Notice: In the Japanese version of the game, Yuna said "thank you" instead of the "I love you" in the US version.
Author Notes: This one shot has been revamped and replaced with a newer version as of May 21, 2010. I added at least four thousand words to this fiction. I hope you guys like this new version as compared to the original that was written in 2007, which was then re-posted due to a mistake of taking it down. Instead of re-posting, this time I settled with replacing it. Ultimately, nothing changed. The dialogue has been tweaked, I added a bunch of scenes and descriptions, but other than that it's still the same fiction as three years ago.
…Holy crap, this is old. There are two notable differences I'd like to call attention to. I added a bit of Dissidia in one section and implied there was something in Tidus' crystal as well as Brother's new scenes of his crying then eventual acceptance. All and all, I like this newer version than the old one. I got really fluffy this time around. I think the general rule of fluff is that it works better when someone else writes it.
This one shot has been inspired by "Trust Me" by Green Eyes Mesmerize.
Enjoy.
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Moonlit Riot
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Brother wept. His eyes were puffy despite the fact that he hadn't shed any tears. "And now, it's over."
Pain kicked her feet up on the computer screen, "As if it was a whirlwind romance."
"Shush! Don't give him a distraction from his blubbering!" Rikku whispered as though she was hiding a national secret, "If we play the waiting game for another few hours, he'll cry so much his eyes will be as swollen as a beehive, turn in for bed, and we'll finally get to kick him out of the captain's chair."
Paine uncharacteristically perked one of her eyebrows, "…Is that so?"
Brother sighed uncontrollably as he drunkenly fiddled with one of the Celsius' joysticks on the control panel.
"Oh yeah," Rikku giggled, "any minute now."
Buddy zoomed in on the image of Tidus and Yuna halfway across the field, unable to make out any details. "Guess she's not coming anytime soon. You guys wanna head over to Gagazet? I'm getting sphere waves nearby the hot springs."
"It's a done deal!" Rikku jumped up in excitement, clinching a fist. "Let's nab it."
The airship engine purred with exhilaration and the Ferrari of the sky was setting off! Brother rubbed off his eyes and almost-to-be tears against the thousands of thin blond hairs on his forearm, clueless of the events around him as the airship set over the hills.
Buddy reclined in his seat and folded his arms behind his head in bliss as Paine stared out the ship's window to the shrinking forms of Tidus and Yuna. "And what about them?"
Rikku sat down on the steps just behind Buddy's post. Now, developing a shy smile, "Oh, I wouldn't worry…" she said softly, "so Buddy, how soon do we land!"
"Just give it a half-an-hour!"
"Right!" Moving to her pod right beside Brother's, Rikku twiddled with the screen of her cousin until she cast aside the screen for a new screen of the sky in the monitor. The oscillerator clinked and rung and a new image formulated of Mt. Gagazet. "Mystery sphere, here we come!"
"She's hell-bent on giving them alone time, huh?" Buddy whispered to Paine.
"Just don't tell him that," she secretly pointed towards Brother with her thumb. Secretly, or not so secretly, Paine was enjoying the many antics of her crew members. It really was a shame though, that she was going to be leaving the Gullwings once things have settled down. Paine smiled. Everyone has a new, happier story to start, it seemed.
.
Yuna tilted her head to the side while Tidus' lips pursed, deep in thought, laying in the grassy fields.
"Hm," they murmured together. Yuna's timid smile doubled in size upon hearing the layered sounds.
"What does that one look like?" Yuna pointed up toward the sky as her shoulder crushed the cool blades of grass beneath her. Tidus scrunched his eyes a bit and placed his arms behind his head.
"A clown shoe," he finally answered, causing Yuna to laugh. About the wildest thing she suggested was a moogle…
It was late afternoon, and the sky was filled with traveling clouds. If he hadn't known before, he would've assumed the Calm Lands was given its name for entirely that reason. Their visit to Zanarkand was all he needed to put his nerves at peace about his sudden reappearance.
He was plainly staring at the sky, thinking absentmindedly. "Night's going be here soon."
It had been four days since he came back. Four days since the Gullwings defeated Vegnagun and four days since Lenne and Shuyin were finally reunited. It was in a sense déjà vu… at least for Yuna. When Shuyin and Lenne finally reunited, she was sure that they too were going to see each other once again, either in the Farplane or much to her great hopes, in person.
That first night he came back, she was certain they'd kiss when they were saying good night. His lips were drawing closer and knew she doing the same, but it didn't end up happening. Lulu and Wakka accidentally interrupted them while they were in their hut. They had assumed Tidus had already said a quick goodbye and scurried off to sleep when they called her in to get away from the cold. They barely got close enough to be even remotely obvious of their intentions.
