Her Inspiration - Her Eternal Calm
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just the story!
A/N: Another chapter! A short one, but one or two more chapters and this one will be complete. I know, I know! I hate to see it go too, but it's been a fun ride from beginning to end. From now on, the story will be told in third person from here on out. There's a reason for that. Look for the next update which will be coming soon! Love you guys!
P.S. Check out the AN's at the bottom of the chapter. I do a little bit of elaboration.
As the hour dragged on, the Calm Lands became packed with even more people than before. Every single person was full of excitement even though none of them knew exactly why they were there. The story that had been given, was that Sir Tidus had a very important announcement to make, and he wanted to address all of Spira at once.
The Gullwings teamed up with the Al Bhed to put the finishing touches on the stage, and Brother had managed to finally drop off the last load. Kimhari and the rest of the Ronso had set out on foot and came down from Mount Gagazet to see what the fuss was about. Lulu and Wakka had been ushered up toward the front of the crowd, along with Nooj and Baralai. Tidus had insisted they had a front row seat for this, and most of his friends knew why.
"Looks like everything is finally in order." Paine wiped the sweat off her forehead and smiled at their accomplishments.
"This is awesome." Tidus replied as he looked over everything one final time, "Well, let's get this show on the road, then!"
"Right on!" Rikku cheered, "I'll go tell you know who we're starting!"
Tidus nodded and Paine looked over at him, "You set to make your speech?"
"The speech isn't the problem."
"Neither is your big secret. Just...be yourself."
Tidus smiled and placed a hand on Paine's shoulder, "Thanks, Paine. I appreciate it."
"No problem. You got your equipment hooked up?"
"Yep. I'm good to go."
Paine nodded and ran to catch up with Rikku.
There he stood. He raised himself up to look at all the people who had been rounded up, and he swallowed really hard. The palms of his hands started to sweat, and his stomach started to flip flop. Wiping his hands on his pant leg, he took a deep breath and walked up the back stairs of the stage. Before he took the last step, he paused and forced himself to remember to breathe.
"Here goes nothing," he whispered and jogged up to the sphere mic.
The crowd caught a glimpse of him on stage and immediately cheered as loudly as they could. Whistles and screams pierced the air, hands met high in the air clapping, and bodies jostled around unable to contain their excitement anymore. For a second, Tidus envisioned a crowd full of Rikku's and he chuckled. Taking a small humble bow, he took the sphere mic in his hand and the people of Spira fell silent. There was no turning back now.
"Some years ago, a little girl had a dream. Her dream...was to become a summoner and bring another calm to her people like her father before her. Two years ago, that little girl from the isle of Besaid set out to make her dream come true. Her guardians, a hand full of friends she trusted with her life, banded together and aided her. The journey was not an easy one, and along the way, truths were revealed. Even in learning these dark secrets kept from Spira for a thousand years, the dream of this one young woman remained strong."
Tidus paused and took a deep breath looking to the crowd before resuming his speech.
"One year and one month ago, this young woman and her guardians made that dream come true. Sin was defeated, but this time, for good."
The crowd erupted in rousing cheers, but Tidus raised his hand to quiet them down.
"But the price we guardians paid, was a great one. From the little girl from Besaid who hoped to make her father proud, to the young woman who set out on a summoners pilgrimage to save the world from pain; Lady Yuna forfeited her life in exchange for her people. We had lost our summoner, but we had gained a life time of peace."
The people who once cheered, now fell silent. Some wept, some wore pained expressions, and others looked to the guardians with sympathetic eyes. Tidus waited, giving them a minute to grieve and awaited his cue. After a minute or two, the faint sound of static buzzed in his ear.
"Gullwings in position. It's showtime, guys." Rikku could be heard in the ear piece embedded in Tidus' ear.
A smile crept up on his face, and nodded to himself.
"I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out today. Up until now, I've been given all the credit for the calm in Lady Yuna's absence. While I'm flattered, I don't deserve it."
The crowd was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Confused expressions reflected on every persons face. Lulu looked to Wakka, and Wakka looked to Kimahri.
"The only one who deserves it, is the High Summoner herself." Tidus smiled as he heard tiny footsteps approach from behind him, "We all owe thanks to a very special lady."
Yuna took Tidus' and into hers and looked out to the people of Spira. All that could be heard were the gasps and the sight of thousands of jaws hitting the ground.
