The plane had been closed off for millennia, and Spira was able to exist in relative peace because of it. Many evils were banished there, and humanity was saved from myriad of terrible foes it had never been aware of, ones that dwarfed the terror of Sin. However, the magic that sealed it was never understood, even by its casters, and one very specific set of circumstances could undo that seal.. and spell Spira's doom.
"I'll always cherish you, Tidus!" she exclaimed into his chest. She embraced him tightly- as if to find out how much pressure might make pyreflies come out- and buried her face in his now drenched neck.
"Hey, I'm all wet!" Tidus breathed, more to get her to ease her hold than to show care for her clothing.
"I don't care. You're here, and I'll never let go of you." Yuna replied with a smile, her bi-colered eyes now meeting his. Tidus could feel her heartbeat against his chest, and the smile he wore threatened to jump off of his face. After Yuna's story- the two years apart and Vegnagun- Tidus couldn't help but hold Yuna close for as long as she would allow him, which seemed eternal.
Placing his hands around her waist, he pulled her in and kissed her passionately, like he did in Macalania so long ago. To be able to kiss her, let alone touch her at all made his heart beat faster than any blitzball game or fight with a fiend could. Her mutual eagerness felt new, just like her appearance and composure, but he knew that this was the woman he had loved and gave his life for. She still hadn't let go of him.
After many kisses and giggles, the couple walked over to the campfire that the old group had sat around two years before. With his arm around her shoulder, they sat around the unlit pile and basked in each other's presence.
"So..what now?" Tidus asked, more to the air than to the beauty under his arm.
"Well.. I've had quite enough adventure these last two years," Yuna began, a nervous smile forming. "I was thinking I'd like to settle down. No duties or people to please.. I'd like to go to Besaid."
"Then let's go!" Tidus exclaimed. He needn't even ask if she meant with him; the two knew that they would never want to be apart again. "We'll build our own hut, and swim in the ocean, and do anything we want, all day!"
The smile Yuna made gave Tidus even more butterflies in his stomach. Despite her new apprearance and confidence, he could see the familiar reserved compsure return, and she nodded happily.
"And there it is!" Tidus exclaimed proudly. He had hung the last thick rug over their hut's frame (an effort aided by the entire village) and stepped back, hanging his arm on Yuna. She beheld it proudly, and planted a kiss on Tidus' cheek.
"Greetings, neighbors!" Wakka called, interrupting their private happiness. The two had barely had time to themselves these last two weeks- between having to stay in Wakka and Lulu's hut (along with a toddler Vidina) and the whole island still checking on Tidus in amazement of his return, the couple was only a few hours away from being truly alone for the first time since his reappearance.
"Thanks for your help, Wakka," Yuna managed, excusing Tidus' petulant expression. He'd spent plenty of time with Wakka building the hut, and just wanted to have alone time with Yuna.
"My pleasure! I just wanted to give you this! Lu made it. It's for housewarming, ya?"
Wakka presented a crocheted moogle, which Yuna accepted thankfully.
"Speaking of, shouldn't you be helping with Vidina?" Tidus injected, obviously trying to get his flame-haired friend away.
"I see what you're sayin, brudda. I'll leave you lovebirds to your new place. If you need anything, give us a call, ya?"
"You've done so much for us, Wakka. Thanks again for your generosity," Yuna graciously replied, bowing her head as her old Summoner habits still lingered. He took his leave, and the two immediately entered their new home, hand in hand. It was scarcely furnished for now, but they were too happy with their solitude to care about getting more furniture and decorations for the place. Yuna placed the moogle on the small coffee table that sat before their lone couch, and the only other furniture was the bed in the single room. They finished the hut just in time, as the sun was beginning to fade and retract its brilliant orange plumage.
"Welcome home," Yuna lovingly said, again burying herself in Tidus' chest. Those words meant so much more now.
Tidus moved his hands down to her waist, a mischievous grin forming on his lips.
"So, Yuna," he began, "Being gone for two years has made me awfully... tired." His provocative grin and fake yawn caused Yuna to blush.
"Watching you men work hard these two weeks has made me also quite... tired," she replied, grabbing his hand and leading him to their room.
After two long years, the fire of their love had only intesified, and the villagers tactfully allowed them their privacy.
The following couple of months were positively blissful for the Isle of Besaid. Tidus and Yuna were nearly inseperable- when he fancied a swim or a practice game of blitzball with the Aurochs, Yuna would sit on the beach and call cheers to him. When Yuna wanted to quietly read or practice magic, he would sit nearby and watch, entranced in her beauty which had grown even more in his absence.
