The dying fires reflected eerily in a pair of cold grey eyes. Seymour Guado stood regally on the hill overlooking the ruined village, a cruel smile on his snake-like lips. The sun had barely risen, yet already it perfectly lit the scene of destruction before him. It did not matter that the remains of countless Yevonite Warriors littered the ground. It did not matter that the air was rank with the smell of blood and burnt flesh. He watched with smug satisfaction as his living troops fanned throughout the village and fields, searching for Yuna and that pest of a boy Tidus.
"The villagers?" Seymour inquired to a nervous-looking young lieutenant at his side.
"A-all dead, my lord, excluding the f-few who managed to run off," the young man said shakily, wondering if he was wise to mention those that had been lucky enough to escape.
Seymour merely nodded understandingly. It was no different from what he had expected.
"And the black mage priestess?" he questioned.
"She . . . unfortunately m-managed to escape with th-the last of the pagan warriors c-called the Shadowstrikes, my lord," the lieutenant stammered, bracing himself as if expecting a physical blow. Seymour's face hardened, but his voice was calm.
"What a pity. I would have enjoyed executing her for her witchcraft. The likes of her are an abomination to our Lord Yevon," he said with a shrug. "Tell me, lieutenant, dare I presume you have the brains to do anything right?"
The young man flinched slightly at the rebuke, but said nothing in response. Seymour contemplated viciously backhanding the lieutenant, for lack of anything better to do, when one of his captains came jogging up the hill.
"My lord Seymour, we've searched everywhere. The lady Yuna and that traitor Tidus are not to be found," he said, slightly out of breath.
Seymour swore through his teeth, delivering a swift kick at the captain's stomach.
"Imbecile!" he snapped. "Get your men out and hunt them down! None of you shall go home to your bastard children until my commands are carried out, understand? Go!"
The captain, biting back a groan of pain, limped away to summon the riders. Seymour watched him go with a grimly amused glint in his iron eyes. He did so enjoy this role of power.
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A few minutes after Tidus realized Yuna was asleep, he led the horse into a small clearing just off the path. Gently he pulled the slumbering girl from the saddle and lay her down in the moss beneath a tall tree, arranging her comfortably. The moss was so thick that it felt even more comfortable than an actual bed mattress. Tidus did not feel it was safe to build a fire, since he was not entirely certain how close behind the Yevonite Soldiers were.
In the silver light of dawn, Tidus sat down near Yuna's still form against the tree, quivering with anger. It was not fair. It was not fair that he and Yuna were alive, and decent people had been murdered no more than three hours ago in the name of a sham ceremony. The young man closed his eyes to fight the images engraved eternally in his memory, and in doing so he fell asleep against his will. He had meant to keep watch while Yuna slept on, but his mind was exhausted from the night's events. It was too much for him to handle at the moment.
His head drooped, and his eyelids closed. Thus he was embraced by the sweet darkness of unconsciousness.
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Only love can defeat evil.
Tidus' eye flew open as his dream faded away.
"Mother . . ." he whispered, wiping his upper lip with the back of his hand. He was sweating, shaking. Desperately he tried to recall the rest of that dream, but nothing came to him. He could remember not a single detail other than the last few moments of it.
"Tidus?" Yuna murmured, opening her mismatched eyes. Tidus jumped with a start and looked down at her, a foot away from him. Her face was drowsy, but she was coming more and more awake as the seconds flew by. It was hard to believe that not long ago her tranquil face had been twisted with anguished grief.
"Did I wake you up?" he asked, sitting upright from the tree trunk.
"I heard you mention your mother," she replied, yawning. She too sat up, stretching. Morning dew clung to her hair and eyelashes. "I suppose we should be moving off anyway."
"Agreed."
"Did you get enough sleep?"
"For now, at least. We should hurry up. I don't want to stay here too long."
She nodded and rose to her feet with him, and waited patiently as he mounted the grazing mare. He pulled her up behind him, and the two of them set off down the dusty trail once again.
As his mind wandered lazily, Tidus suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Yuna at the hot springs, seconds before they heard the sounds of attack. His face burned. Had it not been for those screams piercing the night, who knows what he would have said to Yuna?
"If I had known, I would have taken you in a second."
