Two
"Wow! That was delicious!" Tidus said, leaning back in the barstool chair and stretching.
"Told you Barkeep can cook," Rikku said, giving the Hypello a wink. "I would show you to your bed now, but we're about to land the airship,"
"Land? Where are we?" Tidus asked, looking up to the skylight windows in the room, although it didn't matter; he had no idea where they were regardless.
"We're landing on Besaid Island. You kind of caught us at a good time. We've made a full circuit of rescuing refugees from around Spira, so now we're taking a break! We have good friends here on Besaid Island, and it's where Yuna is from. So we're just going to catch up with them, drop off some refugees, and then head to Luca for more fun," Rikku said excitedly, a smile pulling at her lips.
"Oh… kay… sounds fun? When will we ar…" The airship's sudden violent shaking interrupted Tidus' tentative tone, and he tumbled from the bar stool with a yelp. Rikku laughed at the clumsy boy, holding onto the bar with one hand and leaning down to help him up.
"We're arriving now," she said with a laugh, and helped him to his feet.
The water the airship perched atop was a brilliant sparkling azure, and the sky above matched with only few fluffy clouds in sight. Tidus followed Rikku through the warm, shallow water to the shore, where Brother, Gippal, Paine, Yuna, and a handful of refugees stood conversing with a few men in worn golden yellow uniforms.
"Come on Rikku, you're holding us up!" Brother called upon seeing his blond sister approach. Rikku rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.
"Come on Tidus," she said with a smile, grabbing his hand and accelerating toward the group. Tidus felt himself blush as Rikku laced her fingers through his, and it was a small miracle that he didn't trip and fall face first on the sand.
"Glad you could finally join us," Gippal murmured to Tidus and Rikku, eyeing their hands. Tidus nodded and smiled at him obliviously, to which Rikku held back a giggle. Gippal's face morphed to an obvious scowl, but before he could say anything the group began to move.
"Wakka's waiting for you! And so is the rest of the village, they've missed you so much," one of the men in uniform said, addressing Yuna, and then a few of the refugees.
"I can't wait to see him," Yuna said with a smile, clapping her hands together, while the refugees cheered in excitement about seeing their family and friends once again.
Tidus eyed the short haired girl as she and the refugees sped off eagerly down the path into the jungle. Something about her demeanor made him pause. He felt like he was familiar with her particular enthusiasm. The sparkle in her eye and the gentle determination of her voice struck him, and he could not understand why. Suddenly, he was pulled from his thoughts by a tugging at his hand.
"Come on cutie, do you want to fall behind the group?" Rikku said, looking up at him and batting her eyelashes. Her bright green eyes spun Tidus' mind in a completely different direction, and before he could work out what Rikku was implying, she gripped his hand tightly and began to run toward the forest path, giving Tidus no choice but to follow.
After at least half an hour of meandering through the tropical island forest, Tidus saw a clearing up ahead in the shadow of the trees. The group broke through it one by one, he and Rikku being the last to reach the sunlight once again. He shielded his eyes and saw a large dirt hill about fifty feet ahead, a good majority of the group almost to the top. He sighed, and noticed Rikku grinning at him.
"Let's have a race!" she said mischievously.
"A race?" Tidus sighed again. "I'm a little tir…"
"If you beat me I'll give you a kiss," Rikku said flirtatiously, stepping closer to the blond haired boy. He inhaled sharply; surprised that she was so relaxed about being this close to him. They had only met earlier that day, and even though he was grateful for her rescuing him, he didn't understand what Rikku could possibly see in him… he barely even knew himself! "Or are you not interested in a kiss?" Rikku said playfully, pouting her lips and widening her eyes, snapping Tidus out of his thoughts.
"No… I mean… I am interested…" Tidus fumbled for his words, not quite knowing how to respond.
"Great! Let's GO!" Rikku cheered excitedly, jumping away from him and racing toward the large hill. Tidus shook his head and chased after her, leaving his thoughts completely scattered for the moment.
Whatever Tidus had done before he had been rescued, it had put him in good health. He blitzed past Rikku as they approached the base of the hill, and managed to scale it a good fifteen seconds before Rikku reached the top.
"Now, what was that about kissing me if I won?" Tidus asked playfully, stretching his arms behind his head. Rikku smirked and pushed his chest gently.
"Who says you won? Maybe I let you win," she said, raising an eyebrow. The two stared into each other's eyes, considering who should make the first move. They slowly inched closer together, their lips nearly touching, when suddenly the ground shook and a piercing roar split the serene silence. The two teens were thrown apart onto the ground, and a small shower of dust and dirt clouded the air.
Tidus rubbed his eyes free of dirt, and opened them just in time to see a large, angry looking green lizard barreling toward him. He yelped and rolled out of the way, the creature snapping its jaws and screeching. Tidus searched for Rikku as the dust settled, not sure where she was and not sure what he should do. He searched around in vain for some sort of blunt object he could throw at the lizard, when suddenly the creature's beady eyes fixed on him. With another screech, it charged toward him, and Tidus could do nothing but back up on his behind through the dirt, bracing himself for the worst.
"YAAAAAAA!" a high-pitched girly voice screamed, followed by the sound of the creature's pitiful screeching. Tidus looked up to see Rikku balancing on the lizard's sloping back, two blades held in each of her hands stabbing the creature through it's back and neck. "We need to get you a weapon," she said with a smile, as the lizard began to fade into soft spheres of blue, white, and green light.
"A… weapon?" Tidus gulped, still in surprise about the events that had just transpired.
"Yeah," Rikku said, stepping toward him and kneeling down. She eyed his dusty clothes and then his arms. The blades in her hands seemingly disappeared, and she reached out to feel his biceps. "You look like you used to know a thing or two about fighting," she said smiling at him, her bangs falling into her face. Tidus blushed, and would have responded had he not been interrupted by Brother running toward them, frantically screaming in Al Bhed.
Tidus figured Rikku and Brother's conversation consisted of Brother's worry for Rikku's safety, and her reassuring him that she was okay and had handled the situation. Tidus stood up, approaching their animated discussion.
"Hey… hey… I'm okay, I'm okay!" He said, jokily trying to edge his way into the conversation. Rikku looked over at him and smiled, suddenly jumping up and throwing her arms around him.
"Of course you are! That's the second time I've saved you! At this rate, you're really going to owe me," Rikku said, leaning back and grinning playfully at him. Tidus froze, transfixed by the girl's smile and her arms and legs wrapped around his body. His moment was interrupted yet again, this time by more of Brother's shouting in Al Bhed. Rikku shouted something back at him over her shoulder and jumped down from Tidus's arms.
"Come on," she said, looking back at him. "We're almost there! No more lizard attacks, I promise!" she held her hand out to Tidus, and the two continued onward.
Author's Note: Ta-da! Brand new chapter! After five years' hiatus! Did you like it? Let me know! :P It's not especially long or action-packed, but I wanted to get it out here so everyone will believe me when I say I'm back! :P Please read and review! Much appreciated! Stay tuned for the next chapter, it will be longer and hopefully more exciting! :O Thank you everyone!