Hey all! This is a story I came up with not too long ago, and in honor of the release of the HD remaster of Final Fantasy X/X-2, I have chosen to share this story with everyone. Please feel free to review with comments as well as tips. I obviously do not own anything related to Final Fantasy and its characters and locations. The new characters and new locations are the only things original from me. Enjoy!
"Spira is at peace for the first time in over a thousand years. With the destruction of Sin and Yu Yevon, followed by the destruction of the world-destroying Vegnagun, all of the world's threats are gone. All of that is thanks to a single person, who, along with her closest friends, stood up against everything the world feared. They refused to believe they had to conform to the world's tendency to accept defeat. They brought hope to the world, followed by peace.
High Summoner Yuna broke the thousand-year cycle of defeating Sin for only ten years before it returned to wreak destruction across the world all over again. None believed it was possible, simply accepting the teaching of the god that created Sin. For the sake of the world, Yuna and her guardians chose to face the impossible and fight Sin head-on. With hope and love, they banded together and destroyed the god-like beast and its creator for good. With their defeat, the Eternal Calm began.
Unfortunately, the Calm did not last long. Two years after the defeat of Yu Yevon, a new enemy threatened Spira's survival. That threat came in the form of a self-aware machine called Vegnagun, a weapon created during the Machina War over a thousand years ago. Once again, Lady Yuna stepped in to save the world and its people from complete destruction. Upon the defeat of Vegnagun, the Eternal Calm truly began. It's been exactly one year since Vegnagun was destroyed, and Spira is finally rebuilding. Peace is reigning with the alliance of the Youth League and New Yevon, and they have put their resources and money together to help those who need it.
Not everything is perfect, but then again, nothing is ever truly perfect. However, with Spira finally safe from any threats, and the nations banding together, we can look forward to the future. All of you young ones here today can plan for a life free from suffering and danger. Make the most of it, and pursue your dreams no matter what they are."
The Al Bhed man known as Rin stood in front of a large group of children on the hill in front of the Mi'ihen Travel Agency. With his partnership with O'aka, making the traveling vendor the full-time manager of all of Rin's shops, the Al Bhed had more time to pursue other opportunities. One of those opportunities was to educate Spira's youth on the history of the Eternal Calm that everyone was enjoying. It was his goal to make all aware of where the world would be without the bravery of High Summoner Yuna and her six guardians.
"Mr. Rin, is Lady Yuna gonna be here today?" one of the children asked with his hand raised as high as he could reach.
Rin smiled to the young boy, who couldn't have been any older than six years old. "I'm sorry, my dear boy. Lady Yuna is attending some important meetings in Bevelle. I tried to get her here, but Lady Yuna is a very busy person these days."
The entire crowd of children groaned in disappointment to Rin's answer. Rin smiled with entertainment then turned to face the travel agency. He waved to the window two times, prompting a young woman to walk outside.
"Since we couldn't get Lady Yuna here," Rin began, "I managed to get us a few chocobos from Clasko's Chocobo Ranch. Who wants to learn how to ride?"
All of the children hopped to their feet in excitement. Their cheers were loud and joyous. Rin's smile remained on his face, then he proceeded to the back of the travel agency to help round up the three chocobos. He was doing something he loved to do, even if it wasn't what he expected he would be doing.
"Do what you need for Spira, Lady Yuna," Rin said softly. "And I'll make sure our children grow up following your example."
"You want to reinstate the use of Maesters after the debacle created by the last ones?"
"It's only an idea, not an absolute. Regardless of what we call them, we need people to lead Spira. No offense, but you aren't the one who was trained in politics your whole life. I know quite a bit more than you."
"I don't care what kind of schooling you have! I saw firsthand the corruption of the Maesters, and I know that Spira will never trust anyone with that title."
Within Bevelle's temple, four people sat at a table in an attempt to find a new political structure for Spira. The four consisted of High Summoner Yuna, her former guardian and current boyfriend, Tidus, as well as Baralai and Nooj. They were expecting Gippal to arrive as well, but at that point, he was a half hour late. In the meantime, Baralai had suggested the resurrection of the Maester system, but Tidus firmly objected the idea.
