A/N- This is a oneshot that takes place sometime after the end of FFX-2 with the ending were Tidus didn't return. (Note the title.) Reviews much appreciated. Disclaimer: I own Final Fantasy X-2! (Game-wise) But all rights go to Square-Enix.
-oOo-
Better This Way
--oOo--
He was asleep. He had been asleep for a long while now, but lately it was more of a half-sleep. He was getting restless, his slumber no longer peaceful. Memories shifted through his unconscious mind. Some were nice, calming. Most were painful. Strange as it was, even though he was sleeping, he felt tired. Tired from so much sleep. He desperately wanted to wake up.
It was night, but it was barely dark out on Besaid, thanks to a full moon hanging brightly in the sky above the small island. The whole village was deserted, save for one person; a girl standing in middle of the village with a staff in her hands. A summoner's staff. The girl took a deep breath, slowly closed and opened her eyes, and cleared out her mind. Her face was set with concentration and determination. She raised the staff, spun it once in front of her, and brought forth her will along with a firm thought in her mind.
At first, nothing happend. She just stood there, still and quiet, fighting back disappointment. Patience, she silently told herself. After an enternity (which lasted two long minutes), patience paid off. A thin line of white light circled around her, expanding into a somewhat larger cirlce, as if to make room for something else. This circle didn't have any fancy symbols or bright lights like she had expected, but there was a magic of sorts resonating from it. She started to wave and spin her staff around again, in a complexed pattern, but stopped mid-way when she felt something brush past her from behind, just ever so slightly. Something almost like a breeze. Mouth agape, she stared forward.
There were pyreflies. Lots and lots of pyreflies.
Was that supposed to happen? She wasn't sure; she had never done this sort of thing before. The pyreflies were gathering together now, making that strange, mystic sound as they sailed through the air. They then began to fade as something else began to show. It was a figure, glimmering and starting to become more solid. The girl's heart was pounding fast as she watched with anticipation, and her mind couldn't focus on anything else but "I've done it!"
A moment later and it was quite clear to what the figure was. A young man, with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, sitting on the ground with a dazed expression on his face. He looked around at his new surroundings and blinked a few times. Besaid Island. He was really back at Besaid Island! A smile crept onto his face. He was back. He was finally awake.
"Um, h-hello..." said an uncertain voice. He looked up to see the girl standing in front of him and his eyes, along with his smile, grew wide. Her. It was her. He sat there and grinned at her, unmeasurable happiness swelling within him. He was back, she was here, everything was okay now. He didn't have to dream anymore; the dream came true.
"Yuna!"
"Yuna..?" She echoed, shaking her head, then adding almost automatically, "Yuna's my mother."
His smile was instantly replaced with a frown. Her...mother? He looked closer at the girl. It had to be Yuna! She had the same hair color, the same outfit, the same face...but no, he realized, that wasn't true. Her face was slightly different and her eyes, he noticed with a sinking heart, were both green. Not mismatched. It wasn't Yuna. He could see many differences now: her hair was a little longer, her summoner's outfit seemed old and worn, she was younger, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old. And she didn't know who he was.
Yuna's daughter? A thousand thoughts ran rampit in through his mind all at once. 'How long was I gone? What happend? Yuna has a daughter! What the-how did- Who's the father? Not me. Obviously. I wasn't here. I was- where was I? Sleeping? Gone. How did I even get here? This girl must have brought me back. Yuna's daughter. That means Yuna's with someone. Someone who isn't me. Whoa duh, I wasn't here. I don't get it. I wanted to be here. I wanted to be with her. But then I had to leave. I didn't have a choice. Man, what is going on? How long has it been?' It went on and on.
The girl was just about as confused as he was. She had been trying to summon an Aeon. She knew they were gone, yet she still wanted to try, but somehow she had managed to summon this man instead. Deciding to break the silence, she introduced herself properly.