The young man was glad he had never finished that sentence, even though he wished anything but the screams and explosions had interrupted them. He was mortified that he could have said such things to Yuna, and was thankful that the subject would likely not return.
He felt close to Yuna, as if there was no gap between them. It is hard for two people to go through an experience like that and not emerge as close friends.
Perhaps more.
There was no doubt in Tidus' mind that he felt something for the young woman that reached beyond simple friendship. Whether it was just a powerful attraction or a heightened sense of protectiveness, he could not tell. All he knew was that he could not stand the idea of Yuna making this journey alone. He could not stand the idea of her being captured and tortured, then given to Sin like the other chosen ones before her.
"What's wrong?" Yuna asked, cutting into his thoughts. "You've gone so rigid."
"Uh, nothing," he stammered uncomfortably. "I just, um . . . have a sore back."
Brilliant work, Sir Tidus.
Yuna fell silent, after voicing a moue of sympathy. Tidus felt like kicking himself for such a lame response, but it was best to let the subject drop.
"Do you think the Yevonite Warriors are close behind?" she asked after a while of quiet riding. Tidus frowned thoughtfully.
"They could be. Then again, they might still be back at the village searching for us," he replied. Either way, he slightly increased the horse's speed.
"I hope Mistress Lulu and Captain Jardo made it out okay," she said softly, as if talking to herself.
"I'm sure they did. Jardo would never let anything happen to Lulu," Tidus replied cheerfully. "Even after all the wine he drank, there's no way he'd lie down and let the Yevonites hurt her."
Yuna giggled softly, though it was edged with bitterness. Nevertheless, it was a welcome sound after hearing her mournful cries. Tidus smiled at the memory of the drunken captain ambling around, blinking slowly and muttering under his breath about 'damn breeches, always chafing'.
For some time, Tidus allowed his mind to wander, remaining careful to keep one ear open for any sounds of danger. Yuna too seemed off in her own thoughts.
What a pity that such a task was brought down on two young people who never really had a chance to live before their time. The sad thing was knowing that if they failed, their names would be erased from history, and nobody would ever remember them or admire their efforts. The Children of Light ceremony would continue unchallenged. More and more people would die as years passed.
Tidus was suddenly aware of something wet on his back. It only took him a second to realize that it was Yuna's tears, as she struggled to stifle them between his shoulder blades. His heart ached for her.
He pulled the mare to an abrupt halt and dismounted swiftly. Yuna quickly wiped away her tears and then stared down at him, clearly puzzled.
"Why are we stopping?" she questioned.
"I think we deserve a quick vacation, don't you?" Tidus asked, bringing the joviality back to his tone. "Just one day of relaxation. We've been traveling hard for a while now. What do you say?"
Instantly a relieved smile graced her features. It was as if she's been straining a muscle inside, and suddenly released it. She slid down from the saddle and walked alongside Tidus into the forest as he led the horse after them. Tidus noticed she had a slight spring in her step once again, and was careful to do the same. Half of him was sighing with frustration at himself, saying that they should continue moving ahead in case the Yevonites are close behind. But the other half, the half he felt more inclined to obey, wanted nothing more then to sit down and unwind. He was tired of the gruelling mission. He was tired of long rides and short rests. He was tired of seeing the pain in Yuna's eyes.
They moved deep into the woods, careful to remember landmarks that would lead them back to the trail. The forest was dense, and the going was somewhat slow, but Tidus could already feel the stress leaving him. He heard the sound of running water.
At last they found a good site to rest at. It was a deep rocky pool with a tall waterfall cascading into it. The area around it was mossy, lush and green, with an almost rain forest-like quality. Yuna voiced a soft laugh of wonder, approaching the rocky pool with a sort of reverence. Truly, it was a beautiful setting.
Tidus' eyes lingered on Yuna's bare legs and slender curves as he absently tied the horse to a low-hanging branch. She was still wearing the short brown dress given to her back at Cedrann. It revealed more of her body than Tidus was used to seeing, even though he himself had been the one to change her clothes after being attacked from the fiend and getting his own blood on her. Like a gentleman he had focused his attention away from her breasts and smooth flat stomach.
It didn't hurt to look, right?
