Tonight was the night.
The night that Tidus had been anticipating and saving his hard-earned wages for in the past three months. No, he'd been waiting for over a year for. When he arrived back on the island after spending two years in No Man's land, he only had one thought on his mind: the woman he'd sacrificed his entire existence for. And there she was, running towards him with open arms. Well, she may have changed quite a bit, and it took him a couple of months to adjust, but she was still the same genuine, gorgeous, and wonderful woman he'd fallen for.
"Quit stalling and help me get this this up!" Wakka said, shaking him from his daydream. As he helped one of his best friends hoist up a long wooden beam, he kept replaying the scenario over and over again in his head. Every now and then he checked his pocket to make sure it was still there. The small wooden box with a very important piece of jewelry inside: a rose gold ring with two circular, conjoined gemstones side by side, one emerald and one sapphire, exactly the color of her eyes. There were a million types of this type of jewelry, and one very specific, traditional style that signaled the concept of this question he was to ask her tonight. But Tidus knew it had to be unique and special, just like the young high summoner. He asked for help from his closest friends, the ones who knew her best. They told him to put some thought into it, don't just get the same one that every man got for his woman.
He hoped he made the right choice.
"Watch out!" someone yelled. Tidus hopped out of the way as the beam he was just holding up came falling down, nearly squishing him.
"Dude, what's your deal?" Wakka asked, his hands on his hips.
"I'm nervous!" Tidus said to him. "You know what else happens tonight?"
He had told everyone his intentions from the beginning, and he'd practiced countless times in front of them. "Too insincere", "too corny", and "too shaky" were their criticisms. Tidus wasn't a poet, at least not a very good one, and he spend the past couple of weeks rewriting the speech he was going to give her until he thought it was satisfying enough to say. She had more of a way with words than he did, and he was hoping to at least impress her with how hard he tried.
Wakka grinned. "Don't worry, bro, she's crazy about you, ya? As long as you don't screw up that thing you wrote for her."
"Well, that doesn't help my confidence..." Tidus mumbled, kicking at a rock.
"You'll be fine, just like we practiced."
"You said I stuttered way too much."
"Aaand you got better! Kinda."
Tidus turned to the temple, where Yuna was finishing her daily meeting with a couple of important government officials. "Well, when the time comes, do me a solid and don't spoil it for me!"
"What kind of friend would I be if I did that?"
"The kind of friend that put those live fish in my bed while I was asleep!"
"Hey, you lost that bet fair and square, ya? I said I was gonna get you somehow!"
"I'm getting you back for that."
"Yeah, good luck with that, none of the Aurochs ever pulled one on me before!"
"Well this time, I'll-"
He heard the sound of the heavy temple doors opening and Yuna made her way over to the two.
"Morning!" she said. "What are you boys up to?"
Just looking at her made Tidus's nerves rise as he thought about how she was going to react to his question. His heart beat even faster when she smiled warmly at him. Beads of sweat started falling down his head.
"Oh you know," Wakka said. "Talking 'bout stuff."
"Excited for tonight?" Yuna asked.
"Yeah, we're gonna have a band play and everything! Right, Tidus?"
Tidus fiddled with his hands. Yuna was looking at him, directly at him. She could probably read every thought he had. Her smile faded slightly.
"Are you alright, Tidus?"
"Huh? Oh, y-yeah! I'm... I'm perfectly perfect!"
"You're sweating." She said as she walked up to him.
"It's... uh... it's super hot out here!"
The temperature was mildly chilly with a cold ocean breeze blowing the palm trees and spreading goosebumps across his skin. She walked over to him and pressed her hand against his forehead.
"Do you have a fever?" she asked.
"Nah, I'm just... I don't know it's been a weird day."
"I hope you're still in the party mood tonight. There's lots to celebrate!"
He choked and turned his head to his red-haired friend. Had someone spoiled the surprise?
"For the annual Defeat of Sin festival." She continued. Tidus breathes a sigh of relief.
"Right, right, yeah."
