Chapter 8: Tidus.

He paced.

"Calm down! You will never think straight if you aren't calm!"

"Shut up! Your advice has never gotten me very far!" The warrior looked shocked. "I'm sorry Auron! It's just...aaaaahhhhhhhhh!" He screamed.

Auron tutted.

Tidus flung himself onto the flowers.

"I want to be with her Auron! I have to be!" Auron patted his shoulder.

"You...you love her don't you,"

"Yes! And I never told her!" Tidus beat the ground. Auron chuckled.

"I thought Lulu had had a word with you,"

"Yeah but...it was too late then," Auron sat down beside him. "Your father...he was like this when he first came to Spira," Tidus stared at Auron. "All he could think of was you and your mother,"

"Yeah? But he never got back," Sighed Tidus. Auron looked at the young man.
"I'm sorry Ti," He murmured.

"He wasn't trying hard enough!" Hissed Tidus, his hands clenched into fists, "I'm not going to give up on Yuna! Never!" He shook his head,

"I'm going to burst Auron! I always wanted to tell her but...I was too much of a coward! I would had rather disappeared then tell her my feelings and I want to tell her, tell her I cared, tell her...I love her!"

He wanted to hit something but there was nothing. He and Auron were just...there yet not there at all.

He wanted to be in Spira.

He wanted to be alive, exist.

He wanted Yuna!

He sat and pondered. Sin had been destroyed so there was no way to get back.

He scratched his arm angrily. Auron hit him.

"Stop it!" Tidus felt tears slide down his face.

Not because of Auron's hit. He cried for Yuna, she was alone now. If she felt like him she would be dying.

He was already dead, never existed in the first place. He felt angry again.

Life was a bitch. He had to admit it.

Well had he really lived?

Yes, he had! Yuna had smiled at him, kissed him, loved him. That was an enough reason to have lived.

"There must be a way!" He shouted to fill the emptiness. Auron was stood thinking, the way he always did.

"How did you get to Zanderkand? Or Spira?" Auron shook his head.

"I...I don't know," He looked sadly at Tidus. "I'm sorry!"

Tidus scratched himself again. Auron didn't stop him. No blood shed from the scratch. It never hurt. Tidus kept scratching. He wanted to bleed, feel the pain. He screamed again.

He ran away from Auron. He ran and ran. Not going anywhere. In this place you never did.

"Why are you running?" Asked the boy. Tidus looked at him. It was the Fayth! The Fayth that had died!

He was wearing his normal attire of purple robes and hat.

"I want to get back to Spira," He murmured, feeling foolish.

"To see the Summoner?"

"Yeah," The boy smiled.

"She misses you too," Tidus stared at the Fayth.

"Yeah? Can you talk to her?"

"No, but we can see her. She was weak at first but now she is well and in danger!"

Tidus pricked up.

"Danger? Why?"

"A spirit in the Farplane is pretending to be you," Tidus gulped, "Their tricking her so they can get out of the Farplane,"

"Give it back!" Rikku dived at Gippal. Her diary was in his hand.

"What's this? 'Poor Yuna! I feel so sorry for her. Tidus has vanished! She told me he said he would always be with her. Are all guys liars?'" He looked at Rikku.

"Is this why she wants that sphere?"

"Yeah! Why else?"

"Nothing. It's just...never mind," He threw the diary on the sofa. "Not all guys lie you know," He said slamming the door. Rikku threw herself after the diary.

"Damn him!" She yelled. She stomped out the cabin. Wakka and Lulu were cooing over the baby. Paine was stood by the window. Gippal and Yuna weren't there. She hurried through the cabin. She found Yuna sleeping in her room. Rikku stroked her hair. She hoped the sphere worked. It was placed on the bedside table, pulsing blue light. She left Yuna.

Gippal was leaning on the wall by the corridor. She wanted to avoid him. Damn the builders of this ship! Her only choice was to go to the lift. She hurried to it, hoping she wouldn't attract his attention. She had just pressed the button as he looked up at her. She turned back to the lift, pressing the button frantically.

"Rikku? Rikku wait!"

The lift door opened and she stumbled into it. He tried to shoulder himself in too but it was already closing. She sighed and leaned against the wall. The doors opened.

"Bugger!" She was on the deck! There was no where to run if he came. She walked to the edge. They were going over the Moonflow nearly at Guadosalam.
The door opened. She knew it was Gippal without turning around.

"Rikku?" She tried to ignore him. He kept coming towards her.

No where to run. She didn't want to face up to him now. Not now, now he knew why she had been scared.

"Ri?" She turned this time.

"Hey," She smiled weakly at him.

"You okay?" He did look concerned. She nodded.

"Yeah! Fine! Why wouldn't I be?" He shrugged. She smiled at him and pushed past.

