Disclaimer:

As usual, please be aware that I do not own the rights to FFX, nor do I represent Square-Enix in any way. I would like to thank them, however, for creating FFX and giving me the inspiration with which to belt out perverted fantasies such as what you’re about to read here. Even though I’m, like, 99% sure this is NOT how they wanted their characters to be appreciated.

The Scent of his Mate

Part 6

The Hunger of his Mate

How long had it been since Tidus had discreetly strayed away from the camp? Twenty minutes? Thirty? Yuna and her remaining guardians weren’t exactly sure, but when the solemn quietness surrounding their campfire circle was suddenly broken by a bestial roar echoing off in the distance, they soon realized that both Tidus and Kimahri had been gone long enough for it to be worrisome. Alarmed by the thought that their missing companions might be out there facing a savage fiend on their own, the group hastily gathered their weapons and marched off in the general direction that sound had come from.

“Hey! Tidus! ‘Mhari!” Rikku called out, neglecting to pronounce the “K” in the Ronso’s name, partly due to her odd habit of nicknaming others and partly because vowels simply carried better when yelling. “We heard something! Are you guys okay?”

The dead lands surrounding the ancient city of Zanarkand, however, were now just as eerily silent as before. There was no response from either of their missing companions, which only served to heighten their concern. If any violence had befallen their friends, it may have already happened, too quickly for the group to be able to save them. Luckily, the path Tidus had traversed was a simple one to follow, as the Zanarkian sports shoes he wore had left fresh and distinctive prints in the still, desiccated earth beneath them. Hurriedly, they followed the direction they lead toward.

“Yo!” Wakka’s voice shot out. “You guys hearin’ us? Make some noise or somethin’!”

Regrettably, the expanse of this area was largely uneven. Seemingly infinite numbers of tall dune ridges packed tightly together made it impossible to see much in any direction. All that stood out clearly was the mass of tall, ruined Zanarkian architecture looming above the horizon. Another moment passed, and just as the group was about to call out again they heard, very faintly, the sound of a human voice.

“…ang tight a few… be… in a sec!” While difficult to make out, that voice unmistakably belonged to Tidus.

“What?” Yuna called out as the group closed in on the muffled voice.

“I said… we’ll be with… a sec!” As difficult as it was to hear what he was saying with the sound echoing oddly off the multiple pits and ridges, it was clear that the pitch in his voice had a panicked tone to it. Mildly alarmed by this, they sped up.

“Are you okay? Is Kimahri with you?”

“…ine! Don’t come…!” As the distance between them reduced, his voice became a little clearer, as did the sound of some rustling.

“We heard a fiend or something… you guys all right?” Rikku called out as she and the others ascended to the crest of a small dune, and in doing so, managed finally to come within clear earshot.

“Put… put on your pants!!” Despite that it had been spoke in a sharp hiss, Tidus’ voice was now explicitly clear from behind the ridge just ahead. And it was because they’d heard it so clearly that Yuna, Rikku, Wakka, Lulu and Auron all stopped at once.

“……pants?” Rikku quietly echoed after a moment, looking back over at Wakka, who bore an expression of confusion that was evenly matched with her own.

“Or… loincloth! Whatever!” Tidus’ distraught voice once again yawped out just ahead. Puzzlement washed over the group like a wave, and they spent only a few seconds exchanging befuddled glances.

“Loincl… what?” Confusion gave way back to concern, and Rikku marched forth, quickly descending the short dune and ascending the last one that stood between her and a proper glimpse as to what on earth was happening on the other side.

“Wait, no! Don’t…!” Tidus urgently cried out as Rikku’s head peered out from over the crest of the hill…

********

“Put… put on your pants!!” Scrambling with a speed as if possessed, Tidus grabbed at the various pieces of discarded clothing that typically served to cover his Ronso lover’s nether regions. Had he been less alarmed, he might have appreciated the irony that it was he who had, moments ago, stripped Kimahri of them with great enthusiasm. Hastily, he gathered the red belting, the green decorated cloth and the torn, white loinwrap and held them out to the Ronso.

