A/N: been needing to get back into writing, i keep trying to get to my 'usual' work but then something throws me off (still glaring at you RT for RWBY s03e12 -.-) or school work...

so looping Promises by Nero and recalling Wishy and i have been discussing Final Fantasy X and X-2 (which i completed and she didn't ;P) it felt appropriate to do something from there~

love you Yuna! :D

Dis: Final Fantasy X/X-2 are owned by Squaresoft/enix (whichever they were at the time~)

Spoilers warning! this does mention post-game stuffs, so if for whatever reason you haven't played either of these... do so? read an LP? (SHAME ON YOU!) but yes, mentions of end-dealies~ especailly complete 100 percent X-2 end-dealies~ -shoos-

ENJOY!


Promises

Sitting over the edge of the coral inlet on Beseid, Yuna watched the small tide. She sat a bit off the side of the main shore, wanting some privacy. It had been a long journey, a LONG journey, and twice over she'd somehow managed to save Spira. First ending the cycle of Sin then riding the world of the monstrous machina in the Farplane. Though, those weren't the achievements she particularly wanted to focus on.

She was responsible for putting Spira on a new path to a boundless future. She had traveled all over the world, over and over, bringing hope and joy to the hundreds of people she knew firsthand, then the thousands that learned of her. She'd forged new alliances between the people of the islands along with the Albed, Ronso and Guado, in a really silly way brought life back to Zanarkand and showed the world with her songs it was okay to feel, love and hope again.

Now it was her turn to start actually take her own advice.

She'd gone through a lot in the past few years, changing from the girl that was determined to smile while following in her father's footsteps. Burdened with the knowledge of what it meant, and doing it anyway. Only she'd put an end to that foolish tradition, growing up and seeing the world as it really was. Then she'd gone a long time mourning a loss she couldn't forget, yet still managing to smile for those around her, she'd learned that all too well and she felt she was still doing it sometimes. Rikku hated it when she did that, it was why she liked to drag her off into whatever scheme she had at the time, trying to get her mind off things, but she could never forget. Now she was older, wiser hopefully, and with the end of that Machina and the Farplane back to right, she had figured her life would go back to how it was before Rikku showed her that dress-sphere.

But then for whatever reason he was there.

When she'd come home to Beseid, intent to settle into a quiet life, or at least long enough to rest before Rikku dragged her off again, he'd been there. Right there, in the ocean, like Wakka had said all those years ago.

'Ya, one second I turn around and there's this wacko flailin' around in the water!'

She was rather embarrassed to admit, even to herself, that charging at him and nearly drowning him was probably not the best response but she'd been too overjoyed just to see him again.

He'd been the whole reason she agreed to travel with Rikku, that small hope that he'd been out there somewhere and just… forgot, or something, like before. Yes, she'd been disappointed to find out it wasn't him, just that crazy guy from a thousand years ago, but still… it had been her hope, and why she wanted to return home.

To forget. To try to move on. To something

But he was there!

Tidus had returned from… wherever he had disappeared to, though for him it was like he'd just fallen asleep after fighting Sin. He didn't know about the two years between her journeys, what must have been a year following Rikku around hunting spheres and saving the world again. For him, time had been still and he'd been asleep, as if in a dream, so he had no idea what it had been like for her to quietly miss him and slowly lose hope of ever finding him again.

But she couldn't say he didn't hurt, for him it was only yesterday he'd had to say goodbye, feeling himself fade away watching her cry and try to hold on. For her that was almost three years ago, it still stung but she at least had some distance from it.

But that was why she was out here on the tucked away little shore of Beseid. She wanted to meet him halfway, to start over. Already she'd been telling him whatever she could of what happened, and Tidus was all too happy to listen and return a couple of stories from what he could remember of his life. Dream or not, it had been his life, what he knew, and she was glad to hear it.

She'd missed him, and while time wasn't the same for him, he'd missed her too.

But there was one thing holding her back, a literal weight between them, the time she had that he didn't. She'd been alone for nearly three years and he felt sorry for not knowing about it.

So she promised herself, now that he was back, she was done mourning.

Yuna sat up straight, taking a deep breath, she grabbed the small knife sitting next to her and raised it up to the back of her head.

She never told any of the others, but she'd been growing this since he left. It was a reminder, of the time she spent without him, the time she spent alone, lamenting her fate. Everyone else in the world saw her smile, got hope from her actions, her words, her courageous bravery to do what was right…

But to her, it was all just running away. This, this long tail of hair she had been growing since he left, this was her daily reminder of what she'd lost. Her proof of how much of a coward she really was.

Not anymore.

He was back, neither of them cared how or for how long, but they were going to spend as much time as they had together, that was the promise they made when they held each other in the water, as tightly as humanly possible, neither willing to let go.

They deserved this, he deserved a life outside the dictations of the Faytes, and she deserved to be happy.

Taking a deep breath, her hand holding the tail shook, but the other was firm around the knife.

They had promises to keep, and she was done mourning what was lost.

With a swift pull she felt all the strands cut and pulled the severed hair away.

Opening her eyes she peaked at the long wrapped hair now free in her right hand.

It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

A smile spread on her face and slowly she started laughing, standing up, she tucked the knife into her boot and held the long wrapped tail between her hands.

This much time lost, this much time lamenting.

With a smile she tossed it into the water, ready to get on with her life.


A/N: go forth and be happy woman~ of all the protags i've played in my years, you definitely deserve it :3

Final Fantasy X/X-2: the time Final Fantasy got it romantic subplot done right and even let the ship sail~ (eventually) :D

just a thought i had about that long pony-tail-thing Yuna has in X-2~

Till next -salute-waves- Sayounara, Mina!

-Ikasury