They wore knowing smiles of a missed opportunity. Yuna shook it off masterfully by simply saying goodnight once more. Neither of them would outwardly admit at what they attempted to have happened. She'd given up on any romantic gesture for the night…
But Tidus ended up saying good night with a kiss on her cheek almost too long to be considered quick, then retreated to the Crusader's Lodge. He had left a very warm blush across Yuna's cheeks.
Since then, there were many close calls. A hug that lingered a second longer than it should have, the secret glances, "accidental" hand touches and the delicate blush that fell both of their faces at the mention of going on a celebration journey with the old gang around Spira… There were all these and more that all of Yuna's friends needed to confirm that Tidus and Yuna's relationship meant far more than just a friendship.
Yesterday however, was probably the closest one of them all.
He and she had fallen asleep on the same couch on the Celsius along with Rikku after running around the mountains of Mt. Gagazet. Rikku bounded off the couch after a few hours, but Tidus and Yuna were exhausted enough to go through most of the night on the horrible cushions. When they woke up however, Yuna found herself on her side with Tidus' arm slung over her waist like he had previously with a pillow. A mix up obviously occurred when he couldn't find said pillow during his slumber. She must've woken him up from her movements for when she looked to his face, he was already awake. The surprise clearly written on his features as hers must've been. Frozen for nearly twenty seconds, the only thing that inspired action was when Yuna hesitantly placed her hand on his chest. At some point, she guessed Tidus had moved closer for she felt his hair brush against hers. This time there was virtually no concealment in what they hoped would happen, especially when he whispered her name. They were so close when suddenly Rikku's squeals of excitement and Brother's wails were heard down the stairs. Cid was screaming his head off, and by the time Paine berated all the Al Bhed in their own language, the moment was officially over.
Tidus and Yuna stood and looked over the railing and both broke out laughing at the scene before them. Tidus didn't seem bothered by it and took in the scene of the crew full-heartedly, but Yuna couldn't entirely forget what had almost happened. Luckily, the Gullwings and Tidus' boisterous antics once again successfully distracted her a great deal.
Which brings them back to now, the fourth day with yet another unofficial declaration of what they hoped they could be after given a second chance.
Yuna twisted the contours of her face in various directions at the clouds. She traced the shapes with her eyes, and studied every curve of all the clouds that Tidus had seen images in. Three minutes of staring already and there was no way, no matter how she looked at it, was she ever going to see what he saw.
It was probably for the better that she didn't see what he saw anyway, she mused. Only Tidus could see a clown shoe and a ballerina-trained fiend in clouds…
Yuna closed her eyes and suppressed a giggle within a sigh.
Tidus eyed her curiously. The blade of grass weaved through his hair, some strips grazed his ears. "What's so funny?"
Her eyes opened just half way, fully content where she lay. "It's nothing..."
"That's hard to believe," he joked.
"I'm just happy is all."
He frowned a bit, but then stood up and offered her his hand. He beamed down to her, "Come on! Let's get going! There's still one more place I want to see before we get back home." She yawned, barely opening her mouth an inch. He had practically forced her on this world-wide excursion to visit all the places Yuna talked about in her story. It was an exhaustive two-days, and he was well aware of it.
Tidus added before she could object to going to one more place, "I'll let you ride on my back. You can take a nap on the way there."
Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. To be quite honest to herself, the idea of hugging him close while he carried her was very tempting. She couldn't let him know, of course.
"Promise?"
"Yeah!"
The second she broke out a cheeky grin, Tidus practically tore her off the ground. He tightly held onto her arms and draped them across his shoulders and neck. "Let's go!" He turned swiftly and chucked out his arms to catch her legs. "If we don't hurry, we're gonna late to the party back in Besaid."
She leapt onto his back, "Right! Wakka's going to tear you a new one if we arrived late again."
"What! It was your fault too."
"But I'm their favorite."
Tidus scorned comically, "Figures…"
Yuna didn't need to guess or inquire where they were heading. If anything, the fact that he wanted to visit Macalania out on a whim was much more endearing than he knew. Yuna affectionately leaned into his hair. She was ready to doze off any minute now…
"I'm sorry that you're so tired from all my-" he had a sulky look on his face.
"I'm fine," she soothed, "I'd regret not spending the next twenty-four hours by your side."
Her thoughts may not have been heard, but she was sure he understood her true motivations when he warmly peered over his shoulder to meet her gaze before he looked back to the hills ahead of him.
