Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters here that had appeared in FFX-2. However, I had let them interact with characters I have created.

Lenne woke early the next day, shivering in the coldness of the cave. There was a low mist hovering about a hand below her knees and her toes in her boots knew it. She found it hard to open her eyes as she knew she needed more sleep, but she forced them open with a moan.

Focusing her vision, the first thing that registered to her senses were the remains of last night's fire and dinner. Bones littered the ground of what was left of the goat. Lenne couldn't help but smile at this.

Last night was the first time Xarinne had addressed her.

And now, I have a guardian.

Her eyes wandered to the still sleeping Ronso. He was sprawled on his back, his blue and white fur standing up on end. This was probably the reason why the cold didn't seem to affect him. Xarinne had his mouth hanging open and was snoring quite loudly, a bit of drool trailing down one side of his jaw. Normally, Lenne would have found this pretty disgusting, but instead she caught herself feeling quite a certain fondness for the big fellow.

Last night, when she had returned from her trip to relieve herself, Xarinne was the only one left awake. Her eyes had desperately wandered to the already sleeping Shuyin. In reality, she did not feel comfortable without the Blitzball player to filter the Ronso's anger towards her, although she knew she deserved it. It had been she, after all, who had mistaken him for a fiend.

She had tried to sneak back into camp without being noticed, but the Ronso was not a Ronso for nothing. She was detected the moment she took a step forward.

"Xarinne could have heard Lenne a mile away," Xarinne's voice boomed through the cave.

Lenne had caught herself cowering on the ground, huddling with her arms raised over her head. "Oh, please don't hurt me, mister Ronso, Sir!" It scared her, and had it not been for the chuckling that erupted from Xarinne, she would have died from fear.

"Huh?" She peeked through the crack between her arms.

She saw Xarinne pluck a mushroom from the fire and popped it in his mouth. The mere sight of him eating those Yevon-forsaken things made Lenne sick.

The Ronso moved a bit and patted the ground next to him. "Come, Lenne. Join Xarinne for dinner. The goat is almost ready and the mushrooms are cooked." When Lenne didn't budge, he frowned and tried to explain. "Xarinne will not hurt Lenne. Xarinne never hurt anyone. Ronso are not blood-thirsty murderers who kill because of petty mistakes. Come. Sit. Let us eat together."

Lenne then hurried to the fire. Xarinne was actually making peace with her. The last thing she wanted was to have him take it back.

The fire had felt awfully nice. Had it not been for the mushroom that Xarinne had handed her, the warmth would have been easily enjoyed. But she didn't want to offend, so she took the mushroom and ate it very, very slowly to avoid a second helping.

Xarinne poked at the very delicious-smelling goat. The aroma of the meat over an open fire made her mouth water. "Xarinne must wake Shuyin up. The goat is ready."

Lenne watched him crawl on his hands and knees and nudge the sleeping Shuyin.

Shuyin didn't move. Lenne tilted her head to the side as she saw Shuyin's eyelids flicker a bit, like that of a child having a dream. She had never noticed that he had such long lashes.

Xarinne scratched behind his ear. "Shuyin won't wake up?"

Lenne frowned as she heard the sleeping man murmur something. "Let me out... I want to see her..."

With this, a pang of unexpected jealousy struck her like a cactuar's 1000 needles. Shuyin was dreaming of a woman. "Let's let him sleep, Xarinne." Lenne sat back down and Xarinne did, too.

They were silent for a moment, then Xarinne spoke up. "Lenne, Will you accept Xarinne as Guardian?"

With this, Lenne lost all poise. She sputtered out the mushroom in her mouth she had been chewing on for almost five minutes now but refused to swallow. She blinked in bewilderment at the Ronso. "What?! You want to be my Guardian? Why?"

Xarinne had busied himself with the meat, cutting a chunk of it and handing it to Lenne, who thankfully accepted it. The meat was tough and a bit over-cooked, but anything would be better than mushrooms. After helping himself to some of the goat, he grinned at her toothily. "Because Xarinne have Ronso honor. Ronso keep word, and Xarinne had promised Shuyin to protect Lenne with life. Does Lenne accept? Xarinne very strong! Will protect Lenne with life!"

Lenne hadn't really known what to say to that, but since the Ronso seemed more than eager to do it – and she feared offending this Ronso Honor ­– she just nodded her head and said yes even if she did not understand even half of the Ronso's logic.

