-head-clunk onto desk- Gah… well. That was interesting. Sorry for such the long delay… had three times the amount of company arrive then was anticipated, so I didn't get a chance to write ANYTHING. And the last few days I've been free I sort of fell back into my depression pit and… eh… took me a little while to get out of it. Can never write when I'm like that, especially not stuff like this. Just haven't been able to write ANYTHING lately. But it's all fine now, and the chapter is done… and more on the way. This story is becoming very long, I think I keep saying that, but in any case, it's probably going to be about… maybe… don't quote me on this… ten chapters longer. Yes, I have come to the conclusion, I am crazy. But I love writing this story and I have a story to tell in it. I think I ranted about this before. I can't remember. Gah! In any case, I hope you guys don't mind it being so long.
Another reason it took a while, I didn't want to give in and just upload a half chapter again. So this is a more or less full chapter.
And yes it has become sort of a save the world thing again, hasn't it? Though that was never my intention… oh well… Guess it's a little late now.
In reply to comments :
(can't remember from who, too tired to check right now, I'm sorry, I'll reply to any I missed next time, promise)
I know Yuna and Tidus are a bit out of character… and I feel bad about that… mostly it's because I haven't been in the mood sometimes, a friend borrowed FFX-2 so I have nothing to reference from right now, and… Well, personally, I never saw Yuna as one to be so cheerful and bouncy as she was in FFX-2, so I on purpose tried to make her a little more FFX like. Not totally, but a little. To me she was a bit too much like Rikku in FFX-2, even though yes, she was a Gullwing and she was happy, there was something about her that still seemed to give off that sad, old Yuna. As for Tidus… I have trouble writing happy characters, I'll admit, and also, I got the impression in FFX he was never completely carefree and worry-less. (Is that even a word?? Can't think right now) There were times in FFX when he worried about Yuna and everything, when he was serious and wasn't all bouncy. I know, I've probably overdone that in this fic, but… well, things are sort of different, I saw. They both know he could disappear, and though they want to be happy, there's that fear anyway. So I just thought it'd be more realistic in a way to make them more… serious, maybe. More the style of FFX, perhaps, then FFX-2. … Okay, long winded rant aside, yeah. That's just how I saw the story, and how I wanted to write it. But thank you anyway for the input, there were a few things I didn't like and I should have straightened out… maybe when this fic is finally finished I'll edit it a bit and post it as a final, complete, special edition, finished version. Sort of like a directors cut thing XD
Thank you ALL again for the wonderful comments, they really keep me going.
As usual, I don't own FFX or FFX-2.
Next chapter should be up in about a week, I hope. But I can't make any promises because this time of year is very hectic for me. But I promise, this long wait for updates, ends soon. During the fall and winter I won't be THAT busy, and I'll be more inclined to write things.
And yes, aren't Malboros awful? They're the only creature from any game I've ever played (and I've played quite a few creepy games) that have made me want to turn off the game and go sit in a well lit room. One would thing that having such a phobia of the things would make me not include one in my story… but I thought it fit. And don't worry… yes… Yuna and Tidus will be getting a break of sorts soon, no worries. Fluff mania! Whee! But not yet. Unfortunately, this chapter, they still have to deal with the Malboro. I'm too cruel….
Anyway, long long long intro finished, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 17.
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"Look out!" Tidus heard Yuna's cry just in time to skip backwards a step. The Malboro's tentacle whipped through the air, just short of tripping him. The beast, seemingly unhappy it missed, uttered a long, low screech and recoiled its tentacles for another assault.
Raising one arm to shield his face, Tidus took the blow standing, but ended up falling backwards from the force. The tentacle left a glob of slime on his arm, which quickly started to itch. Shuddering he stumbled back up, shaking the gunk off his arm as he looked up to the beast in front of him.
It's endlessly smiling mouth seemed to mock him, as it gashed its teeth together enthusiastically and curled an eyestalk to peer at him.
"Are you okay?" Yuna asked meekly from somewhere behind him, and he gave a quick nod. The itching was slowly going away, no doubt it was poisoned, but not enough to slow him down. Not yet.
"Save your magic, I'll be fine." He spoke quickly, his eyes never leaving the Malboro. She was smart, she understood what he meant. Leave it till he was worse off, don't heal minor wounds.
Still, the itching was a distraction, and if the situation had been different he wouldn't have stopped her.
