Proverbial Revitalization

Written by Whimsical Symphony

After an exceptionally long time, it is here. I had no inspiration for this story at all. But then, by chance, I happened to look back into my old reviews and I noticed a review by Carter-Shiraz which was flattering to the point where I felt like I needed to write this again. My inspiration came back for this chapter. I would like to thank you, Carter-Shiraz. Your review helped me.

Chapter 6 – Tearful Strength

Yuna tried on multiple dresses that Lulu handed to her, feeling the silk in her hands, brushing her fingers over the immaculate embroidery. Lulu told her it was all hand-stitched. She wondered how long the woman sat by her fireplace, a book opened up to a random page as she sat on a comfy couch and began to craft her dresses stitch by stitch. She wondered how many times Lulu must have poked herself as she attempted to turn the pages of her book. Her hands clearly showed her hard work. On hands that should have been perfect, puncture wounds remained from a particularly hard run in with an oddly curved needle, faded scars that didn't really detract from her beauty at all.

"This one… here, I would like you to try it," Lulu said solemnly before passing her a beautiful grey dress. She seemed to hesitate slightly before passing it to her. Yuna did so before thanking the woman softly.

And she came out, Lulu smiled, such a contrast to the stone cold expression she usually wore on her face. Her lips relaxed, she then gestured for Yuna to do a twirl, of which she completed clumsily, nearly tripping over her own two heels.

"Does this dress hold sentimental value to you?" Yuna asked quietly, touching the beautiful black and white lace which seemed to encase the dress whole, like a coffin, and the conservative black ribbon at the waist. She looked at the floral print spread out across underneath on the base fabric, wondering how the flowers lost their colours of red, pink and yellow, why the sky behind was grey. "Why doesn't it have colour anymore?"

Lulu stopped shuffling through the dresses. Her nails from her right hand dug into her left. That must have been where at least a portion of the puncture wounds came from. "That dress used to have colour." When Yuna saw her grim smile, she could see just how broken the woman in front of her was. She walked toward Yuna, heels clacking against the floor. She raised her hand and fastened a small clip into Yuna's hair. The younger couldn't help but think about the comfort that came with her touch, how very familial it seemed. To her, it almost felt as if the woman in front of her embodied an elder sister. "It doesn't anymore though. I redid the entire dress ever since my… first love died."

"He," Yuna whispered, "died?" Shock swallowed her. How insensitive she was to ask such questions about the dress when the woman who stood before her suffered so greatly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She bowed, and remained in that position, fearing to look into the woman's face. "I shouldn't have been so untactful!"

Lulu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please, stand up. There's nothing to apologize for."

Warmth travelled from her palm, past Yuna's skin, straight to her heart, making it thump with comfortable palpitations like a summer day, warm in colour, all greens and blues, a scene visible in the Calm Lands, not Zanarkand. How strange that such a comforting warmth would be found in such a cold looking woman. Yuna felt ashamed for letting herself judge. Her warmth was comparable to even her father's.

Yuna rose slowly, still gazing down at her shoes and the patterned flooring. She shook her head firmly. "It's right that I apologize. I was untactful and I judged you too quickly, you know?" She took a quick glance and noticed Lulu's questioning cock of the head. Yuna smiled a little. "You didn't seem like you could comfort anyone. But, your smiles, the way you let me try on all your dresses, even the one that made you frown – I thought of my own father when you touched my shoulder."

"Your father?" Lulu questioned. She smiled serenely. "I am not a warm person as you say. It was true. Chappu always said I looked grumpy, but he'll never know that being with him were the happiest moments of my life." She looked grim. "It is unfair I think of him so much while being married to Wakka, but even if my love for Chappu faded with time, my care for him never did. Wakka and he were siblings, you know."

Yuna chuckled. "But Lulu,that does show you're a warm person. You aren't grumpy, I can see it. You smile, see?" Yuna gestured to her own smile. "Smiling… makes everyone happy. You're making me happy by smiling Lulu. If Chappu ever saw this smile, he knew he was making you happy, that those were the best moments of your life." She paused for a moment. "And Wakka, Chappu was his brother too. He would understand the pain you feel because for him it was the same pain, wasn't it? It is more than fair for you to think of him in his last moments," she said quietly.

