Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X and its characters are copywrite Square-Enix.

This may have spoilers for those who have not played the ending of Final Fantasy X. If you haven't played the game and would like not to be spoiled, please don't read this.

The Fading Dream

Yuna danced. It was painful for her; her eyes were full of sadness. But it was the final dance. All would be over at last. Yet this last time was all the more painful because it was the last. Tidus, watching her, knew how difficult each step, each movement, was for her. He wished he could comfort her. He wished he could take the pain away, take it on himself, rather than let her carry the burden as she always had.

Auron was gone. He had vanished with the dead, as Jecht had. Yuna's face had become more withdrawn each time someone or something close to her vanished. Destroying the aeons had taken much of her strength from her. Even now, as she danced and the Aeons that remained swirled about her, her face was tight with repressed pain. It broke Tidus's heart to see her like that.

It was not over. As each aeon vanished, as each dreamer began to slip into that final sleep, the dreamless sleep of death, he felt himself growing weaker. His thoughts were losing focus, his memories slipping. Each dreamer held a part of him, and they were fading. Soon he would have nothing left. Still, Yuna held him, arresting his thoughts and fixating them on her alone. She was his safeguard and rock; he could stay here longer for her.

A tear slipped out of the corner of Yuna's eye as Valefor floated by and splintered into pyrefly dust. Tidus almost didn't catch it; it was a mere glint against her cheek. Valefor had been Yuna's companion the whole journey; she had treasured him more than any other aeon. Yet her dance never faltered, despite this. She did not miss a single step.

She was beautiful. He didn't want to leave her; he wanted to protect her strength for the rest of his life.

But the aeons were dwindling; soon the dreamers would be gone. His life was far, far shorter than he had ever thought it would be. He hadn't wanted to say good-bye. He hadn't wanted to tell her that he would fade, that he couldn't be by her side even after saving her life. She had lost so much, and now she would lose him as well. She had carried so many burdens, and yet he couldn't even stay by her side.

It had cut him, her expression when he'd finally admitted to the group that he would vanish. He couldn't bring himself to say anything more than that; none of his optimistic phrases or quips would come to his aid to take that devastated expression off of her face. He could not ease her heart. He could barely ease his own.

The aeons vanished. His eyes moved from Yuna to the large fin behind her. The final aeon was before Yuna. She danced effortlessly, bringing down Sin. Tidus smiled, despite the knowledge that with the final aeon would go the dreamers. Yuna was the most incredible summoner in all of Spira's history, of that he was sure. She alone could have done what no other summoner could. He wanted to tell her that her father would be proud, that Auron was proud, that Jecht was proud. And that he was proud. That although he couldn't be by her side, he loved her.

The fin shattered in a glory of gold and white. Tidus covered his eyes, shielding them for the last time. Beside him, his companions did the same. Only Yuna continued to dance, seemingly unaware of all that was happening around her. As the light faded, his companions looked about themselves in wonder. Tidus smiled. They had defeated it. Sin was gone forever, and Yuna had not died. They had succeeded.

Yuna slowly came to a stop, her steps finally coming to rest. Her back was still turned away, but Tidus could not take his eyes off of her.

In the corner of his eye, he saw something flash. He looked down, his eyes widening. His arms faded in and out; he could see the ground through them. For an instant, panic controlled his mind. He conquered it and looked up slowly.

Yuna had turned. Her eyes were wide. Internally he winced; she had seen everything. She shook her head violently, as though rejecting his inevitable disappearance. It tore at him. The tears his father always laughed at him for threatened. He forced them back so that he could appear strong, for her. Putting his hands on his hips in his typical relaxed stance, he looked at her. "I have to return," he told her quietly. His voice caught on his tears, but it was strong enough.

She shook her head again.

He was at a loss for words. He looked down, not sure how to proceed. He couldn't say good-bye; he couldn't say something that final to her. Steeling his resolve, he looked up at her. "I couldn't take you to see Zanarkand. I'm sorry."

Unable to say more, he looked away from her. His eyes caught Wakka's. Wakka's expression was just as painful to see as Yuna's. Tidus couldn't bear it. He began to walk away, away from all of them. Yuna's eyes did not leave him as he moved. They weighed heavily against him. He turned, his heart heavy with tears he wouldn't let himself shed. Looking at them, he said, "Later."

Turning quickly, he only heard his companions' cries. He ran past Yuna, unable to bear looking at her. Rikku called to him. He couldn't turn back to look at her. He couldn't look at any of them.

He slowed down at the edge of the deck. Behind him, Yuna suddenly gasped and then her feet were pounding against the top of the deck. Wakka shouted her name, and Tidus turned, surprised, to see her running toward him.

Unthinking, he opened his arms to catch her.

She ran straight through him.

Her momentum, which he should have been able to catch and protect, was thrown off balance and she fell to the ground. He stared down at himself in horror. His whole body was no longer solid. He couldn't face her. He didn't know how to. He felt the fading of the dream.

He began to cry, staring down at his hands which could no longer hold her. Everything was fading. The dreams were fading. He was fading.

The tears wouldn't stop. In truth, he was no longer trying to stop them.

Behind him, she stood. Through the sound of his crying, he heard her say gently, "Thank you."

He spun to face her, but her back was to him. He could not see her expression, he could not see her eyes. But her voice held nothing but love and acceptance. She was no longer fighting; she was as resolved as ever. She had strength enough for both of them.

He stood, watching her back. Then he moved forward behind her. She did not turn. He put his arms around her, though he could not actually touch her. He could no longer feel her. But he was there, and she was there, and it was enough. It would have to be enough. He rested his head against her shoulder, her strong shoulder, her unwavering shoulder. He wanted to stay, more than anything.

They stood, and the world seemed to spin, waiting for them in this last moment.

At last, he knew it was time to go. Slowly he pulled his arms from her shoulders, resting his check on hair that he could no longer feel. He stepped forward, through her. As he walked away, he heard her quiet intake of breath. But she said nothing. She did not call him. She waited, watching him.

He did not turn. Instead, he ran, leaping off the side of the deck. He fell into the golden afterglow of Sin's vanishing, and there found arms waiting for him. Yuna's father Braska, and Auron, and at last, his father. His father held out his hand, and Tidus gave him a high five. They had done all they could. It was over at last. Now they could all rest.

The dream faded.