As Yuna took her place back behind him, looking determined to help yet frightened at the same time, Tidus braced himself back into a combat stance. It wasn't something he was really used to, even after traveling with Yuna and the others. He'd never been a warrior, he'd been a blitzer. True he was strong from all the swimming he'd done, but he'd never trained to become a warrior until Auron handed him that sword. He dimly recalled the memory. It seemed like decades ago.
Gripping Brotherhood tight, he held it up in front of him, watching the fiend in front of him carefully. Watch its movements, get ready for its strike. Kill it before it kills you. Don't let it hit you. Auron had never been very good at giving advice. Beyond that brief instruction, he'd been on his own. Watch and learn. He'd soon realized the style of fighting he used was nothing like Auron's careful, heavily practiced style. He'd developed his own as they'd traveled. Something between the movements of a blitzer and the movements of a swordsman.
It seemed to be effective. He'd gotten this far by it.
A screech sounded off the next wave of attacks, as the Malboro launched forward with uncanny speed and nearly succeeded in biting his arm. Jumping out of the way in a rather ungraceful manner, Tidus barely managed to keep from falling flat on his face. Unfortunately, the Malboro had seemingly predicted this, and another tentacle was ready to greet him when he stopped moving.
He slashed out awkwardly with Brotherhood, but he was unbalanced and the blade hit the tentacle at an angle. A slash, but it didn't sever it. The Malboro screeched and the tentacle, oozing the sickly green blood, wrapped around his leg.
Before he could even react the tentacle yanked backwards and sent him crashing on his back. Another tentacle grabbed his arm and tried to keep Brotherhood away from its body as the mouth gashed in anticipation.
'Some warrior…'
Though it was his thought, it was the voice of his father who spoke it, in his head. Not something his father had said, merely, a remaining memory Tidus had unconsciously fitted together with a thought. A real memory or not, it urged him on. He wasn't going to lose to this thing, he was a warrior. He'd protect Yuna.
Struggling against the tentacle, he felt the blood from its wound begin to ooze onto his skin. The itching suddenly turned to blinding pain and he nearly yelped aloud. The pain spurring a sudden fear and adrenaline rush, he yanked his arm free from the tentacle and hacked out with Brotherhood in a clumsy yet effective manner.
A tentacle fell to the ground, then another, and finally a third, before the Malboro released his leg with a great wail and retreated.
Gasping for air and realizing how close he'd come, Tidus quickly rose to his feet and wiped the blood of his arm the best he could. The pain ebbed slightly, but not enough for him to be comfortable.
"Tidus, let me-" Yuna came up beside him, but he shook his head quickly.
"It's okay." He gritted his teeth, taking in a shuddering breath as he hoisted Brotherhood up again and prepared for another assault. Yuna frowned, biting her lip, and looked as though she was going to protest.
"Stay behind me." He hissed, as the Malboro began to stir again, its eye stalks rotating to look to the young woman. He knew she wasn't defenseless, he knew she could match his strength in a fight, but she had no power as a White Mage. And if they wanted to get out of this alive, she had to stay a White Mage to ensure they didn't die. He had to protect her. He had to protect both of them.
She finally stepped away, out of sight somewhere behind him, looking terribly frustrated and worried as she did. She wanted to fight too, he could see that in her eyes. Yuna didn't want to just sit back and watch. Maybe the old Yuna would have, worried and hesitant, standing behind her guardians, but not anymore. The new Yuna wasn't afraid of anything.
'New. No, that's not right.' He thought absently as the Malboro began to edge closer. 'She's not new. She's just grown up. She always wanted to fight, she just wasn't allowed, or she was afraid. Now she's seen what she can do and she's not afraid of anything… But she's still the same kind hearted, gentle Yuna, underneath all that. Still wants to help the world, even though she says she wants her own life.' He smiled. Seeing her so happy, seeing her no longer hiding behind a shield of smiles and being who she really wanted to be… It was hardly a new thought, but it still gave him strength.
The Malboro had recovered, and was becoming impatient. It wanted to have its meal, not fight for its life. Hissing furiously it drew back its huge head and spat a large ball of gunk towards Tidus. He dodged, managing to get out of the way of the projectile, only to come face to face with another. The gunk hit him square in the face, burning and itching as it did. Everything went black and for the first time panic set in. He could hear it moving in front of him, coming in for the kill. Ignoring the gunk, ignoring the pain, he held Brotherhood up and slashed as hard as he could. He felt the blade make contact, cut through soft moving flesh, then heard the Malboro's ear piercing screech.
