the story. At first it was just an attempt to see where I could take things with writing my own rendition of an FFX-2 sequel, but since everyone has enjoyed the story so far, I'm going to give you guys what you want. ^_^
A big thank you to everyone.
** Chapter 10 **
"Hey you! Move your ass!" Gippal exclaimed at the large animal. The animal simply groaned as it continued to paddle across. He was feeling rather touchy that day, and the fact that the shoopuf would not move any faster caused the man to frown. Gippal sighed to himself in defeat. He could have easily taken another route to get to the other side of the Moonflow, but Nooj had simply said that there was no other way to get to the other side. He turned to the other man who was standing opposite him.
"Ah, Nooj. Why'd we have to take this damn thing anyway?" Gippal asked, one hand resting on the side of his hip.
"I told you. There's no other way to get there."
Gippal waved a hand through the air. "It'd be easier to get there with a machina."
The other man regarded him through his glasses. "Yes, but there are no machina here."
Gippal paced around the small enclosure they were riding in and brushed off the other man's smart reply. He decided to change the subject. "Hey, Noojster."
The other man lifted his walking stick and struggled to turn to face Gippal. "What is it?"
"So what'd LeBlanc say back there?" Gippal asked, motioning back towards the Moonflow and Guadosalam. The two men had just left that area since Nooj had some matters he claimed he needed to settle in Guadosalam.
Nooj turned back around the looked down into the water below them. "She said that she was glad I came back safely and that she was planning to pay a visit to Yuna," the man replied slowly, almost regretting that he had told Gippal the first part.
Gippal paused as a grin slid on his face. He walked over to Nooj and gently elbowed him, smiling as the other man turned around startled.
"Heeeeyy. What's the deal with you and her anyway?" Gippal asked with a sly grin, looking out at Nooj with his good eye. He couldn't help but question the other man about it. The topic was something he never imagined could happen.
Nooj brushed Gippal off and walked to the other side, his heavy feet echoing on the hollow surface. He turned and looked at Gippal once more.
"That's something that doesn't concern you," Nooj simply said, causing the Al Bhed to open his mouth in shock.
"Aw, c'mon, man! It's not like it's such a big deal or anything, right?"
"So where are we going now?" Nooj suddenly spoke up, completely changing the subject.
Gippal pointed a finger at Nooj. "Hey, don't go changing the subject on me now!"
Nooj looked out at the horizon, the surface of the other side of the Moonflow taking form. They were almost to the surface. Turning back to look at the other man, he shook his head in amusement.
"To Bevelle then. Perhaps we should pay a short visit to Baralai to ensure everything is at peace for good," Nooj declared, seating himself down.
Gippal sighed and sat down as well, convinced that there was no way to get it out of Nooj. "Fine, fine. Whatever."
***
Yuna let her body fall down with a soft thud, as the pillows on the bed bounced lightly upon her impact. Tidus raised an eyebrow at her in amusement. The sun peeked in through the small window in the hut, casting a soft orange glow upon her face. She let her eyelids flutter close in exhaustion. She suddenly heard him chuckle.
"It's only sunset and you're already tired?" he asked, seating himself at the edge of the bed.
"It's been a long day..." Yuna sighed. She noticed that she was starting to grow tired easily as the days went on. Yuna couldn't help but suspect that there was something not quite right about herself. Her eyes drifted around until they paused at the entrance, as if she suddenly realized something. "I haven't seen Rikku or Paine at all today," she said softly, turning on her side to face Tidus.
He said nothing, but the name of the second person Yuna had mentioned caught his attention, as he remembered something about the name. She noticed his troubled expression, a hint of unease showing itself in his blue eyes.
"What's wrong? It looks like you're thinking about something else," Yuna asked softly, moving over so she could see his face clearly.
"No, it's nothing. Don't worry about me," he replied calmly, expression completely neutral.
Yuna blinked at him, her mind thinking of other matters. Sighing to herself a bit, she let her back rest against the blankets and lay her head down on the pillows. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that there was something that had changed in her relationship with Tidus. Although it pained her to admit that he really hadn't been acting like himself lately, she still refused to acknowledge it with finality. Instead, she pretended as if there was nothing wrong, yet that was a lie and she knew it. There was something different about him - something she just couldn't put a finger on.