Right behind Yuna, a few of the village elders that always accompanied Yuna whenever Bevelle officials came. One of them in particular, Elder Marim, was glaring directly at the blonde-haired boy. That kind of look was one that always sparked fear in him. It was scarier than any fiend he'd faced. When the man walked closer to the two men, Tidus went over to where the wooden beam fell and tried to make himself look occupied.
"Don't mind me, just a hardworking boy over here." he said as he struggled to lift up the heavy wooden object. Wakka went over to help him and Tidus had to make sure the man was gone before relaxing.
"The guy hates me..." he mumbled.
"Nah, there's just not a lot of things he's real happy about, ya?" Wakka told him. "Not since the fall of Yevon, and Yuna going off on her own without a word."
"A thousand-year-old curse lifted and terrifying, world-crushing monsters being defeated and he's not happy about anything?" Tidus said.
"What can you do with 'em?" Wakka said.
Everyone was scrambling around, setting up tables, gathering bonfire wood, and Lulu stood on the side, giving commands to her husband and his Auroch friends. They were the most fit out of everyone. But Tidus couldn't help but find himself distracted as he daydreamed about the woman keeping her eye on him, and occasionally coming over to lend a hand to him. In the past fourteen months, he'd resided on the small island with the people that he felt like were his family. A cloud of mixed feelings overcame him as he set foot on the Besaid shore for the second time. He was uncertain about his true self, and worried each night about disappearing back to the endless void where he remained in a seemingly infinite slumber. Whether or not he was a true living being, or still a projection of the fayth, was a mystery even today when he considered it irrelevant. But after he realized he wasn't going anywhere, and after he'd regained every human sense including the extreme hunger when he came back, he was much more sure of himself than ever. In that moment while Wakka was warning him not to let go of the wobbly ladder, he thought of his life on Besaid; the relationships he created, how close he'd become to almost everyone, and the blissful moments of romance when he and Yuna would spend what little time she had together. Even with all of these good memories, he often relived the moments where it wasn't always smooth sailing.
"Hey! What did I say about not letting go?" Wakka asked him.
"What? You jumped down before you could fall!"
"Man, you're really out of it now."
"Can you blame me? I'm about to make the biggest step in my entire life, how can I not be anywhere else but here?"
"Well, you ain't gonna get around to it if we don't get all of this stuff set up before tonight!"
"What else do we need?" He turned his head around to the half-finished scene.
"Let's go get some wood." Wakka said.
The jungle was starting to fill him with the feeling of nostalgia, despite himself thinking he was much too young to feel it. Nostalgia for when Wakka pushed him off that cliff to the awaiting clear water below. Even when he saw it for the second time, he still was fascinated by how much cleaner the water was than the city where he hailed from.
"Bet you wouldn't jump." Wakka said when they reached the same cliff.
"Exactly how much are you betting?"
"One-hundred Gil."
Tidus stretched his arms and popped his knuckles. "You might as well pay me now, because I'm about to cannonball my way down there."
Wakka readied himself. "If you can beat me to the other side, I'll pay you."
Both men jumped off at the same time and landed against the cold water with a loud splash. Tidus frantically kicked his arms and legs towards the other side of the water. Goosebumps formed on the surface of his tan skin and he dunked his head underneath. He was a better swimmer under the water than above. By the time they reached the other side, they popped their heads up at the same time, yelling, "I win!"
"I was here first!" Tidus yelled.
"Yeah right! I touched this rock before you!"
"You owe me a hundred Gil!"
Wakka started further towards the shore.
"Not if I beat you back to the village!"
It was like this most days, when Tidus could relax with his friends and fellow Aurochs. He still could remember back when they hadn't warmed up to him yet. That was one of the few complications he had upon returning to Besaid permanently. For a while, he felt as if he were back where he started being in a world he didn't know, with people that he didn't know, and he was still finding out one thing or another about the rules of this island. Despite being away from his old home for so long, he was still used to the hustle and bustle of city living. Staying out past midnight some nights, always having something different to do, and he knew he slept better hearing the sounds of the city ambiance. At times, he grew restless and irritable at how simple the life of an islander was.