Falling to his knees he dropped Brotherhood and pawed at the stuff on his face, trying to get it out of his eyes. It was no good however, the gunk was incredibly sticky and stuck like glue to his skin. Just as the pain was becoming unbearable, he felt the cool sensation of magic begin to ebb over him.
The magic washed over his body like a wave of water, flowing across the gunk and dissolving it as it went. He felt suddenly peaceful inside, relaxed, calm. He was used to the feeling, it always came with healing. No matter how many times he felt it, he never got tired of the refreshing feeling it gave. As the magic began to die away, he realized he could see again. The gunk that had been on his face was now completely gone, and all the wounds he had accumulated had been sealed. As well as that, he felt renewed energy rushing through his veins, urging him to stand up and fight again.
Yuna drew back, lowering her staff and looking a little tired. He smiled at her, jumping up onto his feet and looking back to the Malboro.
Tidus blinked. He had hit it harder then he had thought.
The Malboro lay on the ground, bleeding profusely from a large wound that ran from its head to its chin. A dull hiss was rising from its throat, and the eye stalks were rotating around in pain.
Frowning, Tidus picked up Brotherhood and took a step forward. There was no point in letting it suffer. As he approached, the Malboros eyes focused on him, and the hiss grew louder. The tentacles began to move again in earnest and the thing, against all logic, began to rise up.
Stopping, Tidus watched it wearily. 'Oh come on and just die already!'
The Malboro hissed, but didn't die. As he watched, it rose to its full height and began to wave its tentacles wildly in the air. Some of them began to smack at the tunnel walls, knocking bits of rock loose.
A strange sinking feeling entered Tidus's stomach as he watched, but he decided to pay it no heed. Gripping Brotherhood tighter, he prepared for the final strike.
The creature suddenly spat again, but not towards him. He watched as if in slow motion as the gunk flew past him and straight towards Yuna. She saw it, but wasn't able to move fast enough. The stuff hit her shoulder, and knocked her to the ground.
"Yuna!" He cried, torn between going to her side and finishing off the Malboro.
The Malboro decided for him.
As he watched the thing began to wither wildly in death throes, smacking the tunnel walls with its tentacles and causing more rocks to fall. The more it withered, the more rocks fell. Then suddenly, it stopped, and with a great screech threw itself into the side of the tunnel.
The force sent a rumble through the entire cavern, and immediately the cave tunnel began to shake. As Tidus watched helplessly, the Malboro collapsed in a heap, and above it, the tunnel began to cave in. The way out. He could make it, if he ran, though there was a good chance one of the rocks would crush him.
The thought however, didn't even cross his mind as a possibility. Tearing his eyes away from the cave in, he turned and ran over to where Yuna lay. Shielding her from the dust that began to fill the air with his body, he looked at her shoulder and frowned.
"I'm fine… Most of it missed." Yuna managed, through gritted teeth. Missed or not, she was clearly in pain. "I can heal it."
Tidus looked back behind them and his frown deepened. The rumbling was starting to come to an end, but the tunnel behind them was gone. With its death, the Malboro had ensured its prey would die too. Disturbingly smart for a fiend.
"What happened?" Yuna asked, her eyes shut no doubt from the dust was settling in the air.
He squinted, peering at the rocks in the dim light the fireball above them provided. It was completely sealed. By the sound of it, most of the tunnel had caved in. There'd be no getting out that way.
Sighing, Tidus looked back to Yuna. "The tunnel caved in."
Her eyes snapped open.
A eye of emerald and a eye of sapphire asked a wordless question.
"We can't get out that way." He answered with a sigh, looking back behind them. Now what were they going to do?
Yuna slowly sat up, aided by Tidus's arm. When she was finally sitting up properly, she raised her hands and closed her eyes. Chanting something Tidus couldn't catch, her hands began to glow and he saw the familiar tendrils of magic flow out from them. As he watched, the healing magic took away the gunk that had landed on her shoulder, just the way it had saved him.
When the spell was finished, Yuna lowered her hands and opened her eyes. She looked tired again, though not to the point of collapsing.
"Let's look for a way out of here." She announced with a determined air, standing up beside him and brushing her robe flat. Reaching into her robe she plucked out another dress sphere, one Tidus recognized without having to even look very closely. The gunner sphere. If they had to fight again, she wanted to prepare.