She noticed that there were times when he'd acted cold around her, completely losing that warmth she had always felt whenever they were together. Yuna stopped for a moment. Perhaps there was a way to test him. Perhaps there was some way to see if Tidus really was different. She nodded her head a bit to herself and decided that she would test him that night when they slept. Even to her, it seemed foolish to test him, yet she couldn't just ignore the troubling feeling that welled up inside her.
He suddenly stood up, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes followed Tidus as he walked towards the doorway.
"Where are you going?" Yuna asked.
He seemed to fumble with his words for a moment before replying. "Uh, I'm sorry Yuna. But I'll be back in a moment."
She looked after his retreating back as he slipped out of the hut and into the now dark night. Hugging a pillow tightly to her chest, Yuna sighed. Her mind was exhausted from the day's activities and from thinking about him. Yuna almost laughed aloud at how cruel fate sometimes was. Yes they had given Tidus back to her, yet why was he suddenly like this? Pulling the blanket over herself, she let her eyes close and decided to retire early for the night.
***
"Who is it?" Baralai asked, as he heard two quick and short knocks on the large doors.
"Hey, Baralai! Open up! It's us," Baralai heard Gippal's voice say.
Smiling a bit to himself, he walked over to the door and opened it, seeing the two forms of Gippal and Nooj standing there.
"Good evening you two," Baralai greeted.
"Hey man. What's up?" Gippal said as he entered the room and hit Baralai playfully on the shoulder, as was his habit to do so as a sign of his greeting.
Baralai smiled at Gippal and nodded his head to Nooj as the other man entered as well, the soft clinks of his metal stick making the sound as he walked in.
Shutting the door behind them, Baralai turned to face them. He smiled and motioned towards the table.
"So what brings you two here this late in the evening?" Baralai asked, taking a seat in the chair. Gippal and Nooj sat down as well in opposite chairs from Baralai.
"My apologies for arriving so late, Baralai," Nooj began. His eyes drifted over to Gippal. "It was partly his fault that we were late."
Gippal gaped wide-eyed at Nooj. "What?!"
Baralai let out a soft chuckle as he watched his two friends. "It's quite all right. I wasn't doing much around here anyway," he admitted with a small grin.
"Geez, you're right. What IS there to do around here these days?" Gippal said. He sighed and picked up a short dagger that was lying on the table. Picking it up to twirl it through his fingers, Gippal spoke lazily. "Well me and Noojster were at LeBlanc's today. Nothing special goin' on there though."
Baralai turned to Nooj. "Really? Was there a problem down at Guadosalam? Is that why you went?"
Nooj shook his head a bit and turned away. "No, there were no problems there. LeBlanc did mention that she was planning to visit Yuna soon, however," Nooj explained solemnly.
Baralai paused at the mention of Yuna's name. Hiding his frown from the other two, he forced a reassuring smile on his face. "Hm, perhaps we should accompany LeBlanc and visit Yuna and the others as well," Baralai suddenly offered. A part of him wanted to see what Paine and Rikku had revealed to him earlier. He was anxious to see what this "dream of the fayth" looked like.
Gippal rested his head on his arms, leaning back in the chair. "Sure. It'll be fun to tease Cid's girl again," the Al Bhed laughed, remembering what amusement he got whenever he annoyed Rikku.
"It's settled then. We leave tomorrow," Nooj said.
Baralai nodded in agreement, and imagined how their encounter would be. If Paine and Rikku were right about him, Baralai wanted to see for himself.
***
Yuna awoke to the gentle shaking of someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around and opened her eyes, adjusting them in the darkness. Her eyes squinted up and met deep blue orbs.
"Sorry if I woke you, but I just wanted to apologize about earlier," Tidus whispered to her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
She scooted her body over so that he could climb into bed as well. Smiling up at him, she lifted up the covers as he stepped in to join her. As he moved to get more comfortable, Yuna paused as she waited to make her move to test him. Another moment of nothing passed before she sighed in relief. His arms had moved around her, confirming that he was still himself...