And now, Xarinne is my very first Guardian.

Lenne picked up her cloak, wrapped it around her shoulders and let her eyes travel from the sleeping Ronso to where Shuyin was.

Huh?

Shuyin was not there.

He was not in the cave at all.

"Where is he?" she murmured to herself.

Lenne felt herself blush as she remembered how Shuyin had pulled her to him in Fayth Scar. She remembered how cold he was, how he shivered when he embraced her tightly. She couldn't quite shake off how he smelled then, of snow mingling with sweat along with that hint of his usual gentle smell, like has wearing baby cologne or something.

She ended up getting her face even more red when he remembered how he muttered wanting to "see her", whoever "she" was.

But she refused to believe she was jealous.

I AM NOT JEALOUS!

But where in Spira is he?

Yeah, right. Like as if he'd be running off in the middle of nowhere to see some slut...

The very thought of her thinking that way of another person made her feel guilty. She knew she had no right to think it of anyone, and especially not Shuyin. He had been so kind to her, and she knew that he was a little worried when she had stopped speaking to him. It had nothing to do with him, actually. It was all her. She was too ashamed then, feeling so inferior as compared to him. She had bothered him more than enough. She thought that maybe if she stayed away, maybe if she tried to be a little less dependent on him, he'll learn to respect her as a Summoner...

She smiled when she saw Xarinne stirring. Now she could ask where Shuyin had gone to. A good start was what they needed. She was having such a hard time trying really hard to be mature in a place like Mt. Gagazet.

No one can stay here and be happy... How does Xarinne do it?

"Good morning, Xarinne," Lenne greeted cheerfully, making her way to the Ronso. "Have you seen where Shuyin went?"

Xarinne ruffled his chest fur contentedly. "Shuyin? Oh, Shuyin left early in the morning. Did not say where he will go. Is Shuyin not back yet?"

Lenne shook her head. "No. When I woke up, he wasn't here. Didn't he say anything else?"

Xarinne got up and stretched to his full eight feet and shook his head. "Just that he had to think about the dream he had last night."

The words slipped out of Lenne's mouth even before she could stop herself. "Oh. So he wants to 'see her', is that right?" She sounded so, well, jealous, that it even surprised her.

I can't be jealous.

Can I?

Xarinne's eyes widened slyly and a grin swam across his face lazily like a goldfish in a bowl. "Lenne reminds me of mother when father does not come home for the night. Lenne not jealous, are you?"

Lenne gave a start, then shut her mouth in annoyance. "I refuse to answer that."

Xarinne burst out laughing.

Lenne sniffed. "I think I'll go look for him. He might be hurt or something. He has a wounded arm. Who knows where he is."

Xarinne shrugged, still laughing quietly. "Shuyin is strong. Shuyin is all right. But if Lenne insists, then Xarinne shall come along."

The two set off south, and about half an hour led them to the mouth of the cave where Lenne could already feel a gentle breeze blowing the opening as it opened up into an adjacent path overlooking a broad rolling sea of green. The temperature rocketed to the sun, and had it not been for the wind, the heat would have made her quite uncomfortable. Unconsciously, she shed her layers and layers of cloaks. She neatly folded it up and stuffed it inside her traveling bag, then drank up the scenery to her heart's content.

She had never seen anything so broad in her life...

"Too warm for Ronso," complained Xarinne as he made his way down the rocky path.

Lenne bounced down after him, giggling like a little child who had just found a new playground. "We made it! We made it to the Calm Lands! We made it out of the mountains and everything is so beautiful!" She surveyed her surroundings eagerly. She loved it. Everything about it. The mere fact that there were no houses or buildings within her point of view, that small trees here and there dotted the landscape. She couldn't resist it. She twirled around, her face to the heavens, arms outstretched, hair fanning out to the air.

Xarinne was staring at her with a smile, then looked around, proceeding to the bridge situated over the gorge. "Where is Shuyin?"

Lenne skipped happily towards him, a song in her lips. She felt like a bird in desperate need to fly. She had been so use to Zanarkand's crowded streets and cramped buildings that she found this like a Songstress' Paradise.

Never in her life did she ever feel this free...

And how I longed to be free.

The moment she reached the bridge, she skipped a little more then started to hop over the lines on the wood, playing an imaginary game of hopscotch.

