Campfire Chats
"'Don't say that 'cause we're gonna see each other again.'" I laugh quietly at myself. "I haven't seen him in almost a year."
"Do you miss him?"
I nod and stare tiredly into the fire. "Every day."
Tidus puts his hand on my shoulder, trying to console me.
"I've never told anyone outside my home about Gippal..." I whisper.
I haven't been with Yunie and her guardians very long: only a week or two at most. Tidus and I picked up where we'd left off months ago when we first met, and became fast friends. We talk and laugh a lot as we travel, and I love being with him. He makes me smile.
We are camped out under the stars. It's a beautiful night with bright shiny stars and everything. You know, one of those nights where you stare out into space and you have to wonder what else is out there.
Well, everyone had fallen asleep fast. Everybody but me. I was restless, and my mind was wandering. I thought about a lot of things: my family, my Home, and a young man named Gippal.
The thought of Gippal made my eyes water, so I climbed from the sleeping area back to the dying campfire.
I cried. I guess it was a little louder than I had thought, because Tidus got up and comforted me, and that how we got here.
"So why did you tell me?"
I turn and look at Tidus. He has these amazingly bright blue eyes that remind me of the ocean. They're sort of calming.
"I don't know." It's the truth. I really haven't known Tidus that long, but I keep spilling out my guts to him.
Tidus smiles, and shakes his head gently at me. His blonde locks fall into his face, hiding the laughter now in his eyes.
"What?" I smile, too. I think it's contagious. "What's so funny?"
"I had a friend, just like you, back in my Zanarkand." Now he stares back into the fire, the flames reflecting in his ocean-eyes.
"Yeah?" I've talked to Yuna. She tells me that she's ninety-nine point nine percent sure that Tidus' Zanarkand exists. She never tells me how or why, but I believe her. "What was she like?"
"She was short and blonde, like you. Her eyes were even green. I don't think she was Al Bhed though. There really weren't any in Zanarkand."
"So she looked like me?"
"Acted like you too." Tidus smiles again, and stretches his arms up to the stars. "She was a little bit crazy--"
"Hey!" I punch him in the arm, still smiling.
"--and she was really fun. Always smiling." He nudges me with his elbow.
I laugh a bit, and then yawn. We talk some more about his Zanarkand, Gippal, and our journey.
Fast-forward a few weeks. Home has just been destroyed; and Tidus found out about Yunie's destiny - her death.
It isn't night, and there is no warm campfire this time. Just cold loneliness. I have been hiding in the cabin; hiding my tears.
"Hey."
I don't really want to talk to anyone. "Hey." I reply anyway.
"Are you okay?" Tidus sits down on the bed beside me.
"Just dandy."
"I'm sorry about Home."
"Me too."
There's an uncomfortable silence between us and he sighs. I sniffle a little, and wipe away a stray tear.
"I'm sorry," I apologize suddenly.
"About what?"
"Not telling you about Yunie. It was wrong. You deserved to know."
"No, it's okay. It was too hard to say."
"Still..."
Tidus sets his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay."
I look up for the first time to see his face. His eyes are red and his face is tired. It's been a long day. It's going to get longer.
I bite my lower lip to stop it from quivering, but the rest of my face twists in pain. I start crying again.
He gently puts his arms around my shoulders, embracing me tightly.
I rest my face on his shoulder, trying to stop the inevitable. I heave a heavy sob and cry into his arm. I feel a little bit comforted.
"Remember the girl from Zanarkand I was telling you about?"
I nod slowly in his arms, afraid to open my mouth.
"We used to get in all sorts of trouble. Once, after a game, we went to this restaurant..."
I keep listening, calmed by his voice and his attempt to cheer me with his silly story. I laugh as he tells how he and his friend made mischief in the ancient metropolis.
"Feel better?" he asks after I stop laughing.
I pull myself up, out of his arms, and smile. "Thanks."
We continue our day, search for Yuna and such. I still feel a slight pain in my heart, but I can smile, thanks to him.