Lulu didn't know when the dam broke and the river gate opened, leaving tears to streak across her face. When last she cried for Chappu, it has been when he died. Not since then had she let herself cry. Not even for the day a year passed since his departure to the Farplane. The younger girl in front of her just held her, a telltale blush on her face, as she had her moment of release, while she thought of Chappu one last time before promising to devote herself entirely to Wakka.

"I am sorry," Lulu said softly. She pulled off a dress from a nearby rack, almost seeming as if nothing happened to her, as if she didn't lose her composure. "I suppose I will do Tidus a favour and doll his girlfriend up for him. He was tasteful this time with his choice, unlike that girl Dona. Even though he decided to come into my establishment drunk again, I will forgive him."

Yuna shook her head furiously and tried to deny her claims, "Tidus and I aren't…"

The woman didn't listen, whether by choice, or by because of how engrossed she was in picking out the perfect dress, the perfect accessories, and picking up makeup. Yuna flushed as she wondered what Tidus thought of the misunderstanding. Surely he would not think it good, considering the number of women he had free pick from.

Lulu looked at her glum face and knew then exactly what she was thinking. She knew Tidus for many years and not once had he ever brought a girl like Yuna back, who was kind and compassionate. He felt attraction for the exotic girls who bore their tanned skin and paraded around like peacocks on the street at night, their clothes shimmering from the bright streetlights and screens. Though often short lived, Lulu heard about the hurt he experienced each time anything went wrong. With Yuna, Lulu felt it would go on much longer without all the needless pain and hurt.

"Whoa!" Tidus exclaimed looking at the girl dragged along behind Lulu. Yuna stood behind her, that same shy smile on her face that he'd grown to love, her nervous gestures present, like the fiddling of her fingers as she stared at her feet. Her dress made her feel more out of reach to him. It only occurred to him then really, that Yuna was the daughter of someone ridiculously famous. Not so much like his old man who was a famous Blitzball player, but a daughter of a famous philanthropist, someone associated with Maester Mika. Yuna would probably wed some rich, wealthy man in the future wearing a gown like now, white, delicate, like the first snow fall, wispy like the first stroke of a bird's wing as it took flight and cut through the air. "You look… uh… really pretty, Yuna," he said awkwardly, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Is that any compliment to pay a woman? How pathetic," Lulu scoffed, hand on her hip as she looked at him expectantly.

"It's fine. I don't expect him to say anything else," Yuna replied honestly giving him a small, cute smile which pulled at his heartstrings and made him feel sure as hell guilty when he thought of his own awkwardness.

He wondered if Cetan would learn guilt tripping tricks from here in order to get himself forgiven, then once again plop back down on his couch and pull out the beer. Just the thought of Yuna's current smile on Cetan of all people made him cringe in disgust. He thought briefly of Dona, her seductive, enigmatic smile as she would send him off to bed, the smile which lacked any sort of innocence. Yuna's smile on her lips wouldn't suit. And strangely, he wondered why he ever found Dona so attractive in the first place. Now that he found Yuna, he knew he couldn't settle for anything less innocent. Yuna, however, was the most innocent, the top of the tier.

"Fine, sorry," Tidus apologized, trying to avert his eyes. Lulu's piercing gaze made him all the more nervous as well. He wouldn't lie about how attractive he thought she was when they first met through Wakka, before they had gotten married, before they were dating. It didn't help that Lulu thought he looked an awful lot like Chappu. Lulu and utterly frightening often walked hand in hand, though and due to the number of times she got him out of trouble, she became like an elder sister. "You look… really cute, Yuna," he started and flushed at his next words, "really beautiful…"

He blamed it on the alcohol, even if the effect began to dissipate. Alcohol made him think and say things he wouldn't normally think and say. Yuna flushed, small blooms of rose on the apples of her cheeks, before giving him another smile.

The bell on the top of the door jingled, letting Lulu know that someone had entered her store. "I will leave you two be for now." She looked at the two briefly before walking toward the door. She hoped that Tidus wouldn't destroy the relationship he had with Yuna now. They were lost in their own world, a vase of glass, like she could see in, but they couldn't see out. She hoped that vase would stay with them because that vase signified their bond.

"So, did you get along with, Lulu?" Tidus asked her, desperately trying to change the subject so he wouldn't feel so awkward around the crazily adorable Yuna in front of him. "She's really awesome, you know? Really dedicated towards her friends, but she never got along with me when we first met."