Tidus suddenly stopped moving as Yuna began to feel his warmth spread around them both, the steady sound of his heartbeat calming her for the moment. Slowly letting her eyes flutter shut, she couldn't help but feel that it was still not enough. She decided to test him one last time.
Turning herself around in his arms, she gently raised a hand to shake him gently under the covers. She watched as his blue eyes cracked open at her. Putting on a small smile, she whispered to him.
"Hey, do you remember two years at the spring?" Yuna began, studying his expression very closely.
He didn't meet her gaze yet nodded slowly.
She continued on, reaching under the blankets to find his fingers so they could lock with her own. She felt that he was still wearing his gloves.
"Remember what you said to me that night?" Yuna spoke softly. She watched as his eyes drifted down to meet hers. "Those were the words that had kept me going in the two years that you were gone," she suddenly said.
"Ah, y-yes I remember them," she heard Tidus say after a moment of silence had passed.
Yuna smiled inwardly to herself. She smiled gently at him as well, raising her hand to graze his face softly. "I know it sounds strange, but could you say them to me again?"
She felt him freeze a little in her touch. Pretending that she hadn't noticed it, she continued on, undaunted.
"You told me 'not until the end...'" Yuna began, waiting for him to finish her words.
Tidus said nothing and the silence between them was almost deafening.
Yuna paused. Looking into his eyes, she saw that he had refused to meet her gaze. Instead, he was looking away at a place in the room she couldn't see. Coming to a conclusion, she raised her head to place a kiss on his cheek, deliberately avoiding his lips. Although she had seen that he thought she was going to kiss him on the lips, she shrugged it off.
"It's late. Let's just rest now and forget everything," Yuna whispered to him, turning away from him then. She moved so that her back was to him and that she was sleeping on her side.
A moment of silence passed before she heard Tidus speak. "Yuna, I-" he began, but her voice cut him off.
"Sssh. It's ok. Let's sleep now," Yuna interrupted.
She heard him sigh behind her before feeling one of his arms slowly slide around her waist, pulling her body close to his.
Yuna frowned to herself in the darkness, the feeling of his arm around her deeply bothering her.
***
Paine lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. What time was it anyway? Oh, who cared? There were more important things on her mind. Turning herself over in the darkness, she called out to Rikku who was in the other bed.
"Rikku, you awake?" Paine whispered in the dark.
She heard the Al Bhed move in her bed, before Paine saw Rikku sit up, her small form silhouetted in the moonlit room.
"Paine? Did you call me?" Rikku whispered back.
The warrior sighed and threw her blankets off, sitting up in her bed. "Sorry to wake you, Rikku. But I just couldn't sleep."
The two had arrived back at Besaid Village shortly after sunset. After speaking to Baralai about the current situation, Paine couldn't help but feel a bit guilty that they had told him about what had been going on with Yuna. Yet her guilt had all passed now, and Paine was deeply bothered about Yuna's safety, which she knew was far more important. Where was she anyway?
"Paine, don't worry. I saw Yuna and Tidus enter their hut earlier tonight. She's with him, so don't worry, okay?" Rikku spoke up, trying to comfort the other woman. The Al Bhed suddenly released a soft yawn.
"Rikku. There's something that's bothering me. If Shuyin has come back, then where the hell is he? Why hasn't he appeared yet?" Paine whispered, her frustration getting the best of her.
The Al Bhed frowned in the darkness and hugged her pillow close to herself. "I don't know, Paine. It's not like we want him to show up or anything...right?" Rikku replied, concern evident in her voice.
Paine sighed and leaned back on her pillow. "That's what's bothering me, Rikku. He hasn't appeared yet, which makes me wonder where he is right now, and when he'll make his move."
"I'm worried too..." Rikku whispered to herself.
***
The soft warmth of the morning sun touched her face, its golden rays throwing off gentle beams on her hair as a calm breeze snuck in the flaps of the shelter.