However, he quickly averted his gaze when Yuna glanced back at him over her shoulder. When he looked back, he saw with surprise the same playful grin she had given him when they were dancing at the Festival of Brenjaka. It was most enticing.
Without warning Yuna launched herself forward, diving head first into the pristine waters of the rock pool. Tidus smiled at her fun and moved to stand at the edge to wait for her.
After a few moments, it struck Tidus as very odd that for some reason Yuna had not yet risen. He frowned and leaned over the water to look for her dark form, but he found nothing. Dropping to his knees, his eyes desperately continued to search for her.
"Yuna?" he called nervously.
He did not have time to pull back before a glistening body shot upwards from the once mirror-like surface, before two arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down into the water.
He had closed his eyes. He opened them now and found himself staring into two mischievous bicoloured eyes, so very close to his. She was smiling at him impishly, holding him close to her as the two of them sank further down, keeping her forehead resting lightly against his. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest, and he slowly slipped his arms around her middle. Their legs were pressed against each other, their ankles intertwined. Her cinnamon brown hair floated ethereally independent from her head, swirling around Tidus' face.
When he somehow managed to tear his gaze from hers, Tidus realized with a start that the rocky pool's depths were very different deeper down.
They were surrounded on all sides by walls of bright crystals, pale purple and white, catching the faded shafts of sunlight that filtered down to their level. Tidus stared wondrously at the jewelled world he had plunged into. It was beautiful, beyond beautiful. The reflected light fell over himself and Yuna, and Tidus could not help but turn to face her again. She was alight with dream-like majesty, mystical in the glow of the amethysts.
Had he been physically able to do so under water, Tidus would have gasped at the sight of her, immortalized in his memory. She stared back at him, her wide mismatched eyes shimmering.
He was sorry to leave that scene, but Tidus was suddenly aware of his overpowering need for oxygen. At the same moment, he and Yuna kicked up from the bottom of the pool and emerged gulping the air. Tidus pulled himself up out of the water and collapsed onto the soft moss, panting. Yuna fell next to him on her back, staring hazily up at the morning sky. She was still beautiful, adorned with beads of water as her wet hair clung to her face and neck.
"I needed this," she said softly, breathing heavily. Tidus rolled onto his back as well, conveniently forgetting to be angry with her for worrying him.
"We both did," he replied.
Some time later Yuna stood up and retrieved their haversacks, which Lulu had restocked before the attack. It still confused Tidus. Had Mistress Lulu known her people would be ambushed? Had she somehow foreseen the tragedy, but did nothing to warn the villagers?
Yuna sat down cross-legged next to Tidus and handed him a slice of bread with a hunk of cheese, as well as some salted pork. He accepted gratefully and tore into it, growling animal-like. She giggled and did the same, snarling as she shoved the food into her mouth.
"So . . . what do you plan to do after you defeat Sin?" Tidus asked suddenly. His own question surprised him. He had no idea where it came from. Yuna paused and blinked at him, taken aback.
"I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead, I suppose," she said thoughtfully. "I suppose I could go back to Besaid, and get a place of my own. I've always wanted to live right on the beach. I had to spend nearly all of my time in the temple, and if I ever got to go anywhere, I always had to be accompanied. I almost never had a moment to myself," she said slowly, absently. Then she shook her head, as if clearing unwanted thoughts, and turned to face her companion, who lay on his side propped up on one elbow.
"What about you? What are your plans for the future?"
For a moment, Tidus considered telling her, "I plan on having you move in with me in my house on the beach. I'll give you as much alone time as you want. You can go out on the beach any time of the day."
Instead, he replied, "I have no idea. I could go back to Besaid and get a job coaching blitzball to the kids. Maybe I'll move back to Zanarkand. We'll see what happens."
Yuna nodded understandingly and rose to untie the mare so that she could drink from the pool. Tidus watched her silently. He watched as Yuna smiled at the horse, leading her with ease over the mossy terrain, speaking softly to the animal. He watched the sunlight glinting off her damp hair, lighting up her jewelled eyes.
'There is no way I am in love with her,' he thought suddenly, almost desperately. 'No way in Spira, after less than a week of knowing her. I can't be in love all of a sudden.'
Why, then, could he so readily imagine living with her in his house on the beach?