Being the stubborn person that she was, Yuna began staring up at the clouds again. The ballerina fiend he saw still looked like a blob of water-condensed fluff no matter how long she stared at it…-she tilted her head. But maybe…
The muscles all around her lips relaxed. Her mouth formed a soft but distinctive "o" before turning into a smile. What remained a mystery to her was why exactly did her heartbeat slowed down upon her discovery.
He saw it upside down.
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Shinra hummed his newest Gullwing fanfare composition while Buddy exhaled blissfully. His skin was red hot and even emanated the steam from the hot springs. Shinra's monitors tweeted before his eyes, popping up a new message in a new data-streamed coded window.
"Oh, what's this? Looks like we got some incoming commsphere waves coming from Besaid. Normally, I'd ignore them and freeze the stream for Yuna to come… but seeing the pressing situation at hand…"
The Gullwings rallied behind Shinra's chair when Wakka's voice warbled over the commsphere. The image pixilated piece by piece of Wakka and Lulu sitting beside Shinra's ingenious device.
"Spira to Yuna? Rikku? Anyone on board the Celsius getting this?" Wakka tapped the device.
Rikku called out, "We hear you loud and clear tubby!"
"Hey, the party's starting. Where're the guests of honor?"
"Oh, here and there!"
"Make a beeline back, eh? Is, uh…Tidus still… 'around'?" Wakka asked fearfully.
"To the best of our knowledge," Shinra replied.
Lulu smirked at that point, "…then I take that Yuna's rendezvousing with a certain blond at the moment then."
Brother's heart lifted thanks to a sudden, fragile image as he patted his blond Mohawk.
Paine huffed in a playful manner, "Keep dreaming." He growled at her, giving a deep evil eye.
Buddy cocked his head back in response to Lulu, choosing to ignore the Brother and Paine. "Wait a minute. How'd you know Yuna wasn't here?"
"Wow, she's perceptive," Shinra concluded.
Rikku blew a raspberry. "Trust me, you haven't even scratched the surface…"
Paine's eyes scanned around the backgrounds of Besaid, "So, the party's already starting?"
Wakka grinned, "Yeah, it's all on fire here. Get them back Rikku! You promised you'd keep an eye on them. Didn't you agree not to leave them alone for a second!"
Rikku ducked behind Shrina's chair, "Ohhh, hehe… did I?"
Brother posed in a righteous stance, "Alright! Gullwings, we must free Yuna from the-! Yaaa-ouch!"
Buddy had pushed Brother's shoulders down making it so Brother had collapse onto the Celsius' metal deck to hide his view of Wakka and Lulu's party. "We'll be sure to get them home in time!" he bid to Wakka farewell.
Wakka could hear the commsphere die with a blip. Confusion was written all over his face.
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Tidus laughed along with Yuna. "It sounds like you had a lot of fun."
"I had to do something while you were gone."
"I'm glad!" Tidus beamed, "Promise we can run the Gauntlet together?"
They had entered the forest and the sounds of the woods were already underlying themselves under their voices. Without them noticing, they were already hushing themselves, using gentle voices.
"I promise."
Tidus hummed happily. His grip on her legs loosened the second he recognized the drastic light change. Macalania Woods was always encircled in a deep blue hue. His quiet steps sounded louder than their breathing. They had calmed down to a state of tranquility and it showed on each of their faces.
Yuna's face was erased of all tension, and Tidus, he couldn't fight back dreamy smile of seeing the scenery.
He eased Yuna off his back when they reached the familiar forked path. Their conversation in which they were so lost in finally went silent once the forked road came into view. As though they made a silent pact, it seemed neither wanted to be in physical contact. For the first time, Yuna didn't hang onto his hand and Tidus resisted even getting too close to her. The idea was laughable considering the event that occurred here, the meaning of this place to them, and the fact that they had been nearly inseparable since their reunion.
Yuna trailed behind Tidus. It was mostly bittersweet. This was her precious place, and it was fading away. Yuna stifled a frown when she caught sight of Tidus' figure. She figured, it was better the place of her memories faded rather than the person she had them with...
Finally, after two years, she was able to smile as she looked on the spring.
Tidus however couldn't prevent his frown. "…So it's going to disappear?" he asked, aware of every detail of Yuna's story.
"We don't know exactly when… but yeah…" Yuna continued, "eventually, this place is going to fade away."
He put on a brave face and smirked, "I guess I should count myself lucky to be here again."
He didn't hesitate walking into the water. In particular, he just wanted a clear view of the sky and the tree that was rooted firmly in the center of the deep spring. Yuna trailed behind, content with keeping her boots away from the shore. She lowered herself onto the ground and sat in the same fashion as two years ago.
