Rest in Peaceful Sleep

Disclaimer: As much as I would like to say otherwise, I do not own Final Fantasy X. Any characters that do not appear in FFX yet appear in this story are property of me, and my permission should be sought if anyone would like to use these characters in another story.

I opened my eyes slowly, and saw that I was surrounded by blue. Blue, the colour of the sky on a clear day, a bright cerulean that painted the underwater landscape in a hazy way. Looking down, I saw the dark scrawls of a coral reef. There were no large fish swimming around it at the moment. In fact, as far as I could see the waters were…peaceful.

I slowly uncurled from my sleeping position, stretching away the night from my muscles. I felt the warm water against my bronzed skin; not too hot, not too cold, just the right temperature, like sleeping against another.

I slowly began to kick my legs, my lungs feeling a faint burning sensation as they started to crave oxygen from within the clear blue depths. As I rose to the surface of the water, I wondered what new dream the fayth had made for me to exist in now…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~

She stood at the end of the dock, the wind blowing through her purple skirts and hair as it had done a hundred times before. Her two index fingers were curled within her mouth, and a shrill, piercing noise was coming from her opened lips. I knew what it was, as I had heard her make that same noise when she and Tidus were laughing in Luca, this same city, so long ago.

My heart wept for her, but I could not show it. I could never show it. For I always had to be strong; strong for others and strong for myself.

I slowly walked down the weather-stained docks, the hollow thud of my shoes against the wood echoing dully in my ears. The sea breeze was warm, and carried the laughter of those fishermen who weren't fortunate enough to be able to take time off to go to the public address of Lady Yuna in the Luca blitzball stadium. The wind wasn't strong enough to lift the tightly woven, raven braids that hung down my back very far, so they only just lit in the wind, trying to escape from the rest of my head.

I stopped a few steps behind her, and listened to her whistle a few more times. I broke my heart to see her so. Wakka and I had lost Chappu, Rikku had lost her Home, Kimarhi had lost much of the Ronso tribe, but for some reason, it all didn't seem to equal the loss of one person; one who would be remembered only in the hearts of those who would believe the incredible story, and who would eventually fade while the rest of them remained in forlorn, dusty textbooks of Spira's history.

"Yuna, it's time," I told her. The look on her face as she turned around almost made me weep openly. She looked as though she still believed he was alive, and out there somewhere. I wanted to say something, but she was already walking past me, toward the stadium.

Although it was romantic to hold such ideals, she had to know that he was never coming back. Continuing this way would only bring her pain. I instead said nothing, as I strode behind her on the dock.

Author's Notes: Well, I'm sure you can figure out who those two characters are if you've beaten the game (or even if you haven't beaten it). I think that writing in this style would be better, but if enough people feel it really distracts the reader, then I can change it. Unlike my other fics, I'm trying to write a story that focuses on only romance (and a tiny bit of angst), which is quite a challenge for myself. There will be many more installments to this story, so don't fear readers! If you could leave a review, it would be much appreciated. Thank you.