"Well, umm, welcome to Besaid. I'm Lenne." She said, trying to sound cheerful, "My mom named me after a famous songstress from a long time ago and..." She paused, then asked, "Do you know my mom? I mean, everybody knows who she is, but are you a friend of her's or something?"
"Huh?" He was still attempting to organize his thoughts. He forced them away for now, just barely catching Lenne's words. "Oh, uhh, name's Tidus. And yeah, I uh, know your...your mom."
"So then, are you one of the Fayth?" She asked rather excitedly.
"No. I don't think so. Maybe something like that..?" he shrugged, unsure.
More than a dream..?
Tidus sighed. Too much all at once. So many things were different now, he realized. So many things have changed. He had wanted to wake, to come back so badly, and here he was. He was back, but back too late. And something about this whole thing felt off, not quite right. It was Yuna's daughter who had unknowingly brought him back. Not Yuna?
"Hey," he asked her, "You were trying to summon?" She nodded briskly. "Is something wrong, then? Is Sin still here?" Worry rang in his voice.
"Oh no," Lenne quickly assured him, "Sin is gone. Been gone, since before I was even born."
Tidus gulped. "How long exactly?"
"Twenty years."
Time stood still when he had disappeared. He looked just like he had when he left. Twenty years. Twenty years since Sin was defeated. Twenty years since he had been gone.
Time really liked to mess with him, he duly noted.
"Ey Lenne! Whatcha doing? And is that your mom's summoner outfit you're wearing?"
Tidus turned around to see the voice's owner, and the first thing that came to his mind was 'Wakka'. It took only a moment to correct himself. It could not be Wakka, not after twenty years. The strong resembalance confirmed his next guess: Wakka's son.
"Oh, hey Vidina," Lenne's eyes flickered to Tidus then back to Vidina, and she noted how Vidina was looking straight past him. "Yeah, I just wanted to, you know, feel what it was like..." She shrugged her shoulders and blushed, embarrassed at being caught.
"S'okay, I won't tell anyone," Vidina said with a wink. "But your mom's 'bout to perform, so you better go and change, ya? Hurry it up though. I came to get you so you wouldn't miss it, but I don't wanna miss it either."
"Right. I'll be back in a sec, Vid." She started off towards a nearby hut and a glance at Tidus told him that he was to follow. He did, staring at Vidina who didn't pay him any attention as he went.
They reached the small house and went inside, Lenne telling Tidus to 'hold on' as she ducked into a back room to change. Tidus was examining the house with an absent-minded curiousty; several brightly colored spheres sat on a shelf, two pistols hung on the wall for display, cozy chairs were placed around a small wooden table, a few pictures scattered here and there. Lenne emerged a couple minutes later, wearing her own clothes, a light tunic and skirt, woven with Besaid's famous fabric. "Mister Tidus? Is there anything I need to do?" she asked.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Well, I summoned you here, right? So what now?"
"I haven't got the slightest idea."
"Oh." Neither did she. She had been hoping he could tell her. "Well, I can't miss my mom's performance, so how about you come with me? You can go talk to her afterwards. She'll know what to do, I'm sure! Um, how exaclty did you know my mom anyway?"
"She's never mentioned me?" asked Tidus ruefully. Lenne thought about it for a minute.
"Probably, but mom's story is a long one and after hearing about all the people she's met, is hard to remember everyone."
"Oh." He replied, chestfallen. Did anyone remember him? "What this performance she's doing?" He said, to change the subject, as they exited the house.
"Mom's gonna sing!" Lenne answered proudly. "She only sings now on Calm Day. A lot of people show up just to hear her."
'She only sings now? When did she sing before?'Tidus asked himself, but he had no trouble believing Yuna was good at it. He had always thought she had a lovely voice. He blinked and shook his head, as if trying to shake off the memories. Mainly to distract himself, he asked Lenne what Calm Day was, although he already had pretty accurate idea.
