The next day it rained heavy. It was quite odd for it to be raining so hard on the plains, givin the fact that it was known for its sunshine. Auron looked outside the window as he nurtured Tidus. Tidus was fast asleep now. Apparently, those killer bees seemed to enjoy putting Tidus to sleep.

Then Tidus started to mumble in his sleep. Auron, being somewhat curious about what he was dreaming of, leaned in closer to Tidus and heard him mumbling about a soft kiss. Auron then sat up and folded his arms over his chest. What foolishness, he thought.

Then there was an abrupt knock on the door. Auron, slightly annoyed, called out, "Enter"

Then Rikku pushed open the door and asked, "Uhhhh, is Tidus okay? He seemed kinda weird out there."

Auron grunted and said, "Of course he's okay. After all, I am the one responsible for him."

Rikku blushed, "Why of course Sir Auron! I just wanted to know..." Then Rikku left and closed the door behind her.

"Who was that?" Tidus whispered. Auron ignored him because his eyes remained shut, and he appeared to be asleep. When Auron realized how late it was, he decided he should go tell the others about Tidus' condition. Then Auron felt him tugging onto his cloak again, "Don't go..." Tidus whispered again. His face looked tense and frigid, as though he was having a nightmare.

Auron gently shook up Tidus from his dream. Tidus' eyes slowly fluttered open and he stared around the room. His vision was restored and he could see Auron sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are you awake?" Auron asked.

"S-sort of..." Tidus' eyes blinked rapidly, "H-how long have we've been here?"

"Well, this is our second day at the Inn. I can already tell what your going to say next, so let me explain. Currently, we are at the plain lands. We were heading off to the Ronso Mountains, when Yuna has decided that she wanted to rest a while longer before we experience the harsh weather of Mount Gagazet. Now, as for your condition...some of the bees nearby ejected their venom into your blood stream, causing you to faint and loose some of your most recent memories. Now, I advise you rest a while longer until you feel ready for combat."

"Okay..." Tidus snuggled against his pillow and closed his eyes. Tidus was starting to feel cold, obviously the Al Bhed Inn keeper had cooled the rooms to a very low temperature. Tidus pulled the sheet up over his head and muttered, "Auron, I'm cold."

"Well get used to it" Auron grumbled. "If you think this is cold, wait til' we approach Mount Gagazet. Then you'll be glad your body was already well adjusted to the cold."

"But Auron..." Tidus grumbled, "C'mon ol' man, stop being so serous..." Tidus sat up and wrapped the sheet around himself.

"If I'm not serious, then who will be?" Auron crossed his arms over his chest with his back turned to Tidus.

"But Lulu and Wakka are bad enough, and Yuna's also serious. And now even Rikku's starting to become serious! C'mon Auron, I know your heart's not really as cold as this room or an ice wolf."

Auron grumbled, "And what am I supposed to do anyways that could keep you warm?"

"Anything" Tidus said. His body was starting to shiver and his tanned skin paled a few shades. "Please Auron."

Auron sighed and shook his head, "You know, you really know how to bring out the worst in people..."

"And what is that supposed to mean!" Tidus retorted. "Fine! If you don't want to warm up with me I don't care, you grouch!" Tidus turned away from Auron and curled up onto the bed. As Tidus lay on the mattress, he could feel something soft brush up against his back. He smiled; it reminded him of the soft touch he felt from his dream earlier. Tidus turned around and saw Auron lying next to him.

"If I'm correct, our body heat should warm us up," Auron responded. Auron had his long cloak laid over his body, and above that, his hands were folded over his stomach. He let out a long sigh and said, "Tidus, why are you always so careless and simple? Don't get offended just answer the question."

Tidus growled and said, "Well, since everyone's always so serious, once in a while you need someone to cheer everyone up. You know, make everyone happy again."

"Even though being cheerful seems to be your forte, you could at least become more responsible and stop getting into trouble. And, if you haven't noticed, those bees seem to have found an attraction to your cheerfulness. Though being serious is a lot harder than it may seem, it does have its privileges."

Tidus sighed; he was starting to feel cold again, so he snuggled in closer to Auron. "What kind of privileges? Being a grouchy old man like you?" Tidus said sarcastically.

Auron sighed, "The point is, just try being more cautious and becoming more alert to your surroundings." Auron grunted when he felt Tidus moving closer to him, "And try being more self-sufficient."

Tidus laid his head on Auron's shoulder; it felt so warm and inviting. Then Tidus looked up at Auron and asked, "Are you even cold? Your shoulder feels very warm."

"I am immune to cold temperatures. Do not forget that I have already been to Mount Gagazet, and with age one acquires a resistance to such things."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, 'Tidus you're so immature'. Go on say it; I know that's what you're thinking off."

"Would it make you feel any more or less secure if I did?" Auron eyed Tidus over his shades with a look of interest.

"Well at least I'd know I was right." Tidus unconsciously laid his hand on Auron's stomach.

"I said I agreed to lie next to you, not let you sleep on top of me. Do I look like, a couch to you Tidus?" Auron asked calmly.

Tidus' cheeks turned a lovely shade of crimson, and his eyelashes fluttered swiftly. "But Auron, I'm cold." He whined. For a while, Tidus had forgotten about the low temperature, and when Auron's mood became cold and distant so did his body heat.

Auron looked down at Tidus' baby blue eyes, "You're as not as tough as you pretend to be Tidus."

"Well it is freezing in here. I feel like I've been locked into an ice box with a bunch of frozen ice wolves and a few ice mages or something..."

Auron chuckled, "I can see you already. You'd be complaining the instant we step onto the Gagazet Mountain."

"I would not be complaining! I can do whatever I want if I just my mind to it." Tidus sat up and crossed his arms over his chest, causing the sheet to fall off his body.

"Prove it then."

"Fine. I'll sit here for ten minutes without using anything to warm me up, and without complaining. Just to show you that I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, without yours or anyone else's help."

"I like the idea that you won't complain. But too bad you can't actually do it."

"Humph." Tidus looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes. Then his thoughts slowly started to drift off to Auron again. I wonder if he thinks I can do it, Tidus thought. Then his body started to rock from side to side, as he felt the cold slowly creeping its way back under his flesh. He shivered and his teeth started to clatter uncontrollably.

"I get the point," Auron said. "Now we can't afford for you to get sick now, after all, we are still heading to Mount Gagazet tomorrow. Lie down, rest."

Tidus sighed, "Oh okay." Tidus hastily wrapped the sheet around himself again, and rolled onto his side. "Auron?" he whispered.

"What?"

"I'm cold"

Auron grunted and rolled onto his side. He stared into Tidus' eyes for a while. The big blue orbs seemed to glow with a light of enchantment, and they drew Auron's stern eyes closer. "Are you still cold?" He asked.

"I've only been saying that for the past few minutes already!" Tidus exclaimed.

Auron took it upon his self to warm Tidus the best way he could. He wrapped his strong arms around Tidus' thin frame and pulled him closer. Tidus nuzzled his head onto Auron's chest and laid his hands on each shoulder. "Now don't take this the wrong the wrong way. I am only doing this as my duty to make sure all the summoners are well enough to protect Yuna." Auron responded.

Tidus' lips curled into a small grin when he felt the rise and fall of Auron's chest, and his robust heart thumping in his chest. Being in Auron's arms made the cold instantly fade away and only his warmth remained. Auron grunted, he didn't like to show his emotions, or to be so close to another individual. Yet, the pure hearted and innocent little Tidus somehow appealed to him. "We're gonna have a long day tomorrow..." He whispered.