Cherish

Chapter 1: Sweet Nothing

"So, are you still retired or have you gone back to blitz?" He asked.

"Believe it or not, I'm still out of it. I'm a father now!" Wakka replied, pointing to his newborn son cradled in the arms of his wife, Lulu. "He's my pride and joy. His name's Vidina."

"Well hello there Vidina!" Tidus pointed his finger at Vidina's hand. Vidina instinctively grabbed at it and cooed. "Ha, how cute. You know Wakka, that time we went into the Farplane to see our dead relatives, I told Lulu that you two would go great together."

"And what did Lulu say?" Wakka inquired, noticing that a smirk twisted into shape on Lulu's face.

"She pretty much bit my hand off at that." Tidus replied. "But now look."

"How right you were," Lulu remarked nonchalantly, however displaying some rare amusement.

"Well, we better get going. It's almost time for Vidina's nap. You two lovebirds better not get lost, ya?" Wakka said.

"I think I remember the way," Tidus replied, laughing. He watched Wakka and Lulu disappear into the thicket, and then turned his head to the right, and her gorgeous face snatched the breath out of his lungs, yet again. It was a welcome feeling, he thought, that her beauty still left him enchanted. It might have been her rosy cheeks, combined with her soft adorable smile. Maybe it was her mesmerizing eyes, her right eye a radiant green emerald, and her left eye a burning sapphire blue. The real jewels in this world. Most definitely it was her soul. Her innocent, caring demeanor she displayed to everybody who greeted her, now with a fun-loving spirit mixed in as she explored and enjoyed the life she had given up two years ago, if not in body, then in mind. It enraged Tidus to think that a false faith nearly convinced Yuna to throw it all away, had they made their pilgrimage to Zanarkand by the book. She was willing to lay down her own life to bring peace to Spira, but for what? Only a few years later, Yuna's sacrifice would have been forgotten, less useful than the sand they were walking in, and a new Sin would have continued its interrupted reign of terror.

But that's not how it happened. Tidus reassured himself. Sin is gone forever, and this beautiful girl is still alive to enjoy the fruits of what she has sown. And now, I get to see her enjoy that life. Tidus smiled and wrapped his arms around the small of Yuna's waist. "I love you too," he replied to an affirmation made by Yuna two years ago. It was the last thing he heard as he faded away that day.

Yuna batted her eyes, a bright shimmer glinting off both of her radiant pupils, and leaned into his embrace. Her soft lips met his and this moment both thought they'd never have again was being kissed out slowly and tenderly. It stretched into a blissful eternity before Yuna rested her head on his chest. There's his heartbeat. He really is alive.

"Now, Yuna, where were we?" Tidus asked of her recent adventure.

"Well," Yuna started, "It all began when I saw this sphere of you." She smiled and sat down in the sandy path. She explained the entirety of her recent journey, from her joining the Gullwings to the destruction of Vegnagun in the Farplane, in the next half hour.

"So, Shuyin really looked like me?" Tidus asked as Yuna finished.

"Not really, and that was only in the face. And even that was more sullen than yours is." Yuna replied.

"And so you wound up bringing Lenne to him?" Tidus asked, interested in hearing them. He had never heard of Shuyin, who was a blitzer from his time, although he vaguely remembered hearing great things about Lenne, the popular songstress and summoner in his former time.

"Yes, she kept her spirit in the dressphere we had and when we finally got him to listen, Lenne came out." Yuna explained. "She finally got him to rest, and so they're together now in the Farplane. She said she had a new song for him. Well, she had a thousand years to write it."

"Wow," Tidus breathed. "I missed a lot, didn't I?"

Yuna stood to her feet. "Think about all the times we can spend together now, with you by my side." She countered, with her alluring smile and sparkle in her eyes. Tidus smiled and wrapped his arms around Yuna's back.

"Not until the end, always." Tidus said.

"Always." Yuna repeated. After a moment of thought, she decided that a little trip would be a great idea.

"Let's go to Zanarkand." Yuna said out of the blue. She had clearly worked harder at being blunt.

"Huh?" Tidus stammered, bewildered at the request out of left field. "My Zanarkand?" He clarified.

"Well, I thought the only way back to your Zanarkand was through Sin, and well, I don't think he's coming back this time around." Yuna replied. "We can get to our Zanarkand before sunset though, and be back by nightfall."