"You mean you don't know?" she said in disbelief, "It's only the biggest holiday of the year! It's the anniversty of the day when my mom and her guardians defeated Sin for good and brought the Enternal Calm! All over Spira, people celebrate with parties, festivals...there's an especially big celebration here in Besaid. Even bigger than Bevelle's."
He wanted to tell her that he was one of her mom's guardians, that without him, there might not even be an Enternal Calm, that Yuna might have died and that Lenne herself wouldn't be here today. But all he said was, "Huh. Cool."
Vidina was now in sight, at the edge of the empty village, tapping his foot in mock-impatience. Without turning to him, Lenne whispered to Tidus, "He can't see you and probably can't hear you either. I think that might be the case with everyone. So, uh-"
"Don't worry, I get it."
So off they went, Lenne walking next to Vidina and chatting about this and that as if nothing had happend, as if Tidus wasn't there, and Tidus himself keeping quiet and walking behind them. As they talked, he tried to think about what he going to do.
'Will Yuna be able to see me? Am I really going to go talk to her? After all these years? What would I say? What's going to happend to me now? Great, more questions and still no answers.'
He was spared from any more self-asked questions though, upon reaching the beach. It was why the village was as empty as a ghost-town; everyone was here. More than everyone, it looked. There were tons of people, filling the beach completely. There was a huge bonfire by the shore, there were booths and stands near the cliffs, and on the dock, where most people were gathered, a make-shift stage was set up. If Tidus had looked closely, he would have seen some familar faces, his old friends, Lulu, Wakka, Rikku, Kimarhi, all standing right in the front row. But his eyes found her first, her on the stage.
Yuna.
She stood on the stage with a mike in her hands, smiling modestly at the crowd. Tidus just stared at her from his spot, silent and no longer lost in thought. She was different. Older. Changed. It happens as time passes, of course. But she was still Yuna. Still beautiful and wonderful Yuna, even after twenty years. How Tidus felt was, not hard exactly, but strange, to describe. Relieved, joyus, aching, lost, all at the same time. Odd, yet not overwhelming, not terrible. Just odd.
Lenne and Vidina where gone now, swallowed by the crowd, but Tidus didn't even notice. He stood alone at the very back of the crowd, in plain sight but completely unseen, watching Yuna along with everyone else. She lifted the mike to her lips and filled the beach with her voice.
"My heart was swimming,
In words gathered by the wind.
My voice bounded, into a cloud-carried tomorrow.
My heart trembled,
In the moon-swayed mirror.
Soft tears, spilled with a stream of stars.
Isn't it wonderful?
If we could walk, hand in hand,
I'd want to go
To your town, your home, in your arms."
Everyone was enchanted by her voice, Tidus most of all. They were listening raptly, hanging onto each word. No one heard anything else. Just her song.
"Isn't it wonderful?
If we could walk, hand in hand,
I'd want to go
To your town, your home, in your arms.
My dream of your face,
That I softly touch,
Melts in the morning."
Tidus watched her end the song, the crowd cheering and whooping, Yuna slightly blushing and taking a bow, then stepping off the stage. He didn't move, just watched, as if her song left him in a daze. People were walking right by him without notice, the rest of the festival carrying on. There were games, contests, dancing, eating, playing, talking, laughing, everything. Yuna was always around others, always doing something, but eventually she broke away and went off by herself. Tidus' eyes followed her, his mind telling him 'Here's your chance! Go up to her!' As if it were that easy. Finally, he decided he would. Perhaps that's why he was here.
She was resting against the side of the cliff's wall, a drink in her hand and staring at the stars. Tidus approached from the left, slowly and uncertainly, silently cursing himself for his sudden lack of confidence. It wasn't like she was a stranger! It was Yuna! With that in mind, he felt more assured and didn't hesitate. He walked right up to her.
"Hey." He said with a grin, like he was never gone and it wasn't years later, but the confidence was creeping out of him again.
