Tyki had missed Zechs as much as Zechs had missed him. In fact, for him it had been even longer, though he'd been unconscious for a lot of it. When he'd realized how long it had been, in fact, that was when he had started plotting desperately to find a way to send a voice post to assure everyone he was all right.

His arms went around Zechs, noted the weight he had lost, smelled the scent of roses and understood their significance. Tyki had also lost weight and condition, but that had been because of enforced bed rest, not starvation. He was grateful for the support, though his heart was sinking. Why was Zechs apologizing to him, over and over?

"What did you do?" he asked softly. "Zechs, my love, I wanted to see you more than anything, but...what is the meaning of all of this? Why did Trish come for me? Why are you and Saguru fighting?"