"Calm down you two," Nooj spoke up. "Baralai, I know what you are attempting to say. I do agree with Tidus, however. We need something new, and I think Gippal and I found that system. I had planned to explain it with Gippal's help, but it seems he does not wish to attend today's meeting.
"Oh get your panties out of a twist," Gippal suddenly joked as he entered the room. "Sorry I'm late. There was an accidental explosion at one of the Machine Faction's facilities, and I had to instruct my degenerative lackeys in how to appropriate the repairs."
"Always an excuse," Baralai said with his eyes closed. Gippal chuckled at his friend's lack of humor.
Yuna sat at the head of the table, but hadn't said much at that point. She didn't have much knowledge in politics, and didn't want to look or sound stupid. Instead, she let Baralai and Nooj do the majority of the talking, fully aware of their extensive knowledge in leadership. Tidus also had things to say, though they weren't nearly as educated, and mostly got shot down in seconds. Ultimately, his presence was more because Yuna wanted him there over him actually being needed there.
"What's this idea you two had?" Baralai asked once Gippal finally took his seat.
"It's genius!" Gippal exclaimed. "So get this: we build nations."
Gippal stopped talking after that single statement. Everyone else stared at him, expecting to hear more from him. Instead, he stayed silent with a coy smile as he looked at each person repeatedly.
"And?" Baralai finally asked with a prolonged tone.
"That's it!" Gippal replied. "Instead of having a panel of just a few people lead all of Spira, we separate the regions into nations. Each nation will have its own individual leader, and once a month, those leaders meet in a single location to discuss any topics or discussions that need brought to attention."
"That's sounds great in theory, but what if all the leaders just object to each other?" Tidus asked. "Having individual nations could create separation between the people, which is what we're trying to avoid happening."
"For once, I agree with Tidus," Baralai said. Tidus shot him a frustrated look in return. "If we're going to have a different leader for each region, we need a way to avoid dissension, which could ultimately lead to another war."
"We thought about that," Nooj spoke up. "While there will be a leader for each nation, all the nations' people will vote for a single person to be the leader of leaders, so to speak. You could call it the Spira President. Then the other leaders will form a quorum that will meet under the mediation of the president. Topics of discussion that is important to Spira will be decided upon with the quorum voting on approvals and disapprovals."
Yuna listened carefully and finally decided to speak up. "I like that idea. I think it's important for us to move away from the dictation of a ruler or rulers. If the people feel they have a say in matters of the world, there will be a better opportunity for peace."
"With the people having a say in matters, the door will also be open for the complaints of those who don't get their way," Baralai added. "Regardless, I am inclined to agree with the idea. The next question, then, is how do we divide up the world? Where will one nation end and another begin?"
Gippal jumped to his feet. "That's a much easier question to answer than you'd expect! For the most part, Spira's locations are pretty well bordered already. We have islands like Besaid and Kilika that can be their own nation. Luca already supports the Mi'ihen Highroad with gil and supplies, so it would stand to reason that Luca and Mi'ihen would form a single nation. Mushroom Rock has grown substantially with the presence of the Youth League, so there's that. We at Djose support the Moonflow in the same way Luca supports Mi'ihen, so there's another nation. Leblanc Syndicate has officially renamed Guadosalam into Syndicate, which is a horrible choice in a name, but a name nonetheless. The Thunder Plains and Macalania is being built up by the Guado as they make efforts to save the woods as well as build a city of their own in the plains. We have Bevelle here as a nation. Then you get the Calm Lands, which Clasko has used his new-found fame and fortune to keep it safe and gorgeous, making it into a self-sufficient land. Finally, you have Mt. Gagazet, which has always been run by the Ronsos. Simple as that!"
"You've really thought this through," Baralai said.