Yuna turned herself over, her mind playing in that area that lay between dreams and being awake. She suddenly felt a soft hand shaking her shoulder.
"Yunie, are you awake?" a soft voice whispered to her.
She looked up and met the green swirls of Rikku's eyes. Yuna smiled up at her cousin. "Good morning," she softly said.
Feeling the warm body next to her stir as well, Yuna heard Tidus mumble something quietly before she felt his arm slide around her once more.
Rikku eyed them both and suppressed a sly smile. "Sorry to wake you guys, Paine asked me to come over here and invite you guys on the Celsius with us. She wanted to leave early to go somewhere," Rikku explained.
Yuna yawned and rubbed her eyes gently, moving herself into a sitting position. The events of the previous night came flooding back to her and a serious expression appeared on her face. She turned her attention to her cousin, who was patiently waiting for her answer.
"Ok, Rikku. We'll meet you two on the airship in a bit," Yuna replied, throwing her blanket off and climbing out of bed.
She heard Tidus speak right then.
"Oh, we're leaving early today?" he asked.
"Yes, Rikku and Paine are expecting us on the airship."
"Ok then, Yunie. We'll be waiting for you on the Celsius, so don't be late," Rikku told them, heading out towards the exit.
When the Al Bhed was gone, Yuna bent down and pulled on her boots, as she felt the other side of the bed tilt down as he stood up as well.
Strapping on her side skirt and securing her belt around her waist, Yuna's eyes scanned the room for her guns. She slid her eyes over to Tidus, and she saw that he had his back to her. As she finally spotted the two guns sitting in the corner of the floor, Yuna bent down and equipped them as well.
***
Stepping out of the hut, she turned to wait for him. As he finally poked his head out of the flaps as well, he moved over to walk beside her, the soft sound of gravel crunching under their boots as they headed toward the Celsius.
They walked side by side, neither holding the other's hand. Yuna shrugged it off, yet a small voice in her head was telling her that he was becoming more distant with her as the days went by. What had happened to him?
Suddenly stopping in her steps, there was something she just needed to get off her chest. Taking a small breath to gather her thoughts, she turned to face Tidus.
He regarded her with a look of confusion. "Is something the matter?"
Yuna shook her head, and studied his face carefully. "Do you remember when I told you about Shuyin and Lenne?"
His step faltered as his gaze locked on hers. Yuna watched him in curiosity, wondering why he suddenly looked strange.
As she watched him and waited for him to speak, she suddenly saw a small pyrefly float from his left arm, the unmistakable light rising up before her very eyes, as the glow reflected on his face. Yuna stared as his eyes suddenly looked as if they were in pain, and he dropped down to his knees, clutching his head in agony while gasping for breath.
Yuna stared down at Tidus wide-eyed, her hands trembling as she watched him. Reaching a hand out to him, she was startled as he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, the warmth in them now turning cold. She gasped and snatched her hand back.
He looked up at her, his gasps slowing down as he began to speak to her. "Y-Yuna. I-it's me...help me..." she heard him struggle to say. One of his gloved hands came up to clutch his forehead in agony as he remained on his knees, the morning breeze blowing his feathery hair in front of his eyes.
Yuna continued to stare at him, frozen still as she tried to understand what was happening to him. Fighting back her fear, one trembling hand grasped the objects at her waist as her hands slowly raised them up at him.
"W-who are you??!!" Yuna screamed at Tidus, clutching both guns in her hands until her knuckles turned white. She fought to stop her trembling hands as she pointed her dual guns at him, hating herself for doing so.
She watched as he slowly stood up and brushed himself off, as if what she had just seen had never happened. His eyes rose to meet hers, the expression on his face completely neutral. Yuna gasped as he smirked at her and ran a hand through his hair casually.
"So, you finally figured me out."
** End of Chapter 10 **
A/N: Ah, so that ends it for now. I'm looking forward to writing Chapter 11, since this is where the high points of the plot begin.