"On the airship?"

"Of course!" Yuna grabbed Tidus's hand and yanked him back toward the shore of Besaid. The Celsius was still perched there just offshore in the shallow water.

"You remember Cid, don't you?" Yuna asked as the two frolicked into the ocean hand in hand.

"How could I forget? He really helped us get inside Sin." Tidus replied.

"He owns this ship. Brother actually runs it, but it's a family operation." Yuna explained.

"You mean that buffoon blitzer? Rikku's brother?" Tidus asked for clarification.

"I heard that, punk!" Brother screamed, his voice booming out of the Celsius PA system.

Yuna's face flushed red with laughter at Brother's retort. "Yup, that's the guy!"

"Oh brother," Tidus chimed. Pun intended, thank you very much.

The cargo bay door that Yuna flung herself out of only an hour and a half earlier opened lazily and the two stepped inside. She led Tidus up to the bridge where an eccentric as usual Brother snapped to military style attention. "Where to, captain?" Brother chimed, at Yuna of course.

"Zanarkand, and extra brownie points if you can get us there before sunset." Yuna replied.

"Of course, Yuna!" Brother squealed, his thick German accent booming throughout the bridge.

"He might be the 'leader' of this outfit, but it's easy to order him around if you know which button to push." Yuna whispered into Tidus's ear, and Tidus laughed out loud at the remark.

Paine and Rikku stepped onto the bridge a minute later, and Rikku walked up to the couple. Paine kept her distance, interested, but not prodding. "Hey buddy! Where'd you disappear to?" Rikku greeted with a friendly punch to his shoulder. Paine smiled and nodded acknowledgment when Tidus looked over, not recognizing her.

"I disappeared with the fayth." Tidus replied simply, hoping it would satisfy Rikku enough that she wouldn't prod for any more details, details of which he was sure he didn't have. However, it made him explore inside himself, looking for the reason, the why, the how of everything. Was I dead? I was with Auron, Yuna's father and my old man the last two years. Some of the details of his time in the Farplane started flooding back to him.

Auron told me he was an unsent...I killed my old man myself. We arrived in the Farplane at about the same time. But if I never did exist, then why is my memory of the Farplane coming back to me? Another dream? No...It couldn't be. Auron, Braska, and my old man were cheering on Yuna, when she fought Vegnagun. It matched.. Now I remember...She reacted to them, she heard them. I almost said something, but I couldn't. It would have ripped her heart out to hear me but to never see me again. It wouldn't have been fair. So I stayed silent. I wanted her to move on. Because I thought we would never see each other ever again. But after she destroyed Vegnagun, we were sitting around. We were talking. Like usual. Small talk really, I made up with my dad many months ago. But then Auron said something that confused me. Something about my story continuing. His usual cryptic speech. Then my dad told me to go on. Lord Braska, he said he wanted me to take care of his daughter. Before I had a chance to ask what was going on, I blacked out. Then I wound up here.

"I see." Rikku replied. He doesn't want to spill it. Maybe he doesn't know either. It was rare the first friend Tidus ever made in Spira decided to drop the subject. But this was one of the times.

Paine stepped forward and decided to enter the conversation. "You must be the guy Yuna set out looking for. My name is Paine." She said in introduction and offered her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Tidus shook her hand.

"It's nice to see the one that makes Yuna smile like she did." Paine replied as she took her seat on the bridge.

"Alright kids," Buddy called out. "We're about to get underway."

"Hold on!" Yuna interrupted.

"What is it, Yuna?" Brother asked.

"Could you open up the deck again?" Yuna pleaded.

"But of course, Yunie."

"Thank you so much!"

"Yippee, another deck ride!" Rikku beamed and began walking toward the elevator with Yuna and Tidus. Paine stopped her with a grab to her shoulder.

"I think they need their moment in private." Paine reminded Rikku.

"Awww..." Rikku loved the deck rides and always would. They spoiled her. But Paine was right. And besides, there was always another time. "You're right, they need their privacy."

And so do we, Paine didn't add as they both instead trailed off toward the cabin.

"Brother, can you hear me?" Yuna yelled from the deck.

"Rogerrrrr!" Brother growled, or purred. Yuna still had yet to decide the proper adjective for how he said that. "Gentlemen, start your engines!" Immediately the massive engines powering the Celsius roared to life.

