AN: This is the epilogue to Dreams and Destiny.
Always and Forever
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Two weeks have passed since that wonderful day, when Tidus came back. That wonderful day when Tidus asked me to marry him. Now, today is my wedding day. Our wedding day. The beginning of our story. I was in my room in one of Rin's a newly established inns, right beside the Moonflow. I lifted my beautiful white silk gown up, and looked at myself in the mirror, and then at the clock. 'Thirty minutes left!' I slipped the gown over my head, tied the strands of material behind my neck, and then I straightened my necklace. The gown was lovely. My shoulders were bear, and the flowing skirt reached all the way down to my ankles. I twirled around the room happily, and then I heard an quick knock on the door. "It's Rikku!" came Rikku's very excited voice. "And Lulu." came Lulu's calm-as-always voice. "Come in!" I said, looking down at my dress to make sure everything was right. Rikku gasped as she opened the door. "Oh, Yunieee! You're so pretty!" She danced in wearing a soft orange dress. The dress had the same style of tying around her neck as mine, but the skirt hugged her form, and was only down to right above her knees. Lulu walked primly into the room after her. She wore a gown that was ankle length, and strapless, the skirt was mermaid style. The gown was black, as always. "Yes, Yuna, you are very beautiful." Rikku cut Lulu off from whatever else she was going to say and nearly shouted, "We just came in to check on you, you know, to make sure that you where all dressed! Can't be late to your own wedding, you know!" Lulu offered me a bouquet of lovely white and sky blue flowers, which she had been holding behind her back. They were from the farplane. " Wakka sneaked these out of the farplane, somehow without the guado noticing yesterday night." She was grinning. She looked as if she thought that this was very clever. It was a bit unusual for her. "Oh, Lulu! Thank you! They're beautiful!" I reached out to take the flowers. They reminded me of the day I went to the farplane, and found Tidus there. Then Yunalesca had become my fayth. She dreamed of Tidus, so that I could summon him as my final aeon, but, since there was no Sin to defeat, he would stay here in Spira with me. I placed the flowers gently on the stand that was beside the mirror, and then I looked at my reflection. I combed my fingers through my hair, and said, "I think I'll leave my hair down." Putting it up reminded me too much of…my first wedding. Well, that one doesn't really count, because Seymour was already dead, and, I never said, "I do." Mica just nodded, and then… 'No. Now is not the time to be thinking about that.' This is a happy day. I shook my head slightly, trying to dislodge the thoughts from my mind. I thought of Tidus. Soon, we would be together forever. For always. Rikku and Lulu left, and I sat down in a chair by the window, which was covered by thick sea blue curtains. They were almost the same color as Tidus' eyes, but I don't think anything in the world could be exactly the same perfect color. I looked at the clock again, growing impatient. Twenty-one minutes. I lost myself in thought, daydreaming about my Dream. Then, I stood up, and straightened the stuff in the room. I did another once over of myself in the mirror, before leaving the room with my heart fluttering. Lulu and Rikku met me outside, and escorted me to where the private ceremony would be held, by the Moonflow. No one in Spira even knew where I was, we had made sure that only my guardians, Wakka's Blitzball team, Rin, and Maechen, who would perform the ceremony, knew. I didn't want to be attacked by crazed fan-people, so I decided not to tell anyone that I was getting married until afterwards. As I stepped out of the building, I saw Him. Wakka stood by his side, his best man. Kimahri came beside me; he would walk me down the isle, and Rikku and Lulu took their places beside the alter. Rikku was my maid of honor, and Lulu was my bridesmaid. Rikku's brother and Cid were Tidus' groomsmen. Maechen nodded towards Kimahri and me, and the procession began. My heart fluttered in my chest as I walked towards Him. He stood only a few feet from the banks of the Moonflow, and pyreflies flew all around. As I walked toward him, he smiled, at me. For most people, a smile meant nothing more than happiness. To us, it speaks who we are. It says, "I am with you, I am here for you. When I'm sad, I will still be strong for you, when you need me, I won't let you down." I smiled back at him, and it was not a forced smile. I could not have hidden the smile if I tried. But I didn't want to hide it. This was the happiest day of my life. Since we would soon be together, as one, as long as I was with him, everyday from this day onward would be the new, happiest day of my life. When I finally reached him, Kimahri stepped to the side towards where Tidus' groomsmen stood, and Maechen began to speak the ceremony. "Tidus, Yuna, please face each other." We did. "Tidus, please take your bride's hands in yours, and speak your vows." His smile grew as he reached down to take my hands in his. We had each written our own vows, wanting to speak our hearts to each other, and not simply go by tradition. I have found that I rarely like to go by tradition. He gazed at me, his eyes shining, and then he swallowed, before beginning to speak. "Yuna…before I met you, before I came to this world, I was a mere child. I was selfish, and I knew nothing besides my own desires. When