In this installment of "Walking Simulator: Spira Edition", Cloud wonders over his crush. It doesn't go well.

Chapter Twelve

Tidus faded in and out of consciousness, unaware if he was awake or dreaming. Vivid images swam through his mind: a campfire, three figures, moving across a yellow sky and being rocked gently. Cloud was nowhere to be seen; yet rather than panic, he remained calm. Cloud was nearby, he could feel it. The other man wouldn't have left him.

Eventually, voices mingled with the images. Quiet and harsh whispers that were garbled to his ears. The image of a red-haired woman appeared in his mind's eye; she was mouthing something to him, but his head was too heavy and he couldn't concentrate enough to understand. Blackness enveloped him soon after.

Awakening underneath the black, starless sky, Tidus hazily stared ahead. Pain coursed through his body; his limbs felt like they were on fire, and his head ached fiercely. A low groan left his lips and, within seconds, someone was standing above him. It took Tidus several seconds of staring incomprehensibly to realize who it was. "Cloud" he murmured softly, his eyes tearing up, both from the pain and the effort it took to focus on the other man.

Cloud stared down at him, relief and worry etched across his face. At the sound of his name, the other man smiled gently at him. "I'm here." Was all he said.

Tidus smiled back, blinking away tears. He swallowed dryly, then asked, "Where are we?" He winced at how hoarse his voice sounded and was extremely grateful when Cloud brought him a water skin. Gently, he cradled Tidus' head and brought the skin to his lips. Tidus drank greedily, having not realized how great his thirst was. Drinking too fast, he sputtered and began coughing. Cloud pulled the water skin away immediately, and shifted his arms to bring Tidus' upper body onto his lap.

"You drank too fast," he explained, chiding gently, "I thought you would've known better."

Tidus, when his coughing fit subsided, grinned weakly. "You know me, thinking doesn't come to me that easily."

Cloud snorted, rolling his eyes and looking away. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before giving his head a shake and looking back, meeting Tidus' gaze once more.

"We got separated from the others after the battle," He explained, answering Tidus' earlier question, "Unfortunately, you were injured during the fall, after the cliff collapsed, and I carried you as far as I was able. Fortunately, we were found and given help."

He gestured away from them, towards the glow of the campfire, where Tidus could see figures sitting beside it. He blinked back more tears, the strain of concentrating getting too hard for him. Cloud, immediately noticing, laid him back down.

"You should get more rest. I'll explain more in the morning, OK?"

Tidus nodded, then winced at the movement. As Cloud turned to go, sudden terror gripped his heart and he called out.

"Wait!"

Cloud stopped, turning back.

Tidus blushed from the attention, "Stay with me?" He asked shyly, before cursing silently. He was an adult, why was he calling out, asking Cloud to stay like he was a child?

Cloud's eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded. "Okay."

Tidus' eyes snapped back at him. "Oh. Okay." He said dumbly. He tried not to flush too badly as Cloud repositioned himself, sitting down at Tidus' side. He turned his scarlet face away from the other man. What is wrong with me?! Tidus thought. He closed his eyes and tried to settle down, trying to ignore Cloud and his own, swirling thoughts.

Cloud stayed with Tidus until the younger man finally drifted off to sleep, then got up and, quietly, made his way back to the campfire. Of their hosts/rescuers, only one remained awake. Lucil glanced up as he approached, nodding. Her red hair spilled out across her shoulders and down her back, partially covering the purple leather armor she wore.

"How is he?" She asked as he sat down. Her group had found them along the road, both unconscious, and had brought them into their care without hesitation, a fact that Cloud was eternally grateful for. He had awoken a couple days before and had regained most of his strength in that time, earning himself the surprise and respect of their saviors.

"Conscious and breathing, or was. I gave him some water, explained what happened and sent him to bed. I'll check the full extent of his injuries in the morning; he had trouble sitting up and swallowing."

Lucil hummed in confirmation, choosing to remain silent otherwise. She looked back into the flames. Cloud had studied her long enough to recognize that she was deep in thought. He drew his head back to stare into the starry sky, reflecting. Lucil had told him that she and her companions, members of a warrior group called the Chocobo Knights, had been summoned to Djose by the Church. When Cloud had learned that, coincidentally, Djose would be the next stop on Yuna's Pilgrimage, he agreed to accompany them.

While Tidus had been unconscious, Cloud busied himself with thinking over and dissecting the fateful battle that had led to their situation. The others had distanced themselves sufficiently from the edge of the cliff; none of them should have fallen with them. Indeed, Cloud was certain of this because he had found no bodies in the rubble.

Afterwards, when Cloud had fallen asleep, he dreamt of Aerith and Sephiroth both; their visages haunting him like always. Occasionally, Zack was with them, drenched in blood and riddled with bullet holes. Their personal details, like their faces or names, faded in and out of memory whether he was awake or sleeping. The headaches that had been plaguing Cloud since his arrival continued unabated. There were entire days when he couldn't remember much of his own past, but said nothing of this to his companions, much less Tidus. He didn't want to burden the younger man with his struggles.