Especially when Yuna didn't respond.
She didn't look at him, didn't say anything, didn't show any signs of even realizing that he was there, right in front of her. No, she couldn't see Tidus or hear him, just like everyone else couldn't, with the exception of her daughter. To her, Tidus wasn't there.
He smiled sadly and shook his head. Why did he think she would see him? Why did he think anything would go right?
Lenne words echoed in his mind:"You can go talk to her afterwards." He figured he might as well. Even if she wouldn't talk back. That didn't matter.
"It's great to see you again." He said to her, "Really great. And I loved your performance. It was amazing, like 'wooow!' amazing. You can really sing." She gave a wave to someone in the distance, then took a sip of her drink, still deaf to his words.
"I can't believe how much you've changed. I missed you, you know." He sighed, recalling the last time he saw her in person, twenty years ago. The last thing she told he before he left. Why didn't he say it to her then, when she did? He always regretted that, even when he wasn't there. So why not now? It might not have been the best time to say it, since she wouldn't hear it, but it could be his only chance left to. So Tidus leaned over, and whispered softly in her ear:
"I love you."
Yuna blinked, confusion on her face, and she rubbed her ear, the one he whispered in. Her blue-and-green eyes looked around, but she didn't see anything or anyone. She blinked again and told herself that she must be tired. Tidus reached out to touch her but pulled back and waved his hand instead.
"...Bye Yuna." he smiled, and for the second time he left her, left her with an unheard good-bye. And for the second time, he didn't have a choice.
It was late. Or one could say it was early. Somewhere around five in the morning, with the festivities finally over and people heading back to their homes. Tidus was standing in front of the ocean, the waves gently rolling to his feet then pulling away again. He stared out into the endless blue waters, vaguely pondering what to do next. There didn't seem like anything he could do. He still didn't understand why he was even here in the first place.
Just a dream...
"I'm sorry. She said it was better this way."
It was him. That Fayth, that hooded-boy, the one who kept showing up before, explaining things and confusing Tidus when he was Yuna's guardian. When the whole thing started. Tidus wasn't partically surprised to see him. He couldn't seem to shake the kid off, regardless if the Fayth were "gone" or not. Tidus knew what he was talking about. He just glanced at him and shrugged.
"S'okay. Besides, maybe she was right."
"Then, would you like to rest now?" He asked in his whispy, quiet voice.
"Is it the real-deal? I don't want it to be like the last time."
"It won't. That's why you were brought here. So you could finally rest."
"Really? Huh. So, the whole thing with Lenne summoning was just a coincidence then?"
The Fayth shook his head. "No. There is no such thing as coincidence. Lenne unknowingly helped by performing a summon. It made it easier to bring you back."
"Ahh... Man, Destiny is really screwy." Tidus reflected. "Go figure."
"Mm. Well, whenever you're ready..." said the hooded Fayth, and he faded away again, like so many times before. Tidus turned back to the ocean, to get one last look at before he left. A voice called out from behind him though and he looked back to none other than Lenne herself, running madly toward him and shouting what sounded like "Hold up!" Puzzled, he waited as she reached him, bent over, and tried to catch her breath.
"Finally...I've been...looking all over...for you." She said in between gasps. "I remember now." Straighting up, her breathing back to normal, she pointed a finger at him and declared triumptly, "You're Tidus!"
He raised an eye brow. "Did they let you have any alcoholic beverages during that party?"
"Nonono, I mean, you're Tidus, the Tidus!" She explained, or rather, tried to. "Right before everyone left, I saw mom and her former gaurdians, just them, giving a toast. And when I asked who they were toasting, Aunt Rikku said your name and said that they do it every Calm Day. And then it just hit me and I remembered who you are and everything my mom's told me about you: That you came from Zanarkin, that you were a star blitzball player, how you became her guardian with the others, how she fell in love with you, how you helped fight Yunalesca and stopped the summoning of the Final Aeon and defeated Sin and Yu Yevon, and how you are like, the main reason we have the Eternal Calm and Spira isn't torn to bits!" As soon she finished her sentence she was out of breath again. And Tidus found that he was smiling now, a happy smile, the second-only real smile he had had tonight. (The first one being when he learned he was on Besaid again and thought Lenne was Yuna.) They remembered him. Yuna told stories about him. He wasn't forgotten afterall.