The once vibrant forest was now reduced to a mere image of its former self. The crystals didn't ring like they used to, and the purple leaves in the trees now had a hint of black in their veins.
"I didn't think the fayth were that involved with Macalania. It kinda makes me sad."
"If there was anything I learned after our pilgrimage, it's that just because something or someone's gone, it doesn't mean it's forgotten. It'll still be apart of us. It might disappear soon, but it's like you said, at least you got to see it again… right?"
Tidus met her gaze, and as though reading her mind, he smiled brightly. Yuna nodded shyly and diverted her eyes to the spring.
"Do you remember anything after you disappeared?"
"Mm," Tidus thoughtfully looked up to the sky, "just bits and pieces. I remember that it's really warm... It's almost like laying in the sand on a beach during summer, y'know? But I don't think I was in the Farplane the entire two years."
"Why?"
"I could've sworn I was walking around somewhere. I couldn't tell time, and it was just a place full of mazes… I saw my father… there were loads of people there."
Yuna frowned.
He shrugged before suddenly breaking out a smile, "Everything's fuzzy… except the end." Tidus turned to face her. "I had a sphere in my hands and when I looked into it, I knew it was time for me to go home." He withheld certain information about the crystal sphere itself. She'd probably wouldn't believe he had a sphere of her jumping off the airship and running to him from the shore before he'd even returned yet…
Despite the fact that the forest wasn't nearly as enchanting as before didn't seem to off put either of their romantic thoughts.
He offered his hand for her again, and when she tenderly took it he hoisted her up onto her feet, pulling her towards him. Not once did her eyes divert from his. The blue soil in the water sunk in underneath her feet but he didn't so much as scuffle back when she grew into his personal space. His body was so close to hers now. Yuna could feel his body warmth so vividly in the air along with hers.
She bit her lip, half expecting to get a kiss but the two slowly realized that Yuna had suddenly grown one or two inches. Tidus was the first to react.
His lips swing up, "Mmh? Huh, I thought I was almost a head taller than you…"
"You are…" Yuna replied hazardously.
Her mouth was now square with his chin. If it hadn't been for the hugs, and numerous moments they held each other close, he was sure he wouldn't have reacted so suddenly.
"This another dressphere trick?" his head tilted to the side.
Yuna was also baffled until she looked to her feet. When he pulled her off the ground towards him, he had brought her on top of the water and unlike Tidus whose feet sunk, hers were perfectly balanced above the water. He had assumed at first that her heels grew for some mysterious reason that made her taller and a variety of other theories, but her floating on top of water wasn't one of them. He was ready to pull away from surprise but fought against it.
"Holy-" Tidus muttered. "Hey! You're… not sinking?"
She met his gaze, but didn't seem at all as enchanted with this as he was. "I guess so."
At that point, he grew melancholy. The first time Yuna ever performed a sending, she walked on water as though it was solid ground.
He had the sudden urge to make her forget and smile. Tidus snapped with a sudden uplifting voice, "How?"
"Hm?"
"You're like a superhero or something!"
She smiled, thankful for the night sky for hiding or downplaying her blush. She propped a fine eyebrow upward and spoke in a jokingly modest fashion, "I wouldn't go that far. Anyone can do it."
"How do you do it?" Tidus led her further into the spring. He sunk in deeper, but her height remained the same. They were eye-to-eye.
She feigned nervousness by shrugging just so slightly, letting her eyes wander to the lake. It was obvious Yuna wasn't an actor, and she was sure he could see through her act. Flying around the world with the Gullwings did much to help her carry more of his confident demeanor even in embarrassment.
"It's a secret!"
"Wha-! Aww. Come on, Yuna," he pouted. "Please?"
"But I can teach you…" she suggested.
He felt like the kid in Willy Wonka at the end of the book. "Really? With you?"
"Only if you want to."
"Yeah! Of course! Wait, now?"
"Of course now. Don't tell me you're afraid."
"Of water? No way!"
He made his way to the shore, his legs swashed through the shallow water, "What do I do?"
Yuna took a few steps back, furthering herself into deeper water. "Try walking to me," she said as she clasped her hands in front of her. Nothing would please her more than seeing Tidus walking on water beside her. Heck, she was getting very ahead of herself for assuming he could in the first place... but somehow, deep down, she knew he could.
"Just walk? Do I have to focus on the balls of my feet or something?"
She shook her head and patiently waited. Yuna was practically giggling in her head. He didn't seem so sure.