Again, thank you everyone for sticking with me! ^^
Well, I don't really have much else to say, except once again I thank everyone who has reviewed, and to those who have remained loyal to sticking around and reading my story. I don't know if some of you already know this, but you guys are the main reason why I continue with the story. At first it was just an attempt to see where I could take things with writing my own rendition of an FFX-2 sequel, but since everyone has enjoyed the story so far, I'm going to give you guys what you want. ^_^
A big thank you to everyone.
** Chapter 10 **
"Hey you! Move your ass!" Gippal exclaimed at the large animal. The animal simply groaned as it continued to paddle across. He was feeling rather touchy that day, and the fact that the shoopuf would not move any faster caused the man to frown. Gippal sighed to himself in defeat. He could have easily taken another route to get to the other side of the Moonflow, but Nooj had simply said that there was no other way to get to the other side. He turned to the other man who was standing opposite him.
"Ah, Nooj. Why'd we have to take this damn thing anyway?" Gippal asked, one hand resting on the side of his hip.
"I told you. There's no other way to get there."
Gippal waved a hand through the air. "It'd be easier to get there with a machina."
The other man regarded him through his glasses. "Yes, but there are no machina here."
Gippal paced around the small enclosure they were riding in and brushed off the other man's smart reply. He decided to change the subject. "Hey, Noojster."
The other man lifted his walking stick and struggled to turn to face Gippal. "What is it?"
"So what'd LeBlanc say back there?" Gippal asked, motioning back towards the Moonflow and Guadosalam. The two men had just left that area since Nooj had some matters he claimed he needed to settle in Guadosalam.
Nooj turned back around the looked down into the water below them. "She said that she was glad I came back safely and that she was planning to pay a visit to Yuna," the man replied slowly, almost regretting that he had told Gippal the first part.
Gippal paused as a grin slid on his face. He walked over to Nooj and gently elbowed him, smiling as the other man turned around startled.
"Heeeeyy. What's the deal with you and her anyway?" Gippal asked with a sly grin, looking out at Nooj with his good eye. He couldn't help but question the other man about it. The topic was something he never imagined could happen.
Nooj brushed Gippal off and walked to the other side, his heavy feet echoing on the hollow surface. He turned and looked at Gippal once more.
"That's something that doesn't concern you," Nooj simply said, causing the Al Bhed to open his mouth in shock.
"Aw, c'mon, man! It's not like it's such a big deal or anything, right?"
"So where are we going now?" Nooj suddenly spoke up, completely changing the subject.
Gippal pointed a finger at Nooj. "Hey, don't go changing the subject on me now!"
Nooj looked out at the horizon, the surface of the other side of the Moonflow taking form. They were almost to the surface. Turning back to look at the other man, he shook his head in amusement.
"To Bevelle then. Perhaps we should pay a short visit to Baralai to ensure everything is at peace for good," Nooj declared, seating himself down.
Gippal sighed and sat down as well, convinced that there was no way to get it out of Nooj. "Fine, fine. Whatever."
***
Yuna let her body fall down with a soft thud, as the pillows on the bed bounced lightly upon her impact. Tidus raised an eyebrow at her in amusement. The sun peeked in through the small window in the hut, casting a soft orange glow upon her face. She let her eyelids flutter close in exhaustion. She suddenly heard him chuckle.
"It's only sunset and you're already tired?" he asked, seating himself at the edge of the bed.
"It's been a long day..." Yuna sighed. She noticed that she was starting to grow tired easily as the days went on. Yuna couldn't help but suspect that there was something not quite right about herself. Her eyes drifted around until they paused at the entrance, as if she suddenly realized something. "I haven't seen Rikku or Paine at all today," she said softly, turning on her side to face Tidus.
He said nothing, but the name of the second person Yuna had mentioned caught his attention, as he remembered something about the name. She noticed his troubled expression, a hint of unease showing itself in his blue eyes.
"What's wrong? It looks like you're thinking about something else," Yuna asked softly, moving over so she could see his face clearly.
"No, it's nothing. Don't worry about me," he replied calmly, expression completely neutral.