"Take us as high and fast as before!"

"Roggggerrrr!" Yuna would always get a kick out of that. The Celsius accelerated quickly, and gained altitude.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, worried about the precarious place that both stood, right in front of the Gullwing emblem. That, and the fact that he wasn't used to his airship legs like before. He stumbled once and then picked up his airship feet after a minute or so.

"Remember when I said I could fly?" Yuna asked her love.

"Yes!" Tidus replied, flashing back to her escape from that bastard Seymour.

"Come fly with me." Yuna stood erect and stretched her arms out in a crucifixion pose. Tidus walked up behind her and did the same, but intertwined his fingers with hers.

"We're flying," Tidus whispered into Yuna's ear. They stood together, arms stretched out and legs rigid as if nailed to a cross. Tidus peeked over her shoulder to see the vibrant face of the one he cherished, and Yuna greeted him with her lovely grin. Tidus closed her arms inward, her hands now covering her stomach, and his hands covering hers.

"What do you reckon they're doing up there?" Buddy asked.

"Yuna is showing him how to fly." Brother responded evenly. "Yuna always had a fascination with flying."

"I wonder where he went, you know, for these two years."

"Of that, Buddy, I do not know. All I do know is that he was a dream of the Fayth, and when we killed Sin, he disappeared. Like Macalania, yes?"

"I've never seen her happier than when she heard that whistle. She got so excited, so emotional, she started crying." Buddy observed. "Yuna's eyes just welled up."

"Buddy, you do know the feelings I have for Yuna, yes? But it is he that her heart desires. And if he makes her happy, then ultimately I am happy. Most of all I want Yuna happy, yes? And so this race I will bow out of, my feelings be damned." Brother said.

"I see." Buddy replied. Giving up already?

"Okay, descending to the Calm Lands. You sure you want to do this, Shinra?" Brother asked. Shinra kept the promise he vowed before YRP jumped into the Farplane.

"Yep, it's time for me to go." Shinra replied. "I have some great things I want to present to Tobli." Yuna and Tidus rushed back onto the bridge to see why the Celsius was stopping short of Zanarkand.

"I'm saying goodbye." Shinra ran up to Yuna and hugged her the best he could, which was only her legs. Not a bad view. Yuna knelt down to bring herself down to his diminutive form, allowing for a face to face goodbye that didn't have to strain any necks.

"Already Shinra? You're too young to retire!" Yuna lamented.

"It's time for me to do something different." Shinra replied. "Who knows what may happen later, I might be back."

"Okay then, take care!" Yuna lifted Shinra up and hugged him, hardly something he could complain about. He too thought Yuna special, although he rarely displayed it.

"You have fun, okay?" Shinra said.

"You bet!" Yuna replied.

"Don't get into any trouble!" Brother yelled as Shinra stepped off the bridge and to the teleport sphere. Shinra faded from view and shortly thereafter Brother gave the Celsius some stick to start the short trip from the Calm Lands to Zanarkand.

"Hang tight, Yuna. I'm going to freshen up." Tidus said to Yuna.

"Alright then." Yuna replied. He probably needs it. All these emotions and feelings had to be taking a toll on him. As they were on her. Maybe something where we can unwind...aha!!

"Hey Buddy, Commsphere still works, right?" Yuna inquired

"In a couple of places, yes, why?"

"Just wondering." Yuna replied. She accessed the commsphere network and buzzed Guadosalam. A returning Guado answered and when requested by Yuna, retrieved Bayra from the troupe.

"Yes? Aah... I see... Yes, we can do that for you... That will be no problem at all... It will be finished within the hour... You're welcome... Anything for you, High Summoner Yuna." Bayra said. Is that guy back? He wondered as the conversation ended.

Damn. Both Buddy and Brother stared at each other, sharing the same thought at overhearing Yuna's end of the conversation. Conveniently, Tidus walked back onto the bridge just as Yuna signed off. He wrapped his arms around Yuna's waist and pulled her close, noticing an extra sparkle in her eyes to go with her alluring smile.

As the Celsius approached Zanarkand, a thought Tidus fought to suppress since he broke the surface off the shore of Besaid barged into his head. What if this is all a dream? What if I'm still a dream? When I was a dream it didn't stop me from having them...Don't worry about it now...Cherish her.

"Alright kiddos. Welcome to Zanarkand." Buddy called from his navigational post.