Contrasting sharply with the human’s excessive sense of urgency was the Ronso’s complete lack of it. Suddenly cold and impassive, Kimahri simply stood there, arms crossed, staring down and meeting the look of desperation in Tidus’ eyes with a stolid gaze of his own. It almost reminded the human of their first encounter, where Tidus had gazed, both with wonder and fear, upon what was then an alien creature… and Kimahri had stared back at Tidus, seemingly aloof and indifferent. Right now, on his clawed, digitigrade feet he similarly remained unmoving, his composure firm with his emblematic poise and dignity… which was rather impressive a demeanour to be emanating, considering that his bits were hanging out freely and openly.

“Kimahri… does not wear pants.” Was his quiet and emotionless reply. The human was slightly taken aback by Kimahri’s deadpan response. Was the Ronso trying to be funny?? And NOW, of all times?

“Or… Loincloth! Whatever!” he hissed while insistently jabbing Kimahri in the chest with his own wardrobe.

Despite this, Kimahri continued to simply stare at him. The look in Tidus’ eyes spoke volumes about the panic he felt, his eyes wide open in fear about the possibility of being “caught”. Ever since the mateship with Kimahri had begun, Tidus had been in a state of constant worry about what might happen if anyone ever discovered that he had engaged in carnal, lustful acts with the creature before him. Even his own self, who’d committed these forbidden acts, had taken a considerable amount of time to wrap his head around the concept that he was genuinely attracted to this potent and strapping blue beast.

He’d spent the last three weeks being halfway in denial, partially disgusted with himself for enjoying it every single time the lusty Ronso clamped his forceful arms around him and acquainted him with his primal carnality… not only showing him what true, raw animal lust was like, but instilling it in him as well. If it had taken him up until now to stop being ashamed of that, then how could anyone else be expected to understand?

Although he’d only known Yuna, Wakka, Rikku and Lulu for about two months now, he’d already formed a strong bond of friendship with all of them, growing closer with them than anyone else back home. Within this short amount of time, they had become almost like family to him. If they ever found a method to return him back to the Zanarkand he’d known, he wasn’t so sure that he would actually WANT to go back if it meant leaving them. It terrified the young blitzball ace to think that if they ever found out about this, found out about his dirty little secret… found out what he was REALLY like… they would be completely reviled by it… that they’d denounce and reject him completely, washing their hands of any connections with this deviant little human they had befriended.

Of course there had been times when Tidus both hoped and imagined that this wouldn’t be the case at all. After all, he was a stranger within Spira, its culture still largely foreign to him. This kind of… “relationship” would have been completely unheard of - hell, downright abhorrent in Zanarkand. Yet, maybe, just maybe here in Spira, it was different. With the many different sentient races that made up its populace getting along seemingly fine with little prejudice or sectarian conflict, perhaps… a relationship such as theirs wouldn’t be construed as an abomination.

This world, with its natural laws, its character and its contents was something that would have been considered nothing but fantasy in Zanarkand. So maybe… this particular fantasy would be acceptable. Perhaps people, most importantly his friends, would simply respond to it the same way they would any other relationship, and accept it at face value… although Tidus had absolutely no way of knowing that seeing as how he’d never inquired to them about attitudes regarding interspecies relations within Spira. And for the past three weeks, he’d WANTED to ask, but his own neurotic paranoia about being discovered stopped him from doing so, fearing that that line of questioning would make others suspect something.

However, right now with the other guardians about to pop over the dune any second and see them in such a compromising position, those innumerable ifs, buts and maybes flew right out the window as panic seized him. There would be questions as to why Kimahri’s lower half was exposed in all its glory and why Tidus happened to be the one holding the missing coverings. Attempting to conjure up a logical explanation that didn’t hint toward the fantastic blowjob he’d just given the Ronso was going to be tricky to say the least, and therefore something he desperately wanted to avoid.

