Eternal Love (Final Fantasy X/X-2)

Chapter 15: Temple of Woe

Upon arriving in Bevelle, Yuna and her entourage had checked into the Clement Inn and agreed to meet in the conference room, once they'd all had a chance to unpack what they'd brought on such short notice.

The building's interior was bright and clean, but nothing extravagant. Most of the inns in Bevelle consisted of practical, business-like settings. There were only a few upscale ones peppered across the city. Yuna had never stayed in one of them, nor did she have a desire to either. A warm, cozy atmosphere was more to her liking. And to Yuna's delight, the room Tidus had snagged for them possessed some of that homely charm she absolutely loved. Aside from the few Yevon symbols adorning the walls, the soft peach and honey-colored décor gave her a sense of comfort in a city that made her gut wrench with dread.

Tidus dumped their duffel-bags onto the queen-sized bed and began to rummage through the contents. "Geez, how much did you pack? I thought we were only staying the night."

This wasn't the first time she'd gone overboard packing. For some reason it was a tough habit for her to break. And considering the lopsided grin on Tidus' face, he seemed to know that very well from the couple times they'd stayed over in Kilika not long after his return.

Yuna remained quiet while she helped him sort through their personal belongings, the surveillance footage still foremost on her mind. This meeting was important though. They had to prepare accordingly before confronting what she hoped wasn't an all-powerful version of Yevon. She didn't want to waste any time either. And her fiancé must've suspected as much from how quickly he'd unpacked their overnight bags before hurrying with her out the door.

Surprisingly, they were the first to arrive in the conference room. Yuna had expected Baralai and Paine to be waiting for them inside. It was highly unusual for the couple to be late to any engagement. Then again, the austere pair had been made to wait for the ex-summoner and her fiancé on more than one occasion, leading Yuna to believe they were purposely taking their time for once.

The room had a very professional feel to it with cool taupe-colored walls, a geometric-patterned carpet, and soft lighting. A long, black table was situated directly in the middle, surrounded by twelve, office chairs that looked like they were upholstered with the same black pleather used in Rin's Waffle House. Vibrant plants that reached all the way to the ceiling, sat in the four corners of the room, breathing some much needed life into what Yuna had otherwise found to be such a stuffy space.

"Wow..." Tidus sat in one the cushy, office chairs, leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head, and propped his feet up on the table. "This place sure is nice."

Yuna skewered him with a glower. "Yes, it is. And I doubt they'll appreciate your dirty shoes on their expensive furniture."

And just like that, his feet were back on solid ground. "Sorry." Tidus gave a sheepish grin then toyed with a pen on the table—a pensive look now washing over his face. "I, uh... I wanna apologize for earlier."

Taking a seat next to him, Yuna rested her elbow on the table then set her chin in her hand, watching him intently as he searched for the right words.

"I shouldn't have spoken to you like that on the airship. And I said some things... Some things I shouldn't have... I wasn't trying to minimize the pain you went through when I was gone. I just wanted you to know where I was coming from."

"I understand... And you've already apologized once."

Tidus' eyes met hers, and they were full of remorse. "That wasn't good enough. I should know better than to upset you in your condition. And...and I... Ugh..." Tossing the pen aside, Tidus buried his face into his hands and released a frustrated groan. "I've been such a selfish jerk!"