"What are you waiting for?" she grinned. How dipped his foot in but it clearly wasn't going to float.
He stared at the water much like he did when his father tried to teach him how to swim, like it was infested with sharks. "Uh, are you so sure about-?"
She interrupted as politely as she could, speaking very softly, "…just look at me."
She walked on water, coming towards him. His thick brow flew up slowly upon seeing her walk on shore along with him and she reached for his hands. She seemed as carefree as the time when she dragged him to the beach when they were reunited. Slipping off the glove on his left hand, Yuna was smirking. "Ready?"
"Hn..." he would've taken off both gloves had it not been for the armguard locking it in place.
She tugged on his hands to follow her. For each step she took back, he stepped forward. "There's no turning back," she gave half a smile.
Tidus didn't respond outside of a harmless glare. His eyes never left hers. Truth be told, he was pretty sure they were still on ground… but otherwise, he'd forgotten why they were doing this.
"Don't look away," she warned gently.
He held on her hands more firmly and Yuna didn't fail to notice that his bare hand was unusually dominated over the other. It seemed that the further they stepped in the spring, the quieter they became. The once happy gestures, and flirtatious glances had basically all stopped.
His smile and hers eventually subsided. Yuna felt a rise of heat to her face.
In the entire two years since losing him, she was starting to just realize that she'd never asked herself one question: what would happen after they were reunited? For the most part, Yuna avoided bringing up too many memories as did he. Whether it was to avoid an awkward or depressing moment, or because they already had the peace of mind that they'd make more memories, neither was certain.
"Can I ask you something?" she masked her heavy heart with a light smile.
He even hesitated a bit upon seeing her sudden distant gaze. The entire time he had known her, he'd only heard that tone in her voice once… on the airship before their final fight with Sin during the sunset.
He nodded and attempted to lift her smile by shifting his head in an almost puppy-ish manner. "Always."
"Before you disappeared… did you think that we would ever be here again after the pilgrimage?"
And that was a cold turn. He had to use the word 'always' here of all places… he scorned himself in the deep recesses of his mind.
Tidus frowned. Yuna knew she caught him off guard, but she remained neutral in both her expressions and her manner. His lips parted and seemed like he attempted to say something immediately, but nothing came.
"Honestly... no," his grasp of her hands loosened as though in guilt, "I really didn't."
Yuna diverted her eyes away to their hands and nodded minutely. It wasn't like she could blame him. In fact, she understood, maybe a little too well.
"I didn't think I'd ever see Spira again. I wasn't even sure if I would get to go to the Farplane. At least if I was dead or sent, we'd eventually be together," he smiled, "but if that was case, I hoped not for a long time..."
"Hm," she hummed in agreement and replied in a somber but oddly cheeky tone, "so I guess that means you broke your promise."
Tidus' brows knitted tightly, "I think you're wrong. I felt a connection with you and I wasn't anywhere near Spira or the Farplane. I know you felt the same thing too." He broke a smile, "I don't think just because I die or you die, if I disappear, or if the world suddenly ended would mean we're separated. As long as we cherish each other, we're always together."
Yuna kissed his cheek, and her lips lingered on his skin longer than the actual kiss lasted. He had no idea that she knew what he said was true. The truth was under their feet that very moment. She pulled away lovingly. His expression was one she wished she could take a picture of. He didn't look surprised, as much as he was momentarily stunned.
Tidus was more than a little happy to see her sudden smile. Though, that didn't mean he didn't think he wasn't treading on thin ice. He didn't even try to hide his suspicion, or hazardous behavior.
"I think congratulations are in order."
Now he was getting really suspicious… a fine eyebrow lifted. "For?"
Instead of answering, her eyes darted to their hands then to her feet. When he looked down, he finally understood. Tidus was standing in the center of the spring and his feet hadn't fallen an inch in the water.
He gaped, smirked, laughed, and gaped some more.
"You did it."
Tidus nearly broke out dancing, or pumping his fists in the air, but didn't dare try to challenge the miracle that he was on the water.
She smiled the very second she noticed precisely were they were. "And we're standing in the same spot," her smile dwindled to a sweeter, shyer degree, "as we did two years ago."
Instantly, they were hushed. His eyes darted to her lips. This was by far the most intimate they had been the past few days. After three numbing heartbeats in her chest, her own eyes drifted to his lips as well. Flickering back and forth, they both were extremely aware of what the other was thinking.
Yuna felt she was blessed to even be able to hold him.
"You think we'll ever be separated again?" Tidus asked warmly.
It was very hard to answer the question. She drew a blank. About the best answer she had for him was a light shrug. "I… really hope not."
