Prologue

Yuna hadn't said a word since coming back on the ship. We were all worried when she came on with her eyes cast down. The only other time I saw her like that was after Tidus decided to jump. It was a wonder back then that she didn't break down hysterically. But Yuna was a strong woman. If anyone could withstand the pain of losing something very precious to them it was Yuna.

Still, I wish she had her own happy ending. We went on this journey for the sole purpose of finding Tidus. After finding that sphere, our journey morphed into a mission to prevent an embittered ghost from unleashing death and destruction on Spira. We were soldiers again and Yuna was called to make another sacrifice. She did the unimaginable; from tricking Shuyin into thinking she was Lenne, to fighting those she loved and treasured most as they were possessed by an enraged ghost. She managed to endure all of that all for the survival of Spira. And what did she get in the end? She was rewarded with the cruel reality of never bringing the love of her life back.

It just didn't seem fair.

A few hours after everything went down, everyone seemed locked in their own little world. Shinra was actively typing away at his station while Buddy and Brother were at the controls. I looked toward Paine and saw her staring at the floor. I could never get her to tell me what she was thinking without getting shot down with a cold glare. I, on the other hand, was still a bit jittery. After defeating Vegnagun I was feeling ready to kick more ass and take names as Paine would so eloquently put it. But there was nothing else to fight and with our main foe down for the count we had to tend to our wounded. Gippal was pretty bent out of shape—some broken ribs, a dislocated knee, a few scrapes here and there. I did my best, but white magic can only do so much. It can't heal broken bones so those ribs were going to be a problem. Luckily, I knew my potions well and managed to mix something up to deal with both the pain. Baralai, the poor cutie, was weak from being possessed so we forced him to sleep it off much to his displeasure. Nooj was the least hurt, much to Paine's relief. Not that I would ever voice that opinion since I value my life. I once caught her checking Nooj out and suffice to say she threatened to turn me inside out.

After dropping Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai off to their respective locations, Buddy suggested that we go home.

"You guys saved the world," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't you think you deserve a break?"

I was all for it, if only to check up on Gippal. I mean, we just dropped him off but I needed to know if he had enough potions, you know? Plus, I wanted to tease him about being his knight in shining armor.

Yuna insisted we keep going.

No one objected.

No one dared.

I knew better than to question a woman in mourning.

That was about three hours ago. Buddy said he was picking up weak sphere waves from some place or other, but we needed to fly around a bit more for him to pinpoint the location. I softly bounced on the balls of feet, trying to contain my energy.

"Yunie's been long."

"Let her cope," Paine said, breaking off her staring contest with the floor to look at me.

I pouted at her blank face. "I know, but shouldn't one of us go and check on her?"

Paine crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. "She just needs time alone with her thoughts, Rikku. She doesn't want anyone pestering her."

I walked up to her and tilted my head a bit. "How do you know that?" I placed my hands on my hips "For all we know the poor girl needs a shoulder to cry on."

"Rikku—"

"I'm going to check on her," I said, cutting her off and leaving.

"Mish Rikku, what can I do for you?"

I smiled at Barkeep as the door shut behind me.

"Nothing for now." I looked up toward our sleeping quarters. "Is Yunie up there?"

"Yesh, she is resting."

I nodded and made my way up the spiral stairs. I expected to see Yuna in bed, face buried in her pillow, sobbing. Instead I saw the former summoner staring out the window at the clear blue sky. She stood in her trademark stance, arms behind her back, hands clasped.

"If you want, we can go up to the deck for some fresh air," I whispered, hoping not to startle her.

To my surprise Yuna turned with a smirk.

"Sure, I'd like that."

I blinked, not sure what to do next. I was prepared to comfort, I was prepared for tears. I wasn't expecting Yuna to look so happy. I knew she wasn't the type for hysterics. Yuna was too proper for something like that. But it alarmed me she wasn't more grief-stricken considering what happened. If I'd lost the chance to bring back the love of my life, I wouldn't be able to function. I'd throw a fit.

I led her down the stairs and as we made our way toward the elevator. When the elevator doors opened, we were immediately greeted with a gust of cool air. I opened my arms wide, letting the wind run through me as it danced through my hair and puffed up my sleeves. I loved coming to the deck. The sun, the wind, and the speed of the airship made me feel as though I had grown wings and taken off in flight. The deck was the perfect place to forget about your problems because your mind got caught up in the moment.