"Everyone, join me in rejoicing the return of High Summoner Yuna. This is her Eternal Calm."
A blush rose in Yuna's cheeks, but she smiled. After the initial shock value wore off, the crowd remained silent but they all bowed. Yuna looked a little closer and finally found Lulu, Wakka and Kimahri; Lulu's eyes were misted over as well as Wakka's, and Kimhari was...attempting to smile. The sight of it made her giggle, until she turned to Tidus.
Behind him, all of her friends were also bowing to her. Every living being in the Calm Lands showed the same stature. It was the most precious, yet awkward moment of her entire life. Raising the sphere mic to her lips, she struggled to find her voice.
"I...would like to thank everyone for their invaluable support. You have no idea how grateful I am to have such a warm welcome back."
Yuna paused and fought back hot tears that threatened to fall mercilessly.
"Sir Tidus, your kind words will stay with me forever. But I cannot accept this gratitude alone. I could not have done this by myself. A summoner is nothing without her guardians. Without my friends beside me, this calm would not be upon us. For that, I thank you."
She looked to all of her former guardians, lowered her eyes to the stage, and bowed. After they all acknowledge her, she raised up once more to finish.
"I accepted my fate long before I became a summoner. Giving Spira a time without Sin was worth it to me, and I held that thought with me during my pilgrimage. But...somewhere along the way, I faltered. Through the love of another, I longed to be a part of Spira once more. He is the reason I walk among you."
Yuna looked behind her to see that Rikku, Paine and Tidus had taken their places. Looking straight at Tidus, she let a tear slide freely down her cheek and turned to the audience once more.
"He is also the inspiration behind this song. He is my inspiration."
Yuna placed the sphere mic back into the stand and took a step back. Pulling the dressphere from the waist of her obi, she tossed it into the air and closed her eyes. Normally when someone fused with a dressphere, it lowered itself to them. This time, Yuna's feet left the ground. It seemed like the dressphere was drawing Yuna to it.
As her arms rested limply at her sides, she tilted her head back and drew her right knee up a little. Yuna's hair flowed against a magical breeze and shortened like it did in the gunner dressphere. The only difference was, her hair was no longer a solid mocha color. It seemed to have been highlighted with blonde streaks. To accent the shaggy hairdo, were silver hibiscus flowers. Her skin glowed brighter, and her clothes started to transform.
What was once the top half of her summoners kimono, was now shifted into a feminine version of Tidus' blitzball uniform. The yellow portion of the cropped shirt was held together by the Zanarkand Abes symbol, and the same necklace Tidus wore rested around her neck. Her midsection was bare, but resting on her hips was a much shorter skirt. Looking at it, you could tell it was the bottom half of her summoners kimono, with a slit in the right side that trailed all the way up her upper thigh. The shoes she wore looked just like the ones in the gunner dressphere.
As she was lowered to the ground, she turned to Tidus and smirked giving him a quick wink before turning back and grabbing the sphere mic. That was their cue. It was showtime.
A/N: So, I had a lot of fun toying with the idea of another dressphere. This is my version of the final "Songstress" dressphere. I tried to describe it the best way I knew how, but I might elaborate on it a little more.
If you take away Tidus' black jump suit, all he wears underneath it is a cropped white t-shirt with a white hood attached to it. That's all Yuna has on the top portion. As far as it being more feminine, I have it a little more form fitting, and less bulky like it was on Tidus. Her hair is cut like it is in X-2, only this time, it's streaked with blonde highlights, and hibiscus flowers. The reason for this is because I've used the eye color changes enough in the story. So, Yuna has a bit of Tidus' color in her hair, and the hibiscus flowers accented it represent the same flower that was attached to her obi on the summoners kimono. As for the bottom portion, she's wearing the same skirt as her summoners kimono...only it's shorter. In my mind, all this was cute. If I could draw it for you, I would!
Getting to Tidus' speech; I felt it suited him well. For once, it was nice to see him taking on a serious role rather than playing the cheerful, light-hearted hero. It suits him, but I feel people don't take his character as serious as they should. This was my attempt at showing a different side of him. And as for Yuna? I feel she should be a little more flirtatious and playful rather than serious and modest all the time. My intention was not to paint them OOC, but just showing a different, refreshing side to them. Hope it worked!
Anywho, hope you guys enjoy it! PM or review if you have any questions. I'll do my best to answer them :)