After she was finished, they began to search the cavern. As it had been on the first inspection, it was empty and had no interesting or strange features. It was simply a deserted cavern. Probably just the home of the malboro, dug open by the fiend itself when it'd become mutated. Or perhaps it was something else entirely, Tidus had no idea and couldn't bring himself to wonder any further.
"Do you see anything at all?" Yuna said with a sigh, after a long moment had passed without either of them saying anything. He shook his head slowly, looking in all directions around them.
"I still feel fresh air though…" Yuna frowned, looking around to the cavern wall. "There has to be some way out."
Now that she mentioned it, he could feel it too. A very faint, cool breeze drifted in the silent air, piercing the stuffy cave.
"Maybe there's a crack somewhere." Tidus began to look up an down the wall, as far as the fireball illuminated. It appeared to just be a smooth rock face. Nothing special, no cracks or tunnels.
But Yuna was determined, looking up and down closely and inspecting every shadow.
As she moved down one side of the wall, he began down the other. The further he got away from the fireball, the dimmer the light became. Soon it was impossible for him to tell if he was seeing shadows or holes. By the look on Yuna's face, she was having the same problem.
"I guess we'll have to look together." He tried to smile, but they both knew that'd take longer. Not that there was any hurry to get out, but Tidus had the feeling they'd been down here longer then they knew. Rikku and Paine might start getting worried, or worse, a fiend might pop out of the dark again.
Yuna smiled a little, but looked more optimistic then despairing. She knew there was a way out, she just had to find it. Seeing her look so sure of herself made his own optimism revive. With a new found energy, he stood beside her and looked as far up the wall as he could.
"What's that?" He said suddenly, squinting. Yuna immediately stopped and turned her head upwards.
"What's what?" She blinked, moving the fireball with a gesture of her hand to rise higher. When the strong light reached the area in question, Tidus felt his heart leap.
"There! An opening in the wall!"
Yuna squinted, standing on tip toe to see. "You're right!" She cried excitedly, looking pleased. "But how are we going to get up?"
Tidus paused and realized the problem. It was about twice his height, and they didn't have any rope or tools to scale the wall surface. "Good question." He said, a little more grimmer then he had intended.
Yuna sighed, but she wasn't giving up. Staring up at the hole, he could see just from her eyes her mind was racing.
'She could stand on my shoulders, she might be able to reach it… But then what? She wouldn't be able to reach me to help me up. It may not even be a tunnel, maybe just a crack.' Frowning, Tidus looked around the cavern. Nothing but rocks littered the floor. Nothing to help them scale a smooth rock face.
"Is there any dress spheres that would help?" He asked finally, at a loss.
Yuna thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, nothing I can think of." Sighing, she sat down on the floor and leaned her back against the wall. Her face showed what she felt, frustration. But still, a scrap of optimism, of hope. It was a puzzle, and she was going to solve it.
No, they'd both solve it.
He sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder almost unconsciously. She leaned closer to him, staring into the darkness blankly.
"There has to be something…" She muttered faintly, shaking her head.
"We'll find it." He smiled, hugging her tighter.
Now if only he could do just that.
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Yuna yawned, fighting to keep her eyes open. She'd lost all track of time in the darkness. The fireball still burned brightly above them, but the silence and coldness of the cave was timeless. Beside her Tidus sat awake and alert. He was watching the darkness as if it were some kind of fiend.
'Why can't I think of anything?'
She'd gone over all the possibilities. Nothing seemed to be possible, nothing at all. They didn't even know if there was a real way out up there. The more she thought about it, the more discouraged she got. But she wasn't about to let herself show it. She'd keep smiling, to keep their hopes up.
She'd been optimistic earlier, but now…
Yuna sighed ever so quietly, but Tidus heard it anyway. He looked over at her, and saw her 'smile'.
"Yuna… We'll get out of here."
She knew. But why couldn't she believe it? Why was she despairing so easily? Maybe because she was tired. Tired of all the fighting and the adventure and the danger. When things had been so quiet after her journey, she had wanted adventure again. But it'd been because she was alone. He had disappeared, Rikku had left to go with the Al Bhed, to teach the rest of Spira about machina. Lulu and Wakka had gotten married, they'd had no time for her. And then Kimarhi had left to become the leader of the remaining, orphaned Ronso. They'd needed him more then she'd needed him. But it'd left her feeling alone. For two years she'd been alone with her thoughts and her memories. She'd craved a distraction. Rikku had offered that with the Gullwings.