Rikku had quite unexpectedly allowed them alone time, but Yuna was quite sure certain eye patched machine head was to blame for that.. and Paine wasn't one for big visits anyway. The two were perfectly happy in their isolated bliss, and Tidus constantly asked for stories of her journeys - much to Yuna's enjoyment. To be able to talk about them now without the pain of missing her beloved was freeing, and Tidus listened to every word she said (though sometimes with a sour face at the mention of this "Baralai").
It was a minor shock when Tidus awoke and Yuna wasn't next to him. With a scowl and a yawn, he sleepily got up and called her name, pulling on pajama pants as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.
"I'm.. in the bathroom" Yuna replied, though somehing in her voice worried Tidus. He opened the door to their small lavatory and found her leaning against the sink, a troubled look on her face. She locked eyes with him, and he recognized fear.
"Tidus, I'm pregnant." she said, more to herself than to him.
Immediately, Tidus' lethargy turned into euphoria.
"Yuna, that's great! Don't you see? Oh my gods.. You're pregnant! Are you okay with that? What's wrong?" he blurted, many things trying to be said at once. His ebullient expression lifted some of the haze from Yuna's expression, but a look of worry still lingered.
"But you're a... aren't you? Are you really real? What does this mean?" she asked, choking up and fighting tears. The subject of him being real or not was about the only one they had not broached since their reunion.
"Real enough to get you pregnant!"" Tidus answered with a cocky grin. He opened his arms and Yuna obligingly buried her face in his neck, squeezing him again as if to test his substantiality.
"Easy there, tiger! I'm here - On Spira. And we're a family now! I know it's sort of sudden.. we are young after all, but there's no Sin or Vegnagun or any monsters that can take our happiness away anymore," Tidus coaxed and, lifting her chin, kissed her gently on the lips.
"I just never expected this to happen. I love you." Yuna breathed, clearly still shaken.
"And I love you, Yuna. I promise you that nothing will get in our way. I'll be with you every single step and we'll get through anything together. For as long as you'll have me."
A smile now appeared on Yuna's face, which reawakened Tidus' euphoric grin. Laughing nervously, they exited the small bathroom and Tidus sat his love on their small couch.
"I think this calls for a little victory breakfast! You sit tight and I'll whip you something up!" Tidus excitedly called as he loudly shuffled through the pots and pans. To Yuna's delighted surprise, Tidus was an excellent cook - years of raising himself trained him to be quite the chef. With her hand unconsciously finding its way to her abdomen, she sweetly called, "How about some of your famous pancakes?"
"Of course, m'lady!" Tidus replied, igniting the oven and preparing the ingredients in their scant kitchen. Watching him happily crack the eggs and mix batter made Yuna's anxiety wane, but the tiniest of knots still lingered in her heart. Could this really be happening? It had to be too good to be true. Her mind wandered for a few moments as she stared at the coffee table, afraid that this was some dream. But sure enough, when she looked up again, there he was, happily pouring batter into the pan and humming the old Hymn.
"You know, we're going to have to tell everyone about this." Yuna stated, her hand still on her belly.
"No prob! I bet the whole of Spira will be lining up to give us baby presents!" Tidus replied, presenting her with two strawberry-topped pancakes. "You and me, ok?"
Yuna happily nodded, and noted his addition of her favorite fruit as she accepted his gift. His expectant look prompted her to take a bite, and her satisfaction with the food he prepared made Tidus' cerulean eyes glow.
"Besides, how crazy could it be?"
News of Yuna's pregnancy caused an uproar of good feelings throughout not only Besaid, but all of Spira. They had made global news, and were the talk of all the cities and villages in Spira. Rikku immediately came to visit, squealing her excitement in tones reserved for dogs' hearing. Lulu was uncharacteristically chipper, and not a single admirer commented on their young age. The star crossed lovers who defeated Sin could truly do no wrong in the eyes of the public.
In their small hut, now more substantially adorned with gifts from admirers near and far, the couple were joined by Rikku and their neighbors Wakka and Lulu (who had Vidina suspended on her hip).
"Yunie, I'm just so happy for you! I can't believe you guys are having a baby!" Rikku squealed, accenting the last word. Though there were now many more seats in the hut, Rikku was content to jump up and down while Tidus and Yuna sat on their first couch.
"Congratulations, you two," said Lulu in her soft viola voice, "I can't think of two people more suited to start a family." This prompted an indignant expression from Wakka, to which Lulu replied, "Dear, marrying you was a surprise to even me. It doesn't mean I don't love you."