"What of Zanarkand?" Yuna asked suddenly. The ruins of Zanarkand still held an important place in her heart. During the three years since Sin had been defeated, she always went back to Zanarkand on the anniversary of Sin's destruction. As depressing as her first experience was there, she loved the land with all her heart.
"Regardless of anyone's religious preference, Zanarkand is still a sacred place," Nooj said. "I think we'll all agree that Zanarkand should remain as it is. It will forever be a symbol of Spira's past struggles and the overcoming of those struggles."
Yuna smiled a little at Nooj's answer. People still traveled to Zanarkand to see it in person, but it was respected. It was exactly as Yuna had hoped it would be. It was a ground that educated people, and reminded them that their freedom was not free to all.
"So we're in agreement?" Gippal asked the group.
"Yes, we are," Baralai answered. Tidus and Yuna agreed as well.
"Very well," Nooj said. "We will hold a conference for the people of Spira in three days to announce our decision. We'll also begin the election process for the nation leaders, as well as the president. Each nation will vote for their own leader, then those leaders will make their nominations for president. Once we have our nominees, the people of Spira will be able to vote for their president."
Nearly six months passed before all of the leaders had been elected. It was a slow process, and required far more planning than expected. The most notable elections was Baralai for Bevelle, Nooj for Mushroom Rock, and Gippal for Djose. Yuna was shocked when she was voted in for Besaid, though Tidus wasn't surprised at all. Her election on Besaid was unopposed as everyone in Besaid wanted her.
Shortly after the nation's leaders were elected, they came together to nominate four presidential candidates. To no one's surprise, Yuna, Gippal, Baralai, and Nooj ended up being the four nominees. Yuna quickly put an emphasis on her disinterest in the position, solely due to her lack of experience and knowledge. Ultimately, Baralai was elected as the Spira President, to his own surprise. He had not expected the people to elect a supporter of New Yevon, which served as a testament to how much Spira had moved forward.
By the time the elections were finished, and legislation established, a whole year had passed. Afterward, things finally started to calm down and return to normal. Yuna and Tidus returned to Besaid to live together in relative peace, only having to leave for the quorum meetings that happened once a month. Tidus also accepted an offer from the Besaid Aurochs to rejoin the blitzball team. For the first time since Tidus had returned, life was calm and happy.
"I can't believe it's already been two years since you came back to me," Yuna told Tidus.
"Time really flew, that's for sure," Tidus responded.
Yuna sat with her back leaning against Tidus' chest in the cabin of the Celsius. They cuddled happily as the airship made way for Luca for the annual blitzball tournament. It would be Tidus' first tournament since his first with the Aurochs four years ago, but he wasn't the least bit nervous. He had practiced almost constantly for almost three months with his team, and it took no time for him to be back in his old form. What excited him most, however, was the improvement of the rest of the team over the past few years. With him back on the team, they were easily one of the top teams out there for once.
"Are you excited?" Yuna asked. She already knew the answer, but loved to listen to Tidus when he was excited about something. While he had grown more mature over the past couple years, he still maintained his almost child-like enthusiasm. That was one of the traits he possessed that Yuna hoped he would never lose.
"Of course I'm excited!" Tidus exclaimed, a little too loudly. "I finally get to play blitzball again! The star has returned!"
Yuna giggled at Tidus' statement. "I have a surprise for you too."
"Ooh, what's that?" Tidus imitated a child and hopped a couple of times.
"Well you didn't get to find out last year because of everything that was going on, but there are two new blitzball teams in the league." Yuna turned her head so she could see Tidus' expression. "One of the teams is the Bevelle Devoters."
"I thought they should have a team," Tidus responded. He noticed the coy smile on Yuna's face. His eyebrow rose, then an idea popped into his head. "Oh don't tell me, Yuna!"
Yuna rose from her position in Tidus' chest and turned to completely face him. Her smile had taken a full form. She knew Tidus had figured it out, so she simply nodded as a reply.