"Fork it over. Come on!" Wakka said, holding his hand out.
Tidus had his legs protruding out from the shallow water on the sand while the rest of his body was still submerged.
"I'm touching the sand, I made it before you did!"
"You cheated."
"I did not! You're just a sore loser."
Wakka crossed his arms. "Okay, then let's split. Fifty-fifty. How 'bout that?"
"Then we'll both have the same amount of money than we did before." Tidus said.
"That's my final offer, ya?"
Tidus sighed. "Fine."
The two men exchanged Gil and Wakka turned towards the path back to the island.
"Let's head back before Lu chews our heads off."
"You mean before she chews your head off?"
"Hey, you were there, too, you're an accessory."
Tidus rolled his eyes with a large smile as they made their way back towards the village, where some of the elderly folk would be occupying Yuna's time. They were another portion of Tidus's rocky new beginning. Despite uncovering the true face of Yevon and taking down the horrible monstrosity known as Sin, Tidus wondered if they still thought of him as "the heathen" that went against every taboo and omen they've held for many years. He assumed they despised him because Yuna turned down many proposals from the elders' children, and grandchildren. She was surrounded by those boys for nearly her entire life, and the elders couldn't stand the fact that this blonde boy, who represented everything all these primitive island people hated, managed to snatch her heart before their offspring had the chance. Sometimes, Tidus felt as though they were looking at him like he was a criminal.
And then there was the situation with Yuna. Since she was no longer adventuring throughout the world with the Gullwings, everyone was insistent on hogging up all her free time. Tidus usually sat in his tent when there wasn't anything else to do, counting down the hours until she was finally free to spend time with him. Wakka was too busy with his own family to play blitzball, Tidus wasn't as friendly with the Aurochs as he was now, and Rikku was off doing her own thing, traveling everywhere in that airship. On days when he was alone, bored out of his mind, and sick of wandering through the jungle by himself, Tidus would think about trying to find a new purpose. Perhaps he could've became a Gullwing, too, but the thought of being away from Yuna even though she was usually away herself wasn't something he wanted to invest in. He always thought it could be something they did together, going on sphere hunts, fighting monsters. He thought the elders were being selfish, and that Yuna was being taken advantage of by constantly giving them the time of day. It wasn't just them, either. Sometimes the three leaders of the newfound Spira government were expecting her input as well. They often butted heads against new policies, new routines, and new mindsets, and Yuna, as well as the other Gullwing members, would travel to Bevelle, settle things, and Yuna would arrive back on the island a few days later. Tidus didn't want to make things more complicated for her than they already were, but he couldn't help but wish Yuna wouldn't feel the need to act in certain ways for everyone else around her.
Things changed for the better when blitzball season started back up again, and he was no longer entertaining himself with the same fruitless tasks. He found himself more connected to his team, and he met new people along the way. When he came back, both he and Yuna were free of the stresses of their daily lives and could converse more effectively. Not only that, but he was generating a significant amount of income with it, and he would surprise Yuna with a trip, or a fancy dinner. They weren't allowed to spend too much time alone, some Besaidian traditions never left her, but he managed to make every moment as special as the previous.
He could see her waving happily at him as she stood on the steps of the temple. He smiled and waved back, enjoying the nice view of her before his sight was covered by a fur-lined corset and a veil of jet black hair.
"And where have you two been all this time?" Lulu demanded, balancing her red-haired infant on her hip.
"Uh..." both men stammered. "Nowhere!"
"It obviously wasn't 'nowhere' if it took you almost an hour to return to your posts! And where's the bonfire wood you were supposed to retrieve?"
"Oh!" Wakka said. "T-that! Well... uh..."
"We decided to take a swim," Tidus said. "We were trying to get to the other side of the island to get some of that wood from those fallen palm trees, but we didn't get around to it. By the way, it was all his idea."
"Hey!" Wakka said.