But now… She was starting to feel she had had her fill. She'd fought so many battles, seen so many things, it was becoming a blur. There were happy memories, and there were sad ones. She loved them all dearly, but she was growing tired of it. But she'd never wanted to give up searching, give up hope. She'd never wanted to settle into a normal life. Perhaps she still didn't. But…
She looked up at him, looking into his perfect eyes. She'd never be alone again. She felt it deep inside of her. If she went on another journey one day, he would be there. If she never went on a journey again and settled into a quiet life, as quiet as the High Summoner could lead, he'd be there. He'd always be there. She was sure.
Hugging him suddenly, she buried her face in his shoulder. He returned the hug, though she could feel his puzzlement. She couldn't find the words to speak aloud her thoughts. Not yet. But she had a feeling that he knew just the same.
They sat like that for a long time, and Yuna allowed herself to forget the situation they were in. She was aware only of being there, with him. Hearing his heart beat. He wasn't a dream. He wasn't a dream…
The silence had to be broken sometime, she knew. But she still felt sad when it was.
"Yuna… I have an idea."
She lifted her head to look up at him. "What is it?"
Tidus slowly stood, helping her up as he did.
"I'm going to lift you up, so you can go get help."
She frowned at him, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you here alone."
"Yuna, it may be the only thing we can do."
She sighed, looking down to the ground. "You're right. I had thought of it, but…"
It wasn't entirely that she didn't want to leave him alone. She didn't want to be alone. She wasn't afraid of facing fiends, or crawling through a dark cave. But she was afraid of being alone. Not having him beside her.
He saw it, but they both knew there was nothing to be done.
"Come on, I'll lift you up." He carefully took her by her waist and hoisted her up to his shoulders, allowing her to gently place her feet on top of them. Leaning against the wall he grabbed her ankles and boosted her up the rest of the way.
Yuna grasped the edge of the hole and pulled herself up. It was difficult, but she managed. When she was finally on the ledge, she was able to take a good look at the hole.
Her heart leapt. It was a tunnel! The light of the fireball showed that it was a narrow, jagged tunnel that ran up. Up was where they wanted to be. She could feel the fresh air on her face. Yes, it was a way out.
"Tidus, there's a tunnel. It looks big enough to get through." She called, looking over the ledge and down at him. He grinned, waving his hand.
"Great! Get going!"
She paused, looking to the tunnel, then back down to him. "But…"
"Yuna, there's no way I can get up." He sighed, putting his hand back down.
It was true. She'd never be able to reach him, and even if she could, it'd be a bad angle for her to pull him up. She wasn't even sure she'd be strong enough.
"What about the rubble? Maybe you could pile some up to stand?" She offered, a sudden idea coming to her mind. Why hadn't she thought of that before? She was too worried about the cave-in to think about what it had created.
"…I guess we could try." He sounded just as surprised as she was at the idea. "But I don't think I'll be able to get much free." Without saying another word he turned around and headed towards where the tunnel have caved in. Yuna directed the fireball to follow him, and she was suddenly lost in the darkness.
Sitting alone in the dark, she felt suddenly very afraid and very alone. She could barely hear the sound of his footsteps, moving further and further away. Shivering, she hugged her knees and waited, trying to ignore the creeping feeling that was making its way down her back.
After what seemed like an eternity, the light returned, Tidus with it.
"Anything?" She asked, frowning in concern.
"I couldn't get anything free. Most of the rocks are too huge to carry anyway, and even if I could, they're wedged in tight." He sighed, shaking his head. "Yuna, just go. I'll be fine."
She couldn't. She just couldn't leave him.
"There has to be something…" She groaned, leaning her head on the rock wall behind her.
Tidus was silent, staring up at the wall and crossing his arms absently.
Yuna opened her eyes again, looking around her at the tunnel that opened up before her. She could go, he was right. It was probably the right thing to do, the sensible thing. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make herself stand up and take that first step.
"Maybe I can reach you…" Her voice trailed off. And then what? She'd pull him up? How would she anchor herself and get enough strength to help him up? She was stronger then she'd ever been, but still… He was bigger then she was.
"I could try to climb it." He said, half heartedly. They'd both seen the wall, it was slick and smooth. No good for climbing.
"It's too smooth." She said aloud, uselessly. Why couldn't she think?