"The Gullwings are a blitzball team now?" Tidus half asked, half stated. Yuna nodded a second time. "But, when did you learn to play? Even more, how did you learn to play at the pro level so quickly?"
"Well I always figured I got it from you," Yuna replied softly. "I like to believe we have such a deep connection that your talents were shared with me."
Tidus' heart warmed at Yuna's statement. He gave her a passionate hug and kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed tightly, which was a move she commonly made even after two years just to make sure he was still with her.
"I don't say it a lot, but I love you Yuna," Tidus said softly.
"I love you too," Yuna replied. Small tears of joy trickled down her cheek. There was nothing in Spira that could make her happier than simply being with Tidus.
The two lovers simultaneously noticed that it was getting late, and they wouldn't get much sleep once they reached Luca. The Celsius had been slightly remodeled in the cabin so that each crew member had their own private living space. It wasn't much, just a bed and a dresser, but it gave them a chance to have time to themselves. Yuna and Tidus had the biggest cabin, which had a larger bed to accommodate two people, as well as a small desk for Yuna to bring paperwork along with her while traveling.
"We'll reach Luca in four hours," Tidus groaned through his exhaustion. "I didn't realize it got that late."
"Maybe we should try to sleep for those four hours," Yuna suggested. "Once the tournament starts, we'll be opponents, so we won't get to see much of each other."
Tidus noticed the disappointment in Yuna's voice while she spoke that last sentence. He softly grabbed her and pulled her down to a laying position with him. She accepted the movement, and moved herself close to Tidus, resting her head on his chest. Tidus kept his arm around her as they didn't say anything else, but instead closed their eyes and fell asleep in each others' arms.
"He is an Auroch!" Brother whined loudly to Rikku on the bridge. "Why does he ride on the Celsius instead of the boat with his team?"
"Shut up already!" Rikku shouted. "If he rode on the boat with his team, then Yuna would have gone with him. Either way, they want to be together, so just deal with it!"
Brother stomped his feet like a child having a tantrum, which was a common occurrence for him. "He's been back for two years!"
"Try to imagine spending two years away from your love with no idea of whether you'd ever see them again," Paine said while sitting in a chair in the middle section of the bridge. She was clearly irritated by Brother and Rikku's bickering, and wanted to make it known. "Tidus wasn't supposed to ever return, and for all we know, he could leave again someday. They'll spend all the time they can together."
"He won't disappear again!" Rikku shouted with a worried tone. "He's been back for two years now, so he's here to stay!"
"But there's no proof it's forever," Shinra chimed in from his seat at the computer terminals. "Because he was a dream made by the Fayth, it would stand to reason that he still is. There's no evidence that the Fayth can create real human life."
Paine got to her feet and started to walk toward the elevator. "I don't care about this. Rather than worrying about how much time he has, why not just enjoy the time he is here."
Everyone stayed quiet after Paine's statement. They all agreed with it, though Paine sounded like she only said it to shut people up. Once the elevator doors opened, Paine walked into it and pressed the button to the cabin.
"Ok, let's change the topic," Buddy declared. "How about we figure out our lineup for the tournament? With a few extra players on the bench now, we need to decide who starts."
"I already did that," Shinra said. "I took the liberty since I have the most knowledge of the opposing teams."
"What makes you think that?" Rikku shot.
"Simply put, I spent the past week studying each individual player on the opposing teams. I learned their strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, and personalities. Adding those factors with their game stats, I was able to find where each team struggled the most, and built a lineup that will exploit each of those weaknesses while building on our strengths. I take it you didn't do any of that, Rikku?"
Rikku didn't say anything. She just looked at the floor, trying to find a way to change the subject. Shinra got out of his chair and gave her a clipboard. It had a list of the Gullwings players, and who would be starting and where. Brother looked over her shoulder to get a look of his own.
"Why don't you start me!" Brother shouted right next to Rikku's ear. Rikku jumped, then turned and punched him in the chest.