Lulu sighed, shaking her head. "Of course. Why did I expect anything different? You're lucky Botta decided to gather some extra wood for yesterday's bonfire." She turned around to leave, adding one last comment. "Wash yourselves off. We wouldn't want two of the most important figures at this festival looking and smelling like they've run a marathon!"
"Yes, ma'am..." they mumbled.
Fresh out of the bath, Tidus threw on the formal red shirt he picked out for this very occasion. Yuna always said it complemented his vibrant blue eyes. He checked the pocket of his cargo shorts again. The wooden box was still there and he took it out and opened it, making sure the rose gold ring was still there.
"Hey." He heard Wakka say behind him and he jumped, almost dropping the box and the ring.
"Jeez, man, what are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack?"
Wakka laughed. "Sorry, but we've got someone here that wants to see you, ya?"
Tidus didn't even walk a full step out of his tent before a pair of excited arms squeezed him and a mop of blonde hair was in his face.
"Hiya!" Rikku yelled straight in his ear.
"Hey... Rikku... I can't... breathe!" he croaked. Rikku released him.
"Oopsie!" she giggled. "My arms got real beefy lifting all this heavy machina around!"
She hugged Wakka and he gave her a noogie.
"Good to see you, Tiny Rikk."
"I'm not tiny!" she yelled. "I'm almost as tall as you!"
When she stood up straight, she came up to the middle of his chest, and he put his hands on his hips. "Really? I bet I could pick you up and throw you across the whole island!"
"I will place my bet on that." A low voice said. Tidus turned to see Paine approaching, looking as dark and mysterious as ever.
Wakka clasped his hands together very loudly. "Great! Let's test it!"
"No! No one's throwing me anywhere!" Rikku said.
Tidus laughed heartily.
"Where's Yunie?" Rikku asked him.
"Over here!"
Tidus's eyes widened as she saw her walked closer to the crowd. Her long, flowing pink strapless sundress hugged her slender figure so perfectly, he had to restrain himself from running up to her and engulfing her in his arms and swinging her around. He choked and kept his thoughts to himself as she approached.
"YUNIE!"
Rikku hugged her almost as tightly as the blonde boy.
"Calm down, Rikk, you'll squish her!" Tidus said.
"It's okay," Yuna replied, laughing softly. "I have to go help Lulu with food, I'll be right back."
As she left again, Rikku asked Wakka, "How come she didn't ask you to help with the food?"
"Because the last time he helped out, he almost burned the entire village down!" Tidus said.
"Hey," Wakka said, crossing his arms. "That's only half true!"
Rikku turned her head back and leaned in close. "So, do you have your speech ready?"
"Speech?" Tidus asked, before realizing what she meant. "Oh, crap! I think I left it in my shorts when we went swimming..."
He ran back inside his tent and searched the pockets of his trunks. The folded piece of paper with his scribbled handwriting was soaked, and completely illegible. He hung his head.
"Dammit, what am I supposed to say now?" he said, tossing the soaked paper aside.
"Aw, don't sweat it!" Rikku said. "Just remember what you wrote!"
"Gee, why didn't I think of that?" Tidus said, throwing his hands up. "I can't remember what I wrote! I can't even remember what I did yesterday!"
"Write it again!" Rikku said.
"This guy's not really good with words, ya?" Wakka said.
Tidus sighed. He knew Wakka was right.
"Don't worry!" Rikku said. "Yunie loves you even when you mess up on your sentences! She'll think it's cute if you fumble on this one."
"And what if she doesn't?! What if she says no?! I'll be devastated! I'll be ruined!" By this time he was breathing heavily and both of his friends had to grab his flailing arms and sit him on his bed.
"Get ahold of yourself!" Rikku said.
"Yeah, man, you're thinkin' of the worse case scenario here." Wakka said to him.
"I'm sorry, guys, I've never done anything like this and I'm nervous as hell." he said, running his hands through his hair. "I don't wanna screw this up. I love that woman so much and I want this to be perfect for her."