He stepped even closer to her and placed his hands on her hips, "Yuna."
Yuna could feel herself elongating her neck. His voice had grown noticeably softer and the way he was looking at her had grown intensely tender.
"I want you to know a couple of things about me that you probably didn't know before. I don't know if I'm here in Spira for the long haul, but I don't care…well, I care… but- … I'm not going to be afraid. I'm not going to sit around waiting for that day."
Yuna smiled.
"I feel older, somehow." Tidus wanted to touch his chin but didn't want to let go of her hands. "It's a weird feeling. It's like my body grew without me. I don't know if that means I'm still seventeen or not. It almost doesn't feel like mine."
Yuna never would've guessed. However, the sinking feeling in her stomach knew there was point to all this. She didn't mind though. He barely talked about himself outside of the bigger picture.
He tried to make her smile, "Did you know that ever since I've met Rikku, I see her wear less and less clothes every time I see her? She had a bodysuit when I first met her. I'm hoping over the next few months, she doesn't become a nudist." Yuna laughed immediately following, but then Tidus took on a more serious look. His mouth hung in spite of himself, and his eyes darted away from her gaze guiltily. "Or that I knew that I didn't exist long before our confrontation with Yunalesca..."
Yuna brushed his hair away from his forehead. "I know you did." He was as easy to read as she was.
"Did you know that Wakka accidentally called me Chappu once?"
"Did he?"
Tidus smiled, "Yeah… first Chappu, now Shuyin… apparently I have a face that a lot of people have…" he didn't sound as happy as he tried to make out to be.
Yuna shook her head. She had an overwhelming feeling of bringing his face to hers, forehead to forehead, cheek to cheek, or lip to lip. It didn't matter which, but she resisted.
"But more importantly… I don't think you know if," his statement died long before he could speak. Despite of the lack of words, his expression was enough to fulfill whatever emotion he was trying to convey, "if I knew what you meant."
"Tidus?"
"What I mean to say is: Thank you."
Yuna's brows crinkled. Did that mean what she thought it meant?
"I didn't get a chance to say it back."
He was smiling as though he hadn't a regret in the world, smiling as though he was so entirely at peace now. She'd never seen him smile like this other than when she placed her hand on his cheek in this very spring back then...
All the nervousness evaporated. If anything, she was sure she was giving him an intense look with nothing but certainty.
Tidus inched closer to her and wondered what she was thinking as he neared her lips. Though, he hadn't moved enough to kiss her. He was so close that he could rest his forehead on hers and tickle her cheeks with his nose. Yuna closed her own eyes as she leaned forward to complete the kiss. It was better than she remembered. It was softer than before. Yuna felt Tidus nip her lower lip.
"Finally," they both sighed in their minds.
In the end, all she could say was 'thank you' when he was disappearing. Part of the reason why she was desperate to find out if he was alive was for the fact that she had unspoken feelings to tell just like Lenne before her.
With each kiss, the time they were in touch grew longer. Yuna was tentative to even touch him. Her hands delicately rested on his chest nervously, trembling. She could feel his lively heartbeat under her fingertips… but now their kiss was deepening, and the longer they were in contact nothing felt more right than to snake her arms around his neck.
Now, Tidus and Yuna barely broke apart. His bare hand moved to the crook of her neck.
She smiled against his.
However, they had been so immersed in their gestures that Tidus had forgotten to concentrate on keeping balanced. To stand on the ground didn't take any skill whatsoever, but water...
Tidus' left foot accidentally seeped in a centimeter into the spring. The side of his foot was sinking at a phenomenal rate, and he over-corrected. Tidus almost immediately stopped concentrating on the tender kisses, and grinned against her lips. He wobbled to the right, then to left! He was going to fall if he didn't get his balance back but he outright refused to let her lips go. Now, his whole body shifted around like a crazed pendulum. Suddenly, standing on water felt like walking a tightrope.
Yuna smiled and muffled in his kiss. He felt her grin and they both smother giggles against each other's kiss. He tipped forward and she tipped back, unwittingly making her lose her balance too. Her weight on his body forced him to suddenly reverse, and their lips clacked loudly being forced apart.
"Whoa!" he shouted, almost falling into the spring.
Yuna attempted to pull on his hand to save him, but it only made things worse for her balance. But far be it from her not to stop laughing at his now frantic movements. He waved his arms flailing like a fish out of water.
His right foot gave, and fell straight into the water like a twenty pound dumbbell.
And finally, they lost it, splashing into the spring.
The surface was disturbed, as many waves were sent off, and the ripples were violent.
