Chapter 11: Murky

Tidus watched as her body fell like a dying swan. Her skirt swirled around her. He ran, trying to catch her.

Rikku was screaming, a guy with blonde hair was trying to comfort her but she kept pushing him away.

Wakka was supporting a wailing Lulu who had appeared.

Yuna kept falling. Her grey hair whipped around by the wind. She was so near him now. The closest they had been since he had disappeared.

He had wanted it to be so perfect. She would see him, gaze at him for a moment as if to decide if she would fall through him, then she would run to him. They would hug, he would tell her what he had always wanted to tell her. She would cry with happiness and kiss him.

He watched her falling, towards him. She landed with a small splash in front of him. Her eyes were closed. He felt his heart skip beats.

Was she dead?

He scooped her up in his arms and ran to the beach. Her head was lolling over his arm. He held her closer to him. Lulu came running to him.

"Yuna! Yuna! Open your eyes! Rikku go and inform the priests! Go!" Rikku hesitated then ran. The two strangers ran with her. Then Tidus began to run. Wakka and Lulu behind him. He ran through the village, villagers staring worriedly at Yuna.

He crashed through the temple. The priests directed him to one of the side rooms. Her laid her limp body on the bed. They swamped over her, potions in hand. Lulu ushered him away.

"I want to be with her!" He demanded.

"You'll get in the way! Wait outside!" She pulled the drape and Yuna disappeared from view. He thumped the wall. Wakka was leaning against the wall looking as pissed off as he was. Rikku had her head buried in her knees. Cid was comforting her while Brother was glaring at the two strangers.

"Rikku?" Said the bloke. By looking at him, Tidus could tell he was an Al' Behd. Rikku looked at him with anger.

"Don't you talk to me! Get out of here! You don't belong here! Go!" She was sobbing as she said it. The grey haired woman nodded and left the temple. The man looked hopelessly at Rikku then followed her out of the temple. Tidus raised an eyebrow at Wakka.

"Paine and Gippal. When Yuna started having dreams of you...Seymour!" He clenched his fists. Tidus growled. "We went to Bevelle because we were told a man called Barali would have a sphere to get you back. Paine is his wife. Apparently Seymour said he would kill Barali if they didn't let Yuna bring him back. Gippal is a friend of Barali. Used to go out with Rikku. Things did seem to be heating up between them but...I think he blew it," Tidus shook his head.

"I think you better sleep mate! I'll wake ya if we get any news," Tidus nodded, but couldn't sleep. He hadn't really slept for a year. The floor was too cold, Yuna was dying in the other room. He tossed and turned for what seemed to be ages.

"I'll look after you Yuna!"

All she could see was his sneering face. His long nails and ice blue hair.

"No! Go away!" She could feel cords wrapped around her.

"Go away! Go away! Go away!"

"But I love you Yuna!"

"No! I want Tidus! You give him back! You bring him back!"

Tidus' eyes flew open. She was calling him.

"Tidus! I want Tidus! Bring him back!"

He sprang up and ran to the drape. Yuna was lead on the bed, thrashing and struggling in the covers. The priests couldn't get near her.

"Yuna?" He stepped closer to the bed. She didn't stop.

"Yuna I'm here," He whispered.

"Tidus! Give him back to me please!"

He didn't know what to do. She was screaming so loud. He had to bring her back. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled. She stopped.

"Tidus?" Her eyes were still shut. She was still trapped in the nightmare.

"Yuna, I'm here. Open your eyes,"

Slowly she opened her eyes. She focused onto him. She screamed.

"Yuna? Yuna it's ok!" Lulu was trying to pull him away.

"Yuna it's me! Please! I'm sorry! Please Yuna!" Her hands were over face.

"It's me Yuna!"

"She's got a fever Tidus! Now go!" He nodded. Wakka was looking worriedly through the doorway. "Come on kid," He put an arm around Tidus. Rikku was sleeping in a corner. Brother was stroking her hair reassuringly. Tidus felt tears sting his eyes.

No!

Not in front of his mates! He wiped them furiously.

Yuna! All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and tell her it was ok.

"I need to get some air," He murmured. Wakka nodded and let him out. The village was sleeping while Yuna was screaming. He could hear Wakka's and Lulu's baby crying. He kept walking.

He came to the waterfall. That was where he would live, with Yuna. At the top. Or if they got too bored they would have a small hut built in Macalania woods, near the spring. He smiled at the memory.

He came to the beach. The water was lapping at the sand. He wanted to swim in it. He swam a while out and let himself float. This water wasn't as clear as Macalania. He wanted Yuna there swimming with him.

How much of her life had he missed?

Was she married to someone else?

What happened with Lulu and Wakka?

He drifted and drifted thinking, regretting, dreaming and wishing.

A whistle pierced the air.

He sprang up. He was further away than he had thought. Besaid dock was a small slither. He swam towards the shore.

Another whistle. He stood up.

Yuna was stood on the beach. Her skirts and hair swirled round her. He whistled himself. She looked around her. Looking for him.

He slowly walked to her. She noticed him.

He nearly laughed out loud as she began to run to him. Then she stopped as he had predicted. She looked at him.

"Seymour?" She began to tremble, getting ready to run. He looked at her. She was so thin!