I looked toward Yuna and saw her staring out at the sky. She still had a soft smile on her lips, but something about it didn't seem right. My mind tried to wrap itself around the concept of Yuna being so calm about not having Tidus back.

"Want to talk about it?"

I saw her blink, as though she were coming back from her thoughts. She shook her head.

"There's nothing really to talk about."

I frowned.

"But I know there's something wrong, Yunie. You've been smiling so much I'm beginning to worry."

"What's so wrong with smiling?"

"Well." I chewed my bottom lip. "You smile when you're happy, not when you're sad."

Yuna looked down at her feet and sighed.

"Should I be sad? We managed to save Spira again; I don't think that's something to be sad about."

"I know, but aren't you sad about not finding—"

I quickly clamped my mouth shut fearing that saying his name would somehow make his not coming back all the more real. That his name would somehow be the trigger to make Yuna burst into tears. Yuna looked downcast and I could feel a lump form in the back of my throat. I braced myself for the inevitable.

"I spoke to the fayth," she said, her voice soft. I stepped a bit closer and reached for her hand. I was surprised when she hid it behind her, avoiding my touch. "He offered to bring him back and I said no."

Time stopped. I stared at her, too numb to move. I couldn't fathom why she would reject a once in a life time offer. After the sacrifice he made to save her and after all we've been through to find him. She didn't want Tidus back? She didn't want the man she loved back after setting out on a journey to find him in the first place?

"Why?" I just couldn't piece it together. "Why would you do something like that? After all—" I wanted to stay composed, but I felt my body shake with a turmoil of emotions. From grief to anger to just plain disbelief. "Did our journey mean nothing to you?! "

"Of course it meant everything to me. But I needed closure."

"Closure?" I raised an eyebrow. "Yuna, this started because I showed you someone who looked like him in a sphere!"

"I know and when I think about it now, I don't regret starting it because of him." She looked out toward the passing clouds. "Rikku, our journey started simple and I'll admit that my hope of finding him was my driving force in this journey. But you have to realize that our adventure evolved from something personal to saving the world."

She looked back at me. "I had a lot to think about-from what I wanted in life to dealing with my feelings for him. I realized that when things got way bigger than what we bargained for, my problems were minuscule to what was threatening Spira."

So that meant that she had to forgo the love of her life because her problems weren't as serious? That didn't make any sense.

"But you always do this. You always put others before yourself. Why is it that you can't have a little bit of happiness too?"

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Who said I wasn't happy?"

It was my turn to look confused.

"I realized something during this trip," she started and walked toward the nose of the ship. I followed, watching her spread her arms out as the wind whipped around her. "Sphere hunting with you and everyone else has been such wonderful experience."

She turned around, a vibrant smile on her lips.

"It was the first time I've been on a journey where there was excitement and happiness instead of this haunting sense of dread." She looked up at the sky, the wind blowing her hair out of her face. "I was able to finally break out of my shell and leave my summoner past behind."

I didn't know what to say. It was true that this journey was completely different from the pilgrimage. Back then the sense of dread always haunted us, even in the moments where we were happy and had a glimmer of hope.

"Remember when we had a small concert up here. Even barkeep left his post to join us." She clasped her hands behind her back and swayed as she remembered fondly. "There was music, dancing, and stories. We were all in such high spirits." She laughed which took me by surprised.

I remembered that night. It was after Yuna gave a concert at the Thunder Plains to give the people of Spira hope.

"I found myself thinking about a lot that night." She closed her eyes. "I thought to myself, I'm so happy. I never want this to end." She stopped, eyes still closed when she whispered the rest. "I hope we never find him."

I didn't know what to say. The hurt, the disappointment, it made my heart sink. To think that she would be happy that he was just gone. I felt my eyes glaze over and I sniffed, wiping my tears before they fell down my cheeks. Yuna opened her eyes and immediately went forward to comfort me but I pushed her off. She frowned at my rejection but didn't make an effort to try again.

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head, saying nothing.

"I didn't mean to upset you. You have to understand that at that moment, I realized that I didn't need Tidus to be happy. I was finally able to let him go and set myself free."

Oh, I see how it was. "Set yourself free, huh? I didn't know that his love for you was such a burden to carry."

"Rikku I didn't mean it like—"

"Because you know, he sacrificed his life for you. But I guess that idea is just too bothersome to think about," I said sounding bitter.

"I said it wasn't like that!" Yuna said, getting flustered.

