The moon played hide and seek behind clouds I approached the steep cliff of the Mi'ihen Highroad. The lush green glass now danced with the breeze coming from the ocean to my front and sparkled with nightly dew from the occasional silver moonlight. I thrust the bent tip of my father's blade into the resilient earth and plopped on the edge with my feet and legs dangling precariously in the open air, right as I tipped backwards to lay down I realized how cold the ground actually was. I had switched out my normal yellow and gauntlet for a netting undershirt, though I decided to keep my dungaree looking clothing on. Exhausted from the fight earlier I closed my eyes to enjoy the calm and quiet atmosphere of the night.

"Hey! Tidus what are you doing out here?" grunting I opened my eyes and tilted my head back so I could see who was speaking. There stood Rikku, she was wrapped up in a large, pink towel and her golden blonde hair was freely dangling down to the crook of her back. "Didn't expect to see anyone out here this late."

I just shrugged as she came over and knelt beside me, "dunno, I guess if I had any reason it would be to just get away from everything for a moment. Feel less like a guardian and more like a normal person." I replied sitting up and wiping off my back the best I could.

"A normal person who's the son of a world famous blitzball player, guardian, and final aeon anyway." she told me smirking and finishing the parts of my back I couldn't reach. "Not to mention you're also a super star blitzball player and a guardian of Lord Braska's daughter so good luck with that. You have a lot riding on your shoulders."

"Yeah, no kidding right?" the question was more rhetorical than anything but the smile staining my face clearly told her differently.

"Well why not come join me for a swim? That's where I headed to do the same thing, and swimming at night is the best thing you can do in my personal opinion."

I shrugged and laid back down again, "I dunno..that would involve me seeing you in what looks like a bathing suit of some sort, judging by how you hold that towel that is."

A faint blush, unnoticeable thanks to the pure white light streaming from the moon, was invisible on her tanned skin. "Well..fine. If you don't want to you don't have too!"

"No no no no! I'm not saying I won't, it was a joke you know? Uhh...Spira still has humour right?" I was fumbling over myself trying to rush into a standing position and even more over my words trying to change the subject; I did however, deserve the head smack I got for it once I had stood up in front of her.

"Let's just go you doofus." She said before taking off down the narrow cliff side path with me following behind in time with her.

Once we got down the first thing we did was admire the growth of the ocean. It's new beauty like a siren to my eyes, only disrupted when Rikku jabbed my side. "hey! Listen up alright? I don't want you laughing at me for what you're about to see.." she started, a much deeper and more noticeable blush infecting her cheeks.

I was thrown off by this statement and raised an eyebrow confused, "uhh...okay?"

"Just promise!"

"Okay, okay, I promise!"

A sigh of relief from her, "good." With that she threw the towel off and laid it on the beach before turning to me. She was a slender girl, which was how everyone already assumed she was, with smaller lady parts forever hidden behind a bright orange two piece bikini. I couldn't help but eye her body down and up; once my eyes had reached her face again I noticed her deeper blush followed by her covering herself up the best she could with her skinny arms. "Okay okay! Stop looking, I get it, I have small breasts ya know!"

"Wah? What?! No no! That's not what I was thinking about at all!" I said frantically spinning a bit and grabbing at my hair, "I was trying to see why you would even tell me not to laugh, I don't see anything I would laugh at!"

She looked up at me with sparkling emerald green eyes, "but but...compared to Yunie and Lulu I'm so, so, so childish!"

"And your point is? You're barely sixteen Rikku..you're not done growing and neither is your body."

"But Lulu...she's..she's so much bigger!"

"She's also like..24 isn't she? She's supposed to have...well..you know!" This time I found myself blushing and my words flowed as well as as Luca's blitzdome on the opening game of the season.

"But..but..." with a defeated shy she flopped backwards onto her butt and pulled her knees in to her chest staring at the sea. "Tidus...how are we going to save Yunie?"

She didn't turn to face me, and she wasn't smiling, she was just staring out into the sea. So naturally I moved my feet until I was beside her and ruffling her hair slowly, trying to be soothing. "I don't know Rikku. I just..I don't know." What caught me off guard was when she took my hand and hoisted me down beside her.

"I better not lose you too."

After adjusting myself so I was sitting comfortably and not sprawled out beside her, my hand never once leaving hers, I smiled softly. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere for a long while."

For a while we just sat there, two people on a beach, holding hands, and eventually one in the others lap. After a few hours, some of it sleeping we presume, we opened our eyes and watched the sun rise. What happened between us after that is another story. For another time