He sighed. "I'll try anyway." There was a determination in his voice, one that almost surprised her. She'd forgotten he could be like that. "But I'm going to need help if I get up that far."
"Okay." She leaned over the edge and watched him as he approached the wall. He was still frowning, but in his eyes burned a stubborn light. He was doing this for her, because he didn't want to leave her alone. And maybe partly it was he didn't want to be alone either.
The first attempt was a failure. He found no footing on the smooth surface and merely slid back down to the ground. But he didn't give up, and after many a trial and error, finally found some hidden crack in the wall with a toe, then a hand, and slowly, he was making his way up, impossibly. Like a spider, almost, but not as graceful.
Yuna almost laughed, but she was too worried about trying to help him up to act on it. As he edged up closer, inch by painful, long inch, she leaned further over the edge and reached her arms out below. Almost, almost…
He lost a footing, and began to slid down. But he didn't let himself. Giving one last push he leaped up to the wall and by some strange miracle, grabbed the ledge with his fingers.
Yuna grabbed him faster then she'd though she'd been able to, just as he was already beginning to lose his hold. Wrapping her hands around his wrists she pulled as hard as she could, amused in the back of her mind that their roles had been reversed from before.
It was hard work, but she wasn't pulling all his weight. He was pulling himself up, digging his feet into the wall, somehow managing up. It seemed to take an impossible age, but after a few moments of pulling and climbing, he was up beside her.
The collapsed side by side on the ledge, panting for breathe. Still afraid she'd let him fall, Yuna's hands were still wrapped around his, so tight it hurt.
"That was fun. Can we do it again?" He grinned at her, after a minute of silence. She frowned, then unable to help it laughed. Finally she let go of his hands, but it took a great effort to do it.
"I can't believe you actually did it." She said after a moment, watching him as he stood up and dusted himself off.
"Hey, you helped." He gave her another grin. Within that short period of time, he had regained his good humor and his brightness. But then, she wasn't entirely surprised. He'd been able to do it before. They'd fight some fearsome fiend, and then he'd be happy as a bird afterwards. He seemed to get some thrill out of facing danger. Until the danger got serious. Until she got endangered.
"Okay, I've had enough of this cave. Let's get out of here." He reached for her hand, then stopped.
"What's wrong?" She blinked, staring at her hand. Then regretted it.
The wounds from the sphere shards had healed, mostly. But the recent battle and then helping him climb up had not done them any good. In fact, they looked as though they were going to start bleeding.
Tidus frowned, helping her up gently by the wrist instead, carefully not to touch her hands.
"The dress spheres, they don't like strange fabric. If I'd bandaged them, it just would have come off anyway." She shrugged a little bit, closing her hands. It stung, but she'd live.
"We'll put that gunk on it again when we get back." Tidus grinned a bit, at the word gunk. Yuna shivered.
"Don't say that!" She hissed, grinning in spite of the horror that still remained in her mind from the fight. Malboros never ceased to strike fear into her heart, not to mention disgust.
"Well, let's see where this goes." Tidus continued to grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Only then did she tell he was shaking a little. She looked to his face in question but he just kept grinning. Holding her tighter, he began to walk towards the tunnel that stood before them, winding up into the darkness.
Yuna followed by his side, not wanting him to let go. It was a comfort, in the darkness. It made everything seem less terrifying.
'We still haven't found the Fayth… but maybe we're getting closer. Maybe Rikku and Paine had better luck then we did.' She thought to herself, listening to her mind to hear for screams. The scream droned on as usual, but was rather quiet. Easy to ignore, though she had a slight headache. The fiend had seemed to make it worse, as if she was closer to the Fayth when she fought the fiends that had been driven mad by it.
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They were out.
Fresh, cool air greeted them, something Tidus never thought he could miss so much. It wasn't as light as he would like, but it was better then the void of darkness they had just been in.
They stood on the ledge that overlooked Zanarkand, a view that had surprised them when they'd first came out of the crack. For a moment Tidus had thought he'd been dreaming, but no, it was Zanarkand. Somehow they'd managed to travel all the way across the mountain, and had just happened to come out on the ledge going down to its ruins.
"It's already twilight." Yuna said softly, looking out over the ruins and at the sun that was slowly descending into them.
'We were down there all day. No wonder we're tired.'