"You have the worst stats on our team," Shinra explained. "And you refuse to play any position except Middle, but you can't take a hit. If you want to play Middle, you need to be able to take a few hits, especially against the power hitters on Luca's defense."
"Don't forget about the Ronso defense," Rikku brought up. "The Ronso are the strongest race in Spira, and hit really hard!"
Brother grumpily returned to the pilot seat. He tinkered with the controls for a few seconds, activated the auto-pilot, then left the bridge. Rikku giggled as he stomped the whole way through.
"I'll sleep here on the bridge just to make sure he didn't screw something up," Rikku said. "Go ahead and get some rest."
Shinra nodded and left the bridge as well. Rikku jumped into her cushioned seat at her station and slouched down. A few minutes later, Buddy finally left the bridge, allowing Rikku to dim the lights and close her eyes comfortably. As always, her excitement was far greater than anyone else, but managed to get to sleep rather quickly.
"Welcome to Luca for this year's annual Blitzball Invitational Tournament!" the radio announcer shouted. "We have two days of exciting Blitzball oriented events, including the amateur circuit, games for the kids, and finally the main event. We have all eight of Spira's professional blitzball teams here today, each one ready to make a run for the Crystal Cup! Last year's champion, the Luca Goers, are ready to get their second straight title, but will face fierce opposition. Last year's runner-up, the Besaid Aurochs, are coming in as the favorites thanks to the addition of their new player, the famous guardian of High Summoner Yuna, Sir Tidus! We haven't seen him play in over four years now, but anyone who saw him then is well aware of his spectacular skills. We also have Lady Yuna herself rejoining the competition with her own team, the Gullwings. They reached the semifinals three years ago, but have not competed since then. I think you can all agree with me when I say everyone is looking forward to seeing them play again!"
The Celsius landed at dock six of the airship docks that were built right next to the ship docks. Everyone was walking off the ship expect Tidus and Yuna. They were still fast asleep in their cabin even though their door was pounded on multiple times. Eventually everyone gave up and figured they'd wake up on their own soon enough.
"How long till the tournament starts?" Buddy asked.
"We have three hours," Rikku answered. "We're in locker room five this year."
"Yuna better wake up soon!" Brother shouted grumpily. "We need her!"
Paine started to walk away from the group. "She'll be there, so shut up."
Brother was going to snap back, but Paine was already near the end of the dock. Rikku ran to catch up with her, leaving Brother, Buddy, and Shinra on the dock with all of the equipment. Buddy sighed loudly, then started to lug the bags down the dock.
Back in the Celsius, Yuna finally began to stir. Her eyes slowly opened as she adjusted to the light. Once she had full vision, she glanced back at the clock to realize they had overslept by almost an hour. She jumped completely out of bed in a mini panic, jerking Tidus awake in the process. Tidus flew out of bed and grabbed his sword the leaned against the wall as a reaction.
"What's wrong?" Tidus said quickly as he spun his head around the room.
"We overslept!" Yuna replied, but then gave Tidus a concerned look when she realized he was holding his sword. "Why did you reach for your sword?"
Tidus looked down at the blade that was in his hands. A worried look fell onto his face. "I-I've been having some dreams lately."
Yuna softly gripped the sword and took it from his hand. She put it back in its position against the wall, then put her hands on Tidus' hands. Tidus grabbed them and squeezed slightly.
"What kind of dreams?" Yuna asked. She had concern in her voice, but it was unlike anyone else. She only cared about Tidus' well-being, wanting nothing more than for him to be happy.
"It's stupid," Tidus replied. "The two of us are in Zanarkand at our spot, and a human-like bird comes out of the sky and captures you. I try to chase it down to rescue you, but no matter what I do, I never catch it. I always wake up right as you leave my sight, the last thing I see is you reaching out for me."
Sweat dripped down Tidus' face. Yuna gave him a compassionate smile, then embraced him in a hug. Tidus didn't hesitate to return the hug. They stayed in that position for a few minutes until Tidus finally regained his composure.
