City of Fire

Chapter Nineteen

"Ilona"

"So, tell me a little bit about yourself, Tidus." Ilona asked as they walked up the sidewalk. He shrugged a shoulder, his spiky hair bobbing.

"There's not really that much to tell," he replied and she glowered at him. Raising his hands in surrender he grinned at her. "Okay, okay," his grin turned into a smirk, "I never thought a girl would be that interested in me." She reached up and smacked him on the arm and he chuckled but started talking. "Well, I was born in Din's City. My mum was a jeweler and my pop was a blacksmith." They paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green.

"Sound's interesting." Ilona commented. Tidus glanced down at her.

"It is," he persisted and Ilona grinned slightly. The crosswalk turned green and they started out across the street. "Anyway, they got married, had kids and I volunteered to scout out the next Dominus. Who knew I'd be a Fire Guardian?"

"Kids?" Ilona asked and Tidus halted. Ilona did as well, watching him in puzzlement. Sorrow crossed his face before he could hide it but he only nodded his head.

"Yeah, kids." His tone was low, quiet and Ilona knew that she'd struck a nerve.

"Tidus?" Ilona asked but he shook his head.

"Forget it, let's talk about something else." Tidus started walking again and after a moment Ilona followed.

"Okay, how do you get your hair to look like that?" Ilona asked while pointing and Tidus glanced down at her sharply.

"I told you! It's just natural!" He barked and Ilona laughed.

"Sure it is," she chuckled and Tidus rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, I knew I should have volunteered for something else." He grumbled but she knew by the faint light in his eyes that he was only joking.

"Hmm, sure you would have," she ignored the glare he gave her and reaching up tapped his arm with the tattoo on it with her finger. "What are these for?"

"Our tattoos?" He asked while studying his arm. She nodded and he shrugged his shoulders again. "We get them going through a ceremony." He replied and she arched a brow.

"A ceremony?" He bobbed his head in answer.

"We're usually born with half of the tattoo anyway, but when we get around twelve we go through the ceremony." The hospital appeared on the horizon and Ilona grunted her response. "It teaches us to control our powers, our tempers." He corrected and Ilona stared at him.

"What happened to you then?" She asked with a mocking grin and he rolled his eyes.

"Very funny," he retorted and she chuckled.

"I laughed," she answered and dodging cars she headed up the steps to the hospital. Tidus wasn't far behind her and she entered the hospital. The smell of sterile equipment hit her full force and she bit her lip but crossed the lobby towards the reception desk.

"What can I do for you?" The woman asked without taking her eyes off of her computer screen.

"Um, I'm here to see Darius Moon, I'm his niece, Ilona Moon. I was here last night." Ilona said and the nurse flicked her eyes to her and Tidus before gluing them back to the computer screen.