"I guess we better start heading back." Tidus said absently, torn between wanting to stare at the ruins and wanting to turn away from them. They were beautiful, but painful. So many memories were connected to them, and most of them were sad. He'd once lived there. Somewhere in those ruins, he could probably find the house he and his mother had lived in. The places where he'd gone to eat, to buy clothes, to practice blitz. Now it was all ruins, and though he'd seen it before, it was still hard to see.
Then there was the memories of Yuna's pilgrimage. He'd been so anxious to get to Zanarkand, he'd talked about it so much, and he'd never known till they go there what was in store for Yuna. By that time… He didn't want to go home anymore.
Yuna didn't say anything, just stared out at the ruins. She looked as though she was thinking too, so he kept quiet. They both needed time to think, after all that darkness.
"I…" Yuna started, so softly he barely heard her. He turned to look at her, and suddenly was reminded of a younger Yuna. Two years ago. She looked exactly the same way, though perhaps a little less sad.
"I want to come back here. After…" She didn't have to say it, they both knew.
'After this Fayth business is over.'
He nodded once.
She continued to stare out at the ruins. "So much has happened." Her voice spoke quietly, softly, echoing words she'd said before.
"I never thought I'd be here again, with you." Yuna turned her head a little to look at him, a soft smile in her face. She looked as though she were struggling for words.
"We'll come here again. After it's over."
She smiled a little more. "Then we can… talk." The word meant so many things. Sad things, happy things, things they needed to sort out between them. What he was. What would happen. What they were. What was in the future.
"Yeah." He nodded again, giving her a soft smile.
"But first we have to do this." Sighing, she looked away finally from the ruins, and back towards the path that would lead them to Mt.Gagazat again. Where they'd join up with Rikku and Paine.
'I sure hope they found something.' He thought grimly, seeing the slight pain in Yuna's eyes.
There was nothing more to be said. Yuna began to walk down the path, but suddenly stopped. Tidus paused behind her, tilting his head.
Slowly she turned, looking up at him. There were tears streaking down her face, tinted orange in the twilight.
"I love you." She whispered so softly he barely caught it, and she threw her arms around his neck with surprising grace. She was holding him tightly, her eyes closed as she kissed him gently. He returned it, and stroked her hair softly. She was shaking, and he could tell she was trying to throw off bad memories that had clung to her for far too long. Sad, horrible, tiring memories. Things that needed to be left behind.
They stood for a long moment, saying nothing, holding each other. For once Tidus felt a calm wash over him, and he wasn't worried about anything. Zanarkand, the Aeons, the Fayth, Sin, everything that had ever been a burden, was simply gone. It was just him, and Yuna.
"I love you too." He whispered softly, closing his eyes.
Alas, he knew it was too precious a moment to last.
Something beeped on Yuna's neck.
She let out a sigh, and slowly unwrapped her arms from around his neck. She looked better, the tears gone from her eyes. But she looked a little annoyed.
Clicking on the transmitter, she cleared her throat and replied.
"Yuna here."
"Yunie! Where the heck have you guys been?" Rikku's voice shouted from the speaker, at such a volume Yuna actually winced and turned it down.
"We ran into a little trouble in the caves." She said quietly, sounding a little too calm. She wasn't angry, no, he could tell, but she wasn't particularly happy her cousin had chosen that exact moment to call her.
"We've been trying to contact you for ages! We just spoke to Buddy and he said he hadn't heard from you either. What kind of trouble? Are you guys alright?" Rikku's voice was running at a fast pace, so fast Tidus barely caught half of what was said.
"We're fine now." Yuna said softly, looking up at Tidus and giving the faintest of smiles.
There was a sudden silence on the line, then Paine's voice came on.
"Yuna, it's almost dark. You guys better get back here so we can get on the airship. It'll be even colder at night."
Rikku could be heard in the background, but what she was saying wasn't clear.
"Okay. We're on our way. Yuna out." She abruptly switched the transmitter off, though not in time to miss a wail from Rikku.
Tidus watched her as she tucked the transmitter back into her shirt, then looked up at him.
"Ready?" She said quietly, taking his hand.
"Yeah." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and they made their way down the ledge towards the caves in a peaceful silence.
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AN:
I really hope this is okay, might be a few mistakes, I'm so tired right now I probably missed a few things, I would wait till tomorrow to proofread it again, but I'm out all weekend so that'd just make this even later to update. So there you have it, action and fluff. Next chapter up soon. Any mistakes, contingency errors, character flaws, etc, you see, point them out and I'll put the corrections into a revised edition of the story I'm planning to do after it's actually finished.