Xarinne turned around in panic. "Lenne! It is dangerous. Lenne might - "

Too late. Losing balance, Lenne felt the wood under her feet give way and she ended up losing her balance. Trying to keep her footing, her hands started to flail, but to no avail. One moment, she was keeling over, the next she was hanging for dear life on the edge of the bridge, her legs dangling in mid air, with nothing below her but a long drop.

 -==-  -==-  -==-  -==- 

The Calm Lands was an expanse of miles and miles of flat ground covered by a blanket of ankle-high grass. No one had ever tried to cultivate it for it was too far from anything to interest people; no one would have anything to do with a land in the middle of Mt. Gagazet and Macalania woods. However, there were some squatters who had built houses along the boarder, and as far as Shuyin could remember, there was an Al Bhed Travel Agency somewhere in the middle of the expanse. And except for Chocobo breeding, no one had made better use of the Calm Lands.

Shuyin wandered down the gorge bottom lazily. He had been up all morning not because he didn't want to sleep anymore. It was because his arm wouldn't let him wink a minute more. It had started aching in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep. He didn't know what to do with it. Never really that good with herbs and healing. He could remember Lenne mentioning she was really good at healing, but because they weren't talking then, he was too shy – or too proud – to ask for her help.

It was only then did he feel the regret. He didn't know why, but he knew that the constant throbbing of his head was somehow connected to his wounded arm. He really wasn't feeling good and so had left camp, telling a half-asleep Xarinne, thinking that perhaps a bit of fresh air would do him good.

So far, it did him no good at all.

His head was still aching and his arm felt it was getting worse.

He decided to make his way back and was passing beneath the bridge when he heard a lot of giggling from above him. He looked up and saw shadows between the cracks of the wooden bridge.

The two had caught up.

His lips parted into a small smile when he heard Xarinne protest incoherently, followed by a loud THUMP! THUMP! from overhead.

His smile dematerialized from his face. Is Lenne jumping on the bridge???

The next thing that happened answered his question. On the floor of the gorge, he could see the shadow of an unmistakable Lenne flailing her arms to keep her balance on the edge of the bridge and a moment later, her booted feet protruded from the side. Then she started to yelp.

Shuyin started to panic. It was more or less a twenty-foot drop beneath her!

Yevon, she'll break her neck!

He dashed to the spot directly beneath her, shoving aside the pain that continued to terrorize him, then looked up at her. "Lenne! What in Spira do you think you're doing?!"

The Summoner's pale face turned to him, and instantly turned two to three shades redder. "Shuyin!" she squealed. "Don't you dare look up my skirt!"

What?!

It was only when Lenne mentioned it did he notice how her legs were PG-18 exposed. She had – ahem! – black lace underwear, but Yevon know that Shuyin didn't care. "Lenne, if I don't look up, I won't be able to help you. Let go of the bridge! I'll catch you!"

Lenne shot him another look and when she saw he was still staring up, she screamed at him. "Shuyin, you pervert!"

"Pervert!? I'm not even – "

"DON'T LOOK UP MY SKIRT!!!!!!!!"

Shuyin was starting to get exasperated. "Lenne, just let go of the bridge. I'll catch you. Then I won't be able to look up your skirt even if I wanted to – which I don't, mind you." He held out his arms. Another jolt of pain shot through his skull. "Come on. Let go of the bridge."

And naturally, Lenne stubbornly held on. She just kept on holding on, her legs flailing everywhere. Annoyed, Shuyin stared straight ahead, not wanting to be called a pervert again. He just stood there and listened to her grunt and squirm on the edge. He really didn't have the stamina to do this now.

Fine. Be that way.

After a few minutes, Lenne's meek reply came. "Shu-Shuyin?"

Shuyin sighed, covered his eyes with one hand, then turned his face up. "What?"

"Uhm, o-okay. I don't mind if you see up my skirt. I'll jump. Catch me, okay?"

At this, the Blitzball player let out a sigh of relief, peeled his hand from his face and held out his arms wide. Man, the pain was intolerable... "On three, Lenne. One, two, three."

Lenne let go. She screamed as she fell all the way down into his arms with a thud, her hair swishing in the landing.

And Shuyin felt the most unbearable pain he had ever felt in his life shoot through his nervous system, making stars dance in front of his eyes. It reverberated through his skull and chest like a gong. But he kept a straight face. He didn't want to make Lenne think it was her fault again. She loved to do that. She loved to blame herself.