"Lulu is… a very warm person," Yuna said, smiling. "I'm happy that you took me to meet her." She never mentioned how envy bubbled up within her at the thought that all the warm people, all the genuine, sincere people gravitated toward Tidus. The cheerful, bubbly Rikku was his friend, the warm, supportive Lulu was his friend. When Yuna thought of her own life back in Bevelle, she knew she didn't have anyone like that with her, nor anyone at all, really. Belgemine stood by her, her father stood by her, but no one more. If her birth took place in another place, she wondered if her life would have turned out differently. She wondered when the tears started to flow down her cheeks. She barely realized it, but when she looked at Tidus' shocked face, she touched her skin lightly and found the moisture present on her face. "I'm sorry; I don't know what's wrong with me," her voice shook and her throat closed up. "My life changed so much since I came here, all the people I've met, in Bevelle it was nothing like this. I just…"

"Hey, Yuna, it's okay," Tidus told her, not liking the look of tears on her face. Another difference between her and Dona, he supposed. Dona never cried, quite a bit more likely to make him cry. Dona hardly ever told him what she felt, hardly ever talked to him. Yuna bore her feelings for all to see, an open book. He swiftly embraced her within his arms, his head resting in the crook of her neck. "You have us now. It doesn't matter about before, okay? Your life will keep changing, but in a good way. You'll never feel lonely again, Yuna. I promise." He didn't know what he said that could comfort her, make her tears stop, but he knew he spoke from the heart. Whatever he said caused her to cry more, but in relief, he hoped. Her cute face covered in tears of relief far outdid her face covered in tears from sadness.

"Thank you, thank you," she said repeatedly into his chest, her tears soaking the material. He smiled just a little even though she couldn't see it.

Yuna didn't know if she would ever be able to see his home, yet they journeyed. The walk had been peaceful as all the lights around them set the dark sky alight, fitting for the city which never slept. She could see the Blitzball stadium, completely separated from everything else. They walked synchronized, like they were much more familiar with one another than they truly were. His steps matched hers, he actively slowed down in order for her to catch up. The area around his home contrasted the others so much, quiet, serene, they could hear their footsteps across the pavement.

Tidus literally pushed her on the couch when they entered his place, before he entered the kitchen. Yuna observed that it was circular in fashion. She could see the entryway and the kitchen where Tidus worked.

"Hey, you want something to drink?" Tidus scratched his head awkwardly as he opened his refrigerator. "We have beer and some soda," he said, "oh and we have orange juice as well." He looked at Yuna sitting stiffly on his couch. "Uh, not that you'd be interested in the beer at all." To imagine Yuna drinking a beer caused Tidus to think really hard, and even then, he couldn't.

"I'll have some orange juice then, if you insist," Yuna said shyly. She clasped her hands in her lap and flushed, the situation finally sinking in. She sat in Tidus' house, where he lived, where he slept. There seemed to be no other presence but Tidus' in the home. "Does your family live here?" she asked, treading lightly, to stop herself from tripping on a landmine.

"I moved out on my own," Tidus explained quietly while stepping back into the room, a beer can in one hand, a glass of orange juice in the other. He put them on the table in front of her before taking a seat on the same couch. He switched on the television so the silence between them wouldn't be so deafening. Tidus hated awkward silences. He remembered back in the day when his old man would only pay attention when he screwed up in Blitzball. His mother would be off somewhere, ignoring the commotion. His father would look sternly at him and yell, while Tidus would be too scared to even let his tears slip.

"Aw, what's the matter? Are you going to cry on me again, you crybaby?" Jecht mocked.

It was that face which haunted him day by day, those words. Tidus tried to become a star Blitzball player, and he had. But never had he once been able to impress his own old man. He was compared to him everywhere he walked. He still remained unable to do that stupid Jecht shot his old man prided himself on. He ran in the same spot, trying to catch up to his dad, but never once succeeding. Tidus envied Yuna for her ever-changing life, even though it was wrong. His life remained stagnant.