When it was all calm, Yuna broke the surface, leaning her head back to get her hair out of her face. She wiped off the water so she could open her eyes and then felt him wrapped his arms around her thighs, immediately a grin formed. She felt him picking her up, and she squealed again as she was lifted out the water. Yuna's hands flew to his head, and Tidus threw her back in the spring, all in one motion.
Tidus started laughing until Yuna began splashing water at him, which made him choke for a second. Nonetheless, he quickly recovered as he tried to inch his way to her. Being blinded by the many bullets of water, Tidus got closer and closer, till finally, he was able to grab her wrists.
And just as quickly as he did, she captured his lips. His arms shot up around her back, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and he hugged tightly her around the small of her back. Tidus could feel her blushing skin, and what a welcomed feeling that was. He had almost forgotten what the feel of her lips was like over the years. Simultaneously, they embraced tighter as though they both were thinking the same thing: how much they missed this.
They finally parted, leaning against each others' forehead. Their skin dripped of water drops. That kiss ignited something she hadn't experienced so vividly before.
She felt her heart flutter as it did two years ago. Yes, she knew it. Even after being apart for so long, she could still feel this way.
Yuna slowly met Tidus' eyes. She spoke as though she had no inhibitions, and as though she had reached the pinnacle of happiness. "I love you."
She barely said it in time before Tidus was already leaning in to capture her lips again. He was already hovering over her mouth. Tidus connected his nose to touch hers, which made her smile too. He nudged hers back, and she fought back with her own. The tip of her nose slipped from his, but they only smiled brighter upon feeling the very few centimeters of differences between their lips.
They met again in the middle.
.
Rikku wanted to faint from all the romance but settled with displaying a giddy smile.
"Hey Rikku... do you really wear less clothes every time you see him?" Paine accused the Al Bhed, fearful about her friend even thinking about stripping any more as she got older. She gaped scandalously.
"Well, it's not like I leave for ten minutes and voila, y'know! It only happened twice-MMpHH!"
Paine immediately covered Rikku's ranting mouth and it sounded like a slap.
Tidus and Yuna pulled apart prematurely, and curiously looked over to the obscured path.
"Did you hear something?" Tidus' eyes shot over to the bushes.
Yuna peered over her shoulder and sighed upon the seeing a blur of yellow behind a bush. She turned her attention back to Tidus and smiled, "We better get going." At his quiet question, she supplied, "It looks like we're not alone anymore."
She tugged on his hands to get out of the water, and he followed reluctantly.
They loudly sloshed in the shallow water. His steps were sluggish until he stopped in ankle deep water. His grip on Yuna's hand loosened when he turned his attention back to the spring. It was yet another trait Tidus adopted from Yuna as he bid their special place farewell.
"This place means more to me than Zanarkand ever did, I think…"
She knew what she wanted to say, but thought against it. Instead, she gave him an amorous smile. Although she was sure he didn't mean that, he'd had succeeded in saying something that would always creep in her mind whenever she looked at him.
Somehow, on their way leaving, Tidus had managed to pull her in a much less chaste kiss. And honestly, she couldn't find herself not smiling the entire time. Their feet still hadn't made it out of the water yet.
A completely innocent but contented moan, hip to hip, she had forgotten they didn't have any privacy. Little did she know, Rikku and Paine had already left.
They didn't make it to the party.
.
Four A.M. Besaid Beach.
Lulu very much appreciated the times when Vidina would sleep comfortably for a few short hours.
Rikku joined her and sat on the cold sand. "I don't think I've ever seen Yuna so happy."
Paine stood behind them, after finding that the rest of the villagers of Besaid were back at the village asleep.
Lulu glanced over to the two girls, "I'm guessing that's why you broke your promise to Wakka to not let her out of your sight to get her to the party."
The grin on Rikku's face clearly spoke volumes that she thought she didn't do a single thing wrong. "Come on, Lu. What would you do if you if were in my position?"
"You got to admit," Paine whispered, "they deserved a day alone after the Wakka, Cid, the Youth League, New Yevon… Brother… fiasco. They want to form a new government, and no one will be happy if Yuna wasn't apart of it somehow. We all noticed how unhappy she was being involved with all the politics and he just had to rush off to cheer her up."
"Good thing he contracted the Gullwings! And it really worked," Rikku said as she rubbed her hands together, "she's happier than a clam."
"She's ready to take on anything now," Paine stated.
"I see," Lulu nodded, "so all of Yuna's guardians conspired to stash her away for a few days. There's no harm in that, I suppose."
Paine hummed in agreement. "…So I'm a guardian now then?"
