Tidus



Disclaimer: Nope, don't own FFX yet, but I'll keep ya posted.

As Tidus sat snoozing where he lay, a nice looking Al Bhed woman walked up to him. She looked familiar, but Tidus couldn't quite place why.

"Heads up Tidus, Someone is calling you."

And Tidus could feel it, like a rope tugging him upwards, he was already floating up off the ground.

"How did you know my name's Tidus?" He called back to the shrinking woman.

"My Daughter told me that and much, much more! Kuut Milg!" She smiled slightly to herself, going solely on what she knew about the boy, her daughter had pretty good taste, even if the boy didn't like her back.

"Good luck?" Tidus asked as he was rushing upwards"Why would I need good luck?"

*****

Rikku grinned as Tidus appeared. He was regarding her with interest, and slight confusion.

"Hey Tidus." She stammered"I hoped that you made it to the Farplane ok!" Keep it platonic she reminded herself,"Everyone has really missed you, but its been a few weeks since . . . it happened, and everyone is doing great. I know you wanna hear about Yuna," Here she had to work hard to keep her voice from wavering,"She is depressed, but doing a great job leading everyone in the Eternal calm. I guess she would, right? Half Yevonite, half Al Bhed, a widow of a Guado, and a Ronso for a bodyguard. Who wouldn't trust her." Rikku almost ended that in a whisper.

Tidus face fell and he could tell something was the matter with her, but he couldn't speak or move, all he could do was listen.

"Wakka and Lulu are hooking up, so that's good, Right? Your Blitzball Team says Hi, Jassu has taken your place as Caption, and Brother is now the star Shooter, they're really excited about next week's tournament."

Rikku took a step closer and reached out, not sure what she was planning to do"Everyone's planning to come see you really soon, and we really miss you!" just then her fingertips accidentally crossed the boarder between the Farplane and the plateau, and to her horror the became transparent, and she couldn't feel them.

Rikku cried out and yanked her hand back, cradling it against her chest. Her fingers where fine, but the mishap had embarrassed her, and she muttered a farewell and made a break for the doorway. When she looked back Tidus was fading back into pyreflies, but she could clearly see that there was a tear rolling down his cheek.

*****

"I cant believe your crying." Jecht said, disgusted at his son.

"I miss my friends! I miss Yu- Yuna." he nearly hissed at his father, and Jecht backed off.

"Don't feel bad." Rikku's mother knelt down beside him,"I miss my family too, but I would rather have them living out in Spira than stuck here with me."

Tidus nodded slowly, and started to calm down,"can I be alone for a wile?"

"Time moves differently here." Said Auron coolly"I don't know how long you've got before Rikku will want to talk to you again." But the small crowd that had gathered disperse, Auron lumbering away, Jecht and his Mother strolled off together, and Braska walked off with Rikku's Mother, since she was his sister in law. Tidus could have sworn she said something about their daughters having a problem, but they where out of earshot before he heard more.

Tidus turned, and once again began drifting off to sleep, and he began to dream.

He soon realized that it was the same dream that he had had in Besaid.

"The ship hasn't come." He told Yuna who was standing alone on the dock.

"If it doesn't come soon, we won't be able to find everyone." She turned to him wordily.

"Is it really...... okay?"

"Take me...... to Zanarkand." She asked out of the blue.

"Hey you! Tidus!" Rikku ran up to join them,"You said you'd go to Luca with me!"

"Oh!? Oh! Well, um......" Tidus remembered promising her that and was embarrassed that he would agree to travel with someone else in front of her.

"If you don't like Yuna, why don't you say it?" Rikku prompted.

Then the dream broke from its original form.

"If I don't travel with Yuna who will?" He asked.

"You are going to have to pick before the boat gets here." Yuna told him.

"I don't know!!" He yelled, waking himself up.

