Title;; Only the Good Die Young
Fandom;; Final Fantasy X
Character(s)/Pairing(s);; Mostly Yuna. Refers to a variety of other characters.
Summary;; Novelization of the beloved ending scene.
Disclaimer;; I do not own Final Fantasy X or anything related to it, nor the song this work is titled after.
"Just do this…"
The sea. The liquid – water – itself to be more precise. It held… meaning. It was, after all, a common theme throughout all of Spira. Almost every village, every town, every city was built along the ocean's shores. The ratio of land to water was highly in the bluish tinted matter's favor, in fact, so it was only natural that it would be the result. Even the grand city of Luca, second in size only to the beloved Bevelle, was placed along the clear material's beaches, docks stretching out for approaching boats littered across the city's outskirts. It was upon those very docks that a lone female stood, black boots planted firmly on the glimmering white stone and posture as close to perfect as someone like herself could get.
Duel colored eyes – one, a blue like the skies above that cradled the star they knew as the Sun like a child and the other as green as the plant life that very object provided life for – gazed out into the seemingly never ending expanse of the sea, basking in its ever-present glory for mere seconds before her thoughts drifted elsewhere and she returned to her previous task. That task being the brunette leaning over, the ends of her detached sleeves dusting the dock's dirty surface in the process, curling her index finger and thumb into a circle, placing them in her mouth… and blowing. A whistle was given in response to this combination of actions. However, much to the female's disappointment, nothing more than just that returned to her.
"And I'll come running."
Yuna could remember his words that day as though he'd just muttered them in her ear seconds before. She'd been worried about being separated from him, that day, in their search for the esteemed Sir Auron and his offering of a way to return to one another was the best he could do at assuring her that she was perfectly safe and he wouldn't leave her side. But was that all? Had the blonde's promise only extended to the span of that search? That day? That appeared to be the case, guessing as, despite how many times she called to him with that simple gesture, he never returned to her.
But she never gave up hope.
Oh, Tidus, the high summoner said in silence, leaning forward and blowing into her petite fingers for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day, where have you gone? You told me you'd be by my side until the end – always. But it's not the end and always will never end. No answer. Was there no hope? Were her attempts just as futile – if not more so – than she was beginning to believe them? Was it true that, despite those words he'd used with her, he was really, truly, never returning to her? … She couldn't believe it. Refused to believe it. She would whistle until her lungs collapsed or until the day she died… even longer than that. And, only until the guardian had come back to her and only then would she stop her pathetic attempts to be with him once more.
You always did keep you promises… You can't… You can't fail me now…
The sound of heels clicking against rock caught Braska's famous daughter's attention and she knew that her session would be cut short due to more important events she was to attend. One more whistle – one more attempt – was all she managed before a low, familiar voice hit her eardrums and she was to be whisked away to Luca's stadium.
"Yuna," Lulu called, "it's time." There was a light tone to the black mage's voice that hadn't been there before. Not since the beginning of the younger of the two began her pilgrimage. All that time, the summoner, her guardians, and anyone who tagged along on their endeavor had been walking around with a dark cloud of dread hanging over their heads, a constant reminder that at least one of them would not make it out of the journey alive. But, now, the perils were over – over for good – and there was no need to frown. She had a reason to be happy and it was a joy to see the dark woman sounding so pleased. But she, herself, would never be able to mimic that sort of enthusiasm. Not now when the person who meant the most to her was gone, possibly forever.
No time at all was wasted in getting to the city's most famous area after her brief reminder and, before she knew it, Yuna was standing before every resident of Spira who could attend the event – her speech – Al Bhed and former Yevonites alike. Her eyes scanned the stands around her from the high platform on which she stood, nearly every seat taken and the arena more packed than it ever was for any Blitzball game. The sport, after all, was only a brief escape from the horrors of Sin. The words that were to tumble from her mouth once she appeared would announce the death of their worst enemy and the peace that was sure to follow its defeat. Was she ready for this? The brunette had never been much of a public speaker, really, this being one of her only times speaking to a slightly large – or, in this case, more than large– group. She flashed Kimahri, guessing as the Ronso was the nearest of her former guardians, an unsure look before he nodded in his own reassuring way.
Memories of her father, strong, brave, and willing to risk his life for his people, flooded her mind not seconds afterward and she told herself, For you, Father. I will be brave for you. Swallowing her doubts and composing herself as best she could, the high summoner stepped forward into the light of the blinding sun for all to see. The reaction was immediate, a deafening roar from the crowd meeting her approach head on. And, for just a small moment, she let them cheer like that, her head pivoting to take in everything she could and process it all before it left her like one particular male. And then… she began.