"Alright, we gotta get moving," Tidus said. "The tournament selection is in an hour."
Yuna nodded with a smile. "You better hope you don't face us in the first round," she teased as she poked Tidus' stomach.
Tidus grabbed her hand and spun her around so that her back was to him. He wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her from escaping, and used his other hand to tickle her side. She laughed and shouted as Tidus continued the assault.
"Don't make me attack you!" Yuna threatened through her laughing.
"Oh what's the little summoner gonna do?" Tidus teased. "You can't take your guardian!"
Yuna continued to laugh loudly until she decided to make a move. She ripped Tidus hand away from her waist, then did a backflip completely over him and landed behind him. She then jumped on his back and forced him onto the bed, where she proceeded with her own tickling assault.
"Hey!" Tidus shouted through his own laughs. After a minute of struggling, he finally wrestled her into submission. "I keep forgetting you can handle your own now."
Yuna blushed a little. "I had to learn to defend myself if I wanted to search for you. I'm sorry if I've changed too much."
"No, don't apologize Yuna." Tidus, still pinning Yuna to the bed, leaned in and kissed her. "No matter what your appearance is, or what weapon you carry, you'll always be the same Yuna I fell in love with during that long pilgrimage."
Yuna pulled an arm free and wrapped it around Tidus. She pulled Tidus down so that he was on top of her, and continued to hug him. Two years had passed since he was brought back to her, but she still made the most of every day she had with him. She had herself convinced that as long as she kept him close, she would never have to worry about losing him again.
"We need to get moving," Tidus finally said after a few minutes of silently embracing each other.
"Yeah, we don't want to be late," Yuna replied with a large smile.
They both grabbed their bags and finally departed the airship. To their luck, the big crowds had dispersed, leaving only a few stragglers. One straggler was a young woman who looked to be about the same age as Tidus and Yuna. She was frantically pacing back and forth at the end of the dock with a worried look on her face. Yuna and Tidus glanced at each other, and decided to see what was wrong.
"Hey, are you alright?" Tidus asked.
The woman stopped pacing suddenly and looked at Tidus. Tears formed in her eyes before she jumped at Tidus and gave him a hug. Yuna flinched in surprise at the woman's move.
"I'm so glad you're here!" the woman said through her sobbing. "My son is missing and no one would help!"
Tidus pulled the woman off of him. "Ok, calm down. Where did you last see him? We'll help find him for you."
"You would do that?" The woman looked at Tidus with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much! His name is Liasom. He's only six years old, and shouldn't be on his own. He was supposed to wait here while I used the restroom, but when I returned he was gone."
"He can't have gotten too far," Yuna suggested. "I'll go check the ship docks. You want to check the rest of the airship docks?"
"Yeah, I got it," Tidus replied.
Yuna nodded, then ran off toward the other docks. Tidus turned back to the crying mother and gave her a comforting smile.
"Don't worry," Tidus said. "We'll find him."
"Thank you so much," the woman said. "What's your name? I recognize you."
"My name's Tidus, and that was Yuna that just left."
The woman's eyes shot open. Tidus was always nervous about introducing himself to people that didn't recognize him. He didn't mind the fame, since he'd been famous pretty much his entire life thanks to blitzball, but he still didn't like getting attacked by the mobs.
The woman suddenly bowed. "I am so sorry for disturbing you Sir Tidus! And Lady Yuna too!"
Tidus rolled his eyes a little. The part of his fame he hated the most was the amount of groveling some of the people did in front of him. He would have been perfectly fine just waving and signing autographs.
"You didn't disturb us," Tidus replied. "We want to help you find your son. Now let's get searching. Why don't you go left and check those docks. I'll check the docks to the right."
"Thank you!" the woman exclaimed again. "My name is Shinyen by the way."
Tidus nodded, then started to move toward his docks. The woman's name started to ring in his head. He could swear he heard that name somewhere, but couldn't figure out why.
"Selections are in fifteen minutes," Tidus told himself as he searched dock three. "I hope the rest of my team is already there. Heck, I'm not even technically the captain of the team, so they don't need me for it."