"Thank you very much, guys," Yuna said to Brother and Buddy. She started off the bridge hand in hand with Tidus.

"Yuna." Brother called.

"Yes?" The two turned around to see Brother standing where Shinra's former station was at.

"Would you mind if I have a word with him, in private, that is?" Brother asked.

"Not at all." Yuna replied.

"Good. I will not take long."

Yuna stepped off of the bridge and Tidus walked warily toward the Celsius cockpit. His previous experiences with Brother had not been the best, hearkening back to the time Rikku and the Al Bhed had rescued him from the underwater ruins, the place Sin/Jecht had deposited him in their thousand year tear through time. They became fierce rivals in the blitzball season two years ago when the Al Bhed Psyches kidnapped Yuna in an attempt to stop her pilgrimage. Things had come full circle now, however, and besides, the Al Bhed had good intentions, however ignorant of what they tried to stop.

"Yuna is happy, yes?" Brother spoke first. Tidus remained silent. "Take care of her."

"I will. Thanks." Tidus replied. Brother offered a handshake and Tidus obliged. Tidus turned and walked off the bridge. He made his way out of the airship and into the final base for Yuna's pilgrimage. He stepped off to the side of the nearby hill and peered out over the shore, where the sun sank under the ruins of what had once been his home city a thousand years before. The Celsius lifted off and touched down on the other side of Zanarkand's ruined dome, and Buddy and Brother did some research.

DISCLAIMER: From this point to the end of this disclaimer, I take no credit for the dialogue that occurs between Tidus and Yuna. You can find this dialogue upon viewing the Perfect Ending for Final Fantasy X-2. As you see, I have made a bridge of sorts

"I got a theory." Tidus began. "I think the Fayth gathered my thoughts and put them together to bring me back." Yuna stood and listened intently.

"Or maybe... I'm still a dream." Tidus said grimly. He didn't want to say it, but he felt he owed it to Yuna in case he did disappear again one day.

"Wait! So you'll disappear?" Yuna gasped. She hadn't thought about that grim possibility since he returned, and his last statement hit her like a punch to the gut. She had already started thinking about their future, and didn't want to face the prospect that it all could be taken away, again.

Tidus didn't have an answer to her question. Maybe he would fade again, maybe he wouldn't. Like Yuna, he thought about their future, however long or short it might be. He hated to see Yuna frown like that. It tore him up inside. He recalled what Yuna told him on their journey to Zanarkand. I learned to smile when I'm sad. It meant that Yuna, understandably, was very worried. He had to make her happy again. It was how he always wanted to remember her.

"Cherish me, Yuna. And I'll cherish you. Alright? We gotta stay together. That's what we have to do." Tidus spoke, in a reassuring tone. His words helped.

Yuna's frown reversed and she ran up to embrace him from behind. She held him close, making sure that she still felt his warmth. "Is that what the Fayth told you?" Yuna asked. Maybe staying together is the key. Easy enough. Yuna smiled at the thought.

"Naah... but I like it!" Tidus replied, in the mischievous tone that Yuna absolutely adored. They both started laughing when Yuna thought of something. She pushed Tidus from behind and he fell over the slight edge into the water. Tidus gasped more from the shock of being pushed like that than the instinctive grab for air one gets when unexpectedly dunked.

"Hey! That's not cherishing!" Tidus screamed to Yuna on the bank.

Call it intuition, call it instinct, call it a whim, call it anything. Somehow though, Yuna knew. "You didn't disappear." Yuna replied with a wide grin on her face and looked down upon the love of her life. Thoughts of them danced through her head with amazing speed but with remarkable clarity. Indeed some of those thoughts were not exactly kosher for a devout Yevonite, but could you blame someone who found her love when he joined her pilgrimage, the journey in which she sent herself to die? But she survived, and he faded. But he was back now.

Tidus caught what Yuna thought of his chances of disappearing again. "Whoa," Tidus looked at himself. He knew it too, for some reason. I know now. The two lovers gazed at each other, communicating clearly without words or gestures more complex than the shape of their smiles. After a minute Tidus climbed out and shook off the excess water drenching him before walking up the bank and back to Yuna.

END DISCLAIMER

"Let's get you dried off," Yuna said with a wink as they returned to the Celsius. There was one more trip to make on his first day back in Spira, although Tidus didn't know it at this point.