"My father was a little overbearing, my mother never once paid attention to me when he was around," Tidus explained. He took a quick glance to the side and saw her simply looking at him, no judgement, just her calming bi-chromatic eyes filling him with peace of some kind. It felt almost like talking to Rikku, except even more comforting. Tidus felt flushed at the thought that her undivided attention was on him. He never once got that kind of attention from anyone, not Dona, not his teammates. It felt almost like talking to Lulu and Rikku at the same time. "I… hate my old man. He drinks, and drinks, and mom, she deals with it all." Before he realized it, he showed all his hatred toward his own family to Yuna. "He mocked me all the time. And I never realized why mom never paid attention to me, why she dealt with all of his bullshit. He thinks he's all that just because he's famous." He quietened a little as he quelled his rage. "A family friend once told me that two love birds only have each other to hold on to, that if one of them passes on, the other one would too from grief. I guess maybe that's why," he felt himself choke up, "they never had room for me in their world at all. I never fit into that equation. I had to get out of the house, I couldn't do it. I used what I'd earned as a Blitzball player and got this place. And besides the occasional visits and the daily phone calls, I'm free from all that."

Yuna stayed silent, her mouth pressed into a thin line.

Tidus felt hot tears collecting in his eyes before he knew what was happening. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and whispered, "Sorry, you must be thinking what a wimpy guy I am, right?" And he was worried about what she of all people thought.

"No, you're strong," Yuna replied slowly. "You're strong just as Lulu is warm." He looked at her disbelievingly, and she placed a finger on her lips. "You know, my mother taught me one important saying that I always keep a part of me before she passed. It was something my father and I both keep a part of us." Tidus listened, intrigued by the story she was about to share. Yuna comforted everyone constantly, almost as if it were her duty to save everyone. Maybe it was, as Braska's daughter, some hidden clause he as a common citizen didn't know. "Ajah ev oui lno, ed tuac hud syga oui fayg. Ymfyoc csemehk ec uhmo bnadahtehk - ruhacdo ec dnia cdnahkdr. Du ytsed fryd oui vaam ec luinykauic." She paused. "It means 'even if you cry, it does not make you weak. Always smiling is only pretending - honesty is true strength. To admit what you feel is courageous.' Even though I can't account for feel what you feel in regards to your dislike of your parents, the fact that you were able to admit it, able to cry, makes you strong. I was happy to listen to a strong person."

Tidus flushed and smiled just a little. "Thanks. I can't guarantee how much you'll have to deal with my crying then. You know, my old man always used to call me a crybaby," he teased and hooked an arm over her shoulder. Yuna squeaked, surprised. He chuckled.

She took a small, delicate sip of her orange juice in order to calm her racing heart. "The more crying the better." They looked at one another, Tidus raised an eyebrow, Yuna wrinkled her nose a little, and neither of them believed what she said. They both exploded into laughter that overtook the sadness and silence previously engulfing the room. The room now held Yuna's presence as well, her gentleness, her peacefulness, and her strength. Tidus liked having to see her in his living quarters. He wondered whether she would come on to him, and then denied it with a laugh. Yuna couldn't even act naturally with his arm around her. But, he was happy, they both were.

The doorbell rang, interrupting the newly formed peace. "I'll get that," he sighed and said. When he rose and left her on the couch, his arm no longer touching her neck and shoulders, she relaxed a little. Her pounding heart pounded just a little less to a comfortable sort of flutter.

When he opened the door, he immediately frowned. "What the hell are you doing here?"

But Cetan obviously didn't listen and strolled in like he owned the place. Tidus was more than just displeased to see his idiot of a teammate here when he had his alone time with Yuna. He sighed and closed the door as he attempted to follow Cetan so he could throw him out. "I'm kind of having a little fallout with Dona right now. She's still a little pissed that I picked up your phone call when I was… uh… sick." It was quite obvious what he had been doing, Tidus grumbled. His lying sucked. "She also got pissed at me for not buying her the right purse. I accidentally bought the one from last year's fashion trend, apparently."

Cetan waltzed right passed Yuna without even realizing she was there. She looked a little confused. Tidus sighed as he saw Cetan open his fridge and pull out a can of beer. "Dude, stop stealing my beer," Cetan opened his beer, "and stop making this your house," Cetan plopped on the couch.

Only then did he notice the girl beside him. He frowned. "Ti' there's a random girl who broke into your house."

Tidus slapped his forehead. "She didn't break in. You pretty much did." It was going to be a long day.

Words: 3 619

Al Bhed Translations

Ajah ev oui lno, ed tuac hud syga oui fayg. Ymfyoc csemehk ec uhmo bnadahtehk - ruhacdo ec dnia cdnahkdr. Du ytsed fryd oui vaam ec luinykauic/ Even if you cry, it does not make you weak. Always smiling is only pretending - honesty is true strength. To admit what you feel is courageous.