Tidus turned to circle around a stack of crates. On the other side, the dock was covered with trash. A crate had a gaping hole in it. When he got closer to it, he could hear growling from within the crate.
"A fiend?" Tidus asked himself out loud.
"Did you say fiend?" Yuna suddenly asked from behind him. Tidus jumped a little as he wasn't expecting to hear anyone.
"Whoa Yuna, you scared me a little," Tidus said with a slight chuckle. "But I don't know what it is. There's growling coming from inside this crate."
Yuna noticed that Tidus wasn't carrying his sword. She pulled her two guns out of the holsters and readied them as she crept closer to the hole. She flicked a light on that was attached to the side of one of her guns and pointed it straight into the hole.
"Anyone in there?" Yuna called into the crate.
Yuna stayed where she was for a few more seconds. Suddenly a large cat jumped out of the hole, making both Yuna and Tidus jump. The cat hissed loudly, then ran away from them. Yuna let out a breath of relief, then re-holstered her weapons.
"Stupid cat," Tidus spat. "Any luck on the ship docks?"
"No, I checked all of them but didn't find anything," Yuna answered. "What about you?"
"No luck."
They began to walk back down the dock when the suddenly heard rustling coming inside the same crate. They stopped and faced the crate again. To their surprise, a young boy climbed out of the hole. He wiped his pants off, then faced Yuna.
"You're the High Summoner?" the boy asked.
"Yes I am," Yuna said with a warm smile.
"You wouldn't be Liasom, would you?" Tidus asked as he knelt down to the boy's level.
"Yeah, I found a clubhouse here," Liasom replied.
Tidus smiled. "Well your mother is worried about you. Why don't we go find her."
The boy's attitude suddenly completely changed. "I won't go anywhere with you! Summoners are bad people, and the High Summoner is the worst!"
Yuna stood surprised at the boy's comments. She had never heard someone call summoners bad people, and especially never heard it toward herself. Tidus stood back up and took an authoritative pose.
"You should show her some respect," Tidus said sternly.
"No!" Liasom shouted. He ran away from the two. Tidus turned to follow him for the sake of not losing him again, but noticed Shinyen at the end of the dock. She embraced her son with a worried hug.
"You know not to run off on your own like that!" Shinyen scolded. She brought her attention to Tidus and Yuna. "Thank you very much! You're good people."
Shinyen started to lead her son away. Liasom turned his head to Yuna, still carrying a look of hatred. Yuna didn't do anything. She just stood in place, still in shock. Tidus put his arm around her and squeezed a little.
"Don't let it bother you," Tidus said. "Being famous always brings a few people who don't like you. Hey, I even had a chair thrown at me during a conference back when I was in Zanarkand."
"Yeah I guess," Yuna replied. "I've just never had someone show me hatred like that without giving a reason."
Tidus grabbed her hand and started to lead her down the dock. He didn't care about the selections anymore. His new mission was to cheer Yuna up no matter what, and he still had another two hours until the matches actually started.
"Where are you taking me?" Yuna asked as they passed the entrance to the stadium. Tidus seemed to be leading her to the merchant area of the city.
Tidus stayed quiet as he continued to lead Yuna down the path. After a few more minutes, they finally reached the entrance to a small pub. Yuna noticed that it was the same pub they checked out five years ago during Tidus' first time in Luca while they searched for Auron.
"Why are we here?" Yuna asked.
"You'll see," Tidus answered. He led her into the pub. The second they walked through the door, everyone turned to face them.
"Lady Yuna!" a bunch of people shouted in unison. Nearly everyone in the pub got out of their seats and crowded around her. They all wanted to shake her hand, take a picture, or get her autograph.
"I'll leave you to your fans," Tidus said with a smile as he walked over to the bar. "Just water for me. Gotta keep my body clean for today's matches!"
"I'm rooting for you Sir Tidus," the bartender said with a fist pump.