"So," Lenne continued excitedly, "Did you get to talk her? My mom?"
"Yeah..." There went the happy moment.
"Ooh, I wish I coulda seen her face when you showed up! What happend? What she say to ya? I bet she was pretty pyshced!"
"No, not really..." He scratched his head and tried to look nonchalant, "Turns out she can't see me either." Lenne's face dropped.
"I'm sorry-" She began, but Tidus cut her off.
"Hey, I still got to see her. I got to come back and see that everything's all right, and that she's happy and she's fine. That's good enough for me." And he knew that it was true. If he could have changed things, could have stayed on that day twenty years ago, he would have, no doubt. But Fate obviously had different plans. And all he got was this one night, but if that's how it had to be, Tidus was okay with it. No worries, no regrets. He actually felt at peace, all because he got this one night.
"I still don't think it's fair," Lenne argued stubbornly, "Things coulda turned out better."
"Nah, it's better this way."
"Is it? Even for you?"
He thought about it. "Well, sometimes...sometimes you gotta think of others. Sometimes, what's better for them is more important."
She shrugged. "If you say so. But just think; if you didn't disappear that day, everything would be like, totally different. You could have been my dad." She added quietly.
"Maybe." he said, touched. "That would make me a very proud father, I think."
"Whoa duh, I'm like the best daughter anyone could ever ask for!" She boasted, sounding like herself again, which seemed to suit her very well. Tidus laughed.
"Cocky aren't we?" He glanced at the ocean's rolling waves. They were calling him. "Thank you Lenne."
"For what?"
"For bringing me back here."
"Oh, no, that wasn't because of me! I didn't do anything." She sounded like her mother now, naturally modest. "I was just goofing off when you showed up. I didn't really expect anything to even happen."
"Well, your 'goofing' helped, even if you didn't know it would. So thanks." Lenne nodded. "And if you don't mind me asking, what were you trying to do? If the aeons are gone and everything?"
"See, that's what everyone says. 'Gone.'" she had a far away look in her eyes now, her voice softer, "I've never seen an aeon. I've only heard the stories. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was just a fairy tale. Because, you know, that's how most people treat it all nowadays, like a fairy tale. So how long 'till it's faded away even more, 'till it's completely forgotten? Sure, we have Calm Day, but it's more of an excuse to party now than anything else." She looked at Tidus. "The aeons, the Fayth, our friends. When we give up and forget...that's when they'll really be gone. So that's what I was trying to do," she concluded, "trying to summon because I wanted to show them that I didn't forget."
Tidus nodded his head. He understood exactly what she meant. "They know." He told her, "And they're grateful."
"You're going leave now, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"Did you whistle?"
"Whistle?" He blinked.
"Yeah, whistle. Mom told me how you taught her to whistle when you were at Luca, and how whenever you two got separted, you could whistle to find each other again. Why don't ya whistle now? Maybe she'll hear that!"
He thought it over. The last time he whistled for her, she heard it right? But it didn't change anything. Nothing would change now either. Still, what harm could it do? He didn't expect her to hear it, but if it would please Lenne, he could give it a shot. For her, he reminded himself, Not for me.
So he raised his fingers to his mouth and blew; a loud, clear noise sounding out through the silent, empty beach.
They waited. No one came. No one answered. It seemed that Tidus' whitsle was as noticed as he was eariler during the celebration. He made an effort not to look disappointed and succeeded better than Lenne did.
"Time for me to go. Lenne, thanks again. I really mean it. Thank you."