Shuyin studied her face to check if she was all right. Her eyes were shut tight, her mouth clamped and he noticed she was holding her breath. After a while, she opened her eyes and swallowed. ""Hi..."

Shuyin shook his head in disapproval. "Did you know, Lenne, that if you fall and break your neck, there's a greater chance you could die?" he asked sarcastically.

Lenne pouted, knitting her brow. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"It's all right. Be careful next time." Shuyin decided not to give her a hard time anymore. She probably wanted that as much as he did, which is to saw he never wanted that to happen at all. He looked up the bridge only to see a squatting Xarinne who was looking back at them with an amused glint in his green eyes.

Shuyin frowned at him. "You could have easily pulled her up, you know."

Xarinne shook his head. "No. In Ronso way, when cubs get themselves into trouble, they learn to get themselves out. Lenne always get mad at Shuyin for protecting her, but Lenne very irresponsible when given the chance to prove self." The Ronso sprang up to his feet, leaping down the twenty foot drop, and landing on the gorge bottom on all fours, like a cat. He grinned up at Lenne. "Trust is earned, Lenne. Not received for free."

Shuyin saw Lenne's lip quiver and tears were starting to form in the corner of her gray eyes.

Those beautiful gray eyes...

It was a painful sight, probably as painful as the throbbing in his head. She was trying hard not to cry, probably because she thought that crying would make her appear weaker. He wanted to comfort her.

Shuyin set her down gently to her feet, this motion making his arm protest. "That's enough, Xarinne. Lenne is not a Ronso. Humans learn in a different pace. She will learn in her own time. You are her Guardian now. You have to watch over her. No matter how shallow or how complex her problem is."

Xarinne grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Shuyin. Sorry Lenne."

"No, I am sorry, Xarinne. It was very careless of me," Lenne said, then turned to Shuyin and tried to wipe her teary eyes unnoticed, then flashed him a smile. "I'll learn, Shuyin. I promise. I'll be better. Thank you... for trusting me." And with that, she laughed at Xarinne. "I didn't think I could have gotten hurt anyway." She knocked her head twice. "My skull is so hard, I doubt the ground will stand a chance."

Shuyin realized at that moment he had missed Lenne laughing. She had not once even giggled since that "bad dream" in the cave in the mountains.

Laugh again. Please?

She didn't, but when she noticed he was looking, she flashed him another winning smile, then continued poking fun with the Ronso, who in turn made fun of her as well.

In that gorge did Shuyin finally understand Lenne's way of thinking. She was a performer. She had lived all her life basing her emotions on the mood of the people around her and the environment itself. The change was remarkable. The moment she entered the Calm Lands, she started being happy and perky all over again.

It's a wonder how she could still smile while being around me...

It had been wrong of him to think of Lenne negatively simply because she was not like him. Deep down, however he tried to correct himself, he knew that he wouldn't have found her any more charming if she were any different.

I hope she never changes...

His thoughts were interrupted by the memory of the dream he had last night. He had been calling out to a Summoner, and although he didn't mention any names, he somehow knew it was Lenne.

Why was I trying to save her? Was she in danger?

What a weird dream. I hope I never dream of it again.

But it didn't matter. She was here, and she was safe. Shuyin pressed his forefingers to his temple in an attempt to ease the pain. Suddenly, he remembered something very important he felt Lenne should know. "Have you ever ridden a chocobo, Lenne?"

Lenne turned to face him, momentarily abandoning the small game of rock, paper, scissors with Xarinne. "A chocobo? I've seen some before. I even used some on my concerts. But never rode one. Why?"

Shuyin started for the path that led to the plains. "Al Bhed breed chocobos here in the Calm Lands, and they let tourists ride an hour for free. Since we're here, I thought that maybe you'd like to try it." He had walked out about ten feet from them when he realized Lenne wasn't following. He looked over his shoulder. "What? You don't like chocobos? Don't worry, they're very friendly. A little feisty but – "

"Oh, no it's not that, Shuyin. I would love to ride on a chocobo for the first time," she rushed to his side and shyly looked up at him under her lashes with a blush. "But why? You never want us to stop for anything except food and a bit of rest."