"Then what was it like? You're telling me that you're willing to forget about the one person you ever loved. Oh wait, you don't love him because you're willing to forget him!"

"I did love him and I've made my peace with it! But I just can't live in the past forever!"

We stared at each other. I couldn't believe what she was saying. So she was just going to forget him now?

Yuna sighed. "I will never forget what he did."

I tried my best to blink back tears.

"He sacrificed himself not only for me, but for everyone in Spira. He went above and beyond. But most importantly, he made me the person I am today and for that I am forever grateful. I treasure the time we spent together. Our journey only made me realize that despite not having him with me, he's always been here." she said, placing a hand over her heart. "He will always be a part of me and I've accepted that. I'm okay with my decision. My moving on will never negate the love I had for him."

She grabbed my hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "Please understand why I did this. I'm living my life and it's the first time I feel like I'm doing it on my terms."

I was speechless. When all of this started, I thought we would find him. That Yuna would marry Tidus, have kids, and live happily ever after. It was going to be perfect and I so badly wanted her to have it after all she's been through. If she didn't end up with a happy ending then what did that say for me? Where did that leave a person like me, who couldn't even hold a candle to Yuna?

"I'm going to check on the status of those sphere waves," I said hurriedly as I let her go.

I quickly made my way toward the elevator and tried my best to avoid looking at Yuna as the elevator doors shut in front of me.

Paine came to find me for dinner a while later. I was in the engine room, sitting by the stairs that lead down to the cargo area.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked after hearing the clack of her boots against the metal grate stairs.

"You always come to the engine room to brood."

Of course I did. I was still reeling from my argument with Yuna.

"You were out of line back there. I told you not to go bother her."

I shrugged, not wanting to talk about it.

The fact that she chose not to bring Tidus back still stung. It hurt knowing she just wanted to move on from him. Not bringing him back meant his friends lost out on having him in their lives and it just seemed so unfair. He was more than just her guardian. He was a great friend and someone I looked up to. I remember all the things he told me about Zanarkand and about his father. I remember feeling sorry for Tidus because he didn't ask to be brought a thousand years into the future, he didn't ask to fight against Sin who later turned out to be his father. He just wanted to save Yuna and spend the rest of his life with her. Yuna not bringing him back felt like she robbed him of a chance of living a normal life. She robbed him of an existence and a chance to be happy.

"She didn't ask for him back," I said, after a while.

Paine sat down next to me, the slight squeak of leather giving way as she did.

"And? That's her business."

I wanted to glare at her for sounding so cold about it. "Paine, you don't understand. We started this journey to find him-"

"And we saved the world," she interjected. "It's time to move on."

I was tired of hearing the same thing. Why does everyone want to move on? Why does everyone want to forget?

I shook my head, not wanting to hear it again.

"You weren't there on the pilgrimage," I said looking at her. "The way her eyes just simply lit up to the point of popping out of her sockets when he looked at her. She grew out of her shell when she was around him. There was no mistaking that she was deeply in love with him. Why would she not want him back after everything? He was her world."

"That might've been the case back then, but that's not the case right now is it?"

"But—"

"As her friends we can only love and support her," she said standing up. "We're not here to live her life or to tell her how she should live it."

I frowned, a peg of guilt slowly growing in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to tell Yuna how to live her life, but at the same time I felt like she was making a huge mistake.

"It's been two years. We've all changed, even Yuna."

I looked up at Paine. "So what now?"

She shrugged. "We live."

I watched her go back up the stairs and stop at the landing. She looked down at me with her hands on her hips.

"Yuna has become a stronger woman from this. If you can't see that then it's time for you to grow up and do a little letting go yourself."

I pouted, getting up and hopping up the stairs to join her. "But it seems so unfair. I just want the best for Yuna. I wanted her to have a happy ending. Is that too much to ask?"

"Life isn't a fairy tale, Rikku." And with that she turned around and walked toward the elevator.

Sure, life wasn't perfect. But there was nothing wrong with striving for happiness.

"Are you coming? Yuna's worried about you and I think it's about time you guys made up."

I snapped back from my thoughts and nodded. Despite what happened earlier, I truly felt that Yuna deserved to be happy. Her not bringing Tidus back was something she was going to regret later on. I decided right then and there that when the time came I was going to be ready. Yuna may not realize it now, but I was going to make sure she got her fairy tale ending.

note: re-written and heavily edited 4/26/15.