She shook her head. "No, thank you. You helped me remember something I was trying not to forget in the first place."
"Heh. Sometimes you sound a lot like your mom, you know that?"
Lenne rolled her eyes. "So I've been told."
"Well, see ya!"
"Yeah, see ya."
Tidus approached the water and stepped in, walking steadily farther and farther in. The very first time he came to Besaid he was in this ocean; it only seemed fitting to leave for the very last time that way. When it was almost up to his shoulder, he turned around to look at Lenne, still standing there on the shore. He waved good-bye and shouted to her, "Tell your mom I said "Hi!"" She promptly shouted "OKAY!" back to him, but he barely heard it. He was fading away again, but this time he would really rest, now that he could. The hooded Fayth was right. After being brought back, after seeing that everything was fine, he was at peace. Maybe it wasn't the perfect 'happily ever after', but Yuna was happy, so Tidus was happy too. It was all that mattered.
He waved one more time, not just to Lenne but to everything, and then he vanished.
"But he isn't gone." Lenne whispered to the air. She remained standing there for a while, thinking over the strange visit from the legendary young man. Only moments later, though, she heard foot-steps quickly reaching her. It her mother, wide eyed and breathless.
"Mom? You okay?"
"Yes, sweetie, I'm fine." Yuna stood next to her daugther and sighed. "I thought I heard a whi- a, uhh, something. Ugh, it's been a long night. I think maybe we both should go back home now and get some sleep."
"I'm not tired." Lenne stated, stifling a yawn. Yuna shot her a look and she immediately gave up any farther agruement. "All right, all right."
"What were you doing out here anyway?" Yuna asked as they turned to go. Lenne stopped and smacked her forehead. "I can't believe I forgot that quick!" She muttered to herself, cursing her absent-mindedness and lack of sleep. She looked up at her mom and said, in a matter-of-fact tone, "Tidus said 'Hi.'"
"Mom?"
Yuna seemed frozen for a moment, but she shook herself and smiled reassuringly to her daughter. "Go on ahead, Lenne. I'll catch up in minute, okay?"
"'Kay."
Yuna walked alone on the sandy beach, letting the cool waves hit her feet. She paused, looking out over the ocean and into the sky, where the moon was sinking down to make room for the sun. Slowly, she raised her fingers to her mouth and blew; a loud, clear noise sounding out through the silent, empty sky. No one answered. He wasn't there, so he couldn't hear it.
But he knew. And he was grateful.
Not more than a dream, yet not just a dream. They'll never really be gone as long as someone remembers...
--Fin--
A/N: I actually started this story months and months ago, but never finished it, so I finally decided to write the rest of it. It all began when I was playing the game, and at the end, Yuna was given the choice by the Fayth whether or not to bring him back. (You know, him? o0') "Yes!" or "It's better this way." The latter of the two is where the title comes from. Why, after searching relentlessly for him, would she chose that latter? I dunno. I guess the fic coulda been about that, but I couldn't think of a good reason why she would. So -boom- this fic instead. Not my best, I admit. I think I tired too hard. (Or not hard enough?)
About Lenne- Why's she named Lenne? Because I like the name and am too lazy to make one up for her. If you were somehow confused, no, she is not the songstress Lenne. She was named after the songstress Lenne. What's up with her dad? Well, from her attitude towards Tidus and the fact that a dad never showed up, it is indirectly impiled that he is not there. Why he's not there and who he is, I leave up to your imagination. :)
This is a oneshot. Therefore I will not update it. (Wasn't it long enough?) But please, pretty please, with sugar and stuff, review. I'd loved to hear if you liked it or hated it or whatever. By the way, does anyone recognize Yuna's song? (It's not the whole song; too long.) Mainly there for pure irony. It looks kinda funny this way, but heard the orgianl way, it's a good song.
(By the way, sorry this author's note was so long. Feel free to kick me.)