For several days the troupe trekked onwards, dealing with the Sinspawn that crossed their paths, along the way. Tidus, still weak from his injuries, rode with Lucil upon her Chocobo, alongside the other Knights: Elma, a young woman, and Clasko, a young man. Cloud followed the others on foot, steadily jogging to keep pace.

The days passed, each the same as before: during the day, the Chocobos would set the pace as they traveled, dealing with Sinspawn. At night, they rested, Cloud tending to Tidus' injuries, which only consisted of angry, red gashes along his arms and legs, and a diminishing fever. Thankfully, the Knights had an abundance of supplies for Cloud to use without limit.

The cuts had gradually faded over the days, healing at a faster rate than Cloud at seen. Originally, he chalked it up to a combination of Tidus' immune system and the medications. Yet when Lucil and the others also expressed their shock at how quickly the other man had recovered, Cloud became suspicious. It was one thing to believe that Tidus, or Spirans in general, had an advanced immune system. But with that theory discarded, Cloud wondered privately what it meant. His thoughts flew back to his conversation with Auron in Lucca, about the supposed divine implications behind their mission. Was Tidus healing faster because of divine aid? The thought, Cloud admitted begrudgingly, was comforting; however, he wasn't about to throw himself, or Tidus, into danger to test it.

After Tidus' fever broke, the young man reverted to his usual chipper self. Without his injuries or illness requiring that he remain mounted, Tidus walked with Cloud, side by side, refusing on several occasions to ride a Chocobo instead. Despite his initial misgivings, Cloud remained silent when the Knights argued with Tidus over using a mount, despite his recovery. This, at least in Cloud's eyes, made him more endeared to the other man, as Tidus frequently kept him company.

As time went on, Cloud's misgivings evaporated and he allowed himself to loosen up a tiny bit. Rather than remain quiet as usual, Cloud often joined in on the banter between Tidus and Clasko, his snark and sarcasm more than a match for the younger men. Plenty of times the two would work together to make fun of Cloud, only for the older man to turn the tables on them, to their chagrin. Their antics amused Lucil and Elma, and the two often joined in on ribbing their younger companions.

The night before they reached the Djose shore, Cloud reflected on the journey so far. Never before could he remember, loath as he was to admit it, having that much fun with any companions he had. Sure, he and Tifa always played off each other, with Aerith joining in. Yet, this felt different. In what way, Cloud didn't know. Perhaps it lay in the difference of how much danger they were in? The threats of Sinspawn aside, Sin itself, while a long-term threat to Spira, was no Sephiroth; it was no megalomaniac with a god complex trying to destroy the world. The threat of Sephiroth looming over the heads of Cloud and his companions made their conversations brief and their laughter feel shrill.

The next day was promising; according to Lucil, they would reach Mushroom Rock that morning. "It marks the beginning of the Djose shoreline," She explained, "We will have to part there, but if you continue down the path, you'll reach Djose itself by the afternoon. You can stay within the Temple until Lady Yuna arrives."

Cloud nodded in affirmation, a melancholic weight settling in his chest. He would miss their new companions, he realized, a feeling that hadn't struck him since leaving behind Tifa and his hometown in his endeavor to become a SOLDIER. He glanced to Tidus, gauging the younger man's emotions in response, to find relief. It made sense, Cloud thought, after all, Tidus had been getting closer to Yuna during their journey. Of course, he would wish to return to her sooner rather than later.

A feeling of bitterness overcame Cloud's melancholy as he pondered the nature of Tidus' relationship with Yuna. Were they only friends or was there something more? In the past, when he remained conscious, Cloud noticed the pair spending more and more time together. Yuna's eyes tended to linger over Tidus after their conversations, or even on the rare days they never spoke. Yet Cloud could not remember a time when Tidus did the same.

A headache formed as Cloud deliberated whether or not Tidus desired Yuna romantically. The headache continued to get worse as he pondered over his interactions with Tidus. Recently, Tidus was quieter than usual; Cloud had originally chalked it up to their eventual departure from the Chocobo Knights and returning to their own companions. Yet, if Tidus was feeling relieved about leaving their new companions behind, then, naturally, he would be desperate to return to the others. To Yuna. Or, could it be something else? Or, was Cloud simply overreading the whole situation?

Cloud groaned aloud in frustration, angrily kicking a rock in his path down the road. The source of his internal anguish raised an eyebrow at him.

"You feeling OK, Cloud?" asked Tidus, concerned.

Cloud shook his head, both in answer and to dispel his thoughts.

"Headache." He grumbled, shooting his companion a small glare.

Tidus nodded sympathetically, ignoring the glare, and returned his gaze to the road.

"You really think the others will be waiting for us at Djose?"

"We've been over this; if they're not there, then where else could they be? Djose is the next stop on the Pilgrimage, you heard Lucil, so unless they got there before us somehow…"

Tidus nodded; however, Cloud could tell it was just an automatic response. He groaned again in frustration at everything: Tidus, the Pilgrimage, his brain. Everything was set on causing him grief. His fixation on Tidus and Yuna's relationship and what it meant did not help anything.

It was all an enigma to him. Having feelings for someone else, Cloud reflected, was incredibly hard and vexing.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Lucil.

"We have arrived."