Yuna blinked at him, her mind thinking of other matters. Sighing to herself a bit, she let her back rest against the blankets and lay her head down on the pillows. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that there was something that had changed in her relationship with Tidus. Although it pained her to admit that he really hadn't been acting like himself lately, she still refused to acknowledge it with finality. Instead, she pretended as if there was nothing wrong, yet that was a lie and she knew it. There was something different about him - something she just couldn't put a finger on.
She noticed that there were times when he'd acted cold around her, completely losing that warmth she had always felt whenever they were together. Yuna stopped for a moment. Perhaps there was a way to test him. Perhaps there was some way to see if Tidus really was different. She nodded her head a bit to herself and decided that she would test him that night when they slept. Even to her, it seemed foolish to test him, yet she couldn't just ignore the troubling feeling that welled up inside her.
He suddenly stood up, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes followed Tidus as he walked towards the doorway.
"Where are you going?" Yuna asked.
He seemed to fumble with his words for a moment before replying. "Uh, I'm sorry Yuna. But I'll be back in a moment."
She looked after his retreating back as he slipped out of the hut and into the now dark night. Hugging a pillow tightly to her chest, Yuna sighed. Her mind was exhausted from the day's activities and from thinking about him. Yuna almost laughed aloud at how cruel fate sometimes was. Yes they had given Tidus back to her, yet why was he suddenly like this? Pulling the blanket over herself, she let her eyes close and decided to retire early for the night.
***
"Who is it?" Baralai asked, as he heard two quick and short knocks on the large doors.
"Hey, Baralai! Open up! It's us," Baralai heard Gippal's voice say.
Smiling a bit to himself, he walked over to the door and opened it, seeing the two forms of Gippal and Nooj standing there.
"Good evening you two," Baralai greeted.
"Hey man. What's up?" Gippal said as he entered the room and hit Baralai playfully on the shoulder, as was his habit to do so as a sign of his greeting.
Baralai smiled at Gippal and nodded his head to Nooj as the other man entered as well, the soft clinks of his metal stick making the sound as he walked in.
Shutting the door behind them, Baralai turned to face them. He smiled and motioned towards the table.
"So what brings you two here this late in the evening?" Baralai asked, taking a seat in the chair. Gippal and Nooj sat down as well in opposite chairs from Baralai.
"My apologies for arriving so late, Baralai," Nooj began. His eyes drifted over to Gippal. "It was partly his fault that we were late."
Gippal gaped wide-eyed at Nooj. "What?!"
Baralai let out a soft chuckle as he watched his two friends. "It's quite all right. I wasn't doing much around here anyway," he admitted with a small grin.
"Geez, you're right. What IS there to do around here these days?" Gippal said. He sighed and picked up a short dagger that was lying on the table. Picking it up to twirl it through his fingers, Gippal spoke lazily. "Well me and Noojster were at LeBlanc's today. Nothing special goin' on there though."
Baralai turned to Nooj. "Really? Was there a problem down at Guadosalam? Is that why you went?"
Nooj shook his head a bit and turned away. "No, there were no problems there. LeBlanc did mention that she was planning to visit Yuna soon, however," Nooj explained solemnly.
Baralai paused at the mention of Yuna's name. Hiding his frown from the other two, he forced a reassuring smile on his face. "Hm, perhaps we should accompany LeBlanc and visit Yuna and the others as well," Baralai suddenly offered. A part of him wanted to see what Paine and Rikku had revealed to him earlier. He was anxious to see what this "dream of the fayth" looked like.
Gippal rested his head on his arms, leaning back in the chair. "Sure. It'll be fun to tease Cid's girl again," the Al Bhed laughed, remembering what amusement he got whenever he annoyed Rikku.
"It's settled then. We leave tomorrow," Nooj said.
Baralai nodded in agreement, and imagined how their encounter would be. If Paine and Rikku were right about him, Baralai wanted to see for himself.
***
Yuna awoke to the gentle shaking of someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned around and opened her eyes, adjusting them in the darkness. Her eyes squinted up and met deep blue orbs.