"Everyone…" she began, catching herself and trying to remember what she had practiced. The sound of the people around her came to a halt at the sound of her gentle voice. She continued, her words returning to her like a boomerang she never knew she'd thrown. "Everyone has lost something precious. Everyone here has lost homes… dreams… friends… Everybody... Now, Sin is dead. Now, Spira is ours again." Thunderous applause erupted from the people below her in response to this. Their worst nightmare, the horrible monster that plagued them for over a millennium was finally gone – gone forever – and their prayers had finally been answered. Spira was theirs again. Pausing for a moment, she continued:
"Working together… Now we can make new homes for ourselves. And… new dreams." The short-haired teen need not look over her shoulder to know – feel – her friends nodding and smiling in affirmation respectively at her words. She owed them so much and was grateful for their assistance. Of course, she couldn't dwell on their presence. So, instead, she carried on with her flow of words. "Although I know the journey will be hard, we have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild Spira. The road is ahead of us – so let's start today." More cheers. More applause. She didn't know whether she wanted to smile even more than her cheeks would allow or break down into tears. Turning back to look at Wakka and Lulu, her thoughts reaching out to Kimahri and Rikku behind her – maybe even to Auron in the Farplane, as well – she received a reassuring gesture from the red-haired man and returned her attention to the citizens of Spira presented to her. What was left for her to say? Oh, she knew.
"Just… one more thing," Yuna said, interrupting them. As the words erupted from her mouth, memories drifted through her mind along with them, carrying her through her journey across the great land and its temples almost as though time had reset and she was to defeat Sin once more like she had before. "The people and the friends you have lost –" Her father, proud and strong, taken by his own Aeon. And Jecht, the aeon himself, doomed to cause turmoil until his life was put to a halt. The citizens of Kilika, sent to the Farplane in the aftermath of Sin's wrath. The Al Bhed who died in the Guado's attack on Home. Chappu and Luzzu who'd given their lives in hopeless causes to destroy the seemingly undefeatable creature their plagued their families and their homes. Even the guardian she and her father had shared, killed by Lady Yunalesca in a futile attempt at vengeance and sent an entire decade after his death. As all of the faces dissipated into nothingness, all that was left in her mind were two eyes the color of the ocean and hair as bright as the sun. "… and the dreams that have faded…"
Not seconds later did it all tumble back on her: meeting every one of her guardians, battling fiend after fiend, every temple, village, city and everything in between that they journeyed to. And there – under Macilania's nighttime sky – she and Tidus, swimming through the water like stars danced through the cosmos. He may not have been coming back. But, as long as his face was still fresh in her mind like he was right beside her, she'd be a bit content. Somewhere, across the stadium, a glimmering flash caught the young woman's attention and, confused, she strained to see what it was. A pyrefly. A single pyrefly. Rare, guessing as they generally flew in packs, the remainder of the departed. However, if became painfully apparent what – who – that pyrefly was… or, at least, what it stood for, and her doubt washed away with the smile that decorated her face.
"Never forget them."
And then Deltra stops sounding so serious/lame/whatever you'd categorize that as and falls back into character. Hello, everyone! While I have never written for Final Fantasy before and, undoubtedly, won't any time soon and you probably have never even heard of me, I'm going to start by saying that no. I am not dead. I am very much alive. As are my fanfiction muses. Would you look at that? In fact, I have about three one-shots in the works as we speak! Sadly, this particular one was not written recently as my short but insane burst of Final Fantasy X muse has come and gone a while ago and this is simply me letting my presence be known with a... decently new one-shot? Eh, it's been a month, I think. Of course. This needs explaining, doesn't it?
Okay. So. You're probably wondering. Why waste my time with a boring novelization? Be original, woman, come up with a plot! It is to this I answer you with two things. One. Make up your own plot and write your own fanfiction. I'll write whatever I darn well feel like. Secondly, this wasn't originally meant to be a stand alone work of literature, much less a one-shot. You see, a while back when my muses for this fandom were flaring high in the sky, I plotted a... parody of sorts? Basically a loose novelization of the events in the game where I ruined my own childhood by throwing in humor. Good or bad. Depends on the scene or the take on the jokes. I started working on it when I was torn between ruining the beautiful ending or simply breaking away from the humor section and making it serious. When I decided that I might make two endings - one for those enjoying the humor and one for those who couldn't bare to see the last moments ruined - this was born! I wrote it with limited Internet and basked in the glory of my first completed, half decent snippet in some time. However, a week, two, or maybe even three later, the idea was scrapped and this was all but forgotten.
But I find some use in it now, letting anyone who even bothers to care anymore that - yes - I am still writing and - no - it's not Pokemon or Warriors or Mario or Adventure Time or even this or blah blah blah. I'm expanding my horizons. Into really bad anime. XD So... Enjoy this third advertisement, third announcement of my existence, and third actual story. And, for those of your concerned. Yes. This is my first FFX fanfic. And yes. This will probably be my last. Title comes from a song with the same name. The song has nothing to do with the fic and vice versa. I just thought of it when trying to come up with a name.