"Is that why you were scared?" She stopped.

'Shit! Your not meant to mention that!'

"You didn't have to be Ri! I wanted too look after you,"

"I'm sixteen Gippal! Not fifty! Your a lovely bloke, really. But...gggrrrr! Why do you have to have such a cute face?" He laughed.

"Well you know..." He battered his eyelashes and smiled at her. She laughed. He tweaked abit of her hair.

"My parents didn't have long..."

"Gippal..."

"No! They didn't have long, maybe that's why I clung onto you,"

"What happened?"

"Sin got me Da. Before I was born, then Ma disintegrated," Rikku recognized that story. Tidus had talked about it often enough. She had felt sorry for him. She felt sorry for Gippal. Sin had destroyed so many families, lives. Yuna had nearly lost everyone she had ever really loved. Maybe that's why she had become a summoner, so she could be with her parents. She felt a tear slide down her cheek.

"Sorry," Gippal whispered. She looked up at him. He was upset too. She took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze. He stared at her for a while then pulled her to him. They held each other, crying together.

Yuna giggled with excitement.

Tidus was coming back!

She practically skipped down the ramp of the airship. Rikku was behind her. Her hand clasped inside Gippal's. Paine stood alone, tired and moody.

They were greeted by Tromel who had been Seymour's servant a few years ago. Yuna cast this thought aside. She wasn't going to let Seymour ruin this for her.

"Lady Yuna! I'm so glad you have come to Guadosalam!" Tromel bowed deeply before her. She smiled pleasantly at him. "Will you be staying with us long?"

"A few days maybe," Said Yuna.

"I will have some rooms prepared for you and your friends," He bowed again and left. Yuna turned to Paine and Gippal.

"Should we do it now? Or..."

"It's best to eat first! Build your strength," replied Gippal.

"We may be in there for some time," nodded Paine. Yuna nodded but was secretly disappointed. Rikku giggled at her.

"Your face dropped like a ton of bricks!" Yuna smiled sheepishly.

"I just want him back, now!" Rikku smiled. Paine and Gippal shifted on their feet. Tromel appeared again.

"Your rooms are ready," He informed them. Paine pushed her way past him towards the small hotel.

"She's grumpy!" Muttered Yuna.

"She's missing Barali!" Yuna nodded. Paine didn't seem capable of love. But Yuna had seen her with Barali before they had left Bevelle. She had been warm to him and kind. Now she seemed misunderstood, like a rebellious teenager. Rikku yawned and followed Paine into the hotel. Yuna looked up the path which lead to the Farplane, to Tidus!

"You coming?" Gippal nodded towards the hotel.

"I just want some time alone for abit," She smiled at him. He nodded and went to join Rikku. Yuna walked slowly. Would he be there? Or was it some big mistake? The guards nodded to her and let her pace. The big portal loomed before her. She could feel herself shaking. She wanted to run in there and see him but she also wanted to run as far away from her as possible. She took a deep breath and entered.

The portal was like stepping through water. When you thought you were going to drown you were in the Farplane. She stepped towards the edge. No one else was there.

"Tidus?" She whispered. Then he was there. Not really there but she could see him. He was smiling the way he always had, but the smile was fixed.

This was how she remembered him, cheery, alive.

She held out her arms to him but he didn't respond.

Just stared right through her.

She felt like crying, but at least he was there. She smiled at him, blew him a kiss and left.

Tidus shook his head and glared at her retreating back.

She was going to get her comeuppance!

She was going to learn her lesson.

Rikku stared at Yuna. Her face was turned upwards, her arms held above her head with the blue sphere in one hand. She span in beautiful circles, singing in an ancient language. Rikku clutched onto Gippal's hand. She wanted it to work for Yuna's sake.

Paine was stood near the portal so no one came in or out. She watched Yuna too. Yuna was still spinning.

Before Paine had laughed at it.

Why did summoners sacrifice themselves for no reason?

It had seemed so stupid!

Now watching Yuna she could see it.

A chance that their loved ones would live until Sin came again.

So that they could be worth something.

So someone else didn't have to do it. Paine was older than Yuna, but Yuna was so much wiser.

Paine almost laughed out loud at this. If she was wiser than Paine, why was she doing this?

Yuna kept dancing till her energy left her. Then she called with her mind, voice and soul. Pyraflies danced around her, attracted by the sphere. She continued to call.

Then a pyrafly flew to her. It danced around her more vibrantly than the others. She could feel his energy. She smiled and held the blue sphere in both her hands.

The pyrafly swirled around it, as if to sniff it. Then it nested inside it.

Yuna brought it down to her and cradled it in her arms.

She looked at Gippal, who nodded at her.

She held the sphere above her head again and brought it crashing to the floor.