Lulu's scarlet gaze, which normally made men straighten their backs and clear their throat, eased Wakka's heart and he returned to his happy composure.
"Have you thought of any names?" Rikku questioned, still doing her characteristic pee-pee dance of joy.
"You're only a few weeks along, am I correct?" Lulu inserted, to which Yuna replied, "Yes, four."
"So I doubt they're thinking of names just yet, Rikku," Lulu said to the golden haired girl, who pouted just a bit.
"You could name him after your ol' pal, Wakka! We been through some stuff, ya?" Wakka joked, making Tidus laugh.
"Now hang on everybody, we just found out a week ago! Besides, if I want a goofy islander boy as a son, I could pick a better name than Wakka!" Tidus teased. Wakka's feign at offense was enough to make Yuna, who had been relatively silent throughout the visit, give out a short chuckle."
"I just can't believe I'm - we're having a baby. 6 months ago I still wasn't sure I'd even see you again," Yuna chimed as she trained her eyes on Tidus, who returned a sickeningly lovey stare.
"Sheesh, no wonder you're having a baby!" Rikku joked, now still enough to sit in a luxurious chair provided by the Youth League.
The four friends spent the rest of the night talking and laughing, and Tidus only left Yuna's side to get her food or do some other small favor. Rikku commented on her want of such a love, which earned her teasing about Gippal, but the subject seemed to sour her mood, and the others digressed. The hut was now cramped with gifted furniture and knick knacks, making for a cozy situation in their previously drafty hut. Vidina was quite the quiet baby, which proved fortunate when Wakka and Tidus were animatedly arguing about who had struck the last blow on Evrae. However, his sudden shrieking (which Lulu deciphered as hunger) prompted the mother to retire to her hut, her husband in tow. It was after dark, and even Rikku was showing signs of tiring.
"Well, it's pretty late," Tidus yawned, with the obvious intention of getting rid of Rikku. The blonde completely missed his sentiment, however, and merely chirped "yeah, I'm pooped!" After a pause, she continued, "Tidus, I really missed you, you know? I missed this. I'm glad you're back."
Such a sober statement from Rikku was quite meaningful to the tanned blitzer, and his previous ire at her lingering faded.
"Would you like to crash here?" Tidus offered, halfway reluctantly. Yuna beamed though, and he knew it was a closed deal.
"I'd love to! That couch looks awfully comfy!" she smiled.
After the trio idly talked and prepared for sleep, Yuna bade her cousin goodnight and extinguished the torches, then joined her beloved in bed. Despite his previous profession of sleepiness, she faced him and found his eyes as bright as morning.
"I can't believe this is really happening," he said for the millionth time, pulling her close and entwining his legs in hers. Once again, he could feel her heartbeat in his chest.
"Is something wrong, Yuna?" Tidus whispered as he ran his hands on her soft cheek. Her eyes met his and affirmed his inquiry, as they always did.
"No, it's not," she began, "It's just that for my whole life, there's been some evil in the world. It's hard to imagine everything will be so easy like you said." she admitted.
After a moment of consideration, Tidus replied, "I know. I'm still shocked every time I open my eyes and can feel with my hands and hear with my ears. But when I look at you, I feel every worry fade and I know that everything is really okay now. And if something ever came up, I'll knock it down right away! We defeated Sin, Yuna! We can do anything in the world!"
Yuna allowed herself a small smile, but gave him another tight squeeze, which Tidus now called "reality checks".
"I promise, Yuna. Nothing will ever get in our way. And soon we'll have a child who won't have to fear Sin or any evil! I'm more scared of being a dad than anything we've done in the past." Tidus admitted. Yuna looked at him in disbelief.
"Tidus, I know you'll be a wonderful father! And I can't wait to see you stare at something other than me for once!" she teased, cupping his face in admiration.
"Yuna, I won't disappear. It's okay to look forward to our life together! I'll be right by your side, every step of the way. You and me, remember?"
After a short moment of thought, Yuna surrendered.
"Promise me." she whispered.
"Yuna, I promise you. Everything's going to be okay." Tidus coaxed. The two embraced even closer, and fell asleep to the sound of Rikku's voracious snoring.
The portal is opening... after one thousand years, I can see a glimpse into Spira.. Yes, I am sure of it. I have not rested. I will never calm until I right the wrong they did... I will kill them all.
Okay, so this was painful to write because it's all exposition. BUT! Stay tuned for the next chapter, cause some shit's gonna go down! Feel free to leave critique!