Her skin was unnaturally pale. She was still beautiful, like a snowdrop, the moon. She brightened up his darkness. He shook his head.

"Tidus?" Her voice was a scarce whisper.

"No! It can't! All you ever were was a dream! You don't exist!" She began to cry.

"You left! You...disappeared, faded!"

"I'm so sorry Yuna," She turned around.

"Leave me alone. Stop haunting me! Let me go!" She began to run away from him. He realised what she must have felt when he had disappeared. He had run away and not looked back. Now she ran. Ran like it really was Seymour stood there.

"Yuna!" She ran faster.

He whistled.

She stopped. She swung round. He whistled again. Then she began to run again. She was smiling, laughing. She held out her arms to him.

He ran to meet her. She fell to her knees.

He wrapped his arms around her. It was at that moment that he finally knew he was real.

Yuna had ran to him a long time ago and she had gone through him. Now she was pressed up against him, clinging onto him. She was crying. He hesitantly pulled back, scared that he might disappear if he let her go. She was looking up at him with wonder and...after all this time love.

He gently wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"Hey there," He grinned. She giggled and hugged him again.

"Are you back?" She whispered into his shoulder.

"Yes! I'm back!" He laughed. She looked up into his face. She was smiling and crying. She touched his face, her smile deepened.

"You came back to me," She was now as drenched as he was.

"I love you Yuna," He smiled. He felt like he had let out some birds that had been trapped in a cage for so long.

He never thought saying four words would be so wonderful. Her eyes brimmed with tears of joy,

"I love you too," He kissed her softly. She held onto him tightly. He touched her face, she was burning up.

"Come on, let's get you to bed eh?" She nodded. She tried to stand, but she fluttered back down onto the soft sand.

"To the bed in the temple," He laughed picking her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," She whispered.

"No prob! Just call me your knight in shining armour!" She gave a crackled laugh. They crept into the temple. Everyone was asleep. He carried her into the side room and laid her onto the bed.

"You going to be ok?" He asked stroking her hair.

"Yeah...now your here," He smiled at her and kissed her forehead. He was straitening up when she grabbed his hand.

"Can you stay with me?" She whispered.

He nodded and laid down beside her. She snuggled close to him. He stroked her back reassuringly. He felt the tension in her body loosen, her breathing was calm and deep.

He kept stroking her back and hair, breathing in her musky scent. This was how he had wanted it to be. Yuna in his arms, watching her sleep.

Now he could sleep, smile and live.

Yuna slowly opened her eyes.

He was still there. She smiled at him. The sun glistened off his golden hair. Her sunshine. She giggled to herself. He opened one eye at her. She had longed for so long to gaze into those beautiful blue eyes. He smiled at her sleepily.

"Sorry," She whispered.

"Nah, it's ok. I wasn't really asleep anyway," He stretched beside her. He had always been stretching.

"You feeling ok?" He asked. She nodded.

"Thank you," She leaned over and kissed him. He grinned.

"What for?" He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"For saving me...twice," She hugged him tightly.

"How did I save you twice?" He asked giving her a puzzled look. She stroked his silky hair.

"You saved me from Sin, sometimes I wished you hadn't. I wanted you there with me and you weren't when you promised you would. At first I was angry, at you, myself then at all the people. Like it was their fault, if they hadn't have been so evil, then Sin wouldn't have come and you wouldn't have disappeared. But then you wouldn't have come to me in the first place. It was like they had taken everything I had ever cared for. First was my father, then you," She smiled at him.

"I began to...grieve I suppose. I had been so busy being angry that I hadn't really began to get over you. I had been used to bottling up my feelings, during my pilgrimage I had to hide my fear, uncertainty and my feelings for you. I began to get really depressed. At one point I had wanted to die so I would be with you. I stopped eating, couldn't sleep. Then I had a dream of you, well it was Seymour really, but I thought it was you. I'm sorry. I really wanted it to be you, I needed it to be you."

She stopped. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. How could she tell him? She had slept with Seymour. He stroked her hair. She wiped her eyes.

"Anyway, it wasn't you, I didn't realise till yesterday. I'm sorry!"

"You don't have to be sorry anymore Yuna," He whispered. "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I broke my promise. I left when you needed me most." He wiped her tears away. "I'm going to look after you now,"

She laughed and kissed the hand that was cradling her cheek. He didn't understand. She had slept with Seymour. He had been right, she might be carrying his child. It would ruin everything. Everybody else knew! They would have to tell him!

"Tidus...I have to tell you something," His brows knotted. "When Seymour...when Seymour pretended to be you...I...I"

"What? Tell me Yuna," He sat up, pushing her up with him.

"I thought it was you Tidus, I really did, I wouldn't have done it otherwise," She could tell he knew now. He staring at her, anger, pity all swirled together in his sea blue eyes.

She began to cry. She was fed up with the tears and the pain.

Why wouldn't it go away?

Why couldn't she be a normal girl who loved a normal guy? She hated it. She thought when he was back it would go away. She would be healed. Seymour had to ruin it didn't he! The bastard! Tidus was still staring at her.

'If you had been there, it wouldn't have happened!'

Tidus swung off the bed. He was staring at her with...disgust! She cringed away from his gaze. She felt dirty.

"I gotta go," He mumbled.

"Tidus...Tidus don't go please,"

He walked out without looking back, again.