Shuyin turned away from her. He could never hold her stare. It was too beautiful. "Because I owe you a sunrise."

 -==-  -==-  -==-  -==- 

Lenne warily looked at Shuyin at the corner of her eyes. The sun had just passed over their heads and was making its way lazily across the very blue sky. In Lenne's perspective, it was hot especially after Gagazet, but nonetheless, she hadn't broken a sweat. They had made it halfway across the plains by foot in three or four hours, making use of whatever shade they stumbled upon, and Shuyin had asked for a breather in each one. Right now, as they continued their little journey across the grasslands, she noticed sweat was literally pouring from the Blitzball player's forehead. Not only that, but she noticed he was breathing hard. His steps were getting heavier and heavier by the minute.

It was with great relief when she saw in the distance a very colorful bungalow type house, rounded walls and dome-like roof a rainbow of blue, red and green. Behind it, was an expanse of land but this time, the grass looked trodden and worn. She recognized the Travel Agency from Shuyin's description earlier. The place was enclosed by wooden brown fences, which constituted the ranch. And in the distance, Lenne could make out about a hundred yellow specks she knew were chocobos, running around in packs.

She paid no attention to the big birds and turned to Shuyin. He was wiping his forehead with a yellow bandanna one moment, the next he was massaging his temple, like he did earlier in the gorge.

Xarinne seemed to have been aware of the Blitzball player's state and was examining him with concern, too.

Lenne couldn't take it anymore. Without a word, she rounded on Shuyin so fast the guy wasn't even able to react. She presses her hand on his forehead, gasped and withdrew with a hiss, as if burned. Actually, that was exactly what happened. Shuyin was burning up! "Yevon, you have a fever, Shuyin!" She reached out to touch his face again, but he grabbed her hand softly.

"I think it's the White Fang wound... I don't feel too good..." he mumbled. The confession surprised Lenne. She wasn't exactly expecting for him to admit he was sick, which was probably the reason why she never asked earlier. "But I'll be fine. I just need to rest a bit... then we can ride the chocobo... "

Lenne shook her head and was about to argue with him, then stopped herself. If she insisted they stay because of him, a shoopuff stampede wouldn't have stopped him from leaving the place in a heartbeat. She tried a different approach. "I'm tired, Shuyin. Let's stay for the night. We can take our time for today, and I promise we'll make up for lost time tomorrow. I really need some rest... Please?"

Xarinne nodded at her in admiration, as if saying, "Good job." He knew that if they didn't make an excuse to stay, the man would trudge on regardless of his state.

Shuyin didn't seem to mind, though. His eyes really weren't giving anything away. In fact, he had a faraway look behind his eyes. But he nodded his head anyway. "All right... I owe... you a ... sunrise..." and with that, his knees betrayed him. He fell forward. Lenne tried to catch him, but Xarinne was quicker. The Ronso caught him by the chest and arm. And with one move, he heaved the now unconscious Shuyin over one shoulder. It reminded her of the time when he had carried her that way across Zanarkand City.

Lenne pushed away strands of hair from his face and smiled. You are human, after all.

They made their way to the Agency double doors and were welcomed by a pleasant gust of cold wind. There were a few people loitering the Agency lobby, mingling in groups of two's and threes on the small round tables scattered along the spacious area. All of them looked like they had just arrived, as their things were still spilled on the floor. She recognized some of the clothes of the people. Some of them had come from Luca and Kilika. She wondered for a second where they were headed.

None of them seemed to find anything interesting in the newcomers. Which was more than better. A huge Ronso carrying an unconscious man was not easy to explain, so she took that advantage by crossing through the crowded lobby and hoped to the heavens that there were still rooms available for them to rent out.

The next problem came to her the moment she reached the counter. The man behind it began to speak in this really weird, incoherent language!!!

"Famlusa! Fryd lyn E tu vun oui?"

Lenne froze from taking out the small pouch of gil from her bag and stared at the man as if he had suddenly sprouted a pink moogle pompom-ball on his head. She narrowed her eyes at the man. He was short as he was round, whatever hair he had lost on head was compensated with the bushy mustaches covering his face. He was wearing goggles over his very narrow eyes. "Excuse me?" she retorted, thinking the man was making fun of her.

Xarinne turned to Lenne. "The man is Al bhed, Lenne. Al Bhed speak a different tongue."