But for all these underlying concerns, what was really, REALLY on Tidus’ mind at this particular moment in time was the question: Why in hell, at this crucial moment, was Kimahri refusing to take his clothes and put them back on?!

Staring up into those golden-yellow orbs, Tidus got no answer to that question; Kimahri’s stoic, unflappable expression was all that met the shaken human. Mere seconds had passed, although with his heart beating madly as it was, the moment felt as if stilled in time. The Ronso's response was unusual, as over the past few weeks of their affair, Tidus had become intimately familiar with Kimahri and he’d been privileged with clandestine insight into the Ronso’s more emotive self. Even at times when Kimahri would be acting cold on the surface, Tidus could still pick up on the some subtle little hints that indicated what the Ronso was really feeling. Some of from simple observation, but the majority of it via their ethereal mating bond.

At this exact moment, however, Kimahri’s face betrayed absolutely nothing about his thoughts or motives. While they stood there, with the seconds passing like hours, Tidus continued to stare up at the Ronso. His dread over being caught began to dissipate, replaced instead with the apprehensive and uncomfortable feeling of his mate's emotions being abruptly cut off from him.

Then finally… and for a split-second, a flash crossed Kimahri’s visage just before he suddenly snatched his garments from Tidus’ hands. He took a step back in surprise when the Ronso, with his normal vacant expression firmly plastered on his face again, slipped the loincloth back into place. Though it had happened only in the slightest fraction of time, Tidus has seen… sensed something exuding from his mate, and it was something new. Something he hadn’t seen, nor felt before.

“Loinclo… what??”

Just then, the voice and approaching footsteps snapped him back to the present and alerted him to the presence of his friends, now at the dune just behind them. Instantly, his fear and panic both returned and reached zenith as Tidus spun around to yelp out.

“Wait, no! Don’t…!” He barked urgently as Rikku’s head peered out from just over the crest of the hill. Instantly, he snapped his neck back to Kimahri and…

Holy… wow. With arms crossed again, the Ronso stood there with his loincloth right back in its proper place. It wasn’t a perfect arrangement, as the green cloth was slightly tousled and the red rope had been tied together in a rather simple knot, rather than the more elegant ribbon he usually tied it in. Considering that no more than three seconds could have passed between the time Tidus had looked away and then back again, though… He had certainly known the Ronso was nimble despite his bulky size, but somehow, Kimahri never failed to impress him.

“Man, the heck you two been?” Wakka’s Besaidian accent brought Tidus’ faltering attention back to the group as he and the rest of the gang strode into view. Tidus stammered a little.

“Oh! Just, y’know. Just, ah, taking a walk… Scoping out the area.” Which wasn’t entirely untrue, he reasoned with himself.

“We heard some kind of roaring.” Rikku added, her head turning about as she scanned warily across the area, her focus gratefully not on the two of them. “Was there a fiend? Did you guys see it?”

“Oh,” Tidus spoke slowly, praying that he didn’t look half as nervous as he felt. “Yeah, roaring. I, uh, I heard that, too. Didn’t see any fiends, though.” He turned to Kimahri. “Did you?” he asked, playing innocent and hoping the Ronso would go along.

Still cross armed and stoic, Kimahri continued to stand there silently. As that was his typical behaviour, the rest of the team simply interpreted that as a “no”.

“That’s not good,” the Al Bhed girl continued. “Whatever it was, it sounded huge.” Tidus lowered his head slightly, hoping to God that his face wasn’t as red as he thought it was. “This area wasn’t supposed to be inhabited by anything. If we’re wrong, and we make camp here tonight…”

“Regardless, you shouldn’t have gone off this far,” Auron sharply addressed the Zanarkian boy and the Ronso.

“Well… wasn’t that far.” Tidus mumbled back indignantly. “Besides, you said…”

“Even I can’t be completely sure of awaits us. And this far into the pilgrimage, we can’t afford to be careless,” Auron interrupted him, his expression grim.

“We were worried.” Yuna finally chimed in, her soft voice filled with concern. “We thought something might have happened to you two.”

Tidus sighed.