"It'll be perfect no matter what," Rikku said. "Just tell her how much you love her, and speak from the heart!"
"Yeah, tell her everything you like about her!" Wakka said to him.
Tidus nodded. "Okay... I'll do that. I can do this! I'm not afraid!"
He said that, but when Yuna called to them from outside, he felt his heart pumping fast again and froze in position until the others pried him from his spot.
Tidus was usually one to participate in party activities, but this time, he was keen on becoming a wallflower. He stood on the side as the evening passed, watching everyone become immersed in their element. Wakka and Lulu with their child, talking with friends and enjoying themselves, the Aurochs tossing blitzballs around, Paine trying to keep Rikku steady as she drank heavily from her cup. Tidus shook his head. That had to be her third cup of the specialty hard Besaidian cider. The two women stood in the corner away from the active crowd and Rikku had her arm around Paine's shoulder, spilling her cup all over the area. Paine looked as though she couldn't hold Rikku's wobbly self upwards anymore and Tidus was about to come to her rescue, until he saw something else happened. Rikku's mouth was connected to the dark-haired woman's. Only for a second. When it was over, Rikku collapsed into her arms, motionless. Tidus and Paine locked eyes for a moment as he was only a few feet away.
"You didn't see anything." Paine said, in a completely non-threatening voice.
"Um... my lips are sealed?" Tidus assured her.
"That's right." Paine picked up the blonde-haired girl. "Listen, we're gonna get going. If anyone asks, say Rikku wasn't feeling too good and wanted to go."
"O-okay?" Tidus eyed Rikku. "Is she gonna be okay?"
"Yup, happens all the time."
With that, Paine left the scene and Tidus turned around. He almost slammed right into the female figure that appeared in front of him.
"Where's Rikku and Paine?" Yuna asked him.
"Uh, well... Rikku had ingested a particular liquid and... well she felt like turning in for the night."
"Oh..." Yuna looked at the floor. "It happened again."
"What? You've seen her get like that?"
Yuna laughed. "Yes, we've traveled together for months and we had several celebrations for our sphere-hunting victories! Rikku was always getting into trouble that way."
"I guess she was lucky she had you guys." Tidus said. He scratched the back of his head. Every passing second meant that he was going to have to pour his heart out to this humble woman, and he could just count on messing it up. If he waited any longer, he'd probably dehydrate himself with how much he was sweating.
"Listen, Yuna, I..."
"Lady Yuna!"
O'aka XXIII came over with his brother, Wantz.
"Great to see ye again!" O'aka said. "And you too, Mister...?"
"That's Sir Tidus." Yuna said.
"Well, once again, thanks be to ye for destroying Spira's one and only curse! And to you, Lady Yuna, for saving us once again!"
"Hooray for the heros!" Wantz said.
Tidus didn't realized that his fist was clenched from the incredible rush of adrenaline until Yuna took it in her own soft hand.
"You seem a little tense," she told him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm just..."
He was interrupted yet again when someone in the center of the village was clinking their glass with a spoon.
"I would like to make a toast," he said. "To everyone who had saved us from the horrible menace known as Sin. To everyone who had experienced a great deal of loss because of Sin, and to all who'd sacrificed many things to bring peace to our world. We, as Spirans living in this peaceful time, cannot thank you enough for all you have done, and all that you continue to do." He raised his glass. "To the wonderful heroes of Spira! May life grant you all the happiness, all the joy, and all the wonder that life can give you!"
Everyone raised their glasses and cheered for them. Tidus had been waiting to have a moment alone with her this entire evening, but the rate at which everyone was interfering, he might not have gotten the chance. Until Yuna whispered into his ear.
"Would you like to take a walk with me?" she asked him. He grinned at her.
"Music to my ears."
He kept his hand shoved down his pocket, fondling the wooden box and keeping his mind on what he was going to say to her when they eventually stopped walking. He stared up at the full moon and felt the breeze blow through his damp hair. He was half-listening to her stories while trying to retrieve the words on the piece of paper he wrote for her.