"Yr, cunno! Cunno!" The man babbled even more and then smiled widely. "Hallo. My name is Ran. My family owns Agency. Me no speak well English. But what can I do you for?"

Lenne eyed him suspiciously, but nodded anyway. She had never really had Al Bhed showing up in her concerts either. She will have to ask Xarinne about that later. "We need rooms. Three - "

Xarinne shook his head. "No, no room for Ronso, Lenne. Xarinne is burning alive in the heat. Xarinne shall sleep under stars tonight. Lenne get Shuyin a room. Xarinne shall be fine."

Lenne didn't argue. They had to get Shuyin treated. She started digging in her pouch. "Fine. Rooms. We need two."

Ran smiled even more – if it was possible to smile even more. He was smiling too much already. "Two, you say? That will be two thousand gil."

Lenne almost snapped at the man. That was absurd! You can get a room in Zanarkand for five hundred!! But she handed him the money anyway, however grudgingly she did it, got the key and led the way to the end of the hall to room 434. She didn't want to argue right now. What a tourist trap! They were charging extra because there were a lot of people! Using the key to open the door, she grumbled to herself. The door snapped open and she let Xarinne enter first, lugging a still unconscious Shuyin in. He deposited him on the bed at the center of the room. At least the room was clean. Actually, it was not half bad. The furniture were of the minimalistic sense. Lamps and candles illuminated the dark corners of the room. Everything was small, from the side tables to the throw pillows on the carpeted floor. The only thing big was the bed. It looked good enough for Xarinne to fit. Lenne wondered why the bed was this huge, as it was a single room. She discarded the idea and went to work.

Lenne knelt at the foot of the bed and fiddled with the laces on Shuyin's black and yellow boots. She had to lower his temperature, somehow.

Choras had been a good nurse. She had taught her well with herbs and first aid. Never in her eighteen years, however, did she think she'd be able to put this knowledge into practice.

Succeeding into untying his laces, she pulled the left boot first and let out a small yelp as the sudden weight of the footwear surprised her. Yevon! Each boot could easily have been fifteen to twenty pounds!

Shuyin must have worn his training boots, she thought to herself as she let the unusually heavy boot fall noiselessly on the carpeted floor. She attacked the next boot with a vengeance, pulling at it unceremoniously and letting it drop to the floor next to its pair. She began to wonder how he could move with such heavy gear clinging to his ankles. She couldn't imagine Shuyin's agility if he fought without them...

She could not believe she was already panting by just removing his shoes! Getting to her feet, she went to the side of the bed, sat down next to him, and brushed back his messy blond hair that was matted down on his forehead because of the sweat. He was really having a hard time breathing and his face was completely flushed. Lenne felt her fingers linger longer than necessary on his hot cheek, then down, tracing his jawline with the tips of her fingers. He looked helpless now, like a little kid. It was a huge contrast to how he was in battle.

It's your eyes. It has to be your eyes. Something happens to your eyes when you enter a battle...

The dreams of her and Shuyin's death haunted her thoughts for a split-second. She remembered those bluer-than-blue twin orbs then. Wild, frightening, and frightened all at the same time.

Lenne pushed the memory aside. It scared her, that madness in Shuyin she had seen in that nightmare. She caught herself hoping against hope that she will never have to see that again. Ever.

She fiddled with his V-neck shirt, loosening the small belts around the collar and the black and red checkered sleeves. With a grunt, she pulled at the bottom of the shirt and heaved it over her patient's head. The feat was even more difficult than the shoes; Shuyin's shoulders were too broad. Cursing under her breath, she threw the shirt over the nearest chair and settled her eyes back to him.

And found herself blushing to the roots of her hair.

Never in her life did she even think of seeing herself in a room with a man who was naked, waist up. Shuyin had an amazing body, every single muscle in his upper body was well defined and well toned, not too bulky, just right.

I wonder if the rest of his body is? She scolded herself for even thinking the thought. She barely caught her hand as it tried to reach out and to him touch his arm.

What the heck do you think you're doing, Lenne!? Get your homones together! The man is burning up, for Yevon's sake!

Xarinne, who had planted himself on the ground by the exit, coughed uncomfortably, catching Lenne's attention. She had completely forgotten he was there. "Should Xarinne leave Lenne and Shuyin alone?"