"Sorry if I woke you, but I just wanted to apologize about earlier," Tidus whispered to her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
She scooted her body over so that he could climb into bed as well. Smiling up at him, she lifted up the covers as he stepped in to join her. As he moved to get more comfortable, Yuna paused as she waited to make her move to test him. Another moment of nothing passed before she sighed in relief. His arms had moved around her, confirming that he was still himself...
Tidus suddenly stopped moving as Yuna began to feel his warmth spread around them both, the steady sound of his heartbeat calming her for the moment. Slowly letting her eyes flutter shut, she couldn't help but feel that it was still not enough. She decided to test him one last time.
Turning herself around in his arms, she gently raised a hand to shake him gently under the covers. She watched as his blue eyes cracked open at her. Putting on a small smile, she whispered to him.
"Hey, do you remember two years at the spring?" Yuna began, studying his expression very closely.
He didn't meet her gaze yet nodded slowly.
She continued on, reaching under the blankets to find his fingers so they could lock with her own. She felt that he was still wearing his gloves.
"Remember what you said to me that night?" Yuna spoke softly. She watched as his eyes drifted down to meet hers. "Those were the words that had kept me going in the two years that you were gone," she suddenly said.
"Ah, y-yes I remember them," she heard Tidus say after a moment of silence had passed.
Yuna smiled inwardly to herself. She smiled gently at him as well, raising her hand to graze his face softly. "I know it sounds strange, but could you say them to me again?"
She felt him freeze a little in her touch. Pretending that she hadn't noticed it, she continued on, undaunted.
"You told me 'not until the end...'" Yuna began, waiting for him to finish her words.
Tidus said nothing and the silence between them was almost deafening.
Yuna paused. Looking into his eyes, she saw that he had refused to meet her gaze. Instead, he was looking away at a place in the room she couldn't see. Coming to a conclusion, she raised her head to place a kiss on his cheek, deliberately avoiding his lips. Although she had seen that he thought she was going to kiss him on the lips, she shrugged it off.
"It's late. Let's just rest now and forget everything," Yuna whispered to him, turning away from him then. She moved so that her back was to him and that she was sleeping on her side.
A moment of silence passed before she heard Tidus speak. "Yuna, I-" he began, but her voice cut him off.
"Sssh. It's ok. Let's sleep now," Yuna interrupted.
She heard him sigh behind her before feeling one of his arms slowly slide around her waist, pulling her body close to his.
Yuna frowned to herself in the darkness, the feeling of his arm around her deeply bothering her.
***
Paine lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. What time was it anyway? Oh, who cared? There were more important things on her mind. Turning herself over in the darkness, she called out to Rikku who was in the other bed.
"Rikku, you awake?" Paine whispered in the dark.
She heard the Al Bhed move in her bed, before Paine saw Rikku sit up, her small form silhouetted in the moonlit room.
"Paine? Did you call me?" Rikku whispered back.
The warrior sighed and threw her blankets off, sitting up in her bed. "Sorry to wake you, Rikku. But I just couldn't sleep."
The two had arrived back at Besaid Village shortly after sunset. After speaking to Baralai about the current situation, Paine couldn't help but feel a bit guilty that they had told him about what had been going on with Yuna. Yet her guilt had all passed now, and Paine was deeply bothered about Yuna's safety, which she knew was far more important. Where was she anyway?
"Paine, don't worry. I saw Yuna and Tidus enter their hut earlier tonight. She's with him, so don't worry, okay?" Rikku spoke up, trying to comfort the other woman. The Al Bhed suddenly released a soft yawn.
"Rikku. There's something that's bothering me. If Shuyin has come back, then where the hell is he? Why hasn't he appeared yet?" Paine whispered, her frustration getting the best of her.
The Al Bhed frowned in the darkness and hugged her pillow close to herself. "I don't know, Paine. It's not like we want him to show up or anything...right?" Rikku replied, concern evident in her voice.
Paine sighed and leaned back on her pillow. "That's what's bothering me, Rikku. He hasn't appeared yet, which makes me wonder where he is right now, and when he'll make his move."
"I'm worried too..." Rikku whispered to herself.
