Chapter II

Sometimes the message just doesn't get through to Wakka until you spell it for him, in capital letters.

Our journey continued as we headed to the Macalania Temple. All the others walked ahead me, but I slowed down on purpose. I needed some time to think and to be alone. What does all this mean? I asked myself. I finally told her, though I know I shouldn't have. But, she seemed to be rather all right about it. And God, she even kissed me. You can't go wrong with that, right? I wish we had some more time to speak before Wakka interrupted us. I can't speak to her right now. I wish I could just call out to her and say I have something to talk about. Maybe I even could do that...no, I can't be sure about her. About what she thinks. If she wants to talk to me then it's okay. But I might have upset her, I must give her time to think and set her things in order, too. I must concentrate on the mission I have at hand, no time to think about her right now. When we rest again I'll maybe get a chance to talk to her. Yes, that's what I'll do.

"Tidus! You coming or not?"

I was awakened from my thoughts by Wakka. I sighed. I had no will to reply; somehow I was weary about Wakka now.

"Yeah..." I said, but my voice was too quiet and caught by the wind for the others to hear it.

"Hey, Tidus... What's up with you?" Wakka wanted to know. Then he went on more quietly, though I could still hear him, "Lu, is there something wrong with him?"

"Not that I know of. Why?" Lulu replied. I wondered if the others could hear the tension in her voice. Otherwise she seemed utterly normal, though.

"I just thought you might know. You were the last person to talk to him, ya?"

Lulu didn't reply. Instead she shouted to me, "Tidus! Try to keep up with the pace!"

I smiled to myself. Lulu had talked to me. Yay! I dashed to catch the others, and as a welcome back -gift I got a warm smile from Lulu. I felt something warm spill inside of me, like a feeling of warmth that spread all around me and overtook me completely. If just a smile can do that... I started, but got interrupted again.

"Oh look! That must be the Temple!" exclaimed Rikku. Always her sweet self.

We entered the Macalania Temple and everything went all right – well, until we encountered Maester Seymour. Auron, Rikku, and Kimahri stood back while I fought him and his guardians with Yuna and Lulu. I could see Yuna was already losing it. Our punches and spells seemed not to affect Seymour at all. I jumped ahead towards Seymour and started dashing around, striking him and his companions with my sword several times before I jumped back to Lulu and Yuna. Both of the ladies looked at me in amazement for a while as Seymour's guardians fell to the floor, both dead. But the magic mages did not have too much time to wonder, since Seymour started to summon. And what he was going to summon brought fear running up my spine.

"Feel my pain. Come, Anima..."

Lulu gasped. Yuna breathed out in horror. I just stood there, paralysed. Seymour summoned his mighty aeon, Anima, that we had seen in action before. It had killed a bunch of fiends with one slash. Just the way it looked made me want to run away and leave it all to the rest of the guardians.

I glanced at Lulu and lost all my will to run. I caught her eyes. And saw so much fear in her eyes that all I wanted was to protect her from everything. Everything.

Yuna cast a black magic spell, Fire, on Anima. She wasn't too good with her black magic, for some reason, so the spell scarcely affected the aeon at all. I made myself turn my gaze back from Lulu to Seymour's aeon, gathered my breath and ran fiercely towards it. My sword didn't hurt it either. Lulu was back in action aswell and cast a spell called Firaga. Need I say? I thought we were going to lose.

"Feel my pain..."

I saw how the aeon's attack reached Lulu. I could see how her body was slammed to the floor, and I heard how she screamed out in pain before hitting the hard stone floor.

"No! Lulu!" I shouted, fearing she was dead. "Lulu!"

I ran to her, leaning over her to check if she was all right. Her skin was pale as always, her eyes were closed but she seemed to still be breathing. I suppressed my instant urge to kiss her as a way to comfort her. Instead I cried out for Yuna.

"Yuna! She's knocked out! You need to revive her!" I exclaimed.

Yuna cast a white magic spell, Life, on Lulu. That brought her conscious again. I was by her side as she woke up, having a potion in my hand.

"You all right? Take this," I said softly. I didn't want to sound so damned soft.

"Uhh... It's all right, Tidus... I'm fine, honestly."

"You sure?"

"Hey, you two, get back to your places!" exclaimed Auron. He had replaced Yuna, who had gone 'in the back row' for more security. I turned once again to face Anima, just in time to see its next attack was even worse than the first had been. Oblivion.

Yep. We were definitely going to lose.