***
Rikku had stayed in her room for another week, and then decided she would go to the Farplane one more time, then cut back to the Moonflow and and to Rin's shop, and wait there for Brother to bring the Airship. Brother had been flying a circuit, Transporting Items to Rin's shops. Since the demand on weapons had all but vanished, Rin had started selling other things people wanted, like food and clothing.

It was probably close to three or four in the morning when Rikku walked down the hallway that led to the Farplane. She was in the cavern where all the tunnels met, and was surprised to see someone who looked exactly like Isaaru slipping down the hallway that led to the Thunder Plains.

"But Yunie killed him!" Rikku said out loud,"It must just be my imagination." She ran the rest of the way to the Farplane, looking behind her for any other ghosts.

When she got to the Farplane the air inside it felt different than she remembered, but she dismissed it as the dank night air inside the cave.

***
It had been almost a month, and Tidus was starting to wonder if Rikku was coming back at all. He had spent a lot of time with her mother, learning Al Bhed, he had known a little of it, but there where big gaps. Finally he felt the familiar drag up to the clouds, and Rikku appeared in front of him, sleepy, and slightly worse for ware. He could tell that something was wrong, and seeing the expression on her face made him feel like crying.

"Tidus, hi, this is the last time I'm coming for a wile, but I'm sure everyone else will come soon too! I hope-" But Rikku didn't get any further than that.

All of a sudden the wall between the Farplane and the room where she stood vanished. It blinked in and out a few times, and When Rikku looked back up, Tidus was falling forward, out of the Farplane. Rikku tried to catch him as he came down, but his body passed right through her outstretched arms, and landed hard on the ground.

Rikku yelled and jumped back, scrambling away from her unconscious friend. All the horrible stories about ghosts eating little girls that Brother had told her on stormy nights rushed through her head. After a few minutes she crawled over to Tidus and tried to shake him, but her hand once again passed through his body.

"Tidus?" she squeaked meekly into his ear, and frowned when he didn't stir.

"Tidus!" She called again louder, and this time she was answered with a groan.

"Is it really you?" She asked him, amazed, as he opened his eyes, and pulled himself into a sitting position.

"I feel like my head is going to explode." He muttered as he clutched it, rocking back and forth.

"Its me, Rikku!"

Tidus looked up, his eyes a little dazed "Rikku! I missed you! How have you been?"

"Your not a Fiend! Your right here in front of me, so I'm better than I've been in a long time!" Rikku blurted before she could stop herself.

"Thanks Rikku, You always know what to say to cheer people up."

Rikku let out her breath, both relieved and insulted that he hadn't taken it as anything more than an exuberant greeting.

"Where's Yuna?" He asked looking around.

"She's in Bevelle, I- I can take you there!" A weeks travel alone with Tidus was definitely appealing. "Just you and me, for old time's sake." She teased.

"Alright, your a great friend," he motioned to pat her but his hand just passed through her shoulder,"What the-" He began swirling his arm around watching as it passed right through her.

"Watch it Tidus!" She teased and he realized that he had just passed his hand through her chest. Blushing he pulled his arm back and muttered a hasty apology.

"Well, Its probably almost five, so we could set out and get to Rin's by tonight."

"Why such a hurry?" He asked, sounding slightly hurt.

"I saw Isaaru earlier, and who knows who else might have escaped from the Farplane, Seymour, Yunalesca, I mean Yunie really needs to know about this!"

"Alright, but what about the Thunder Planes?" He questioned.

"I can handle it."

***
Rikku stood at the gate of Guadosalam, shuddering slightly at the distant thunder outside. Tidus walked over to her and looked out, following her gaze.

"Are you still afraid of thunder?" He asked in a worried tone.

"Mortified." Rikku answered shortly. She hadn't been able to cross the thunder plains since she went on Yuna's pilgrimage, and the storms where stronger now that it was summer.

"Rikku, if you don't want to do this its ok." Tidus said, trying to break the silence, "I'm sure I can find my way on my own."