***
The soft warmth of the morning sun touched her face, its golden rays throwing off gentle beams on her hair as a calm breeze snuck in the flaps of the shelter.
Yuna turned herself over, her mind playing in that area that lay between dreams and being awake. She suddenly felt a soft hand shaking her shoulder.
"Yunie, are you awake?" a soft voice whispered to her.
She looked up and met the green swirls of Rikku's eyes. Yuna smiled up at her cousin. "Good morning," she softly said.
Feeling the warm body next to her stir as well, Yuna heard Tidus mumble something quietly before she felt his arm slide around her once more.
Rikku eyed them both and suppressed a sly smile. "Sorry to wake you guys, Paine asked me to come over here and invite you guys on the Celsius with us. She wanted to leave early to go somewhere," Rikku explained.
Yuna yawned and rubbed her eyes gently, moving herself into a sitting position. The events of the previous night came flooding back to her and a serious expression appeared on her face. She turned her attention to her cousin, who was patiently waiting for her answer.
"Ok, Rikku. We'll meet you two on the airship in a bit," Yuna replied, throwing her blanket off and climbing out of bed.
She heard Tidus speak right then.
"Oh, we're leaving early today?" he asked.
"Yes, Rikku and Paine are expecting us on the airship."
"Ok then, Yunie. We'll be waiting for you on the Celsius, so don't be late," Rikku told them, heading out towards the exit.
When the Al Bhed was gone, Yuna bent down and pulled on her boots, as she felt the other side of the bed tilt down as he stood up as well.
Strapping on her side skirt and securing her belt around her waist, Yuna's eyes scanned the room for her guns. She slid her eyes over to Tidus, and she saw that he had his back to her. As she finally spotted the two guns sitting in the corner of the floor, Yuna bent down and equipped them as well.
***
Stepping out of the hut, she turned to wait for him. As he finally poked his head out of the flaps as well, he moved over to walk beside her, the soft sound of gravel crunching under their boots as they headed toward the Celsius.
They walked side by side, neither holding the other's hand. Yuna shrugged it off, yet a small voice in her head was telling her that he was becoming more distant with her as the days went by. What had happened to him?
Suddenly stopping in her steps, there was something she just needed to get off her chest. Taking a small breath to gather her thoughts, she turned to face Tidus.
He regarded her with a look of confusion. "Is something the matter?"
Yuna shook her head, and studied his face carefully. "Do you remember when I told you about Shuyin and Lenne?"
His step faltered as his gaze locked on hers. Yuna watched him in curiosity, wondering why he suddenly looked strange.
As she watched him and waited for him to speak, she suddenly saw a small pyrefly float from his left arm, the unmistakable light rising up before her very eyes, as the glow reflected on his face. Yuna stared as his eyes suddenly looked as if they were in pain, and he dropped down to his knees, clutching his head in agony while gasping for breath.
Yuna stared down at Tidus wide-eyed, her hands trembling as she watched him. Reaching a hand out to him, she was startled as he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, the warmth in them now turning cold. She gasped and snatched her hand back.
He looked up at her, his gasps slowing down as he began to speak to her. "Y-Yuna. I-it's me...help me..." she heard him struggle to say. One of his gloved hands came up to clutch his forehead in agony as he remained on his knees, the morning breeze blowing his feathery hair in front of his eyes.
Yuna continued to stare at him, frozen still as she tried to understand what was happening to him. Fighting back her fear, one trembling hand grasped the objects at her waist as her hands slowly raised them up at him.
"W-who are you??!!" Yuna screamed at Tidus, clutching both guns in her hands until her knuckles turned white. She fought to stop her trembling hands as she pointed her dual guns at him, hating herself for doing so.
She watched as he slowly stood up and brushed himself off, as if what she had just seen had never happened. His eyes rose to meet hers, the expression on his face completely neutral. Yuna gasped as he smirked at her and ran a hand through his hair casually.
"So, you finally figured me out."
** End of Chapter 10 **
A/N: Ah, so that ends it for now. I'm looking forward to writing Chapter 11, since this is where the high points of the plot begin.
Again, thank you everyone for sticking with me! ^^