Lenne shot Xarinne a deadly look, then shook her head roughly. "Shuyin packed some stuff before we left the city. It's in the bag next to where you're sitting. Can you check if there are any antidotes there. Or better yet, some remedies?"

Xarinne obediently did so, and found an antidote in her things. He got up and handed her a small vial of blue liquid. "Then what?"

Lenne forced the bottle into Shuyin's mouth, pinched his nose and watched as the blue liquid slide in. He coughed a couple of times from swallowing wrongly and then started to breath laboriously again.

Xarinne knitted his brow. "Nothing is happening."

"It'll get rid of the poison in his body, but not the fever. We'll have to immerse him in water to lower down the fever." Lenne scanned the room and saw another door parallel to the entrance. "That must be the bathroom. Xarinne, kindly check if there is water inside."

Walking across the room, his horn barely touching the roof, he peeked inside the annex and nodded. "There is a tub full of water."

"Is it cool?"

Xarinne disappeared inside the bathroom, having to duck to enter it. After a moment, came his feeble "yes," then came back out, wiping his hands on his pant legs.

"That's good." Lenne turned to the Ronso. "Well, do your job, Xarinne." And with this, she made her way to the door.

Xarinne blinked. "Huh?"

Lenne faced the bewildered Ronso. "To remove Shuyin's fever, we have to undress him, dump him in the tub of water, dry him down then dress him up again. I find it really improper to undress Shuyin while he's down like that. Normally, I wouldn't mind. But if Shuyin ever knew that I had seen more of him not even his mother had seen after the age of eight, he'll probably never speak to me out of embarrassment. You know how he is."

Xarinne thought about this for a moment, his chin resting in his hand, then nodded in agreement. "Lenne is right." He nodded again, more vigorously. "Right. Xarinne shall do it."

"Good. Soak him in the tub for five minutes, then dress him up quickly. Call me when he's decent. I forgot to get the key for my room. I'm going to get it now." With this, she left there as fast as she could. When she finally closed the door behind her, she let out huge sigh of relief. True, she didn't want to embarrass Shuyin, but she knew that deep down, she didn't know what to do if she were the one to strip him down to his naked butt.

Shoving the idea of a stark naked Shuyin out of her head, she started for the lobby. It was every bit as crowded when they first arrived, if not even more. She headed straight for the counter. The round man was still there. He still had the annoying smile on his face.

He started talking in that weird language again. "A secc, oui'na plyg! Fryd lyh E tu vun oui?"

"Translation, please?"

"What can I do you for, miss?"

Yevon, he did speak weird English. "I'm here to pick up my other key? I rented two rooms."

The Al Bhed was confused. "Fryd? No, miss. I is afraid you is mistaken, oac? You did not ask for two rooms. You asked for a room for two."

The first automatic reaction Lenne had was of annoyance. "No. I asked for two rooms. Two, see?" She held out two fingers and pointed at it. "I even paid for two rooms. Heck, in reality, I should have rented five, if it weren't for your insanely high prices. Now give me the key."

The Al Bhed shook his head. "E's cunno, sy'ys. Drana ynah'd yno suna nuusc..."

"Speak in English," Lenne said timidly, feeling even more annoyed with each passing second.

"No more rooms. All are taken. Miss asked for rooms for two. And -"

Lenne didn't even wait for him to finish. The next realization was finally dawning to her slowly. She dropped down on the nearest circular table as if in a trance.

No wonder the bed in Shuyin's room was so big... It was a double.

Her insides did a flip-flop, and she let her head down hard, her forehead crashing on the table with a loud bang! Some of the customers nearby stopped talking and stared.

Lenne didn't care. Tonight, she will have to share a bed with Shuyin...

Either that, or she'll sleep with Xarinne and a flock of chocobos under a blanket of stars and a pack of flesh-eating mosquitoes...

Yevon...

Author's Note: Hi! I hope you like this chapter. I made it a few paragraphs longer than my first chapters, because I think I won't be able to update this anytime soon. My brain is not functioning properly, and I can't seem to think of what should come next. I'm having a hard time in thinking on how they will be crossing Macalania without encountering anyone from Bevelle, and the last thing I want is an early death for Lenne and Shuyin... lol!

Anyway, I hope you bear with my Al Bhed. Please tell me if I made any mistake at all okay! Well, I will update as soon as I jumpstart my brain. =) Man, that Bevelle, giving me a hard time... (grumble, grumble...)