"No!" Rikku answered quickly, she didn't want Tidus to go out of her site until it was absolutely necessary,"See, I made this, a Lightening eater targe, and I taught myself the spell Nul-Shock, so I'm gunna be-eeek!" Rikku ducked and covered her ears as a particularly loud clap of thunder shook the Guadosalam exit.

"Why are you this frightened of lightening?" Tidus asked, kneeling down next to her.

"I told you on Yunie's Pilgrimage!"

"But it couldn't have scared you this much!"

"Well," Rikku sighed, she hadn't told everything "Brother was so scared for me that he cast the Most powerful thunder spell he could manage, It missed the fiend and hit me, since I was in the water it paralyzed me, He jumped into the water and swam out to attack it physically, but It took him to long, and by the time he got there, the fiend had done this to me." She pulled up the hem of her shorts a little ways to reveal a scar from a circular puncture mark nearly an inch in diameter, "I have seven of those," She said, revealing another one on her stomach, "The fiend chomped my stomach and legs, and all I could do was watch it try to eat me alive."

"You're lucky your brother was there." Tidus stammered.

"Yea, Brother always looks out for me." Rikku jumped up "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Brother had so much fun playing on your Blitzball team he's started playing seriously again!"

Tidus grinned and started asking her about the team he put together, shifting the subject to Blitzball, and off of Lightening. Rikku told him everything she knew, and reminded him of all the great times he had playing. Tidus had really turned the team around, Wakka was crazy about Blitzball, bit he was also sexist about it. The Besaid Aurochs where the only team without any girls, and Tidus had immediately recruited one, saying that the team needed some female logic.

Almost before Rikku realized it they where at the Thunder plains, and all her terror came rushing back.

"Gotta get Tidus to Yunie!" She muttered to herself a few times, though that didn't do much for her determination, "Gotta tell Yunie about the Farplane!" That worked a little better, though she realized she still sounded pretty pathetic.

By the time they made it halfway to Rin's Shop, Rikku had gone through almost twenty pep talks, including 'The thunder wont get me!' 'I can do this!' and 'shadupshadupshadup!', and Tidus was starting to grin at her. They had almost made it to the next tower when Tidus saw the flash of light that meant lightening was about to strike. He grabbed for Rikku's arm to pull her out of the way, but his hands passed right through her arm. An instant later the bolt of lightening hit her, and threw her back several feet.

"Rikku!" Tidus ran over to her, "Are you hurt? Say something?"

"Ouch." Rikku muttered under her breath, the wind knocked out of her, "That hurt!"

Another bolt hit nearby, and Rikku jumped and tried to wrap her arms around Tidus for support, but she passed right through him and landed on her elbows, her torso passing through his knees and lower legs.

"Gunna start that again?" Tidus asked teasingly, stepping out of her back, he was trying to make her laugh. Instead a slight blush crept up her cheeks. She remembered that all to well, after almost an hour of Walking, fighting, and trying to stand on her wobbling knees, she had broke. She had tried to laugh, then when that proved unsuccessful, she had fallen to all fours, scrambled over, and grabbed one of Tidus's legs.

"Why did you do that anyway?" He asked as she pulled herself up and made a run for the next tower, "I mean, Yuna is family, and Lulu is always so calm and reasonable."

"Because, uhh" Rikku desperately tried to think of an excuse, anything but the truth which was 'Because I liked you, I still do, and I wanted YOU to protect me from the thunder,'

"Well?" Tidus asked again when she hesitated.

"Because I knew you would stick up for me." she lied, "And we go way back!" she teased him "I helped you with the fiend, and you helped me with the thunder." She gave him a thumbs up,"So, we're even."

Was it just her imagination, or did he look a little disappointed at her answer.

***
"Oh thank Goodness!" Rikku sighed as they staggered into Rin's Shop. It was evening, and Rikku hadn't slept the night before. She was now totally exhausted, and could barely ask for two rooms.

Tidus teased her when her voice had a slight slur in it from her lack of sleep, but she barely glanced at him. She staggered into the back and opened his door, and then left to crash in hers.