I first met you, when I first laid eyes on you, on the steps of the temple, I knew there was something special about you. As we traveled together across Spira, I got to know you, and the more I knew you, the more I saw that special thing in you. It was selflessness. You always loved others more than you loved yourself, even to the point of your own death. When I first learned what would happen to you, I didn't understand it. By slowly, as we traveled across Spira, you taught me to be the same way. Every time you replaced a tear with a laugh, it was for Spira. I learned to do the same, only it was not for Spira. It was for you. I was willing to do anything to save you, I would have taken your place of death in the final summoning, if it could have. I smiled for you, I laughed for you, but I knew that it could not save you. That night, when you could no longer laugh, when you could not force a smile, the night I told you how I felt, that night was the hardest night of my life. All I wanted was to take you away with me, to my Zanarkand, to save you from the pain, the sorrow, and the death. But, you would never do that, you are too unselfish to forsake Spira. You are more unselfish, more perfect than anyone in the world, and that is why I love you. That night, I promised you that I would support you no matter what your decision. I promised you that I would stay with you always. I will never break those promises. I will stay with you, and I will love you, always and forever." Tears where sparkling in his eyes, tears of joy, and I could feel tears in my own eyes. 'That was beautiful.' I was also amazed. The last words of his vows where exactly the same as mine. We were meant for each other, now I knew it more than ever. Maechen turned to me. "Yuna, you may now speak your vows." I blinked the joyful tears, and locked my eyes on his as I spoke. "Tidus, you are my dream. When I was young, my only dream was death. My life was nothing but a sacrifice. I had no dream except to die, to save Spira, and with that dream came sorrow. I was always sad, and yet I always smiled. I never had a reason to smile…until I met you. You made me laugh, and you made me smile, and that night when you made me cry, that night was the first, truly happy time in my life. When you left, two weeks ago, it was the worst thing that ever happened to me, and yet, you where still with me, still guarding me. Still keeping your promise. I know I can always trust you, and I know that you'll be with me always, and I know that when our time here in Spira is done, then, I will spend the rest of eternity with you. If we ever get separated, just whistle. I'll come running. I promise, because, I love you, always and forever." We just stood there, waiting for those wonderful, wonderful words. 'When will he say them? What is he waiting for?' I tore my gaze away from Tidus, and looked at Maechen. He was standing there, but he was melting into pyreflies. "It seems that my time has come. You should know, I am an unsent…I now pronounce you Husband and Wife!" With that last word, he burst into pyreflies, and joined the countless others dancing over the water. I looked back at Tidus, and he looked at me. There was a moment of silence, before Rikku jumped up excitedly, and shouted, "You may now kiss the bride!" Tidus looked at me, his eyes shining as he lifted my veil, and then leaned down, softly pressing his lips on mine, chills ran down my spine, my heart lurched inside me. Rikku squealed for joy, Wakka and the Blitzball team all cheered and made a ruckus, and Lulu clapped daintily. Then, far too soon, Tidus pulled away, and smiled at me. Our friends cheered wildly, and surrounded us with hugs.
We enjoyed the whole afternoon, talking, laughing, and eating sweet fruit, along something Rikku called cake. Since Rikku made it, we were all a little concerned about eating it, but she said it was an Al Bhed wedding tradition, so, we all had a taste. Lulu thought it was horrible, I could tell from the slight twitch in her completely calm manor, Kimahri didn't like it either. Wakka and the whole Blitzball team went crazy asking Rikku for the recipe, which she refused to give out. When Tidus saw the Blitzer's reactions, he tasted it, and a large smile grew on his face. "Wow! Rikku! Uh…Yuna's half Al Bhed! She should have this recipe too!" He grinned at me, and I took a bite of the cake. It was strange tasting, something like the sweetness of fruit, except multiplied a lot of times over. I didn't like it very much, but it was okay, so I finished it, so as not to hurt Rikku's feelings. As the sun faded over the horizon, more pyreflies gathered over the water, creating a stunning light show, so much like the one we watched, the night Tidus asked me to marry him. When evening fell, the others left in the airship, back to the inn further down the Moonflow. Tidus looked lovingly down at me. He put his arm around me, and the swept me up, then he ran, while carrying me, down the bank of the Moonflow, and waded into the cool water as the countless millions of pyreflies danced around us. He put me down, and gazed at me, his eyes filled with love. He placed his hands around my waist, and pulled me close, whispering, "My wife. I love you, now, and always, and forever" "I love you too." I was going to say more, but then he began to kiss me, and I closed my eyes, and lost myself in wonder and joy. That was the beginning of our story. A story that will last forever. A story that will last, always.
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TidusxYuna Always