"That's why they asked me for their help." She said to him. "Nobody could agree on anything until I stepped in."
"Uh-huh." Tidus mumbled.
She stopped walking first. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah! Definitely! I'm better than alright. Why do you ask?"
"You haven't said much all night." She responded. "Are you still feeling a bit off from this morning?"
"No, I'm fine!" He gazed into her eyes. "Well... actually no, I'm not feeling better from what I felt this morning. You want to know why?"
"Why?"
He let go of her hand and paced a bit atop of the grassy hill overlooking the entire village. He hadn't realized how far they walked until he caught sight of the tiny, flickering bonfire below.
"Well... I was nervous."
"Nervous? How come?"
He turned to face her. "There was something I want to say to you, but I didn't know how to say it. You know, I'm not really the romantic type and sometimes I literally say whatever pops into my head. It gets me in trouble with some people. I wanted this moment to be perfect, and I wrote down what I wanted to say, but... well, I'm just gonna say it. I... Uh..."
Her eyes were sparkling and Tidus took the moment to mentally remark about how beautiful she looked under the moonlight. Her smooth, flawless skin, the pink hibiscus in her hair, her sundress moving with the wind.
"What is it?" She asked. He took a couple of steps forward and took her smooth hand in his.
"Do you remember the day we first met?"
"How could I forget?" She smiled. "'You did a very bad thing, young man!'"
"Yeah, I know, I'm the worst," he continued. "Do you know what I was feeling that day?"
"What?"
He put his hands on her forearms and looked intently into her eyes, like he was peering into her soul.
"I thought 'I've never seen anyone like her in my entire life'. 'I hope she doesn't think I'm too weird'."
She laughed softly. "I thought you were quite fascinating."
"And from then on, I made myself a goal: to get that girl, the most important and beautiful girl in all of Spira, to notice me."
"And notice you she did."
He pulled her in close and rested his forehead against hers. "We've been through a lot together."
"I'm glad I had you by my side through it all."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I hope this past year made up for my two years of being MIA."
She squeezed him harder. "It did."
He took a deep breath and gently pulled away, his arms shaking and his heart beating fast. "But... one year just hasn't been enough for me."
Her smile faded a bit. "What do you mean?"
"Uh..." he was hesitant for a second. "Well, no amount of time being together is gonna be enough for me. I want more."
"More? More of what?"
"More of us, Yuna."
She looked confused. Tidus was panicking slightly in his head.
Great! You ruined it, stupid! Say something meaningful or she's gonna leave right on the spot!
He couldn't say anything. His mouth was dry and his tongue swelled up.
"Uh... w-well... what I mean is... no amount of time could be enough for me to be with you. How about we start with... forever?"
The expression on her face remained.
"Dammit, I'll just come out with it. I love you, Yuna, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want to wake up next to you every single morning! You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I want you to always be with me."
He tried pulling out the box, but it was snug in the tight space of his pocket. He had to yank it out and almost dropped it when he did so.
"Tidus!" Yuna breathed, clasping her hands over her mouth.
He opened the box, where the ring sparkled underneath the light of the moon, and got down on one knee.
"Marry me, Yuna."
"Of course!"
"W-what?"
"Yes, absolutely! I will!"
He slid the rose gold ring onto her third left finger, where it rested perfectly against her skin. As soon as he stood up, she jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. He kissed her, in a way that he hoped was as passionate and loving as she was.
His heart flipped when he heard the sound of cheering right behind him, and he lowered her onto her feet and turned around.
"How long have y'all been standing there?" he asked.
Wakka laughed. "Long enough!"
Apparently, the two had been followed by Wakka, Lulu, O'aka, the Aurochs, and several other close friends of Yuna's. They clapped and cheered and congratulated them. Tidus sighed and couldn't help but smile.
"Man, if it's one thing you people are good at, it's ruining a perfect moment between us!"
He wrapped an arm around his new fiance and smiled at her before giving her another kiss on her head.