Lulu feels like a gigantic bruise. Indeed, her long sleeves and skirts cover a rainbow of them along her limbs and torso, the pleasant, still coolness of Macalania Woods numbing them somewhat. They've survived, escaped the Cloister, the wedding, the destruction of Home, the Via Purifico, and Yuna's first kiss, if Kimahri is to be believed. All Lulu wants is to lie down in her tent now.

The fire is a sultry temptation, keeping her awake with its dance, and the living heat of Wakka beside her keeps her from wanting to move. That and she's sore.

Heated words brought her out of her trance and she opened her eyes to watch Tidus, back turned to the fire, wriggling in agitation. He's gotten worked up over something again, though he and Yuna had been uncharacteristically serene earlier that evening.

It feels good to hear him be so petty, so young, alive. Even if she doesn't approve of some of his language.

"I swear if I ever see that ugly, stupid-haired guy again I'm going to punch him in the face. I almost hope he hurries it up and gets here, but he's probably still trying to get his hair out of that dumb hat."

Yuna hums, looking dejected. Lulu knows she hasn't yet thoroughly opened up all those wounds yet, irrigated them and exposed them to open air. Tomorrow, perhaps, after rest and breakfast, and a little more time.

"I'm more worried about Yevon coming after us than the Guado," Rikku says, shivering exaggeratedly beside him. "After everything they've done, I don't want to know what they'll do when they catch us."

"Well, they won't. The church officials are all out of shape, anyway. I'd be more worried about the Guado… and their creepy mole fingers."

"Tidus." Auron flatly scolds him from his resting place against a tree, removed from the huddle around the fire.

Tidus looks a little repentant. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just angry at them right now."

Rikku bit her lip, looking at Auron as the conversation lapsed, unsure if she should continue it or not. "But the church has all that scary machina."

The blond rolled his eyes and stretched out his legs, leaning back a little, rocking in agitation. Yuna's arm jerks, but Tidus hasn't forgotten the fire and straightens up before he can get too close to it. She still looked closely at the back of his head before settling back, confident he wasn't on fire.

"Yeah, all that nice, convenient machina that no one else is allowed to use," he said bitterly, his voice nearly unrecognizable. It dips when he's angry and she has to wonder how much of his self is a façade like Yuna's. "All that stuff they could be using to escape or defend themselves or make their lives a little less miserable. But no, the Church is the only ones allowed to use it, to kill people, the hypocritical motherfu—"

"Tiida!" The word is barked sharply, the tone familiar, bringing back memories of stolen sweets and dolls with terrible haircuts. But the word was foreign.

Tidus reacts like a scolded dog, shrinking a fingersbreadth into a crouch, shoulders rounding, but he looked back, petulantly, at Auron, and retorted:

"What? It's true."

"There is a time and a place for everything," the legendary guardian said, shaking his head, frustrated and amused at once.

Sir Auron's puppy looked from one face to the next, Wakka's discomfort and Yuna's wide eyes—Lulu isn't sure if she's ever heard a proper, strong swear in her life—and he nodded in understanding. "Not in mixed company, got it."

The legendary Guardian was smirking behind his collar as he got up and walked over to Kimahri. The two exchanged words and then walked off into the woods, but not so far that they couldn't be seen in the blue and amber glow of the Woods. Tidus let out his own grumble and scooted around so he was facing the fire, holding his hands out to it. The gloves were gone, giving her a rare glimpse at his bare hands. They looked oddly small without the bulky gloves, as if something had been amputated.

"Um," Rikku piped up once Auron had left the group with Kimahri. "So, what's Tiida?"

The other blond looked at her, reacting again with a start to the word. Lulu felt her suspicions were confirmed even before Tidus grinned and said: "Oh, that's me, that's my name."

Yuna blinked at him in surprise, looking at him as if she'd never seen him before. "But your name is Tidus… isn't it?"

The boy rubbed the back of his neck as he always did when he got embarrassed or uncomfortable. "Tidus is kind of a nickname, something my—Jecht called me. I guess all the trainers and agents at the Abes remembered that he called me that and thought it fit for a blitzball player."

Tidus has been conflicted since they found the sphere from Jecht. Even now, his eyes glistened suspiciously.

"Tidus… got something to do with the ocean, ya?" Wakka asked, proving that he wasn't actually asleep despite how oddly quiet he'd been. Agonizing over Yuna, perhaps, or the Church.

"Yeah, Jecht, hoped it would make me a better blitzer."

Yuna pursed her lips, watching sparks float up from the fire like short-lived pyreflies. It wasn't a huge revelation, but it was one all the same, and Lulu was grateful for the distraction. It did explain why Sir Auron was strangely averse to using his name, perhaps, something that had rubbed off on all of them.

"So, what does Tiida mean, then?" Lulu asked him.

"Sun," Tidus—or rather, Tiida, responded.

Rikku out a splutter of laughter, earning a little glare from the other blond, ready to defend himself against her ridicule. Was there something about the name that was shameful, that Jecht should replace it and Tiida hadn't told any of them about it before?

"No wonder your dad renamed you if your mom named you son! That's like if your dad was named Dad!"

Tiida let her laugh for a few moments, his expression still flat, and then, with the precision of a marksman, said: "You have a brother named Brother."

Rikku's laughter immediately died, her back going stiff. She stared expressionlessly into the flames, looking distraught. "….Oh yeah."

Now it was Yuna's turn to laugh, genuinely, and Lulu had to chuckle as well.

But Tidus wasn't done, his expression and voice brightening again as he waved a hand upward. "No, no, no! Sun. Like, you know, the heavenly body?"

Rikku repeated the term with a scrunched nose, but Yuna brightened, hands clasped excitedly. "Oh! What a coincidence! My name means 'moon'!"

Tiida grinned at her, apparently having not known the word before. He looked pleased at the revelation. "That's really cute, Yuna."

Lulu suspected he wanted to say something else.

"Oh great, two heavenly bodies," Rikku groaned in despair, then let out a yawn.

"Don't be jealous!"

"I'm not jealous, I have—"

"Don't even finish whatever you were gonna say, you're like ten."

"Hey, you can't just boss me around! I'll say whatever I want, Tiida."

Wakka stood abruptly, Lulu nearly sinking into his leg at the sudden loss of his presence. He stretched mightily, and she knew that was their cue to turn in for the night, Wakka having broken the spell. She shot him a look as she rose, too, though with more grace. She nodded wordlessly at him, her legs aching as she turned and hobbled—elegantly—back to her, Rikku, and Yuna's tent. Behind her, she heard Wakka ordering the children around.

"Alright, time for bed, you three. And, hey, I don't wanna hear no more talk about heavenly bodies tonight, ya?

AN: Little slice of life thing for my name headcanon for Tiida/Tidus. Hope you guys enjoyed! I am also on AO3 under the same username.