"I'm sure Yuna sees you as one as do we," Lulu said indefinitely. "How does it feel?"
"Lady Paine, huh?" Paine smiled, "I can't say I don't like it."
Rikku pursed her lips, grinning bigger if possible. She decided to change the subject as she watched the ocean water. "Hey Lulu… you think you can tell us how people can walk on water?"
Suspicious flags flew up all through Lulu's mind, but her face betrayed it with a very clueless calmness attribute. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason!" Rikku smiled.
The darker woman regarded her seriously as she watched the ocean waves stream up and out from the shore. "Very few people can. About the only people known to be able to do so were summoners. Did you know Yuna could walk on water?"
Rikku tried her best to hide a gigantic grin. She failed to conceal her puffing cheeks. "No kidding…?"
Paine rolled her eyes in a friendly manner, glad that Lulu couldn't see her from behind.
"She did it once to perform a sending. It's a spiritual experience. Spira is a world of balance between soul and nature. They twist and turn and mix together so much that it's difficult to separate the two. Take Macalania. The nature, habitat, the physical forest that is Macalania Woods is disappearing because the Fayth, the souls of the dead, have gone to rest. Soul and nature become one. One could say that Spira is really a network of souls. I don't know how someone can walk on water, but I have heard that a soul must relinquish itself, and intimately connect and meld with another soul. It's beyond the physical body."
"Connecting with another soul?" Rikku smiled as she avoided looking at Lulu's gaze at all costs.
"Yuna, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn't be able to walk on water without any pyreflies around."
"So, for someone to walk on water, they have to connect with someone, err, another soul on a spiritual level then."
The older woman picked up a stray leaf beside her and cradled it within her fingers.
"It's much more than spiritual. That's why only summoners can do it. They're the only ones that can connect to another on such an intimate level. Our world, Spira itself, bows themselves to the soul that is unwavering. Ordinary people can never truly understand their own spirit, but Yuna is in touch with it as much as she is with her body. It's what summoners are trained to do. If the soul is making a true connection with another, they can walk on water."
Lulu flicked the green leaf into the ocean, and it lay on top of the water without a care in the world. The green leaf sailed away into sea.
"All of that makes me kinda wish I became a summoner," Rikku said. "You think someone could teach me?" she teased. Paine could hear the fit of giggles in her voice.
"You'd have to ask a former summoner. Unfortunately, our resident summoner is a bit busy at the moment."
Lulu smirked when she sent a side-glance toward Tidus and Yuna who were resting quite a ways down along the coastline. Yuna lay asleep against Tidus' chest, curled under his chin. Tidus was barely awake as he stared out to the ocean, and rubbed sleep inducing circles on her arms.
"They really are quite a pair," Paine smiled genuinely.
Rikku sighed. She had enough playing matchmaker for the day and what an exhaustive day it was! "...when do you think they'll get engaged?"
The question brought an explicit glare from Lulu.
.
Brother, lo and behold, stood up on the deck of the Celsius. He had spied on them, and couldn't find a single fault with Tidus as he stared longingly at them. Yuna was better this way, Brother smiled despite of a semi-broken heart. This Yuna belonged with Tidus. Brother loved her when she was love with another. The Yuna he loved was the Yuna that looked ahead, not the Yuna that looked at him. If she ever fell in love with him, then she'd stop being the Yuna he wanted. Brother was sure of it. It was better this way...
Brother teared up before wiping his eyes. Suddenly, he nodded finishing the last of his manly sniffles with snort, "It's better this way."
Buddy slapped him on the shoulder in a brotherly nature. "Good for you," he boasted. "Don't worry about it, you'll get over this. Mow, I can set you up with this Kilikan girl... How do you feel about being a rebound?"
"Rebound you say? Sounds good!" Brother yelled abruptly.
"Ahh!" Buddy laughed out loud and swung his around Brother's neck to give him a noogie, "There's my OLD friend!"
Brother tackled Buddy to the ground for even thinking such a thing would go unpunished.
Shinra yawned in his suit, which coincidentally worked as a wonderful footy pajama. "How asinine. Doesn't anyone ever sleep around here?"
.
Tidus and Yuna's trip around Spira finally ended.
His eyelids were growing too heavy to keep open anymore. Yuna's rhythmic breathing soothed him to rest. His arms that were possessively wrapped around her to keep her warm had loosened dramatically.
"I love you too," he whispered into the crook of her neck. Before he slipped too deeply into sleep, he kissed her neck as if he had done it so many times before and then her hair.
It was possible she heard, considering right when he fell asleep her smile had doubled in size. But then again, maybe not.
.